[Alpha1BC]

I finally got around to testing something I have been meaning to test for a while. Haven't seen it posted anywhere on here so I figured I'd share my results.

I am currently running an entirely stock SS 1LE setup, and without a doubt the single best free mod to do is to remove the shim that's glued onto the brake pad backing plate. Not sure if it's the glue used to hold them on or the softer material the sheet steel is coated in, but pulling those before installing made the brake pedal much more consistent and firm. Before pulling the shims the pedal was a soft mushy mess at the end of travel where I would basically have the pedal on the floor and sometimes still not be able to get ABS. After removing them the pedal was consistently there and ABS was much easier to get into on the track. Can't state enough how much I recommend giving it a try sometime for those using OE pads on the track.

[Osbornsm]

Originally Posted by Alpha1BC

I finally got around to testing something I have been meaning to test for a while.

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT REMOVE THE PAD BACKING PLATE. That piece helps heat stay away from your calipers.

Who the hell said this was a good idea?

[Alpha1BC]

Originally Posted by Osbornsm

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT REMOVE THE PAD BACKING PLATE. That piece helps heat stay away from your calipers.

Who the hell said this was a good idea?

That's not the case with the stock shims in my experience. They're more of a noise abatement device. No caliper/piston temp difference and not even the slightest hint of fluid getting close to boiling in 85° ambient on fluid that's already been used for a few events. Idea was shared by someone I know that runs an SS 1LE much harder with actual data acquisition and for longer intervals than 99% of people on the forums with the same car, meaning burning a full tank of fuel at a time while running lap times at a pro level. I'm more than comfortable doing the same on mine with that data backing it up. Wouldn't have posted if my experience didn't mirror theirs.

You don't have to take my word for it, though. If there's still concern about heat there's still Ti shims, vented pistons, and even high-temp seals to use that actually protect against heat. Main point is to get the OE shim with the mushy adhesive/coating out of the equation to get a significantly improved pedal feel.

[kropscamaro16]

yea thats a big nope

[cdb95z28]

I completely agree with Alpha1BC. The shims on these pads are not for heat control. They are for noise. I removed mine and just as the OP stated, it improved the feel.

[Dabjbr]

Good to know but I’d be worried about heating the calipers and changing their color. I’ve seen red brembos cooked brown (not on a camaro) but it looked like total shit.

[Briland_1LE]

He is right these shims on streetcars are for comfort to reduce NVH. OP you know you can buy titanium shims which actually have an improvement in heat insulation and titanium is the stiffest metal so I'm sure there will be no loss in feel. Plus, they're pretty cheap.

[CrushSS]

Originally Posted by Briland_1LE

He is right these shims on streetcars are for comfort to reduce NVH. OP you know you can buy titanium shims which actually have an improvement in heat insulation and titanium is the stiffest metal so I'm sure there will be no loss in feel. Plus, they're pretty cheap.

He did preface with “no cost mod.” To my knowledge the shim is not a heat sink or shield but simply for NVH. That said, any recommendations for a clean running ceramic brake pad?

[Alpha1BC]

Originally Posted by Dabjbr

Good to know but I’d be worried about heating the calipers and changing their color. I’ve seen red brembos cooked brown (not on a camaro) but it looked like total shit.

I had some slight bronzing of the silver in the "1" of the 1LE emblem that occurred before I tried removing the shim. That may have gotten a shade darker after pulling the shims but honestly it was pretty tough to tell if it actually did or not. All instance of severe discoloration that I've seen come from switching to a track dedicates (i.e. more aggressive) pad that generate more heat.

Originally Posted by Briland_1LE

He is right these shims on streetcars are for comfort to reduce NVH. OP you know you can buy titanium shims which actually have an improvement in heat insulation and titanium is the stiffest metal so I'm sure there will be no loss in feel. Plus, they're pretty cheap.

Yes, I even mentioned them in post #3 above

By all means, Ti shims could be put in after OE stuff is removed if caliper temps are a concern. The key seems to be getting the glue off that holds the OE backing plate on.

I personally haven't found a need thermally for any shims with OE pads, SS track deflectors, and SRF fluid. There's many factors that can impact this though so I can't guarantee it'll work as well for everyone as it has for me.

I'm curious how the OE pads would handle a Ti shim. The system from the factory functions by using the caliper assembly as part of the thermal mass. Insulating the pad against that heat dissipation pathway means average pad temps on track would increase, which in theory could start to cause pad fade if the temps are high enough. I have no indication on what would actually happen in this case though, so if anyone has tried this combo I'm interested to hear how it went.

Originally Posted by CrushSS

He did preface with “no cost mod.” To my knowledge the shim is not a heat sink or shield but simply for NVH. That said, any recommendations for a clean running ceramic brake pad?

For track use? I'm not aware of any ceramic pads that can handle that type of abuse safely. For street use the Powerstop Z26 seems to be a popular choice. I think Hawk HPS is another one IIRC? I've tried both on non-performance cars in the past and they do alright for normal day-to-day driving, but I wouldn't plan to do more than one or two hard brake stops in a row on them.

For managing brake dust I've found that ceramic coating the wheels helps keep the brake dust from sticking as much, but no real "clean-kill" way to frequently drive hard w/o lots of dust.

[CrushSS]

Originally Posted by Alpha1BC

I had some slight bronzing of the silver in the "1" of the 1LE emblem that occurred before I tried removing the shim. That may have gotten a shade darker after pulling the shims but honestly it was pretty tough to tell if it actually did or not. All instance of severe discoloration that I've seen come from switching to a track dedicates (i.e. more aggressive) pad that generate more heat.



Yes, I even mentioned them in post #3 above

By all means, Ti shims could be put in after OE stuff is removed if caliper temps are a concern. The key seems to be getting the glue off that holds the OE backing plate on.

I personally haven't found a need thermally for any shims with OE pads, SS track deflectors, and SRF fluid. There's many factors that can impact this though so I can't guarantee it'll work as well for everyone as it has for me.

I'm curious how the OE pads would handle a Ti shim. The system from the factory functions by using the caliper assembly as part of the thermal mass. Insulating the pad against that heat dissipation pathway means average pad temps on track would increase, which in theory could start to cause pad fade if the temps are high enough. I have no indication on what would actually happen in this case though, so if anyone has tried this combo I'm interested to hear how it went.



For track use? I'm not aware of any ceramic pads that can handle that type of abuse safely. For street use the Powerstop Z26 seems to be a popular choice. I think Hawk HPS is another one IIRC? I've tried both on non-performance cars in the past and they do alright for normal day-to-day driving, but I wouldn't plan to do more than one or two hard brake stops in a row on them.

For managing brake dust I've found that ceramic coating the wheels helps keep the brake dust from sticking as much, but no real "clean-kill" way to frequently drive hard w/o lots of dust.

Thanks for the feedback Alpha1BC. Non-track use. Main concern is dust. Thanks again