[bpang1234]

I'd like to get some opinions from you all about brake pads for the 6-Piston front setup. Some of you may have seen my thread where I caught my front brakes on fire last week at an HPDE (in the first 20-minute session of the day)...current setup is stock 4-Piston Front Brakes with Hawk HPS 5.0, Ate Super Blue Fluid and upgraded lines.

I have just purchased a 6-Piston setup from a member on here and need to get pads for it. Here are the criteria:

1. I do NOT intend to go further than 3-4 HPDE / Track Days a year.
2. However, I really really want pads that can be used on the street because I will typically do a long road trip each year into California to visit their tracks...not to mention I am lazy to switch pads out the night before a track day.
3. I am OK with more noise and dust, but not ridiculous amounts of noise...for instance, I don't want to sound like a train braking all day long.

Currently, I am about to pull the trigger on the Hawk Street/Race pads but I would consider other contenders. If anyone has any other favorites for this application please let me know?

Bonus Question = Would it be OK to run out my Hawk HPS pads that are in the rears already or should I change both front and rear?

[kropscamaro16]

lol wait i must have not seen your previous thread front brakes on fire??? let me see this shit



btw let me know how you like them because i have upgraded fluid lines and pads and think i want the bigger set also but so much $$

[bpang1234]

Originally Posted by kropscamaro16

lol wait i must have not seen your previous thread front brakes on fire??? let me see this shit



btw let me know how you like them because i have upgraded fluid lines and pads and think i want the bigger set also but so much $$

I only have in-car video for now, at the end they tell me the spotters saw fire spitting from my brakes. There was a photographer but I do not know if he captured it.



I agree the 6-Piston setup is a big $$$ leap but they are probably worth it for anyone that wants to be on track. I think you could still get by with more track-oriented pads on the normal 4-Piston basic setup but the other 3 6th Gens at the event had the 6-Piston and had zero trouble with brakes all with the pads that come with them.

I do have another thread up with my review of the Hawk HPS 5.0 and will need to amend it.

[kropscamaro16]

i have a brand new set of powerstop track day pads in my garage i need to put on for my next track day but my 4 piston setup was literally smoking after my last session of the day on my first track day last year at fontana aka aaa speedway lol


did a little auto x work last weekend with the z26 streets pads on and even for that i should have put my track pads on lol oh well

[Alpha1BC]

What tire/wheel setup do you have? That's gonna be a contributor to what pad you want to get

Assuming you're still running the stock GY F1 AS3 or something with similar traction capabilities, I'd recommend taking a look into the stock 1LE HP1000 pads. GM PN is 25940447 for the front set of pads that fit your new brake setup (can be found on amazon here). I've not run anything but these pads yet so I can't give a comparison to other pads, but on the 1LE SC3 tires they do just fine and can take the abuse. I did about 4 days last year plus daily driving, total of 5000 miles, and still had plenty of life left and might even be able to make it to the end of this year before needing to swap. They loose some initial bite and require a bit more pedal travel once they get hot, but they still have plenty of grip to get into ABS at the end of a 20 minute session.

Based on other reviews that I've seen on the forums there are other pads out there that will give you better initial bite characteristics, but I personally prefer the longer travel over having high initial bite because I find they're easier to modulate. But, if you're running something closer to the stock SS tires, you probably won't notice this as much anyways. Plus, the pads with more initial bite will probably dust and make more noise than the HP1000, but I don't know what your tolerance level to that is.

As for rears, I prefer keeping them consistent. Can do weird/bad things if you have two different brake compounds that behave differently and not identically as they heat up during track use. GM PN is 23344214 for the rear HP1000 pads if you don't still have your factory set.

[bpang1234]

Originally Posted by Alpha1BC

What tire/wheel setup do you have? That's gonna be a contributor to what pad you want to get

I have 285/30/20 (F) and 305/30/20 (R) Michelin Pilot Super Sport on my car with lightweight forged wheels.

[Ryephile]

Use the stock Ferodo HP1000 pads. They work on the street, and work on the track, all while being quiet. The only caveat is they dust a bunch.

[Alpha1BC]

Originally Posted by Ryephile

Use the stock Ferodo HP1000 pads. They work on the street, and work on the track, all while being quiet. The only caveat is they dust a bunch.

This

[vtirocz]

Originally Posted by Ryephile

Use the stock Ferodo HP1000 pads. They work on the street, and work on the track, all while being quiet. The only caveat is they dust a bunch.

Is there an equivalent pad for the non-1LE SS?

[bpang1234]

Are the stock pads really that great? I didn't feel like they were for my first year of ownership before switching to Hawk HPS 5.0.

I can't find much in terms of the specifications for these pads such as Heat Range.

[wrankin]

I bought the Power Stop Z26 pads because of the dusting on the OEM pads. The dusting is much less, but the brakes do not feel as good as the OEMs as far as stopping power and there is a little bit of a vibration or rough feel when stopping aggressively. I was not aware I needed to bed them, so maybe I am to blame for some of this. I spoke to a Power Stop rep at the SuperSummit on Norwalk OH this past weekend and he told me to rough them up with sandpaper and bed them again. I have not tracked the car but plan on it at CF8 in BG KY. This is just my experience so far.

Bill

[Alpha1BC]

Originally Posted by vtirocz

Is there an equivalent pad for the non-1LE SS?

Yeah, the SS comes with HP1000 pads from the factory as well, they're just smaller due to the 4-piston calipers.

Originally Posted by bpang1234

Are the stock pads really that great? I didn't feel like they were for my first year of ownership before switching to Hawk HPS 5.0.

I can't find much in terms of the specifications for these pads such as Heat Range.

Keep in mind that the 6-piston caliper setup is noticeably more capable than the 4-piston setup, even with the factory pads, and is designed for track use. For your car, the SS 1LE stock pads will be a good starting point and should get you 2 yrs of use at a minimum based on your expected track use. These pads do just fine at the track and on the street for the 1LE from the factory, and should feel even more capable on your car since you've got less tire, both in size and traction capabilities.

[kropscamaro16]

Originally Posted by wrankin

I bought the Power Stop Z26 pads because of the dusting on the OEM pads. The dusting is much less, but the brakes do not feel as good as the OEMs as far as stopping power and there is a little bit of a vibration or rough feel when stopping aggressively. I was not aware I needed to bed them, so maybe I am to blame for some of this. I spoke to a Power Stop rep at the SuperSummit on Norwalk OH this past weekend and he told me to rough them up with sandpaper and bed them again. I have not tracked the car but plan on it at CF8 in BG KY. This is just my experience so far.

Bill

do not track on the z26 pads...i recently did an auto x day over the weekend with them and they were ok but on a big track they will get fried...use the track day ones or go back to the oem pads

[bpang1234]

Originally Posted by Alpha1BC

Keep in mind that the 6-piston caliper setup is noticeably more capable than the 4-piston setup, even with the factory pads, and is designed for track use. For your car, the SS 1LE stock pads will be a good starting point and should get you 2 yrs of use at a minimum based on your expected track use. These pads do just fine at the track and on the street for the 1LE from the factory, and should feel even more capable on your car since you've got less tire, both in size and traction capabilities.

Sounds good, I am going to really look into those pads.

Hey, I answered your earlier question, I believe I have the same tire size as a 1LE but with Michelin PSS not the Goodyears. I "believe" the PSS is superior to the run-flat Goodyears but could be wrong. Anyway, even if they are superior they still are street tires not racing slicks or R-compounds so your point is well taken.