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Learn the latest comprehensive review and discussion on ET Series compounds available for C6 Z06 by Matt:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1762922
The inspiration for this post came from the frustration with the lack of brake pad choices available for the new Z06. The choices we have now are limited and very overpriced. Recently, RB Brake entered the Corvette market with several new products, and I have had the opportunity to use every one of their compounds under its designated application. I was attracted to RB for the cost, increased thickness over competitors, and tighter tolerances. This forum has helped me with tech problems over the years, I felt posting the overall results of EACH compound in a single thread would be useful to the C6Z06 community.
STREET/DUAL PURPOSE PADS
ET500 - This is a great "aggressive" street pad. The compound provides much better initial torque than the stock Z06 pad and is a few mm thicker to provide longer life. As a stock street replacement pad, AND for the cost, the ET500 is a no brainer. The dust is LOW and noise is non-existent. Again, great replacement for the stock pads, but NOT a motorsport pad, and would not be ideal for track applications other than light autocross. I use this pad as my street pad over the stock compound.
ET700 - This pad sits somewhere between a street and dedicated track pad. You might compare this pad to a Hawk HP+ or Carbotech Plus. First, let me state, if you are NEVER going to take your car to the track, you really don't need this pad, the ET500 is more than sufficient on the street. I personally used this pad during my first track event for it's designated purpose. I drove the car (and the pad) to the track with the intention of using it and driving back home. So, with that in mind, I didn't push the pads like a true race pad, but still drove them at 90% of what I would normally run. Also, this pad produced no noise and slightly above stock dust levels. This pad is PERFECT for those who don't want to change out pads for the track and street, AND don't want to deal with the noise of a race pad. I was very impressed with the capability of this pad at the track. Please keep in mind, this pad wh ile a good dual purpose is NOT a true race pad and will not hold up to hardcore advanced level braking conditions using R compounds. You will push it past it's temperate point and cause premature wear. This in my opinion is a great track pad for the novice/intermediate user doing a few track events a year.
TRACK COMPOUNDS
ET800 - This is RB's entry level racing pad. I used this pad at high speed hardcore tracks like Pocono and Watkins Glen. I was hitting speeds in excess of 150mph stopping for chicanes at around 60mph. This pad is more similar to the 700 pad than the 900 pad. It has the potential to be street able. The pad does create noise, but it's not as bad as other race pads that I have used. The dust is more excessive than the 500/700 compounds and might be too much for daily street duty. I personally found this pad to work well in the rear position while using an ET900 up front during track events. Torque is high and stopping power is very good....much more than the 700. This compound is a good track pad for the intermediate track enthusiast. This pad however might come up short for advanced level drivers running at high speed courses (like Road America, WG, Pocono), but again, I think it would work well for those intermediate drivers with stock tires or as a rear pa d for those wanting something more aggressive up front.
ET900 - This is the top of RB's food chain, their hardcore racing pad, and you quickly find this out when the torque throws you into your seat belt. I was basically running at full pace with this pad and kept up with several pure breed race cars. This is one noisy, dusty pad, BUT it is a true race pad. It likes to run hot and won't perform well until up to temperature. I used this pad in the front with a set of 800's in the rear at Watkins Glen this past weekend and the pad pulled me down from 150+ braking zones continuously. You could never use this pad on the street or even drive it to the track, the noise would be unbearable for anything but dedicated track use. This pad is for trailer track cars and advanced level students with R compounds that put stopping above everything else!
Additonal Comments and Concerns - The only negative thing I can say about all the pads I have used on the Z06 (including stock) is the wear rate. This seems not to be isolated to a specific manufacturer as the Carbotechs and Hawks are only lasting 1 or 2 days as well. I think for 95% of the people who drive their car on the street or do a few track events each year, the R&B brake pad choices become a very good one compared to the other high priced options on the market, but it is my personal conclusion that the stock calipers regardless of pad manufacturer, just simply eat through these pads WAY TOO FAST for serious repeated track duty. It's not necessarily a matter of performance but economics. If you are like me, an advanced driver (run group wise) and do 8-15 track days per year on R compounds, you are simply going to go through pads like candy...plain and simple. I think the only way around this is to replace the stock calipers and go after market BBK. If you do more than 8-10 events, it begins to make more economical sense. You will spend more money buying $300-400 brake pads every couple of events, then if you simply bought a BBK kit and were done with it. With previous BBK kits that I used, I was able to get 1-2 seasons out of a single set of race pads. Also, the process for changing those paddles by either removing the bolts or taking off the caliper is also unacceptable and time consuming for the hardcore track enthusiast. With this said, based on how hungry these calipers are...I am absolutely going with a BBK kit very soon. Fortunately the choices here are many and the options are good. I am leaning toward the RB kit based on the quality and overall price of the caliper. Once I choose a kit, I will be sure to write a similar review...
Hope this was of help to the forum members.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1762922
The inspiration for this post came from the frustration with the lack of brake pad choices available for the new Z06. The choices we have now are limited and very overpriced. Recently, RB Brake entered the Corvette market with several new products, and I have had the opportunity to use every one of their compounds under its designated application. I was attracted to RB for the cost, increased thickness over competitors, and tighter tolerances. This forum has helped me with tech problems over the years, I felt posting the overall results of EACH compound in a single thread would be useful to the C6Z06 community.
STREET/DUAL PURPOSE PADS
ET500 - This is a great "aggressive" street pad. The compound provides much better initial torque than the stock Z06 pad and is a few mm thicker to provide longer life. As a stock street replacement pad, AND for the cost, the ET500 is a no brainer. The dust is LOW and noise is non-existent. Again, great replacement for the stock pads, but NOT a motorsport pad, and would not be ideal for track applications other than light autocross. I use this pad as my street pad over the stock compound.
ET700 - This pad sits somewhere between a street and dedicated track pad. You might compare this pad to a Hawk HP+ or Carbotech Plus. First, let me state, if you are NEVER going to take your car to the track, you really don't need this pad, the ET500 is more than sufficient on the street. I personally used this pad during my first track event for it's designated purpose. I drove the car (and the pad) to the track with the intention of using it and driving back home. So, with that in mind, I didn't push the pads like a true race pad, but still drove them at 90% of what I would normally run. Also, this pad produced no noise and slightly above stock dust levels. This pad is PERFECT for those who don't want to change out pads for the track and street, AND don't want to deal with the noise of a race pad. I was very impressed with the capability of this pad at the track. Please keep in mind, this pad wh ile a good dual purpose is NOT a true race pad and will not hold up to hardcore advanced level braking conditions using R compounds. You will push it past it's temperate point and cause premature wear. This in my opinion is a great track pad for the novice/intermediate user doing a few track events a year.
TRACK COMPOUNDS
ET800 - This is RB's entry level racing pad. I used this pad at high speed hardcore tracks like Pocono and Watkins Glen. I was hitting speeds in excess of 150mph stopping for chicanes at around 60mph. This pad is more similar to the 700 pad than the 900 pad. It has the potential to be street able. The pad does create noise, but it's not as bad as other race pads that I have used. The dust is more excessive than the 500/700 compounds and might be too much for daily street duty. I personally found this pad to work well in the rear position while using an ET900 up front during track events. Torque is high and stopping power is very good....much more than the 700. This compound is a good track pad for the intermediate track enthusiast. This pad however might come up short for advanced level drivers running at high speed courses (like Road America, WG, Pocono), but again, I think it would work well for those intermediate drivers with stock tires or as a rear pa d for those wanting something more aggressive up front.
ET900 - This is the top of RB's food chain, their hardcore racing pad, and you quickly find this out when the torque throws you into your seat belt. I was basically running at full pace with this pad and kept up with several pure breed race cars. This is one noisy, dusty pad, BUT it is a true race pad. It likes to run hot and won't perform well until up to temperature. I used this pad in the front with a set of 800's in the rear at Watkins Glen this past weekend and the pad pulled me down from 150+ braking zones continuously. You could never use this pad on the street or even drive it to the track, the noise would be unbearable for anything but dedicated track use. This pad is for trailer track cars and advanced level students with R compounds that put stopping above everything else!
Additonal Comments and Concerns - The only negative thing I can say about all the pads I have used on the Z06 (including stock) is the wear rate. This seems not to be isolated to a specific manufacturer as the Carbotechs and Hawks are only lasting 1 or 2 days as well. I think for 95% of the people who drive their car on the street or do a few track events each year, the R&B brake pad choices become a very good one compared to the other high priced options on the market, but it is my personal conclusion that the stock calipers regardless of pad manufacturer, just simply eat through these pads WAY TOO FAST for serious repeated track duty. It's not necessarily a matter of performance but economics. If you are like me, an advanced driver (run group wise) and do 8-15 track days per year on R compounds, you are simply going to go through pads like candy...plain and simple. I think the only way around this is to replace the stock calipers and go after market BBK. If you do more than 8-10 events, it begins to make more economical sense. You will spend more money buying $300-400 brake pads every couple of events, then if you simply bought a BBK kit and were done with it. With previous BBK kits that I used, I was able to get 1-2 seasons out of a single set of race pads. Also, the process for changing those paddles by either removing the bolts or taking off the caliper is also unacceptable and time consuming for the hardcore track enthusiast. With this said, based on how hungry these calipers are...I am absolutely going with a BBK kit very soon. Fortunately the choices here are many and the options are good. I am leaning toward the RB kit based on the quality and overall price of the caliper. Once I choose a kit, I will be sure to write a similar review...
Hope this was of help to the forum members.