2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Long-Term Road Test

Comments

• cotak Member Posts: 89

  April 2014

  If you search online.... the ring blocks off the vents that normally allow cooling air to exit the brakes. By blocking the vents it allow the air to actually cools the discs.

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• diigii Member Posts: 156

  April 2014

  Please take a picture after your track session when you take off the wheel to see what happened to the cooling rings.

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• desmolicious Member Posts: 671

  April 2014

  The problem with this exercise is that you do not have a control.
  You either should have run the stock pads, with the cooling rings. As that is part of the Z51 package, and see if they worked as intended.
  Or you should run the performance pads by themselves.
  
  By changing everything we don't know what individual pieces worked, and if the Vette track /z51 package is even a decent buy. As you by passed the purpose of it by making these brake changes.
  
  The message that you have sent is the Vette's brakes are not up to track days. Is that true? who knows, but this was a golden opportunity missed to have found out.

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• ayao Member Posts: 27

  April 2014

  I'm really curious about how these things work and how they're anything other than an afterthought by GM.
  
  There's a very interesting analysis of the C7 Z51 braking system here:
  http://www.essexpartsblog.com/news/c7-stingray-brake-analysis-are-they-track-worthy
  
  I found it a very good read.

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• agentorange Member Posts: 893

  April 2014

  Did you apply the special snake oil you must use with these rings?

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• noburgers Member Posts: 500

  April 2014

  for control purposes, have there not been enough press/track days for the Corvette to tell if the brakes fade?

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• bankerdanny Member Posts: 1,021

  April 2014

  GM included them at no charge. It would be one thing to call them 'snake oil' if the dealer tried to upsell them to you. But they didn't. There is no reason for GM to include them and recommend their use if they don't actually make a difference.

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• mrhp Member Posts: 6

  April 2014

  "I'm really curious about how these things work and how they're anything other than an afterthought by GM. There's a very interesting analysis of the C7 Z51 braking system here: http://www.essexpartsblog.com/news/c7-stingray-brake-analysis-are-they-track-worthy I found it a very good read."
  
  So... a company that makes big brake kits thinks the OEM setup is inadequate for track use and recommends an upgrade?
  
  You don't say?

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• ayao Member Posts: 27

  April 2014

  I'd agree that one has to take that into consideration. Definitely looking forward to the Edmunds crew's feedback from track day.
  
  I confess that I've become obsessed with brakes for track duty lately; on the M3 forums the Essex guy seems to be pretty reasonable in terms of his approach, and admittedly I've bought into the intelligent design of their BBK (function over form) vs some of the flashier BBK manufacturers.

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• pakohotdogs Member Posts: 5

  April 2014

  Can we please get some more updates on the Vette track day instead of the "top 10 minivans" or a Prius V review?

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• carluvr1 Member Posts: 5

  April 2014

  It looks as if the reason you need to put those plates in is to redirect brake cooling duct air flow from blowing through the rotor to hub casting slots and escape cooling the rotor. Without the plates That flow would mostly go out the face of the rim but instead the plates force the flow upward through the rotor cooling vents and out for better cooling for track duty. having The plates installed in Slow traffic and city driving would hold the heat in so the brakes fade?

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