CT4-V Brake Question

[sammushinsky]

Hey ya’ll,

I hope this is in the right thread/spot. Sitting at about 18k miles (CT4BW) and just had a new wheel and new front tires put on (bent wheel on pothole) and was recommended to replace front brakes by my Tire Shop. Dealer told me that generally rotors have to be replaced with brakes but also told me if the rotors are within spec, that I can just drop in a new set of pads and keep going until the next brake change. With this in mind, if my rotors are within spec (going to get it looked at this week), I was wondering what brake pads to get? OEM ones seem quite expensive and hard to come by. I don’t want to compromise stopping power so I understand if I must go with OEM but was wondering what other options are / where to get them?

 

[Champale]

I would be very surprised if your 4BW needed new rotors at this point unless you have been doing trackdays or lots of extremely hard braking from huge speeds (well north of 100mph). And the tire shop said your pads were worn down? A lot of newer sporty cars with the electronic braking/stability/track modes will actually drag the rear brakes more than you might realize and this can kill rear pads but unless you've been using the car in high performance driving I would be a little surprised if the pads were done.

As for pads, there are a million great options and various price points. I personally would stay away from the absolute cheapest stuff and especially 'ceramic' pads which tout no dust (and, hence, no real stopping power!). I like Ferodo 2500s but Hawk, EBC, Carbotech, G Loc, etc make OE comparable or even better pads.

 

[sammushinsky]

Yeah, they told me the front brake pads are being worn down. I am going to get them looked at another tire shop though to get a second opinion. No track days and honestly none necessarily planned, but I do go on canyon runs with friends and have many moments hitting above triple digits on the freeways local to me so I would like something that I can rely on when the “oh crap” sensor goes off haha. Overall, not a lot of insanely fast/crazy driving.

Not looking to reduce brake dust, albeit annoying, I prioritize stopping power/ability first. I was planning to go w/ GiroDisc Rotors after these rotors are toast because i’ve heard tons of great reviews for the quality and price, but just trying to see what other pad options are comparable to OEM that aren’t $400-$450

I’ll make sure to check all of those out!

 

[Champale]

Like everything else, brake pads have gone up in price dramatically over the last few years. I would ask Ken at KNS Brakes what he would recommend for your use case.

 

[sammushinsky]

Spoke with KNS about the Ferodo DS2500. We'll see what happens. If I go with those, how does the brake wear sensor work? Or does that only work with the OEM pads? Not really familiar with brakes in any way shape or form :/

 

[Champale]

The sensor clips in on the new pads just like the factory ones if I recall.

 

[sammushinsky]

Spoke with KNS, and it seems like the aftermarket pads don't have the sensor clips except for the Carbotech 1521's, which I am choosing not to go with. I think I may stick with OEM as I was able to find them alongside a new sensor wire for $496 vs the 2500's, which are looking to come in at $456. I feel like, for only $40, I may just go OEM? Especially if they basically perform the same. Wanted to get some input, possibly. I was also looking at the EBC Blue stuff and Yellow stuff, but I am uncertain about them and can't really find much about them in regard to any sort of Blackwing performance.

 

[hawk02]

Are you trashing your car? Why don’t you want to go with Carbotech 1521s? I put them on my 5BW this past summer and have been very satisfied with their performance. They’ve reduced the brake dust by roughly 80%.

 

[Champale]

Spoke with KNS, and it seems like the aftermarket pads don't have the sensor clips except for the Carbotech 1521's, which I am choosing not to go with. I think I may stick with OEM as I was able to find them alongside a new sensor wire for $496 vs the 2500's, which are looking to come in at $456. I feel like, for only $40, I may just go OEM? Especially if they basically perform the same. Wanted to get some input, possibly. I was also looking at the EBC Blue stuff and Yellow stuff, but I am uncertain about them and can't really find much about them in regard to any sort of Blackwing performance.

Interesting. I don't remember them NOT having the attachments but I have several cars and sometimes forget. When I get a chance, I'll try to verify.

 

[sammushinsky]

Are you trashing your car? Why don’t you want to go with Carbotech 1521s? I put them on my 5BW this past summer and have been very satisfied with their performance. They’ve reduced the brake dust by roughly 80%.

Brake dust doesn’t really affect me. my wheels are ceramic coated and it washes right off of them. Otherwise, with where I live, lots of no traffic canyon and freeway driving, which allows for fairly high speeds

 

[sammushinsky]

Interesting. I don't remember them NOT having the attachments but I have several cars and sometimes forget. When I get a chance, I'll try to verify.

I’d love to know. Just referencing what Sam from KNS told me. He said only the 1521’s have the cutout and for the other pads, customers usually just tie the brake sensor out of the way we’re basically his words

 

[schernov]

Go with oem pads. GM sells direct on Amazon and they are reasonable. Or rockauto. There are two front oem pads. With and without chemfers. Pads With tenders have slightly less pad material but allegedly squeak less.

 

[schernov]

Part

85115921 without chamfers. Should be $325 on sale.​

 

[sammushinsky]

Part

85115921 without chamfers. Should be $325 on sale.​

Woah this awesome. Not on sale right now but still cheaper than the 2500s. I don’t care about the noise, i’d rather them have better life. This is awesome. Thank you @schernov!

 

[Kawman]

I'm using Porterfield AP2444 R4 pads and am very happy with them. These are supposedly a "track only" pad, but I find them to be fine on the street. They're a $359 pad, but not what I would recommend. I'm setup now for track days. You would use the AP2444 R4-S pads for $199. Replace your pads before your sensors go off and you don't replace them during a brake service.

As for the rotors, there is no way you need new rotors. Just change your pads and be on your way.

GiroDisc rotors are a great product for when you eventually do replace the rotors. After this set of pads is done, then I'll take your rotors. I'll turn them down thin making them as light as GiroDisc rotors and run one set of race pads on them before discarding them.

 

[schernov]

Oem front rotors are 1100-1200 bucks for a pair. Paragon makes rotor rings which fit oem hats for $720. Girodisk uses proprietary hats ...

 

[badcad]

I've used Carbotech and Hawk on my 5BW, but I do track it a lot. Zip tie the brake sensor cable. You do not need it anyway.

 

[sammushinsky]

Ended up going with the OEM (85115921). They were $340 (thank you schernov) and seemed to make the most sense for me. I don’t track the car, seemingly no one has anything bad to say about them, and they seem to fit my use case / scenario most. Will wrap back around to this thread when it’s time for rotors hahaha

 

[sammushinsky]

Update. Just had the rotors looked at and was told my front rotors are at the rotor discard thickness. Really can’t understand how this is possible but probably going to need new rotors as far as I understand (correct me if i’m wrong).

Is there any different between going with paragon and just replacing the rings vs going with GiroDisc and sticking with them? Does one have better longevity? Happy to post the comments I received about the rotors, etc.

 

[Kawman]

I've heard good things about the GiroDisc rotors, but haven't heard from anyone having used the Paragon rotor rings. I would guess the GiroDisc rotors probably weigh about a pound less each if you care.