Unless you are using your Corvette in some form of racing, or are doing high performance driving on your own, you may at times, take your brakes for granted. For a lot of folks, they are only recognized when they aren’t working properly or begin making noise. They shouldn’t be neglected, and Mid America Motorworks has you covered.

Brake Pads

Generally, brake pads are one of two compounds. Either a semi-metallic brake pad, or ceramic brake pads.

Mid America Motorworks explains that the semi-metallic type are great for cold climates and short trips where the brakes don’t get the time or use to get much temperature in them. They do come in track-ready formulations, are relatively cheaper then a comparable ceramic pad, and usually do not cause as much wear to your rotors.

Some negative aspects of this type of pad can include: being louder then a ceramic pad, it generates a black dust that may easily coat your wheels, and do not have the life expectancy of a ceramic pad.

Ceramic brake pads, created in the 80’s, are a combination of strong ceramic material, copper fiber and other elements combined into one stellar compound.

The up side of this brake type includes: less dust, quieter use, and are longer lasting. The negative aspects of these pads is that they are typically more expensive and cause more wear to your rotors then their semi-metallic counterpart. Due to these characteristics, they are also not recommended for racing use.

Brake Rotors

When talking about the steel disc brake rotor, they are all fairly similar, yet the subtle differences will really help you get the type of stopping performance or longevity that you are looking for.

A standard or OEM rotor is what came on your vehicle most likely, and appears as a smooth sold brake rotor, aside from the inner fins that help to keep your brakes cool. This type of rotor works fine for the average drive and minor sport driving, which fits the majority of drivers.

The next step up offers two different options. The first is a slotted rotor, which helps to expel built up gases and brake dust being generated as you bear down on your brake pedal. The next performance option is known as a drilled rotor which primarily helps to remove more heat from the rotor and pad, reducing fade.

The last option is to combine the two performance options above, and get a hybrid rotor that is both drilled and slotted. These brakes offer the advantages of both rotor types and work extremely well for high performance driving. While the removal of metal can make these rotors a little weaker, they will typically be replaced more frequently due to hard use, mitigating the issue.

Brake Fluid & Hoses

Brake hoses are fairly simple. Most vehicles comes with a standard rubber hose, which works perfectly well and is relatively cheap to produce and purchase should you need to replace a damaged or cracked line. Then again, for the performance crowd, nothing beats the feel of a brake system with stainless brake lines. Among other durability improvements these lines are less prone to expand under pressure giving you a firm, consistent pedal feel.

Brake fluid is a caustic chemical and should be handled with care. We won’t get too involved with the different types or compounds of fluid, but pay special attention to what your vehicle calls for, as they do have a specific DOT rating. There are also high-temp racing fluids available for those who really give their brakes a beating in competition.

Mid America Motorworks has a great brake fluid chart to learn about the DOT ratings.

Drum Brakes

Mid America Motorworks also included this helpful explanation regarding drum brakes, as many people are not too familiar with them these days. If you have any doubt about your brakes containing asbestos, please take the necessary precautions… not stuff to mess around with!

“A drum brake is a brake that uses friction caused by a set of shoes or pads that press against a rotating drum-shaped part called a brake drum. Early brake shoes contained asbestos. When working on brake systems of older cars, care must be taken not to inhale any dust present in the brake assembly.
Brake drums were used on the rest axle of the 1953-1962 Corvette. Although there are certainly aftermarket brake kits that allow you to upgrade your stock drum brakes to a more effective disc brake kit, you may choose to maintain your original drum brakes. If you do retain your drum brakes, look for these signs to indicate it’s time for a replacement.”

We hope this helps you outfit your Corvette with the correct parts from Mid America Motorworks, and keep those beautiful Vettes on the road!