I bought a set of Perf Friction pads for my 92 Z28, 4-wheel disc. I only needed the backs at the time, so I went ahead and put them on. Well the other day I went to put my front ones on, and they're totally not the right pads. I think they're too long, but more than that, they have these round metal things sticking off the back...2 of them probably an inch in diameter, that I suppose are used to hook them to the caliper, but it's certainly not the caliper I have on my front rotor! I'm pretty sure my front pads are the same as on my 90 RS, which has pads that "sit" in the caliper and are held in by the heavy-duty allen bolts that are used to mount the caliper in place.

So the question is, are these the right pads for what my car is supposed to have, or are my calipers stock and they gave me the wrong pads way back when?

I ask because I want to order some ceramic pads (bendix probably), but don't want to order the wrong thing. I need to know if my calipers are stock and if not, what car they do fit so I know what to order for.

Thanks a lot!

 

Sound like the pads you received are the 1LE pads(performance brakes).Those are for the aluminium caliper/12in rotor optioned f-bodys.You should have gotten the standard brake pads(cast iron caliper/10.5in rotor).Hope you didnt pay alot for those pads you have.They are more $$ than the standard pads.take them back for the correct one.Maybe you get some $$ back as well......

 

Yeah, they were about 120 for a whole set, which I bought them as, and I already used the rear ones, so I can't take them back now. Plus, it was nearly a year ago, I'm guessing. I'm probably out 60 bucks, but it's been so long it's no big deal. Thanks for the help, I believe you're right and I know what to look for. Thanks!

 

The easiest way to avoid that pitfall is make sure you order the brake pads for the non-performance package. The standard pad set usually says "all except performance package". The ones you got are usually listed as "w/perf. package" or "w/1LE". You definitely got the 1le pads from the way you described them. You ought to post your wrong pads here on the classifieds since they're quite a bit more expensive new than the standard ones. I'm sure someone would take them off your hands and help you recoup a little bit of your cash. I swapped to the 1LE brakes and the additional price of the pads is the only thing I regret! It can get confusing getting the right pads sometimes. I just bought a complete set of ceramic pads off ebay for mine, and the guy sent me rear pads for the old 82-88 cast iron calipers instead of the aluminum pbr's. Luckily I realized it as soon as I got them and he's now in the process of sending me back the correct ones!

 

jamesbob02: How do you like the performance friction Z? I'm thinking about getting them, or else ordering some stillen pads...

 

I hated my Perf Frictions. For one, they squealed constantly. That was a major point of contention for me.

I don't do any racing, and I haven't had the car long enough to have any more pads then the ones I just bought, so I can't tell you how the braking power compares to other pads. However, I can say that my new Raybestos QuietStop Ceramics feel exactly the same, except that they cost me even more than the Perf Frictions.

I don't know if I got the Z-rated pads or not, because I didn't know there were two choices at the time, but I can tell you a whole set (4 wheel disc) cost me about $115 at Autozone I believe. This was probably a year ago, though.

Now that I think of it, though....I never was able to put the front pads on because they were the wrong ones. Therefore, don't put much weight in what I say, except that I can vouch for their squeakiness. If this isn't a concern of yours, then it's just a matter of braking power. As far as I can tell, there was plenty of braking power, but I don't have much to compare to.