Z26 pad issue... I think

[Blwnsmoke]

So my 18 gt350 has the z26 all the way around.

What Ive noticed starting last year is that there is zero braking in wet conditions for the 1st 2 seconds and then it hits hard. Dry conditions the car stops and responds just fine.

It is a little scary when you press down because someone in front of you slammed on their brakes and you can't slow down immediately.

I reached out to powerstop and they thought that maybe the pads are glazed over but basically rold me politely to pound sand since Im beyond 90 days of their warranty.

The car isn't tracked at all, just driven in town, back roads and highway. Not abused one bit.

Anyone else experience something like this?

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[Andy13186]

Never have experienced this and ive ran z26 for about 40k miles in florida. May be getting some type of contamination on your rotors? You could try doing some hard braking after you confirm there is nothing leaking or contaminating onto the rotors. Would help burn off any contamination I would think. Test brake fluid for moisture contamination too, I think brake fluid testers are pretty cheap.

 

[Blwnsmoke]

Never have experienced this and ive ran z26 for about 40k miles in florida. May be getting some type of contamination on your rotors? You could try doing some hard braking after you confirm there is nothing leaking or contaminating onto the rotors. Would help burn off any contamination I would think. Test brake fluid for moisture contamination too, I think brake fluid testers are pretty cheap.

But if it was a brake fluid issue, wouldn't this happen all the time and not just when it is raining?

I have about 10k on the pads, original rotors and around 27k on the car as an fyi. Changed out the pads because of the oem brake dust.

 

[Postal Bob]

Are you sure it's not just rust on the rotors from being in wet conditions before you start driving? These rotors start getting surface rust right away just in damp, misty conditions while parked. When I first take out the car after such conditions, it takes some braking to wear off the rust, before the brakes stop in their usual way.
I have the Z26 pads, but I never take the car out in wet conditions. Where's the fun driving in the rain? But after sitting in the rain, the rotors are well covered in surface rust, and takes a couple of stops to completely remove it.

 

[Blwnsmoke]

Are you sure it's not just rust on the rotors from being in wet conditions before you start driving? These rotors start getting surface rust right away just in damp, misty conditions while parked. When I first take out the car after such conditions, it takes some braking to wear off the rust, before the brakes stop in their usual way.
I have the Z26 pads, but I never take the car out in wet conditions. Where's the fun driving in the rain? But after sitting in the rain, the rotors are well covered in surface rust, and takes a couple of stops to completely remove it.

I try as well to not take it out but sometimes you just get stuck in it. I bring my car up to my camp and sometimes the day I have to go home it is raining. It is what it is unfortunately sometimes but no, it is like this everything it rains. And will do it from stop light to stop light. Next to zero braking then stops like a Rollercoaster putting you into the seatbelt when stopping hard.

I know what you meant by surface rust and it only takes a couple quick brakes to clean the rotors off. The pads are not that expensive so Im going to change them before I take it out of storage but just wanted to see if anyone has experienced this.

I never have in any vehicle regardless of how hard it is raining.

 

[SHOdaddy68]

I have no experience with the Z26 pads. I do know that a performance pad typically requires a little heat before they really bite. If this only happens when it's wet, then it sounds like a temperature issue. The cold/wet pads & rotors take longer to heat up thus giving you the slight delay.

 

[Joe Gonsalves]

This is why I run slotted rotors so the moisture is channeled out from under the pads. Just my 2 cents, I have had bad experience with Power Stop and I don't use or recommend them.

 

[Gen 6 Mach1]

I switched to Z-26 pads a month ago, with out new rotors , my car has 8 k miles , I know new pads without new rotors is frowned on . I have no issues stopping, I haven't had a hard stop yet , and won't drive her in the wet . I was told new pads and old rotors can cause glazing and reduced performance over time .

 

[FUN2RIDEFAST]

So my 18 gt350 has the z26 all the way around.

What Ive noticed starting last year is that there is zero braking in wet conditions for the 1st 2 seconds and then it hits hard. Dry conditions the car stops and responds just fine.

It is a little scary when you press down because someone in front of you slammed on their brakes and you can't slow down immediately.

I reached out to powerstop and they thought that maybe the pads are glazed over but basically rold me politely to pound sand since Im beyond 90 days of their warranty.

The car isn't tracked at all, just driven in town, back roads and highway. Not abused one bit.

Anyone else experience something like this?

I've been running them for years with zero issues. I'd look elsewhere.

So my 18 gt350 has the z26 all the way around.

What Ive noticed starting last year is that there is zero braking in wet conditions for the 1st 2 seconds and then it hits hard. Dry conditions the car stops and responds just fine.

It is a little scary when you press down because someone in front of you slammed on their brakes and you can't slow down immediately.

I reached out to powerstop and they thought that maybe the pads are glazed over but basically rold me politely to pound sand since Im beyond 90 days of their warranty.

The car isn't tracked at all, just driven in town, back roads and highway. Not abused one bit.

Anyone else experience something like this?

 

[GTP]

OP, do you still have the OEM pads? If so, you might change back to them for the fronts, and then see if the symptom persists. That way you will know if it is just the pads.

Could it possibly simply be that the rotors are wet and so any pad will need a few rotations to clear a film of water before true friction begins?

 

[Blwnsmoke]

OP, do you still have the OEM pads? If so, you might change back to them for the fronts, and then see if the symptom persists. That way you will know if it is just the pads.

Could it possibly simply be that the rotors are wet and so any pad will need a few rotations to clear a film of water before true friction begins?

If that was the case then everyone who has driven in the rain would have experienced it who has driven in the rain. So far not 1 person here has had the same issue so Im assuming no.

I just ordered all new pads.. for $138, Ill replace them next week and see what happens from there. Not a lot of money to spend to at least eliminate that as an issue.

Also, my buddy with the same year gt350 had his replaced by me with the same pads and has never had the issue.

 

[GTP]

If that was the case then everyone who has driven in the rain would have experienced it who has driven in the rain. So far not 1 person here has had the same issue so Im assuming no.

I just ordered all new pads.. for $138, Ill replace them next week and see what happens from there. Not a lot of money to spend to at least eliminate that as an issue.

Agreed about the rain, but we don't know how hard a rain it was, etc.

Before ordering a new set of pads I would have at least took sandpaper to the Z26 pads. You know, in case they were glazed, if even just a little.

 

[Blwnsmoke]

Agreed about the rain, but we don't know how hard a rain it was, etc.

Before ordering a new set of pads I would have at least took sandpaper to the Z26 pads. You know, in case they were glazed, if even just a little.

Thanks, Ill take a look at them and compare with the new. Im assuming like powerstop said that they are probably glazed and when wet, thats why they slip so much at first.

 

[Shadetree]

So my 18 gt350 has the z26 all the way around.

What Ive noticed starting last year is that there is zero braking in wet conditions for the 1st 2 seconds and then it hits hard. Dry conditions the car stops and responds just fine.

It is a little scary when you press down because someone in front of you slammed on their brakes and you can't slow down immediately.

I reached out to powerstop and they thought that maybe the pads are glazed over but basically rold me politely to pound sand since Im beyond 90 days of their warranty.

The car isn't tracked at all, just driven in town, back roads and highway. Not abused one bit.

Anyone else experience something like this?

I had the PowerStop Z26 pads on my previous vehicle without any real issues including lots of rain. The one thing I did notice was they took longer to “bed” than any other pad I’ve used. I did install new rotors at the time, which were slotted. PowerStop and most manufacturers recommend a “new rotor surface” when installing new pads. The two surfaces wear into eachother and microscopic bits of pad material gets embedded into the rotor surface. This is why the proper bedding process is so important. It could be your old rotors are contaminated with the old pad material and may be somewhat incompatible. You could try having your old rotors turned on a brake lathe (just skim the surface) or scuff them really well with 100 grit sandpaper. Then go through the bedding procedure again. Cheap and relatively easy.

 

[Brigadir]

I also have had no issues with these pads on street, but looking at Amazon ratings there is a lot of quality issues: https://a.co/d/01fqMotm
Maybe it’s one of those cases

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