Replacing Corvette Brakes

Over time, the brake pads on disc brakes wear down from repeated use, reducing their effectiveness. If the padding is completely worn down, the brakes produce a grinding sound. This annoying sound means the brakes are severely damaging the discs by cutting grooves into them. The brake pads need to be replaced at a maximum of 60,000 miles, but modern day stop-and-go driving often requires replacing them sooner. While many vehicles use disc brakes and pads on only the front wheels, the Chevrolet Corvette has disc brakes on all four wheels.

Even though the braking system isn't directly connected to the electrical system, shutting off the car's power by disconnecting the negative battery cable is a precaution performed before most repairs or maintenance. Removing and replacing brakes can involve sending excess brake fluid from the calipers back to the master cylinder, so siphoning fluid out of the cylinder is another precaution. The wheels need to be removed from the car to access the brakes, requiring jack stands to raise the Corvette and a lug wrench to disconnect the wheels. Brakes need to be replaced on all the wheels together, as brakes that are unequal can cause serious braking problems.

The brake caliper contains the brake pads and is mounted onto the brake disc, also called the rotor. The caliper's piston will have expanded out as the brakes have been used and needs to be compressed back into its bore with the help of a C-clamp. This sends the fluid back to the master cylinder. The caliper doesn't need to be completely removed from the disc to access the pads; it only needs to be lifted downward off its mount after removing the bolt on the caliper's top end. The brake pads are removed and discarded. The shims and retaining clips that hold the pads are also removed to be cleaned with brake cleaner and have anti-squeal compound applied to the shims' backing plates before they are placed back into the mounting bracket.

New, thick brake pads are installed in the old pads' places within the caliper mounting bracket. There is a pad on the outer and inner side of the disc, with the outer pad's insulator placed against the caliper housing and the inner pad's wear sensors against the pistons. Once the pads are installed, the caliper is retracted and mounted back onto the disc using the same retaining bolt that connected it originally. The wheels are placed back on the car and the car is lowered off the jack stands once the brakes on both sides have been replaced, then the battery cable can be reconnected and the fluid level in the master cylinder can be checked. The new brakes need to be set, which is done by pumping the brake pedal several times until it feels firm.