BEZ06

WTH is up with that?????

I ran four 30 minute track sessions at Daytona and the engine didn't blow!!!! Why??????????

After everything I've been reading, I figured all LS7 engines are about to let go if run hard.

There were more than 10 C6 Z06's at the event from stock to HIGHLY modified all-out race cars.

NONE OF THEIR ENGINES BLEW UP!!!! I couldn't believe it!!!!

Mine is stock 2006 (except for a Killer Bee intake and a Halltech tune), and I dangerously ran up to 6,500 to 6,800 RPM regularly, and bumped off the rev-limiter once (after getting slowed down a little bit by another car, I was real close to the brake zone for the Bus Stop, and I just kept my foot in it and ran it up in 4th gear to 160 mph and an instant before braking it bounced off the rev-limiter).

Sometimes I'll shift into 5th early (around 6,000 RPM), but most of the time I would run 3rd and 4th up to in excess of 6,500.

How did the engine hold together??????

I've got around 41,000 miles on it and around 35 track days. Forum member C6 Z06 has double that!! He also has a 2006, and his has more than 80,000 miles and more than 70 track days. He did 2 days at Daytona last weekend, and amazingly his engine didn't blow.

Here's a video of my car doing a couple laps (mute your sound, I'm using a backup video cam and the audio is terrible; also, disregard the RPM and gear indication on the dashboard - the RPM input to my Traqmate is messed up, but the speed is GPS so it's accurate):




I was running street tires and brake pads, so I wasn't running as fast as in past years (I also had a 170 lbs of instructor ballast in the right seat!! Actually he was VERY good!)

In the above video, take a look at just before the 4:00 minute mark to see the spinning Lotus!!!

Also, if you compare it to the same car/same track 3 years ago in the video below, you might be able to see when up on the banking that it's a LOT smoother now. In the video above the steering wheel is basically steady. In the one below you can see the wheel twitching all the way around the banking on the bumpy old track surface before the repaving last year:




Well, I guess all of us at Daytona last weekend just got lucky! From forum statistics we should have had at least several of the participating LS7 engines let go over the weekend.

Bob

whatcop?

I came out on friday and sunday and didn't see you. I might make it out to cars and cafe on saturday so if you are there I'll say hi.

SoCA04V

Must have a factory freak! =)

lane_change

I call BS...you know you snapped an exhaust valve, or cracked the number 7 sleeve...it's impossible to enjoy these cars more than once.

Lawdogg

Some gearing you have there, never exceeded 700 rpms.

EDHGB

I guess this proves the 2006 are the lightest and the most bullet proof ones on the road.

Great to see a positive post

Lead Foot 66

Bob,

Looks like you had a greeaatttt time

And no wonder your LS7 survived...you never got above, what, 800 rpm?

Of course, it will probably break in the garage, right? These engines are really sweet pieces of finely tuned machinery.

Cheers,

Steve

jlutherva

Lookin' good Bob; very smooth! It's almost time to park it and go skiing. I've got one last event next weekend then mine goes into storage until April.

Jim

Everett Ogilvie

It will probably blow tonight while sitting in the garage.

What is that faint ticking sound?

SSMOKE

Man, I want to run on Daytona International Speedway. I grew up there, go back every year (for the 500) and have a Z06. Too bad my car is never closer than about 5,000 miles away in Hawaii. I drove the Richard Petty Driving Experience in Vegas, but there must not be anything like driving on 32 degrees of banking.

Nice driving, nice Z and nice video. Glad she is all right.

mirage2991

BEZ06, maybe you should tell us what you have been doing to keep it alive, such as oil grade you are using for those events, how often you change it, maintnance etc...would help

SoCA04V

Off topic, but I don't know how you boys can stand not driving your car year round. Feeling pretty privileged to be in Southern CA right now.

68sixspeed

Oh that is SO on my bucket list!!

Good running and a nice piece of good news in this forum! -Dan

TapOut

You should run it at "Daytona H3".....my favorite racetrack in Oahu!!

BEZ06

Nothing special.

I use Mobil 1, 5w30.

I change the oil when the DIC says it's got about 15-20% life remaining. I run it about 1/2 way between the center hole and the bottom of the cross-hatched area on the dipstick - if you track the car and have oil above the center hole on the dipstick you'll blow it out and it will get into the intake (at least with the early small dry-sump tank like I have in my 2006).

I changed the the transmission fluid to Royal Purple Synchromax a couple years ago, but it wasn't because of any problem in the transmission.

The only thing I do regularly, mainly because I track the car, is flush new brake fluid in a couple times a year, and bleed before every event. I run Motul RBF 600 in the brake system.

I do my fellow Ranger Ranger's method to keep my clutch fluid clean. I swap clutch fluid maybe every month or two, depending on how much I'm driving the car in addition to track events. I use Prestone DOT 4 in the clutch.

I drive the car to track events and pull a trailer behind it with tires, tools, etc. This year I only did 2 longer distance road trips from Daytona to track events; to VIR (probably 1,500 miles round trip, plus the track miles); to Roebling Road near Savannah (about 500 miles round trip, plus two days of track miles). Here it is at my sister's house in the Virginia countryside about 60 miles from VIR - I went up and stayed with them for several days after the HPDE this summer:



Larry (C6 Z06 on the forum) also drives his '06 Z06 to track events all over the southeast pulling a trailer with tools, tires, and his pit scooter.

The cars are mechanical devices and can certainly break. I know the engine might fail some day. I know Larry is planning on doing some preventive maintenance on his 80,000 mile heads this winter. I think he's planning on valves, valve guides, and I guess new springs, etc. I may end up doing the same thing one of these days. Or.....I might take it up to Katech and get them to do some real magic to it!!!!!

For now, I'm just going to drive the hell out of it!! I'm already looking forward to the 3-day event at Daytona in December!!!!!

Bob

TAILWAG

to blow it up, you must first get it above 800 rpms... - - and out of the parade lap...

Looks like fun.

BEZ06

Hey Dan - come on down!!!!

There's an event Nov 3-6.

But I think the better event will be the Audi/Hooked On Driving event Dec 2-4. Take a look at the Hooked On Driving site for info about the event and registering:

http:http://www.hookedondriving.com/hooke...region/Florida


I've been to that event about 3 times (nobody had any HPDE's at Daytona last year due to the repaving project and the track "curing" all fall so it would be ready for the Rolex 24 in Jan this year).

So....if anybody wants to run Daytona, come on down!!

Bob

Everett Ogilvie

Oh crap, it is definitely going to blow tonight in the garage.

xcutter

This will **** off a certain few on this forum. They hate positive remarks about the LS7. How dare you

*C7*

Bob, thanks for not showing the video where you blew bye me.

Very nice job on your part.

Mine made it back to the panhandle without blowing. Now if it will just

make it to Barber and back in Nov.

Then the heads will be coming off for a little inspection.

I figure after 80,000 miles it can't hurt anything.

We had a great time with you and the misses.

Larry.