msdunkel

I've seen lots of improved HP threads, but is there a proven way to make the car a little more driver friendly at the track? I've been poring over the Motor Trend and Car & Driver articles about the ZR1 and what struck me most were the words from Randy Pobst who (paraphrased from his MotorTrend GT2RS comparison) recommended that average guys like me will be the most successful leaving the car in sport mode and just leave track mode alone. I'm all for more power, but if I can't use it then more might not be better. Without completely redesigning the car, are there mods which will make it easier to drive around a racetrack for a person who isn't a professional race car driver? Nothing I plan on doing in the near-term, but I think this car is a keeper so I'll have years to go forward with any projects.

mityaz

Coming from experience here... The ZR1 is very user friendly on track in Comp 1 Track mode (that's what i drive in). Make sure your alignment is on point and that you use the proper tires/pressures. I personally run hoosiers r7s (315F/345R) with 2.5*/7.5*/.01'' front and 2.5/0.4*/.08" rear. car drives great! (but I haven't driven a gt2 or anything alike)

msdunkel

Good to hear. She's already been a little nervous on the street with my clumsy feet working the controls, and I've never even come close to what I'd consider pushing it.

UnhandledException

completely different cars. I will just say this, have a look at the dyno graphs for both cars. While GT2RS does make a lot of power, its torque numbers at each rpm are much lower than ZR1. ZR1 makes mountains of torque down low very quickly whereas gr2rs (by design) makes a lot less and gradually increases with a peak torque number still a lot less than ZR1. This is there for a reason.

Not saying one is better. They are very different cars.

Dane@LGmotorsports

Our Sway Bars and Monoball Control arms would be a good start. Our Sway Bars are more balanced than the factory set up and the monoballs will make the car feel more accurate by getting rid of the sloppy oem rubber bushings. Welcome to give me a call at the shop!

hcvone

I have a GT2 RS and a ZR1, they are street cars for me, my GT2 is not stock, the ZR1 kind of is, the problem on the street with these two cars is traction, one has it and one does not, of course one has a manual transmission and one does not, and the manual is just plain fun. Traction has improved with the DSC controller over stock controller, it's just tough to tell how much with changing temps and different road surfaces

BrunoTheMellow

Drive the car on the track first. Then get up to the limits of the car. Which you won't for years probably. Then worry about this.

MustOBeenYellow2015Z

Has LG put a ZR1 on coilovers yet?

msdunkel

So it's ok for everybody who doesn't use the full power of the car to improve the HP but if you want it to handle better then you need to wait until you're at a professional race car driver level? Sounds reasonable...

Poor-sha

The absolute first thing you need to do is get a quality alignment from a shop that has the tools, knowledge, and will take the time to do it correctly. My next question is whether you are experiencing handling issues and if so what are you experiencing? I have tremendous respect for Randy but he likes the way Porsches drive and a Corvette with the mass split 50/50 at either end is never going to drive like a car with very little weight on the nose and a big chunk of weight hanging behind the rear tires.

I tracked my ZR1 with no suspension mods other than an alignment and thought it was very good. If you want to move beyond that the DSC Sport controller is the first mod I would do. For a track-only car where you are comfortable pushing it to and over the limit monoballs instead of bushings are great but I don't know about them on the street if you have rough roads. I have the AMT monoballs on my GS track car and if you want other suspension ideas that thread is here - https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...e-c7-gs-r.html

The big difference between HP mods and suspension mods is that anyone can mash the pedal and offer an opinion about whether it feels faster. However, being able to get a car to the limit and then being able to diagnose what it's doing that you would like different takes a lot of time, practice, and a safe environment to do it in.

One last thought, if you're talking about driving on the street, and you are going to be going out in cool weather, I highly recommend the Michelin A/S3+ ZP tires for the street. They hooked up way better when cold on the ZR1 and just fine in street driving. I keep a set in the trailer to go to the track for rain tires.

robmypro

“The absolute first thing you need to do is get a quality alignment from a shop that has the tools, knowledge, and will take the time to do it correctly.”

Guys, any suggestions in the Denver area?

BrunoTheMellow

No. It's not. But you sound like you've never been on track with the car. It handles much better than you think. It's one of the best cars to drive on track due to all the assists.

Pro reviewers have dozens of cars to compare it to. Of course they are going to say it's harder to drive than the 400 hp bmw they just got out of.

msdunkel

The car isn't broken in yet, and due to too many Gs over too many years I had a minor adjustment to my neck in June which will keep me from doing any track work until my December Ron Fellows class -- so other than the back end breaking loose every time I floor the thing in gears 1-3 no handling issues at all . I'm only going off of reviews and Randy wasn't the only auto journalist out there with the opinion that the car's suspension can't match the engine, I think Jeremy Clarkson dubbed it "The Mentalmobile". Not a direct quote, but the 2018 C&D lightning lap issue leaves the reader with the impression that the car is massively capable but also very unforgiving. Don't get me wrong, I love the car but I know myself. Despite what people might think, flying fast jets does not inherently grant one the ability to drive fast cars (properly). I've got some training on 2 wheels but I'm pretty much a neophyte on 4 -- the problem is I was always pretty wary of crashing on the bike and never pushed the limits but in a car it's (mentally) a lot easier to push the limits but a mistake can be just as costly. Maybe once I'm on a track my 'too-fast self-preservation' gene will kick in and I won't need to do any mods since I'll be so far below the capability of the car and this thread is a bunch of nothing, but it sure would be nice to smooth those rough edges to the point where a mistake just means I miss an apex instead of going off track or hitting a wall.

BrunoTheMellow

You'll realize that your right foot doesn't actually go to the floor that often on track on your first day out. I drive a Z06 with about 700 hp and I just got it. I had a z51 before that with essentially 500 hp. They are the same difficulty on track. Actually the Z06 is easier because you don't have to go WOT as often to get good lap times.

DebRedZR1

Go out to Spring Mountain! That will show you EXACTLY how well the car handles and in what modes. Doubt you have to worry about the capabilities of the car.

msdunkel

Dec 16-17!!! Can't wait.

RedRay

Once the pro Driver takes you out for a hot lap, you will not worry about handling. This car is amazing on the track when controlled by a professional. You think you pushing it now, after day 2 at the school you will learn you are just learning to drive it again ……………… with your feet ………….

Dane@LGmotorsports

Sorry for the delay I just saw this. We haven't personally put coilovers on a ZR1 but I have had a few customers put them on and have received good feedback.

d16dcoe45

I know what you are trying to say and improving the handling is a great intention but the reality is that GM has some SHARP guys when it comes to setting up a chassis for performance and they have to make sure it survives through the warranty period and meets their quality control tests. With a specialty car like the ZR1 they already push the envelope to cater to the hard-core guys that will buy the car.
An aftermarket manufacturer only has to list their suspension package or individual pieces on a website and if they don't help handling or worse yet--they break, it isn't a big deal because it is an "aftermarket" and sometimes that is par for the course. A few guys in their garage a CNC machine or tens of millions of dollars of R&D done by degreed engineers? I will go with the latter.

For a street car that was designed with bushings, I would never install rose or heim joints. It is easy to market something as an "improvement" when it often is expensive and terrible, like permanent diamond grills (teeth).

foot 1

the throttle on these cars aren’t used like a light switch,you have to learn how to roll into and out of it to keep the car balanced