just did first HPDE! things I learned, questions I have...
06-04-2012, 10:03 AM
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just did first HPDE! things I learned, questions I have...
Did my first event yesterday at Texas World Speedway, on the 2.9 course clockwise. Car is a 2002 Z06 with minor brake upgrades. I didn't realize that most of the entrants would be doing 2 days, and I just signed up for sunday. As such I was somewhat disadvantaged when I started because everyone I was on track with already had some sense of the line, so my first session didn't go so well. I didn't like the way my instructor was helping me at first, he had his hand on the wheel most of the time. Second session went a lot better though and I started getting faster, and took a lot of info away from my instructor. After the third session, he promoted me up a run group, and I ran my final session with the blue group.
It was a blast! I have to work on smoothing out all my inputs.
Some things I learned:
-My firestone wide ovals were not as much of a pain as I thought they would be. It really helped me work on my throttle input, which has been one of my weakest areas in the car (coming from a mazda with next to no power), and they still actually worked reasonably well. I could put my foot flat in 4th at the apex of the 2-1 complex and hold it all the way through the turn.
-The center caps on my wheels can come off!! thankfully it came off in my garage spot, but I'm still not exactly sure how.
-My temps are high. Ambient was around 95 degrees, I believe. I saw oil temps up to 292, and coolant temps somewhere around 230.
-This thing uses a lot of gas!
Now on to the questions:
-What do I need to do to help harness my temperatures? Thicker oil? I was using Amsoil 5w30, 7 quarts, brand new. Do I need to get a bigger radiator with an extra oil cooler?
-Is it normal to smell my brakes some at the end of the main straight? I was coming down from 140 on some laps, but I wasn't completely threshold braking, since it is a difficult braking zone dealing with the transition off of the oval. They seemed to work fine and there wasn't fade that I could notice, however I may not be as aware as some drivers yet. FYI, pads are carbotech XP8s front and rear, DRM stainless lines and Motul 600 fluid.
-I burned about half a quart of oil during the event. Is this about normal? I'm planning to get a catch can soon to keep the engine cleaner.
Overall I had a blast, I'm probably going to be hooked on this. I will probably have more questions later and I'll be sure to post up.
Thanks for any help or advice!
-Jason
It was a blast! I have to work on smoothing out all my inputs.
Some things I learned:
-My firestone wide ovals were not as much of a pain as I thought they would be. It really helped me work on my throttle input, which has been one of my weakest areas in the car (coming from a mazda with next to no power), and they still actually worked reasonably well. I could put my foot flat in 4th at the apex of the 2-1 complex and hold it all the way through the turn.
-The center caps on my wheels can come off!! thankfully it came off in my garage spot, but I'm still not exactly sure how.
-My temps are high. Ambient was around 95 degrees, I believe. I saw oil temps up to 292, and coolant temps somewhere around 230.
-This thing uses a lot of gas!
Now on to the questions:
-What do I need to do to help harness my temperatures? Thicker oil? I was using Amsoil 5w30, 7 quarts, brand new. Do I need to get a bigger radiator with an extra oil cooler?
-Is it normal to smell my brakes some at the end of the main straight? I was coming down from 140 on some laps, but I wasn't completely threshold braking, since it is a difficult braking zone dealing with the transition off of the oval. They seemed to work fine and there wasn't fade that I could notice, however I may not be as aware as some drivers yet. FYI, pads are carbotech XP8s front and rear, DRM stainless lines and Motul 600 fluid.
-I burned about half a quart of oil during the event. Is this about normal? I'm planning to get a catch can soon to keep the engine cleaner.
Overall I had a blast, I'm probably going to be hooked on this. I will probably have more questions later and I'll be sure to post up.
Thanks for any help or advice!
-Jason
06-04-2012, 10:54 AM
#2
Le Mans Master
EVERYTHING you said is normal. For temp reduction, you need an oil cooler at minimum. A upgrade radiator would help, but do the oil cooler ASAP. You can put in a 160F thermostat and program your fans to come on sooner. This will help keep your temps from rising too early in the session. Also, some brake ducts in front are key.
Don't forget safety mods first, then improve driver skills before ANY performance mods.
Don't forget safety mods first, then improve driver skills before ANY performance mods.
06-04-2012, 11:06 AM
#3
Safety Car
EVERYTHING you said is normal. For temp reduction, you need an oil cooler at minimum. A upgrade radiator would help, but do the oil cooler ASAP. You can put in a 160F thermostat and program your fans to come on sooner. This will help keep your temps from rising too early in the session. Also, some brake ducts in front are key.
Don't forget safety mods first, then improve driver skills before ANY performance mods.
Don't forget safety mods first, then improve driver skills before ANY performance mods.
Dewitts radiaror with EOC. will do it fan reprograming is expensive for the return the fans are not needed over 40 mph!
brake cooling ducts from a late model Z06 (C6) along with hoses and a spindle bracket will solve most of you brake problems for a long time
06-04-2012, 01:46 PM
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Great, thanks.
One other thing I noticed... after the event, going in and out of my driveway and over the one speed hump I encountered, I hear some squeaking/creaking from the front end that I'm not used to. Do I need to check anything out, is it possible I damaged something? I did have a few encounters with curbing but really didn't think that I caused any damage, they seemed pretty minor in my opinion.
One other thing I noticed... after the event, going in and out of my driveway and over the one speed hump I encountered, I hear some squeaking/creaking from the front end that I'm not used to. Do I need to check anything out, is it possible I damaged something? I did have a few encounters with curbing but really didn't think that I caused any damage, they seemed pretty minor in my opinion.
06-04-2012, 02:12 PM
#6
Burning Brakes
06-04-2012, 02:55 PM
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Actually your oil temps weren't that bad. I saw 319 the first time I took my C5Z to the track. I suspect they will get a little higher as you get more experienced and can push the car harder. I went with the DRM Ron Davis Radiator with built in EOC. Used it on my 97 and the 03Z. Really cooled things down. On hot days with a stock thermostat the coolant would run 200 and the oil temp 230. On cold days it was hard getting the oil up to temperature. No need for a low temp thermostat or a tune to run the fans differently. The temps are not a thermostat issue but a cooling system capacity issue. Increasing the capacity works. At 230 degrees coolant temp your stock thermostat was wide open just as a 160 thermo would have been wide open. A 160 would have kept the engine cooler for 3 to 4 minutes.
You will smell your brakes after hard usage. After lots of events it starts to smell good!!!!
Oil consumption was about normal. Once you start running harder it will probably increase to a quart per day. In 20 years of doing track events I have never used a catch can and have never suffered any issues because I didn't. I would say don't waste your time or money on one. I have never seen any proof they actually provide a benefit that can be felt in the seat of your pants or seen on a dyno. My C6Z dropped a valve last August so I have some pictures of the cylinders. After 24K miles and 40 track days and a quart per day of oil consumption they look about the same as pictures of engines removed from cars that have had catch cans.
I would never hold the wheel while a student was driving. When I went through my instructor training with the BMW Club they went through all the things that could go wrong if an instructor did that. You should have told him to keep his hands off the wheel.
Bill
You will smell your brakes after hard usage. After lots of events it starts to smell good!!!!
Oil consumption was about normal. Once you start running harder it will probably increase to a quart per day. In 20 years of doing track events I have never used a catch can and have never suffered any issues because I didn't. I would say don't waste your time or money on one. I have never seen any proof they actually provide a benefit that can be felt in the seat of your pants or seen on a dyno. My C6Z dropped a valve last August so I have some pictures of the cylinders. After 24K miles and 40 track days and a quart per day of oil consumption they look about the same as pictures of engines removed from cars that have had catch cans.
I would never hold the wheel while a student was driving. When I went through my instructor training with the BMW Club they went through all the things that could go wrong if an instructor did that. You should have told him to keep his hands off the wheel.
Bill
Last edited by Bill Dearborn; 06-04-2012 at 03:03 PM.
06-04-2012, 03:00 PM
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Surprised the event coordinators allowed you on the track with your hubs in place..remove them before the track event. Prevents wallet stroke.
As for the oil, I've found Amsoil runs hotter than Mobil 1, 10 or so degrees hotter. Don't know why that is. Oil cooler goes a long way towards engine life, so since you've been hooked on speed, plan on getting one sooner rather than later.
-spend your money on the loose nut behind the wheel! Track time, not sticky tires, makes a better driver and experience (tho sticky tires add to the fun quotient!)
As for the oil, I've found Amsoil runs hotter than Mobil 1, 10 or so degrees hotter. Don't know why that is. Oil cooler goes a long way towards engine life, so since you've been hooked on speed, plan on getting one sooner rather than later.
-spend your money on the loose nut behind the wheel! Track time, not sticky tires, makes a better driver and experience (tho sticky tires add to the fun quotient!)
06-04-2012, 03:31 PM
#9
Drifting
The only thing that seems unordindary out of what you said is the instructor putting his hands on the wheel. I caught myself reaching for it once one time when a student was way off and stopped myself. Wrong way of teaching.
06-04-2012, 09:29 PM
#10
Safety Car
A cheap quick upgrade would be to run DI water in your stock rad w/ 2 bottles of water wetter. This combo was good for 10deg F last time I was out in April.
06-05-2012, 09:29 AM
#11
Burning Brakes
06-05-2012, 10:02 AM
#12
Drifting
I ran my first event at TWS some years ago in a 2002 Z06. Still driving that track, and still loving it. Same car, though with a few more miles on and a lot of changes done.
Oil temps: In the C5Z, an oil cooler is essential. The in-radiator ones are fine, especially for light track use, but a separate one is also really nice. It goes in front of the radiator/condenser stack in the nose, and plumbs in right above the oil filter. Braided lines take the oil to and from. I like the separate oil cooler over the radiator one, because temps stay lower, and we're just now getting into the hot part of the year. It's going to get worse. I would also back off far before I saw 290 oil temp. I run AMSOIL 10w40 and see 275 on a hard session with the oil cooler. Oil pressure is good, ending up at just over 35. That's the key, as far as your readouts can tell you: Your oil pressure needs to stay over 24 or so, at idle when the car is hot. If it's dropping to 15, that's too low, IMO. I run a half a quart high for track days, and check after every other session. The only disadvantage with the heavier oil is very high pressure when it's cold, and the need to warm the car up over 80 oil temp before driving, and over 150 before driving hard. I have followed that rule and the car has 82k miles and seven years of track weekends on it.
The other cooler you should consider is for your transmission. There is no temp readout for the Z06, and you will simply get a warning if it goes over 275. As you shift more, you will see that. Transmission wear and tear are a thing for us, and you should be aware. This one is a little more painful, as it requires a pump, but it's not too bad. Do the oil cooler first.
Definitely get pure water in there (demineralized or distilled is best) and two bottles of water wetter. It's also nicer for your track mates if you do lose coolant. Coolant with anti-freeze in is slicker than oil on track, and harder to clean up. Swap it out for anti-freeze for our two months of winter.
Other stuff:
Get an alignment done. If you have not had one yet, get it done quick. The cars often have drifted out of alignment over the years and might not have been done well at the factory. -1.5 camber in front, -1 rear and as much caster as it will take is a good start and if you don't mess with the toe you won't burn up your street tires too bad.
The other mods I would suggest are a better seat, some harnesses and a head restraint (closed face helmet of course). Get a fire extinguisher and mount it somewhere you can reach it. Halotron or CO2. Be advised that the harnesses and seat are very beneficial to your fatigue levels, and your driving touch, but interfere with the way the car is supposed to treat you in a crash. This sport is all about assumed risk, so best to go in with your eyes open. To me, the benefits of a seat and harnesses are so great that it's worth the risk.
Don't change anything else until you get lots of seat time. More HP is not needed; that car is fast on all the tracks in Texas
Welcome to the addiction.
--Yakisoba
NASA Time Trial #41
2010 and 2011 NASA Texas TTA Champion
Oil temps: In the C5Z, an oil cooler is essential. The in-radiator ones are fine, especially for light track use, but a separate one is also really nice. It goes in front of the radiator/condenser stack in the nose, and plumbs in right above the oil filter. Braided lines take the oil to and from. I like the separate oil cooler over the radiator one, because temps stay lower, and we're just now getting into the hot part of the year. It's going to get worse. I would also back off far before I saw 290 oil temp. I run AMSOIL 10w40 and see 275 on a hard session with the oil cooler. Oil pressure is good, ending up at just over 35. That's the key, as far as your readouts can tell you: Your oil pressure needs to stay over 24 or so, at idle when the car is hot. If it's dropping to 15, that's too low, IMO. I run a half a quart high for track days, and check after every other session. The only disadvantage with the heavier oil is very high pressure when it's cold, and the need to warm the car up over 80 oil temp before driving, and over 150 before driving hard. I have followed that rule and the car has 82k miles and seven years of track weekends on it.
The other cooler you should consider is for your transmission. There is no temp readout for the Z06, and you will simply get a warning if it goes over 275. As you shift more, you will see that. Transmission wear and tear are a thing for us, and you should be aware. This one is a little more painful, as it requires a pump, but it's not too bad. Do the oil cooler first.
Definitely get pure water in there (demineralized or distilled is best) and two bottles of water wetter. It's also nicer for your track mates if you do lose coolant. Coolant with anti-freeze in is slicker than oil on track, and harder to clean up. Swap it out for anti-freeze for our two months of winter.
Other stuff:
Get an alignment done. If you have not had one yet, get it done quick. The cars often have drifted out of alignment over the years and might not have been done well at the factory. -1.5 camber in front, -1 rear and as much caster as it will take is a good start and if you don't mess with the toe you won't burn up your street tires too bad.
The other mods I would suggest are a better seat, some harnesses and a head restraint (closed face helmet of course). Get a fire extinguisher and mount it somewhere you can reach it. Halotron or CO2. Be advised that the harnesses and seat are very beneficial to your fatigue levels, and your driving touch, but interfere with the way the car is supposed to treat you in a crash. This sport is all about assumed risk, so best to go in with your eyes open. To me, the benefits of a seat and harnesses are so great that it's worth the risk.
Don't change anything else until you get lots of seat time. More HP is not needed; that car is fast on all the tracks in Texas
Welcome to the addiction.
--Yakisoba
NASA Time Trial #41
2010 and 2011 NASA Texas TTA Champion
06-05-2012, 02:19 PM
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St. Jude Donor '09
Welcome to the addiction. You must remember how hot it was out there on Sunday. Good place to start would be the radiator. But please invest in driver safety equipment and seat time. You will get better. Your instructor was very encouraged by how well you progressed. Not saying his tactics are correct, maybe next time with a different instructor you'll get a different perspective.
06-05-2012, 07:00 PM
#14
Premium Supporting Vendor
Really only thing you can do for oil temps is either get a dedicated oil cooler (which my car has), or get a dual radiator/oil cooler, which I think is a better option for a dual street/track car. As mine is only track car, I use a larger radiator and a dedicated oil (and tranny) cooler which I think provides more overall cooling. But I can't warm up my oil on the street. Not a problem for me as I don't drive on the street any more.
FYI, I wouldn't run a 50 grade oil as some have suggested above. Over the years I've been racing, I've used 20w50, 15w50, 10w40, 10w30, 5w30, 0w30. I've found the lowest oil temps with 10w30 (and an oil cooler).
Also, current API spec oils only can have 800 ppm phosphorus, a key anti-wear additive in oils.
I use:
AMSOIL Dominator Synthetic 10w30 Racing Motor Oil (Product Code RD30QT)
(zinc – 1575 ppm, phosphorus 1474 ppm)
With this oil and my radiator/oil cooler set up, my coolant typically runs right at 200F, and my oil about 245-255F at most tracks in most ambient conditions.
For a dual use street/track car, I'd suggest:
AMSOIL Z-ROD 10w30 Synthetic Motor Oil (Product Code ZRTQT)
(zinc – 1440 ppm, phosphorus 1320 ppm)
This oil is very similar to the Dominator Racing 10w30 I use, but has enough detergents/dispersants for 3-5k mile oil changes, whereas I change the Dominator about every 500 miles.
Note, neither of the above meets GM spec 4718M.
For those interested, I’m happy to offer dealer wholesale prices, about 25% below retail, for forum members via the AMSOIL Preferred Customer Program. Drop me a PM if interested.
__________________
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AMSOIL Dealer (Forum Vendor)
AMSOIL Ordering Information (Retail sales using reference #1206638 benefit the forum.)
AMSOIL Preferred Customer Program (Members buy at Wholesale - a savings of about 25%)
AMSOIL Catalog
C66 Racing #66 NASA ST2, SCCA T2
AMSOIL Dealer (Forum Vendor)
AMSOIL Ordering Information (Retail sales using reference #1206638 benefit the forum.)
AMSOIL Preferred Customer Program (Members buy at Wholesale - a savings of about 25%)
AMSOIL Catalog
06-05-2012, 09:45 PM
#15
To the OP Jason - some great advice in this thread. I agree that gaining seat time and increasing driver skill is most important in the beginning before performance mods. Safety mods are more important.
Congrats on your new hobby (addiction). I've met the BEST people at the track. The friends are the best part.
Re instructor taking the wheel - it's how we are taught to instruct at our local track. I do it all the time when a student isn't "getting" the line. If I describe what he/she should do and they keep missing it - I tell them to keep their hands on the wheel while I put my hand on the wheel to guide them to the correct place on track. They should never take their hands off the wheel. I've found it's very effective in showing them what to do when words alone fail. We are not allowed to take our students (in our car or theirs) for orientation laps which I think is a mistake (new owners at the track have created new rules). I always tell a student when I'm about to take the wheel and remind them to keep hands on the wheel.
Hope it's okay to add a question on brake pads.
I'm in my third season of track driving. In my second season of instructing HPDE at our local track (I had an intensive first season of about 30 track days and advanced quickly).
The Z06 is my third track car but first manual shift (the others were paddle shift). All are high HP/torque.
I just returned from two track days at Watkins Glen. Now running intermediate solo.
Before heading to the track I did a master cylinder flush, oil change, clutch fluid change and a general check up (nose to tail). HP Plus brake pads had about 1 mm of wear before WGI. I have burned through the fronts which need to be replaced. I'll be heading to Pocono and then Road America in July. I'm thinking I need a more race oriented pad but not sure which. I'm not "married" to Hawk but it seemed to do a decent job. I use the car as a daily driver. I don't commute daily but I usually use it several times each week for local driving and take it on a 400 mile (roundtrip) about once/month (except in winter).
Here are the mods:
Hawk HP Plus pads (all around - need new fronts)
DBA 5000 rotors front
DBA 4000 rotors rear
Goodridge stainless brake lines
Motul 600 fluid
Michelin Pilot Super Sports (first set were shaved - fronts are great, rears are at wear bars, I have a full tread set ready to try next).
Caravaggio Race Seats
TeamTech 6 point harnesses
BK Harness bar & Vetteworks HardBar
I'm running Mobil1 5W-30. Oil temps were never above 265 and coolant stayed around 200. It was hot/humid (low 90's) both days. I was exceeding 150 mph coming into Bus Stop - that was probably my top speed on track.
I started getting a long, soft brake peddle toward the end of the last two sessions (2nd day). I took cool down laps and then quit missing maybe the last 2 laps of the session.
Considering Hawk HP-10 but looking for brake pad suggestions. Once the rotors are cooked I'd be interested in an alternative that doesn't have the rusty center ring. Any suggestions are appreciate.
Congrats on your new hobby (addiction). I've met the BEST people at the track. The friends are the best part.
Re instructor taking the wheel - it's how we are taught to instruct at our local track. I do it all the time when a student isn't "getting" the line. If I describe what he/she should do and they keep missing it - I tell them to keep their hands on the wheel while I put my hand on the wheel to guide them to the correct place on track. They should never take their hands off the wheel. I've found it's very effective in showing them what to do when words alone fail. We are not allowed to take our students (in our car or theirs) for orientation laps which I think is a mistake (new owners at the track have created new rules). I always tell a student when I'm about to take the wheel and remind them to keep hands on the wheel.
Hope it's okay to add a question on brake pads.
I'm in my third season of track driving. In my second season of instructing HPDE at our local track (I had an intensive first season of about 30 track days and advanced quickly).
The Z06 is my third track car but first manual shift (the others were paddle shift). All are high HP/torque.
I just returned from two track days at Watkins Glen. Now running intermediate solo.
Before heading to the track I did a master cylinder flush, oil change, clutch fluid change and a general check up (nose to tail). HP Plus brake pads had about 1 mm of wear before WGI. I have burned through the fronts which need to be replaced. I'll be heading to Pocono and then Road America in July. I'm thinking I need a more race oriented pad but not sure which. I'm not "married" to Hawk but it seemed to do a decent job. I use the car as a daily driver. I don't commute daily but I usually use it several times each week for local driving and take it on a 400 mile (roundtrip) about once/month (except in winter).
Here are the mods:
Hawk HP Plus pads (all around - need new fronts)
DBA 5000 rotors front
DBA 4000 rotors rear
Goodridge stainless brake lines
Motul 600 fluid
Michelin Pilot Super Sports (first set were shaved - fronts are great, rears are at wear bars, I have a full tread set ready to try next).
Caravaggio Race Seats
TeamTech 6 point harnesses
BK Harness bar & Vetteworks HardBar
I'm running Mobil1 5W-30. Oil temps were never above 265 and coolant stayed around 200. It was hot/humid (low 90's) both days. I was exceeding 150 mph coming into Bus Stop - that was probably my top speed on track.
I started getting a long, soft brake peddle toward the end of the last two sessions (2nd day). I took cool down laps and then quit missing maybe the last 2 laps of the session.
Considering Hawk HP-10 but looking for brake pad suggestions. Once the rotors are cooked I'd be interested in an alternative that doesn't have the rusty center ring. Any suggestions are appreciate.
06-06-2012, 07:58 AM
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St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18
Jason, you've gotten some great advice and I can't think of anything else to add.
TWS is also my "home" track, although I wasn't driving last weekend. I was flagging on corner 6. Were you in car #02, the yellow Z06? If so, I watched you improve during the day. Great job!
Congrats on your move up to the blue group. As others have indicated, there's no substitute for seat time.
Hope to meet you out there soon.
Bill
TWS is also my "home" track, although I wasn't driving last weekend. I was flagging on corner 6. Were you in car #02, the yellow Z06? If so, I watched you improve during the day. Great job!
Congrats on your move up to the blue group. As others have indicated, there's no substitute for seat time.
Hope to meet you out there soon.
Bill
06-06-2012, 10:55 AM
#17
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Jason, you've gotten some great advice and I can't think of anything else to add.
TWS is also my "home" track, although I wasn't driving last weekend. I was flagging on corner 6. Were you in car #02, the yellow Z06? If so, I watched you improve during the day. Great job!
Congrats on your move up to the blue group. As others have indicated, there's no substitute for seat time.
Hope to meet you out there soon.
Bill
TWS is also my "home" track, although I wasn't driving last weekend. I was flagging on corner 6. Were you in car #02, the yellow Z06? If so, I watched you improve during the day. Great job!
Congrats on your move up to the blue group. As others have indicated, there's no substitute for seat time.
Hope to meet you out there soon.
Bill
It looks like I will be able to be at the event the end of this month as well, hopefully I will be able to meet you!
-Jason
06-06-2012, 11:01 AM
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I ran my first event at TWS some years ago in a 2002 Z06. Still driving that track, and still loving it. Same car, though with a few more miles on and a lot of changes done.
Oil temps: In the C5Z, an oil cooler is essential. The in-radiator ones are fine, especially for light track use, but a separate one is also really nice. It goes in front of the radiator/condenser stack in the nose, and plumbs in right above the oil filter. Braided lines take the oil to and from. I like the separate oil cooler over the radiator one, because temps stay lower, and we're just now getting into the hot part of the year. It's going to get worse. I would also back off far before I saw 290 oil temp. I run AMSOIL 10w40 and see 275 on a hard session with the oil cooler. Oil pressure is good, ending up at just over 35. That's the key, as far as your readouts can tell you: Your oil pressure needs to stay over 24 or so, at idle when the car is hot. If it's dropping to 15, that's too low, IMO. I run a half a quart high for track days, and check after every other session. The only disadvantage with the heavier oil is very high pressure when it's cold, and the need to warm the car up over 80 oil temp before driving, and over 150 before driving hard. I have followed that rule and the car has 82k miles and seven years of track weekends on it.
The other cooler you should consider is for your transmission. There is no temp readout for the Z06, and you will simply get a warning if it goes over 275. As you shift more, you will see that. Transmission wear and tear are a thing for us, and you should be aware. This one is a little more painful, as it requires a pump, but it's not too bad. Do the oil cooler first.
Definitely get pure water in there (demineralized or distilled is best) and two bottles of water wetter. It's also nicer for your track mates if you do lose coolant. Coolant with anti-freeze in is slicker than oil on track, and harder to clean up. Swap it out for anti-freeze for our two months of winter.
Other stuff:
Get an alignment done. If you have not had one yet, get it done quick. The cars often have drifted out of alignment over the years and might not have been done well at the factory. -1.5 camber in front, -1 rear and as much caster as it will take is a good start and if you don't mess with the toe you won't burn up your street tires too bad.
The other mods I would suggest are a better seat, some harnesses and a head restraint (closed face helmet of course). Get a fire extinguisher and mount it somewhere you can reach it. Halotron or CO2. Be advised that the harnesses and seat are very beneficial to your fatigue levels, and your driving touch, but interfere with the way the car is supposed to treat you in a crash. This sport is all about assumed risk, so best to go in with your eyes open. To me, the benefits of a seat and harnesses are so great that it's worth the risk.
Don't change anything else until you get lots of seat time. More HP is not needed; that car is fast on all the tracks in Texas
Welcome to the addiction.
--Yakisoba
NASA Time Trial #41
2010 and 2011 NASA Texas TTA Champion
Oil temps: In the C5Z, an oil cooler is essential. The in-radiator ones are fine, especially for light track use, but a separate one is also really nice. It goes in front of the radiator/condenser stack in the nose, and plumbs in right above the oil filter. Braided lines take the oil to and from. I like the separate oil cooler over the radiator one, because temps stay lower, and we're just now getting into the hot part of the year. It's going to get worse. I would also back off far before I saw 290 oil temp. I run AMSOIL 10w40 and see 275 on a hard session with the oil cooler. Oil pressure is good, ending up at just over 35. That's the key, as far as your readouts can tell you: Your oil pressure needs to stay over 24 or so, at idle when the car is hot. If it's dropping to 15, that's too low, IMO. I run a half a quart high for track days, and check after every other session. The only disadvantage with the heavier oil is very high pressure when it's cold, and the need to warm the car up over 80 oil temp before driving, and over 150 before driving hard. I have followed that rule and the car has 82k miles and seven years of track weekends on it.
The other cooler you should consider is for your transmission. There is no temp readout for the Z06, and you will simply get a warning if it goes over 275. As you shift more, you will see that. Transmission wear and tear are a thing for us, and you should be aware. This one is a little more painful, as it requires a pump, but it's not too bad. Do the oil cooler first.
Definitely get pure water in there (demineralized or distilled is best) and two bottles of water wetter. It's also nicer for your track mates if you do lose coolant. Coolant with anti-freeze in is slicker than oil on track, and harder to clean up. Swap it out for anti-freeze for our two months of winter.
Other stuff:
Get an alignment done. If you have not had one yet, get it done quick. The cars often have drifted out of alignment over the years and might not have been done well at the factory. -1.5 camber in front, -1 rear and as much caster as it will take is a good start and if you don't mess with the toe you won't burn up your street tires too bad.
The other mods I would suggest are a better seat, some harnesses and a head restraint (closed face helmet of course). Get a fire extinguisher and mount it somewhere you can reach it. Halotron or CO2. Be advised that the harnesses and seat are very beneficial to your fatigue levels, and your driving touch, but interfere with the way the car is supposed to treat you in a crash. This sport is all about assumed risk, so best to go in with your eyes open. To me, the benefits of a seat and harnesses are so great that it's worth the risk.
Don't change anything else until you get lots of seat time. More HP is not needed; that car is fast on all the tracks in Texas
Welcome to the addiction.
--Yakisoba
NASA Time Trial #41
2010 and 2011 NASA Texas TTA Champion
I've already had an alignment done, -1.6 front, -1 rear, max caster, and 1/8" toe in on the rear. That was suggested in the track/HPDE sticky in this subforum.
I would love to get seats and harnesses as well, although I'm wary of buying a seat I haven't yet tried sitting in... I guess I need to start talking to people at the track and sitting in as many seats as I can. Originally I was thinking of the Corbeau Forza seat, but we'll see. I could tell at the event I was working really hard to stay in place... I kept trying to relax my grip on the wheel but I just couldn't, my fingers ended up getting really tight.
Question about having a harness bar and 5/6 point harnesses... how hard is it to have the stock belts available as well? I would like to still be able to take the girlfriend out in the car and not have the need for her to buckle into a harness every time...
Other than that, my plans include tires (I have nitto 555RII's for the front sitting in my living room, waiting on $$ for the rears), and hopefully eventually a good coilover system. Power mods will not happen for quite a while, I am well aware that the car is much faster than me at this point!
Thanks everyone for all the input!
-Jason
06-06-2012, 11:39 AM
#19
Race Director
Member Since: Sep 2004
Location: Cypress TX
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St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18
Yes, that was me! I started being aware enough to wave to you guys in my last session on the cooldown lap, hopefully you were one of the ones I managed to catch!
It looks like I will be able to be at the event the end of this month as well, hopefully I will be able to meet you!
-Jason
It looks like I will be able to be at the event the end of this month as well, hopefully I will be able to meet you!
-Jason
Bill
06-06-2012, 12:01 PM
#20
Drifting
I'm new myself, only a couple of time trials and an HPDE under my belt. If the instructor grabbed my steering wheel during the driving school I may have flipped out. That seems like a great way to make things so south very fast.
I am also addicted and searching for the money to get the car built the way I want so I can then only have to worry about maintenance costs. Brake cooling and oil cooling are at the very top of my list. But I really want a better seat and harness bar as well.
I am also addicted and searching for the money to get the car built the way I want so I can then only have to worry about maintenance costs. Brake cooling and oil cooling are at the very top of my list. But I really want a better seat and harness bar as well.