Dinger2u

I have a new C6 and I would like to set it up for the occasional track day; we are talking a couple times a year only. I still want it to be extremely streetable and not trying too hard at freeway speeds. Are 4.10s pushing it?

Thanks all.
Dinger

John Shiels

yep

jlcvt

davidfarmer

you've got to look at your top speed, and see if they'll hurt or help. In my car, with the LS1 trans and 3.42's, I've got a perfect setup. I can use 2nd-4th, with have really tight gear rations. If I used a higher gear, I'd have to use 5th, which is a steep drop-off in the LS1 trans.

I don't have the c6 gear ratios and tire diameters handy, but I think you may run out of rev's with the 4.10 with stock rev limiter. If you got up to 6900, you'll be OK. If you stick with the 6500rev limter, you might be better off with 3.90's.

NoOne

When I had my LS1 Rx7 I had 4.11's with the T56 and tire height.

There were several places where I wished for a few more RPM so I didn't have to shift before going someplace I don't want to shift. There is a big bump/jump at Grattan. In my current C5 I'd come across the crest just at redline which is perfect.

In the RX7 I'd be hitting the limiter just before it and wanting to shift into 4th which I probably could not do in time, it put me in the wrong gear for when I came over the hill after breaking, etc.

Same with the uphill before the straight away, I'd be bouncing the limiter and can't shift into 4th because it would unweight the car, now I keep it in 3rd near redline holding it until I get straightened out a bit so I can goto redline and the shift.

That 4.11 rear gear, and a lack of a replacement gear is what ultimately led me to sell the car.

Dinger2u

HMMM... Well I am open to suggestions. Maybe that is the last thing I should be considering right now. Maybe I should perform whatever modifications I am going to do and then see what gears work best with my final setup.

Is there any logic to this? I really don't want to do much. Below is a list of things I have already done or are on order:

LG headers with stock exhaust
Z51 Sway bars
Tunnel Stiffener
Halltech air box and CAI

Things I am considering:
Port/polish heads
Tune
B&M short throw shifter

Not much else I want to do. As I said, streetability is definitely my first priority.

Thanks all!

John Shiels

what do you have for brakes?

gkmccready

and suspension? and oil cooler? and radiator? all of which i'd do before looking at rear gears.

davidfarmer

Here is what I suggest. Run this year, and make a NOTE of the max rpm/gear/speed you hit. At the end of the season, send me (or someone else willing to help), and I can easily calculate if you are losing anything due to gearing.

The LG's are awesome, and a tune and bars will help. Some sort of cold-air setup is also nice. I'd skip the other stuff, especially the shifter. Short throw=less leverage=harder to shift=more missed gears.

FactoryRaceCar

racerwannabe

my ZO-6 is currently apart,one of the reasons is to remove the 4.10 gears..way to much gear to help...drag racing ,,that's different..we ended up running roebling in 4th and 5th...cmp occasonaly 3rd..just more gear than necessary..auto crosses ended being 2nd to low 3rd to high..
johnny

varkwso

gears should be the last thing you do for the setup of your car.

Bink

I have 4.10s....and you don't want them.

Dinger2u

This should be required reading for all who are considering RR even it is only for the rare track day. I was actually thinking about picking up the Koni FSDs. Seems like a good all-around shock with adjustability. I have only toyed with the idea of an oil cooler. Sounds like Ligenfelter has a good setup and not too $$$. Davidfarmer, I will take you up on your offer. I will track that data and pass it on to you this fall.

Thank you all! This the most informational post I have seen in a while!!!

Rock on!

AU N EGL

David is correct, you WILL run out of reves, plus you SHIFT WAY TOO MUCH.

Example, Back straigh ot VIR, is 4000 feet long and climbs 100 feet at the 3200 foot mark, just befor the braking zone.

with the 3.42, M6, M12, or MZ6 redline in 4th gear is 150 mph +/- and your only making one shift, 3rd to 4th. With a 4.10 your shifting from 3, to 4th to 5th to get to 150 mph.

Also with the 4.10 you have two downshifts you must make in the braking zone, vs 1 downshift with the 3.42. Each shift you loose 1/4 sec or something like that.

All the shifting make the trans, diff and oil temps skyrocket too.

the 3.42 is perfect for the vette on a road course. Drag racing is a differnt story.

Tintin

Before you spend your money to modify the car in any way but maybe brake pads and tires ,you should take it to the track and put as many laps in as you need to get a consistant lap time. Then give the car to a racer who you know is very quick and see if his lap time is lower than yours. When you can do the same lap time as he can, it is time for mods.

I have owned many race and track cars and often the first thing the person says is that they are going to give the car more power or gears or whatever and I always give them that speech. I got that advice from someone I used to race against that always beat me and had an opinion that I respected a lot. He told me that he always followed that rule. Evidently it works indeed as I suspect that is one of the reasons his name is on the new special edition 2007 Z06.