sperkins

I have my eye on two base LS1 cars for dedicated track use - both with 100K plus miles. Anyone here track their car with that many miles with little problems?

davidfarmer

I'd avoid the 97-00 engines, especially high mileage. 01' up had the better rod bolts, and seem overall much more dependable.

geerookie

'99 here with 108k
I do about 25 - 30 track days per year and have been for the last 4 years.
Change the oil about every 2 or 3 months.
Shift near or at redline at the track almost all the time.
Also drive it on the street and in the winter. Last week I went to DC then Boston then Pittsburgh. Next week back to Boston and then Friday, Saturday and Sunday running all 5 configurations of Pocono!
I usually do 6 - 7 sessions per day.
The engine has never been apart, haven't even had the valve covers off. Only mods in the engine area are CAI, TI exhaust and I changed the spark plugs twice.
Seats and safety gear, suspension and brakes are another story.

VetteDrmr

Just got back from autocrossing today; closing in on 190K miles on original engine, clutch, etc. in the powertrain. THE ONLY MODS I've made to the engine are bolt-ons, a set of LG street LTs and a conversative tune. Putting down around 335 rwhp, which is still plenty enough for me to have to feather it in the corners.

I am running an external oil cooler, which keeps my oil temps down below 270 under virtually all conditions.

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

longdaddy

it's really going to depend on how well the cars have been maintained/serviced and some degree of luck. some ls1 engines are prone to detonation, some had loose rings and would knock on startup and burn oil, etc. drive the car you're buying, listen to the motor, do a compression test etc, if everything checks out there is no reason you couldn't get another 100k out of the engine with normal maintainance.

0Robert@SPEEDSOUTH

And how it was used. Street, drag, track, a little of all, etc.

Even if you decide to swap the engine before you hit the track, check its health prior to buying the car. The second market for these engines in healthy running condition, regardless of block casting, ring material, and rod bolts, is bigger than ever. There are plenty of regular hot-rod guys looking for healthy LS engines of any year. They may not go for what they did a few years ago, but its still something to keep in mind for your overall budget.

sperkins

Thanks guys. I drove one of them yesterday. It was a one owner '99 FRC with 150,000 miles. The engine ran smooth, sounded great and still had plenty of juice. The tranny felt very notchy and there were 11 codes in the DIC. Only 1 of those was worrisome - C1217H which I researched to mean that the BPMV (brake pressure modulator valve ?) was fried. I read enough to realize that more than likely the entire ABS module would need replacing/repaired. Not quite sure I want to get involved in that though.

longdaddy

i suppose you could always disable ABS if the car is for track use only

sperkins

Yeah I thought about that, but I have to be honest that I'm quite fond of the ABS system as I'm still learning.

Jason

I've tried to run without the ABS once when I had a sensor die. The boost is so high that it is nearly impossible to modulate the brakes. I used those black marks as reference points the rest of the year.

fhturner

Hey Scott!

I've tracked my 2002 EB Z51 coupe w/ ~120,000 miles several times, and it has worked well. It's primarily my daily driver, but one of my "justifications" for purchase was to use it as a backup track car in the event that my 1999 FRC track car developed any problems.

Speaking of, you don't necessarily have to go super-high mileage. I found a great deal on my car (the 1999 FRC)...purchased for $15K w/ only 55K miles and was in great shape to boot. So, look around...you might not even have to do "high mileage".

Good luck!
Fred

sperkins

*** Update ***
I picked up a '99 FRC with 133,xxx miles.

I plan on doing a compression test along with a major tune up to determine the overall health of the engine, but what other things should I be looking for?

longdaddy

i'd be more concerned with everything outside of the engine - starter, alternator, PS pump, belt tensioner. they all seem to go pretty early on track cars, likely due to heat generated.

varkwso

Sperkins - when is it coming out to play? High mileage is not a real problem - if you hear an engine noise shut it down quick!

I have had good luck with peripherals on my track cars (so far....)...tensioners are a replaceable item though...last longer then hubs!

varkwso

Luckily, I have a local place to carve my tires back round after I flatspot them.

ABS (properly working) is a great thing!

sperkins

I'm trying to get ready in time to run with Florida Citrus PCA at Roebling on Oct 17-18, but I'm not sure I'll make it. Lots and lots of work to do coupled with kids baseball, soccer and a wife is making it pretty difficult.

2MCHPWR

120k miles on mine. All stock motor.
External oil cooler and z06 PS cooler were installed before I started tracking it.
Check the front upper bushings and make sure they are not being pushed out.
Change tranny and rear fluid, flush brake fluid, get decent pads and NAPA rotors and you should be good.

Fastguy

I have around 176,000 on my 98. Did heads and came at 150,000. It burns a quart of oil for every 5 hours of track time.

Fastguy

One thing that did fail was the front main seal. The early design is a hard rubber lip and it burned a thick groove into the balancer and started slinging oil. I installed a new style seal and an aftermarket balancer but that separated from the pulley at Summit Point. Now I have an SLP balancer with the new style seal and it has been fine.

sothpaw2

Where are these upper bushings located, can you be more specific? Sounds like a good thing to look at before a track day.