Red06Vette

I'm thinking of trying autocrossing, my questions at this point are:

1.) If I were to have a higher stall converter, say 3200, would this be beneficial or detrimental to autocrossing than say a stock(1800-2000 stall) converter?

2.) My current thoughts are that if I don't go with a higher stall converter, I will put the money into H/C for more HP, would this be the better choice?

Thanks

TedDBere

My recommendation, as well as others you'll find, is not to do anything. Leave the car just as it is and go learn how to autox. An A6 will not be competitive beyond your local club, but you'l be able to learn how to drive with it.

After you've done it for a year or two then decide what to do with the car. HP is not the vette's issue, you have plenty in stock form so a HC package would just be a waste of money.

Have fun!

VetteDrmr

Two things I'd recommend for starting out:

1. Read the sticky at the top of the forum. While there may be quite a bit of stuff there that might not apply to you, it's focused in one area and has a lot of good advice in it.

2. LEAVE THE CAR ALONE. The absolute most I'd suggest is getting a set of cheap wheels (if C5 wheels will fit your C6, get a set of wagon wheels) and some good street tires to wear out. That'll keep your street wheels & tires looking good.

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

vader03

I agree with the earlier posts. Leave your car alone and stay in the SS class to learn autocross. You may want to get a cheap second set of wheels and good street tire or go for Kumho V710 or Hoosier A6s competition tire. And I would add Hawk HP Plus brake pads. Other than those items, just stay stock save your money and have fun. You'll know if you want to stay in SS (stock class) or go to a prepared class after a year or two in stock.

Charley Hoyt

Like everyone has said....Keep it stock. Autocross is very humbling. You may think you are fast....but, being fast on the street, and being fast on the course are two totally different thing. The only way to get fast on the track is to get LOTS of seat time and to watch and listen to the fast drivers. You can plan on being beaten badly in a stock class, and you can plan on being beaten very badly in a modified class. So keep it stock. Also, a stock tire class is a great place to start if your region offers one. Regarding adding HP....The stock engine has plenty of power for autocross....The biggest challenge with a high HP car is modulating the throttle.

Have a great time....you will really like it!

OZ51

The only thing I'd change is tire pressures and brake pads. Stock C5 ZO6 pads or stock Z51 pads are great for autocrossing. The only other variable you need to be concerned with is tire pressure (checking in with other vette drivers will point you in the right direction). There are a number of very competent street tires available that will work well while you're learning (Bridgestone RE11s and Hankook RS3s are pretty hot these days) if you need tires. When your times are consistent and competitive, thats when to make changes. And by then, you'll know just what you need to change to autocross better. IMHO, autocrossing is the best bang for the buck driving experience there is.
Enjoy!
Add: you're better off with your stock converter. You spend a fair amount of time traveling at slow speeds and large power inputs will hurt you, especially in the beginning. FWIW, there are stock C5 ZO6's that routinely take FTD against stock C6 ZO6s at my local events; horespower doesn't always equate to quicker AX times.

dbratten

Actually, you can shift into 2nd with the paddles and drive the whole course even bouncing off the limiter -- just like manual shift cars.

I think the stock brakes are fine -- even on the base model. The most you can gain is with tires and suspension. But, starting out, just enter and drive as much as possible.

Don't waste money on more power. If you think you need it, let a hot-shoe drive your car. If they beat you, you don't.

--Dan
C6-A6-1LT

TedDBere

While this is true, the manuals have a 3.42 rear end and the A6s, I believe, have something like a 3.18. This will make the manuals a little quicker out of the corners. FWIW. But when you're learning you are really figuring out how to read the course, look ahead, and shorten the distance more than trying to jump out of the corners.

In my last video in my sig you can "hear" how far I'm looking ahead because I hessitate on the throttle after I make the "turn towards the finish" when I see the car in front of me halfway down the "chute". In the video you can actually see the car make the turn into that final stretch but I didn't see it yet because I was focused on setting up the offsets prior to that turn. Then just before the final turn I was watching the car in front of me to be sure they cleared the finish (some new drivers will stop at the finish to look at their times) and missed the braking zone for the final turn, taking out the last cone in the wall. I post that video for it's educational value. It's also good because you can hear the R tires in their "slither" mode and notice that there is grip on the other side of slip. Most newbies can't hear R tires until they spin, unlike street tires which talk back to you a lot.

Have fun!

Jason

That has saved me so much money over the years.
Unfortunately, I've still managed to find ways to spend it on track stuff.

AU N EGL

Should have stuck with Crack. Would have been cheaper and less addictive.

Jason

Hookers and blow: Cheaper and more socially acceptable

Red06Vette

Thanks to all for your replies, it's given me alot to think about.

John

worldsaway

We call it the "hoosier crackpipe", when you let somebody with limited autox experience drive our cars on A6's. I'm thinking it must be like comparing aspirin to crack. Like they say, " the first one's free"

tjZ06

I'm with everybody else, don't worry about modding it yet. My C5Z is highly modded (bought it modded) and it's not necessarily faster, nor the "right" way to go AutoXin. The one change I would make, and I'm surprised nobody mentioned it: alignment. The stock alignment is a joke, and the tolerances are so big you could have positive camber, toe out on one side and toe in on the other etc.

-TJ

Solofast

The gearing on the A6 is close to that of a C5Z six speed. Older A4's had a bigger gap between first and second. For that reason a looser converter would have been a help with an A4 in that you wouldn't be bogging as badly when you were down low in second (which happens a lot on an autocross course in an A4).

The downside of a loose converter is that it drives a lot differently than stick since you can't lift the throttle to pin the front tires and get extra grip up front on turn in. I would think that with an A6, since you have plenty of grunt in second gear, that you would want a really tight converter to make the car more responsive to throttle lift. You have plenty of power to spin the back tires any time, so a loose converter isn't buying you anything in terms of acceleration off of corners in an A6.

Having a lot of time in an A4 with a modded converter, I found that that you had to alter your driving to get around the issue and I didn't like it.

All that said, the advice you have been given on not modding the car but working on your driving and some basic setup (alignment and tuning the handling to your taste) is probably best taken to heart.

QSZOH6

I will have to agree that Dan does awesome with his A6. The LS2 has plently of power to pull the car around the track in stock form.

Allthrottleandsomebottle

I race an A4...........with near 500 at the wheels. I agree, go play stock for a while. If this crazy legal hobby is for you............many more steps before ya need more power

napacruzerc5

If you haven't do so already I would get a "current" helmet preferably closed faced which you can use later for track days should that appeal to you in the future. I think SA2005 spec helmet should be good thru 2015. A harness setup should also be on you mod list since the C6 (or for that matter C5) seats are not very supportive under serious cornering.

avizandum

Actually, the gearing is slightly lower (better) with the Z51 -2.73 gear - than the manual C6, and slightly taller with the 2.42. I think both are marginal...

A higher stall is just going to give you oversteer issues. I can get my car loose all day long with my A6.

72Vega

All good comments from many experienced drivers/racers on this board.

Four years ago, I was exactly where you are right now. Autocross is the cheapest entry level from of racing you'll find out there. Enter several local events in the stock (SS) class. Hang out with other vette drivers. Learn how incredibly well engineered your car is. Learn how stout your car is. Learn about car control. Decide if this is what you want to do with your car.

Spend your money on seat time, seat time and more seat time! Don't needlessly spend your money on mods right now, especially power/speed mods. Your car has more power than you need. Buy and read several of the excellent "how to" autocross books out there. Drive your car the way it was designed and built to be driven! It's the most fun you'll ever have with your car and you'll meet some really great people.

Good luck!