GTR's at the track?
12-04-2009, 09:10 PM
#1
Drifting
Thread Starter
GTR's at the track?
I posted this in the N CA section hoping someone locally had some interaction with GTR owners at trackdays, but not much response. I thought I'd link it here.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/nort...the-track.html
Does anyone have info on how GTR's are working and holding up for track duty?
Dog
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/nort...the-track.html
Does anyone have info on how GTR's are working and holding up for track duty?
Dog
12-04-2009, 10:25 PM
#2
Race Director
Last time I was at VIR there was one there but the owner was an azz who acted like everybody else should be honored by his presence. Never actually saw it on the track though.
12-05-2009, 12:01 AM
#5
CF Senior Member
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I saw a GTR running the road course are Phoenix International Raceway a couple months ago. It had track tires but I don't what other modifications it may have had, if any. IMO it wasn't as fast as many of the modified Corvettes but the guy was getting after it pretty good.
12-05-2009, 11:37 AM
#6
Drifting
I was at Road America in October and a friend brought her new stock GTR.
She has a fair amount of track time experience in a much slower car and her typical lap times at RA have been just over 3 minutes in years past.
I and her husband told her to take it easy and she should be able to break 3:00 easily. We also encouraged her not to try to take the kink as a no lift corner.
It was a very cold weekend with temperatures in the high 30's. It was difficult to get any grip from my used scrubs.
I ran 2:37 for my best time in my C5 Z06. It is my daily driver with Hoosier A6 scrubs, T1 bars and Carbotech pads. (Last year I ran 2:34 with better weather and tires.)
She got down to 2:38. Another (stock I think) GTR ran 2:38 also.
Fastest times for the weekend were around 2:31 by a race prepped Porsche Cayman that showed up in a semi transporter. My 400 hp could not keep up with him on the straights.
I know the T1 corvettes were in the mid 2:20's in September.
It would seem that the GTR is a very capable car due to it's ability to manage traction. It also is becoming apparent that it will be an expensive car as far as consumables are concerned. Pads and rotors are around $1,000 per corner and the stock runflats are equally expensive. Finding cheap 20" wheels does not seem to be an option at this point in time. After a few trips to GingerMan this summer and a weekend at RA, the pads look to be about half gone.
I was offered the car at GingerMan this summer and took two laps just to be polite. It's fast in a straight line. I got smoke from the pads in the paddock after a full slow cool down lap. It felt like the car was raising up in corners under acceleration, which was disconcerting. Nice, but I prefer a non-turbo car with a manual trans thank you.
She has a fair amount of track time experience in a much slower car and her typical lap times at RA have been just over 3 minutes in years past.
I and her husband told her to take it easy and she should be able to break 3:00 easily. We also encouraged her not to try to take the kink as a no lift corner.
It was a very cold weekend with temperatures in the high 30's. It was difficult to get any grip from my used scrubs.
I ran 2:37 for my best time in my C5 Z06. It is my daily driver with Hoosier A6 scrubs, T1 bars and Carbotech pads. (Last year I ran 2:34 with better weather and tires.)
She got down to 2:38. Another (stock I think) GTR ran 2:38 also.
Fastest times for the weekend were around 2:31 by a race prepped Porsche Cayman that showed up in a semi transporter. My 400 hp could not keep up with him on the straights.
I know the T1 corvettes were in the mid 2:20's in September.
It would seem that the GTR is a very capable car due to it's ability to manage traction. It also is becoming apparent that it will be an expensive car as far as consumables are concerned. Pads and rotors are around $1,000 per corner and the stock runflats are equally expensive. Finding cheap 20" wheels does not seem to be an option at this point in time. After a few trips to GingerMan this summer and a weekend at RA, the pads look to be about half gone.
I was offered the car at GingerMan this summer and took two laps just to be polite. It's fast in a straight line. I got smoke from the pads in the paddock after a full slow cool down lap. It felt like the car was raising up in corners under acceleration, which was disconcerting. Nice, but I prefer a non-turbo car with a manual trans thank you.
12-08-2009, 11:27 AM
#8
Burning Brakes
We've had a GTR at several of our track days this year, belonging to the brother-in-law of one of our club members who's a buddy of mine.
In addition to my friend (who races NASA NE ST1) he also let our chief-instructor (who owns a Panoz and a Radical) drive the car. They were both extremely impressed with it overall, although both thought the car does a little too much on it's own (stability management wise).
It's an impressive piece of tech, but I'd still rather have a Z.
In addition to my friend (who races NASA NE ST1) he also let our chief-instructor (who owns a Panoz and a Radical) drive the car. They were both extremely impressed with it overall, although both thought the car does a little too much on it's own (stability management wise).
It's an impressive piece of tech, but I'd still rather have a Z.
12-08-2009, 01:10 PM
#9
Melting Slicks
A guy I know traded his C6 Z06 for a GTR. He's slower in the GTR.
He wasn't pulling away from me at TX Motor Speedway ROVAL in my C5 coupe with heads/cam. I was either staying with him or slowly gaining.
Maybe he's just trying to get used to it but he'd been driving it about a year. He's pretty experienced driver too.
His biggest complaint is the car is too quiet. He can't hear it.
He wasn't pulling away from me at TX Motor Speedway ROVAL in my C5 coupe with heads/cam. I was either staying with him or slowly gaining.
Maybe he's just trying to get used to it but he'd been driving it about a year. He's pretty experienced driver too.
His biggest complaint is the car is too quiet. He can't hear it.
12-08-2009, 03:43 PM
#12
Burning Brakes
There were a few at the Fontana Roval the end of Nov. The guy in my group ran around 1:57 's at best- and he had all new brembo upgrade brakes- but he may of not been a good/great driver.....
12-08-2009, 07:56 PM
#13
Melting Slicks
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I've been dying to run into one at the track, but I haven't found one yet.
It may be a marvel of engineering (emphasis on the word "MAY"), but at 3,800 to 3,900 lbs there is no way it can perform like a C6Z, much less eat ZR1s alive like some of the car rags claim.
I just want to see first hand what they have, but firmly believe my C6Z can handle whatever they bring to the table.
Maybe in 2010...
Frank Gonzalez
It may be a marvel of engineering (emphasis on the word "MAY"), but at 3,800 to 3,900 lbs there is no way it can perform like a C6Z, much less eat ZR1s alive like some of the car rags claim.
I just want to see first hand what they have, but firmly believe my C6Z can handle whatever they bring to the table.
Maybe in 2010...
Frank Gonzalez
12-09-2009, 01:48 AM
#14
Racer
I've nailed one. Lap time 1:21.0, the GTR 1:24.0 Me 500rwhp, it 600 at flywheel
Out of a 40mph hairpin I just left him and he never recovered
The Z remains the way to go
John
Out of a 40mph hairpin I just left him and he never recovered
The Z remains the way to go
John
12-09-2009, 09:59 AM
#15
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CI 4-5-6-7 Veteran
Just stupid amounts of power.
The paddle shifters are either too slow, or I just need more laps to work on the timing.
Top heavy.
Front heavy.
Heavy.
It was a pushy bitch, but since it was students car we still had some of the elec nannies on when I was driving, and since it wasn't my car, I was AOK with that.
The elec nannies were the only thing that kept my student from spinning every lap.
Stupid power.
The paddle shifters are either too slow, or I just need more laps to work on the timing.
Top heavy.
Front heavy.
Heavy.
It was a pushy bitch, but since it was students car we still had some of the elec nannies on when I was driving, and since it wasn't my car, I was AOK with that.
The elec nannies were the only thing that kept my student from spinning every lap.
Stupid power.
12-09-2009, 01:54 PM
#16
from what I have seen on the track, I would say that as they come off the dealership's lot, GTR is as fast or faster than a C6Z with the same driver. Magazine tests where at least some effort is taken to equalize the variables seem to confirm that as well.
Judging relative performance of cars based on what happens during DEs is a flawed excersize. Just because I got a point from ACR Viper at some point, I am not going to go flooding the internets with "OMG C5Z is faster than ACR Viper" posts. Maybe the other driver was having a bad day, maybe his tires were cycled out, maybe it was his first time on the track that I have been driving for years, whatever.
I like that OP asked a very valid question regarding reliability and maintianance of the car in the track environment, somehow this turned into "which one is a faster car" and "look at me, I am passing GTRs" discussion.
Judging relative performance of cars based on what happens during DEs is a flawed excersize. Just because I got a point from ACR Viper at some point, I am not going to go flooding the internets with "OMG C5Z is faster than ACR Viper" posts. Maybe the other driver was having a bad day, maybe his tires were cycled out, maybe it was his first time on the track that I have been driving for years, whatever.
I like that OP asked a very valid question regarding reliability and maintianance of the car in the track environment, somehow this turned into "which one is a faster car" and "look at me, I am passing GTRs" discussion.
12-09-2009, 04:25 PM
#17
Burning Brakes
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from what I have seen on the track, I would say that as they come off the dealership's lot, GTR is as fast or faster than a C6Z with the same driver. Magazine tests where at least some effort is taken to equalize the variables seem to confirm that as well.
Judging relative performance of cars based on what happens during DEs is a flawed excersize. Just because I got a point from ACR Viper at some point, I am not going to go flooding the internets with "OMG C5Z is faster than ACR Viper" posts. Maybe the other driver was having a bad day, maybe his tires were cycled out, maybe it was his first time on the track that I have been driving for years, whatever.
I like that OP asked a very valid question regarding reliability and maintianance of the car in the track environment, somehow this turned into "which one is a faster car" and "look at me, I am passing GTRs" discussion.
Judging relative performance of cars based on what happens during DEs is a flawed excersize. Just because I got a point from ACR Viper at some point, I am not going to go flooding the internets with "OMG C5Z is faster than ACR Viper" posts. Maybe the other driver was having a bad day, maybe his tires were cycled out, maybe it was his first time on the track that I have been driving for years, whatever.
I like that OP asked a very valid question regarding reliability and maintianance of the car in the track environment, somehow this turned into "which one is a faster car" and "look at me, I am passing GTRs" discussion.
12-09-2009, 05:19 PM
#18
Le Mans Master
Let's face it, the Z at the limit is not a super easy car to drive. It would take the average driver that is use to driving maybe a 300hp sports car quite a while to get to the point where they can start pushing the car at its limits. I don't think this is a drawback of the car, but rather shows the amazing limits of the cars capability. The car is more capable than 99% of drivers, so it makes driving at the edge intimidating.
The GTR seems to have a close level of ability to teh Z, but instills more confidence for the average driver to push the car. I would bet a lot of money that Frank G is going to be faster than most if not all GTR's, but I would bet the average driver is going to be faster in the GTR out of the gate.
I prefer the control that RWD give me in the dry. I always use my throttle to steer the car as much or more than the actual steering wheel
The GTR seems to have a close level of ability to teh Z, but instills more confidence for the average driver to push the car. I would bet a lot of money that Frank G is going to be faster than most if not all GTR's, but I would bet the average driver is going to be faster in the GTR out of the gate.
I prefer the control that RWD give me in the dry. I always use my throttle to steer the car as much or more than the actual steering wheel
12-10-2009, 07:14 AM
#20
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Here is an incar video at Daytona from one that is local to me. I haven't seen the car myself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2Tj3HPBgWE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2Tj3HPBgWE
I wonder it that ZR1 was the one that crashed at WG in early Oct. and was repaired ?
Both had the C6R graphics