redZ06bri

Hello everybody and let me introduce myself. I used to go by "spiralbri" but have been off the forum for a while, so I had to reregister. I have been an advanced HPDE driver for the past 6 years and have been running my C5 coupe with LG coilovers and R-compound Hoosiers. In short, I've never had any engine problems and really enjoy the setup, it is fast and reliable. In fact, the car (a 2003) now has 90K on it with many, many hours of high G track use and still runs strong.

I felt kinda like I was outgrowing the car, and in a moment of weakness, took advantage of the economy and got a new 2009, red C6 Z06, which I'm really enjoying as a street car. My thought was that in another 1-2 years, I'de start tracking it and retire the old gray coupe.

Since I've got the C6, I starting reading the forum again and have read most if not all of the "LS7 oil starvation" threads. Needless to say, I was bummed out that some have found that the C6 Z06 is not robust enough to take R compound Gs in the turns, despite a dry sump system.

OK, here is my question; what is the current thinking on the oil starvation issue and is it thought that the higher capacity 2009 ZR1 system "fixes the problem". Are there any documented cases of 2009 oil starvation at the track ? I know some people think the Lingenfelter tank solves the problem (Yes, I saw those cool measurements posted on the left handed sweepers). Based on this, should I assume that the GM 10.5 gallon tank either eliminates or greatly reduces the risk ? What has been the experience with the 2009 and 2010 cars ? Any blown LS7s?

I could live with keeping the C5 as a dedicated track car and just using the Z06 as a street car, however it bums me out that it may not be trackworthy and that I may not want to risk blowing up the engine. If I did track it, I would go with coilovers and R compound tires, good brake pads, and keep the engine stock. Is this a significant risk ?

Thanks for any and all information, you guys are great and it is good to be back.

Guzzler

Well I certainly can relate to "a moment of weekness'!! Went down in March to test drive a 09 Z-51 with manual, all they had was automatics so the sales guy says here Try this Z-06 it drives the same. Black 1-LZ in my driveway next day...Perfect! I have 2,900 miles on it and have Tracked it a Spring Mt. 10 times (probably 1,400 Track miles) with no oiling issues that I am aware of using the origional Goodyear Tires. They are now in the trash and I put on Michlin PS-2 ZP's they are amazing(compared to GY's). Anyway ( sorry) I asked the same question, Does the 09 larger capacity Tank solve the oiling issues??, I was told then that untill I moved up with Suspension upgrades & Track Tires I would be fine, which I has been true so far. I would like to know also if anyone is running a 09 or later with Track Tires & suspension without any oiling issues or if they felt it necessary to upgrade the oiling system??? They are all Great cars!...Later

95jersey

So far no one with a Lingenfelter tank has reported a blown motor due to oil starvation. It was documented in the Z06 section where a gentleman with very good instrumentation could reproduce oil starvation with the pre 09 factory tank, but not with the Lingenfelter tank.

All the lingenfelter tank is...is just more capacity (same as 09 tank). They are just done differently. The 09 has a secondary tank and the Lingenfelter adds to the existing tank by cutting the tank and placing a resevoir on the side.

Either way, both solutions solve the problem the same way...CAPACITY.

I would say based on these assumptions, you should be fine with the 09 tank.

I personally ran my 06 for 2.5 years without any oil upgrades and have had no issue. I only recently bought the lingenfelter tank as insurance ($575 vs new motor).

I would say with the 09 tank you are good to go! Get that car on the track, what you waiting for???

redZ06bri

Thanks for the replies, they are reassuring ! I guess based on the lack of other negative replies that there are no known cases of failures in 09s or 10s ?? Cool !

Guzzler, I will say this, if you haven't tried Hoosier R6s, you should, it is a whole different ball game in terms of grip and speed. Someone once told me that they were more addictive than heroin In my C5, I moved from the middle of the pack to one of the top cars in the Memphis DE Advanced group simply by using these tires. They make a huge differerence, but I'm sure they also increase the chances of oil starvation.

The C6 feels a lot more powerful than the C5 (duh), I'm almost a little fearful about bringing it out on the track. I still haven't figured out the LS1 C5 without messing up half the time. That being said, it does pretty well with the coilovers, T1 bars, and slicks, but it bogs down coming out of tight turns.

Do you guys think the stock 09 system is as good as the Lingenfelter? I did see the pressure data posted in the other thread and it clearly shows the Lingenfelter unit solves the problem. I just wish there were some data with the stock GM unit.

Thanks again, and I'll put the question out again... has anyone seen stock 09s or 10s fail due to oiling?

95jersey

I don't think one system is better than another. I have seen both and they do nothing but add capacity. One has an external tank and one has a tank built on the side. I can't see how one could be better than the other. Most people simply go with the Lingenfelter tank because it is cheaper $575 vs $1200+ for the OEM 09 tank.

If anything there has been problems with the Lingenfelter tanks leaking at the weld points. The oil get super hot and finds pin hole leaks in the tank welds. They have a pressure test, but there have been more than a few that have been retured due to leaks. The 09 system aviods this problem by using an external take with actual plumbing to the primary tank.

Luckily my tank did not leak, but suposedly Lingenfelter has improved it's welding process. I would say if both were the same price, I personally would have gone with the OEM tank, but for less than 1/2 the price I choose the Lingenfelter.

Liquid1

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-z...k-results.html

jlvink66

I have the Lingenfelter tank on my '06 with the Aviaid baffle. The only reason I like the Ligenfelter better than the >'09 tank is that there are several large holes drilled in the side of the main Lingenfelter tank to exchange the extra oil with the auxiliary tank vs. a fitting at the bottom of the tank for the >'09 tank. I think I like the lower flow restriction vs. oil being fed in both directions through the bottom fitting.

Aviaid are dry sump racing experts and they do not ship a dry sump system without a good baffle. You need to do a good job of deaerating the oil or you can get tiny air bubbles in your oil that can compress when they get in you main journals at high RPM's. You might want to consider adding the baffle to your '09 tank.



John

gmccreary

I've tracked my stock 09 C6Z on OEM runflats. It was a blast and the power is fabulous.

SLandstra_Z06

I have an '09 with a full T1 racing suspension, Pfadt spherical bearings, Brembo brakes and Hawk DTC-70 pads and run Hoosier R6 and A6 tires. I have run the car all last year and about 10 days this year with no oiling problems. I do run Mobil 1 15W/50 oil. I also have a Ron Davis Racing radiator with an internal oil cooler vs. the stock radiator with the external air/oil cooler. Last year with the stock radiator I was getting oil temps of as high as 310 degrees. With the new radiator, my oil temps have been lower, at a max of 277 degrees.

Have fun.

Steve

redZ06bri

Sounds like an awesome setup. My C5 really responded to coilovers and Hoosiers, it made a world of difference on the track ! I also had a similar experience with the stock cooling system, oil temps just kissing 300 degrees and coolant overheating. I put in the LG radiator and oil cooler and oil temps dropped to 250-260. One bad note though, they used very low quality lines for the oil send and return. One day I'm driving home at 60 mph and all of a sudden, lots of black smoke from the back. I pull over on the nearest exit ramp and look back in the rearview mirror.... orange flames, the frickin car is on fire. Now, with the car burning up in the back and flames starting from the front and the grass catching fire, my legs become young again ! An amazing aspect of this story is that an ex NY firefighter saw this happening on the highway and followed me to the exit ramp. As I'm running away from the car, he is running towards me with a fire extinguisher. Within 30 seconds, he is putting the fire out. $14,000 later, the car got fixed and I used aircraft quality, steel braided lines for the oil send and return. Basically, the fire was caused by breakdown of the line causing 7 quarts of Mobil 1 to be dumped on the hot exhaust manifolds, and nice fast air to fan the fire. Let me tell you this, when your car burns, the insurance company puts you through hell to get it fixed, but after a police report, fire report, and a number of inspections, they fixed it up.

There was another bad story concerning the LG oil lines involving my friend, and it occurred on the Memphis track in a Porsche DE. He was pulling his C5 Z06 hard at about 100 mph and the oil lines gave. In this case, oil on the slicks and an instant spin into the wall. Car was totaled, but Jay escaped with minor bruises. He did have a Hans device on that saved his neck, literally. Moral of the story, make sure you have good lines for external oil coolers, especially aftermarket kits, cause when they break down, it is all bad.

Thanks everyone for the replies, my confidence is increasing in the 09s trackworthiness. So far, no reports of 09 failures, zero ! Anyone else ?

kelp

Good quality oil lines are hard to find and are expensive. I use Parker 836-8 to dual oil coolers behind the removed fog lights. I run these directly in and out of the block and use a remote big block stainless steel filter. So there are probably 20+' of tubing. I insulate them when they pass by hot areas. At the track it was a stinkin' hot 93*F IAT and oil temp got to 219* at worst.