svoshop

Ok guys. I recently did Spring Mountian, and I am hooked. I want to find and begin to build a car for some track days this year.

I currently have a 2009 Z06 and 2011 ZR1, but I am not ready to put them out on a track, being I am new at the game. I would rather learn how to drive the car, and follow lines first. That being said, I do not want a Miata either.

I figure my budget on this is going to be around 15k. I can buy parts and make the car better, but for the vehicle purchase. This is all I am thinking... I want to be able to walk away from it, and not feel terrible is something bad happens.

I would love to use a Corvette, I figure a C5 with miles could be a great starter car. I would like it to be a 6-speed.

However, I am open to other idea's. I have thought about a BMW 3 Series, F-Body of some type... Even a Mustang GT or older Cobra.

The use of the car will be mostly track, and I have a truck and trailer to get it there. However, I also will most likely drive it around once and a while, as track days will only happen so often ( so I say now )...

Should I start with such a powerful car? I had a blast out it SM. Wish I had the guts to use my Z06, but I just can't do it to the girl.

I would most likely just have lightweight wheels, sticky tires, some type of suspension, oil cooler, etc... For the first year. I really hope to grow into this.

SO, can I get a good entry level Corvette for that, or should I go look at C4's and figure on spending 10k on mods.

Thanks in advance.

Mike

longdaddy

you can get oiling system upgrade, set of track wheels/tires and DE insurance coverage for a couple of years for your C6Z for those 15k

as much as I would love to give you an advice for affordable track toy, you already own 2 corvettes that are not going to be worth any more $$ as time goes by anyway - why not use them?

jon6.0

A C5 Z06 or FRC sounds right up your alley. I had my 11 coupe on the track yesterday and it was a bit scary coming close to the wall a couple times. Especially with no track insurance. I am just learning and didn't even use all the power I had available. Maybe a season or two under your belt will make you want to use your current Z06, but until then, something with a little less HP is probably a good idea. My buddy road races a 350hp turbo Miata and he could swap all the expensive parts to a new tub if he wads it up.

Z06trackman

You said you were open to new ideas - how about this:

Sell one of your primo Corvettes. Buy a good C5Z for $20 -22K. Put $3.5K into oil, trans, and diff cooling, and belts and harness bar. Get it corner weighted an aligned. Run the crap out of it on street tires until you are good. Add track tires / wheels, a race seat, and F. brakes for $4.5 - 7K and run the crap out of it until you are really good. Have fun the whole time with no money worries and tracking it as much as you want using all the money you saved. Sleep well at night knowing that you don't have any more than $30K at risk (actually much less with salvage and race parts value), and you still have one of the best driving, and fastest cars on the track.

svoshop

I like it... But I am not really wanting to part with what I have. If I could part with them, I would track the cars I have.

I have an R8 also, but I would rather not put that in a wall either.

Mike

gmccreary

And your budget is only 15K? Get a C5. Awesome track cars.

gkmccready

So, why not a Miata? You could get a Spec Miata for that price and then you can actually go wheel-to-wheel racing... sure, you can have a nap on the straights _during a track day_ but if you're w2w that ain't gonna happen...

svoshop

I do not want to cage it.... I'm a tall guy.... And well, I look at them as a girl car.

Mike

gkmccready

Fair enough. But I'll say this: I think people that start doing track days in less powerful cars become better drivers much more quickly. Horsepower can hide a lot of mistakes by letting you still turn some "fast" lap times. It's also a lot easier to "learn the line" if the line isn't coming at you at Mach 3. IMO everything you learn in the less powerful car still applies when you get in to a faster car.

That said if you've got the cash and the patience to actually learn the right way rather than just blast the straights and park the corners, and LS1/6 C5 seems like it'd fit the bill nicely!

Racer-38

check all the forums and magazines and buy true race car. You have a way to transport the car, and with all the cars you own, you will never want to drive your "track car" on the street. If you buy a race car, it will have all the necessary safety equipment so you will be safe while you learn. You can also progress from track days to racing without buying another car.
A spec miata is a great choice, but I understand not wanting one.
So buy something that you like, thats in the budget you set and go have fun.
Here are a couple places to start looking:

http://www.nasaforums.com/viewforum.php?f=31

http://www.sccaforums.com/forums/for.../scope/threads

AU N EGL

Dump the ZR1 and track the C6Z06. or Keep the ZR1, dump the Z06 and by a C5T1 car, 2500 pickup and 28" enclosed trailer.

Once you get to the the track, it is not WHAT you have in your driveway, it is the lap times. C5s not the fastest on the straights, but have the consistently best lap times with the better drivers.

svoshop

I have a 2011 Duramax Denali and a 28' Enclosed. I'm good there.

Guys I appreciate all the feedback. I intend to check out the links provided too.

Mike

PushinTheLimit

I'd like to have your budget.


If it were me, I'd sell one of the three cars you own (the one you like or drive the least) and use that to buy a C5Z T1 car. It would already have alot of the coolers and suspension mods you would need while your learning and it would already have a nice cage in it for safety purposes. From a guy who hit the wall coming out of turn 12 at Road Atlanta this past year... I'm glad my cage was there to protect me.

Even C6 T1 prepped car would fit your purpose well but its going to run $10k-$15k more on your initial cost.

travisnd

Older C5 coupes can be had well under $10k. Put on C5Z springs/shocks and T1 bars (all relatively cheap), a set of C5 Z06 wheels with some sticky street tires, an oil cooler, front brake ducts with track pads and SS hoses and lastly a good properly fitting race seat and go beat the tar out of it. You can sell all the interior and unneeded bits to make a couple grand back.

Or

Sell one of your Corvettes that sit in the garage depreciating and buy a depreciated used race car. One of two things will happen:

1. You get hooked (trust me you will) and you'll want to build a full on race car, but good on you you already have a full on race car!

2. You get tired of it or borred and want to sell. Not too hard to move a fully depreciated asset and get most, if not all, of your money back out of it.

You've already got the truck/trailer thing down so becoming a track ***** will be quite easy for you