Any C7Z Owners tracking their cars yet?
12-27-2014, 11:57 AM
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Any C7Z Owners tracking their cars yet?
Just looking for feedback from anyone who has...
The C7Z section of this forum is full of rabid dogs...just looking for honest feedback on how the cars handle in their native environment, not roll-racing.
I admit I'm a bit jealous of anyone who has one or has one on order...I won't get mine for another couple years, but if it handles as well as the hot shoes said who actually got some track time with them in the fall it appears it will be a fairly stout base platform to build off of for those who want to track theirs regularly.
I plan to go to the CotA event in March...so I hope to see a few new Z's there and can talk to the owners...I just HOPE the weather cooperates.
It would be nice to get a ride-along, but since I'm not an instructor it isn't happening for insurance reasons.
The C7Z section of this forum is full of rabid dogs...just looking for honest feedback on how the cars handle in their native environment, not roll-racing.
I admit I'm a bit jealous of anyone who has one or has one on order...I won't get mine for another couple years, but if it handles as well as the hot shoes said who actually got some track time with them in the fall it appears it will be a fairly stout base platform to build off of for those who want to track theirs regularly.
I plan to go to the CotA event in March...so I hope to see a few new Z's there and can talk to the owners...I just HOPE the weather cooperates.
It would be nice to get a ride-along, but since I'm not an instructor it isn't happening for insurance reasons.
12-28-2014, 11:56 PM
#4
I did the Ron Fellows 3 day school in C7s. I have also ridden in and driven a C7 in HPDE. I find the cars to be very precise on track relative to my C5 Z06 dedicated track car. They relay a lot of feedback at the limit Big fun. My track car co-owner has a C7 Z06 on order. We'll see what that's like in March.
12-31-2014, 12:52 AM
#5
Drifting
There's a discussion over in the Z06 subsection about 3 Z06 running at Homestead-Miami Speedway recently. These videos are take from that thread.
Link --> Three-z06-s-hpde-at-homestead-80-a.html
Link --> Three-z06-s-hpde-at-homestead-80-a.html
12-31-2014, 10:00 AM
#6
Drifting
Member Since: Dec 2007
Location: Sumter South Carolina
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I rode in one as an instructor and spoke with an experienced track guy. He wasnt happy after spinning twice low speed. He was on street tires. I feel like they can't be truly tested without real tires. On paper they look almost too good to be true and I would love to have one later down the road. One I rode with was good and stable but once again on street tires so just can't max out the tech on the car.
12-31-2014, 10:28 AM
#7
Melting Slicks
Way back in April, I had a student with one who said "Why don't you drive the first session and show me the lines." 
I ran it at 80%, short shifting etc. until the last lap and asked if he wanted to see a fast lap.
I turned off everything, especially the idiotic rev matching and put it in Comp mode.
I like the car, it's easier to drive fast than a C5/6. Shifter, brakes, suspension is better but I think a bit heavy for the newer HPDE drivers.
Tires worked fine.
Over all it's an easier car to go fast in for the average HPDE driver.
Also drove a new Z28 with the GM track goodies on it that day - impressive.
I ran it at 80%, short shifting etc. until the last lap and asked if he wanted to see a fast lap.
I turned off everything, especially the idiotic rev matching and put it in Comp mode.
I like the car, it's easier to drive fast than a C5/6. Shifter, brakes, suspension is better but I think a bit heavy for the newer HPDE drivers.
Tires worked fine.
Over all it's an easier car to go fast in for the average HPDE driver.
Also drove a new Z28 with the GM track goodies on it that day - impressive.
12-31-2014, 12:18 PM
#9
Melting Slicks
Way back in April, I had a student with one who said "Why don't you drive the first session and show me the lines."
I ran it at 80%, short shifting etc. until the last lap and asked if he wanted to see a fast lap.
I turned off everything, especially the idiotic rev matching and put it in Comp mode.
I like the car, it's easier to drive fast than a C5/6. Shifter, brakes, suspension is better but I think a bit heavy for the newer HPDE drivers.
Tires worked fine.
Over all it's an easier car to go fast in for the average HPDE driver.
Also drove a new Z28 with the GM track goodies on it that day - impressive.
I ran it at 80%, short shifting etc. until the last lap and asked if he wanted to see a fast lap.
I turned off everything, especially the idiotic rev matching and put it in Comp mode.
I like the car, it's easier to drive fast than a C5/6. Shifter, brakes, suspension is better but I think a bit heavy for the newer HPDE drivers.
Tires worked fine.
Over all it's an easier car to go fast in for the average HPDE driver.
Also drove a new Z28 with the GM track goodies on it that day - impressive.
Sounds fun Bill! I'm not a mustang fan, but the car that looks interesting to me is the new GT350 with a flat plane V8 putting down over 500 hp and revving over 8000 rpm. I'd like to test one of them at a racetrack! Sounds like the C7Z has cooling issues even on stock tires going 7/10ths at DE events. Not good...
12-31-2014, 12:30 PM
#10
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Sounds fun Bill! I'm not a mustang fan, but the car that looks interesting to me is the new GT350 with a flat plane V8 putting down over 500 hp and revving over 8000 rpm. I'd like to test one of them at a racetrack! Sounds like the C7Z has cooling issues even on stock tires going 7/10ths at DE events. Not good...
The readouts from his PDR system don't support that at all...
Water temps were good...Oil temps are a little above where I'd like to see them...but 280 isn't very bad.
Ambient was 80 deg. for the Florida HPDE...how about we wait for the 90 deg. HPDE events before we declare doom & gloom?
12-31-2014, 12:36 PM
#11
Melting Slicks
Sounds fun Bill! I'm not a mustang fan, but the car that looks interesting to me is the new GT350 with a flat plane V8 putting down over 500 hp and revving over 8000 rpm. I'd like to test one of them at a racetrack! Sounds like the C7Z has cooling issues even on stock tires going 7/10ths at DE events. Not good...
12-31-2014, 01:03 PM
#12
Melting Slicks
Way back in April, I had a student with one who said "Why don't you drive the first session and show me the lines."
I ran it at 80%, short shifting etc. until the last lap and asked if he wanted to see a fast lap.
I turned off everything, especially the idiotic rev matching and put it in Comp mode.
I like the car, it's easier to drive fast than a C5/6. Shifter, brakes, suspension is better but I think a bit heavy for the newer HPDE drivers.
Tires worked fine.
Over all it's an easier car to go fast in for the average HPDE driver.
Also drove a new Z28 with the GM track goodies on it that day - impressive.
I ran it at 80%, short shifting etc. until the last lap and asked if he wanted to see a fast lap.
I turned off everything, especially the idiotic rev matching and put it in Comp mode.
I like the car, it's easier to drive fast than a C5/6. Shifter, brakes, suspension is better but I think a bit heavy for the newer HPDE drivers.
Tires worked fine.
Over all it's an easier car to go fast in for the average HPDE driver.
Also drove a new Z28 with the GM track goodies on it that day - impressive.
12-31-2014, 03:33 PM
#13
Melting Slicks
Not sure how you get that assumption...
The readouts from his PDR system don't support that at all...
Water temps were good...Oil temps are a little above where I'd like to see them...but 280 isn't very bad.
Ambient was 80 deg. for the Florida HPDE...how about we wait for the 90 deg. HPDE events before we declare doom & gloom?
The readouts from his PDR system don't support that at all...
Water temps were good...Oil temps are a little above where I'd like to see them...but 280 isn't very bad.
Ambient was 80 deg. for the Florida HPDE...how about we wait for the 90 deg. HPDE events before we declare doom & gloom?
12-31-2014, 04:46 PM
#15
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Doom and gloom? Not sure what you mean? But I personally would not buy this as a track toy due to the overheating issues. He hit 241 degree water temps and 280 degree oil temps cruising around a track in a line of slow DE cars in December. To me that's bad news for people who plan to track these cars with any real skill or speed in the summer months. Basically it won't happen without aftermarket cooling. It's disappointing to me because I was one of the guys who figured the GM engineers would design the cooling systems to handle hard track use with these cars. But they didn't.
Why would they design the car for the 2% use guys? 98% of these Z06's never see a track...they see an autocross, mostly, and street driving with some opting for drag racing.
To design the car for the 2%ers, it would have added even more baseline cost to the car, for no (real) return. They had targets to hit from the bean counters. They had targets to hit from the engineering staff. Somewhere, something has to give...and usually the bean counters win every time.
For those who wish to flog this beast around the track HARD...cooling upgrades would be most likely a norm, and not likely something that would have ANY affect on your warranty since you are simply increasing the cooling efficiency of the factory system.
A thicker/more efficient radiator and larger oil cooler isn't going to break the bank (as long as GM is OK with it).
I'd get it in writing from them before I did so...
12-31-2014, 06:00 PM
#16
Drifting
Why would you figure that?
Why would they design the car for the 2% use guys? 98% of these Z06's never see a track...they see an autocross, mostly, and street driving with some opting for drag racing.
To design the car for the 2%ers, it would have added even more baseline cost to the car, for no (real) return. They had targets to hit from the bean counters. They had targets to hit from the engineering staff. Somewhere, something has to give...and usually the bean counters win every time.
For those who wish to flog this beast around the track HARD...cooling upgrades would be most likely a norm, and not likely something that would have ANY affect on your warranty since you are simply increasing the cooling efficiency of the factory system.
A thicker/more efficient radiator and larger oil cooler isn't going to break the bank (as long as GM is OK with it).
I'd get it in writing from them before I did so...
Why would they design the car for the 2% use guys? 98% of these Z06's never see a track...they see an autocross, mostly, and street driving with some opting for drag racing.
To design the car for the 2%ers, it would have added even more baseline cost to the car, for no (real) return. They had targets to hit from the bean counters. They had targets to hit from the engineering staff. Somewhere, something has to give...and usually the bean counters win every time.
For those who wish to flog this beast around the track HARD...cooling upgrades would be most likely a norm, and not likely something that would have ANY affect on your warranty since you are simply increasing the cooling efficiency of the factory system.
A thicker/more efficient radiator and larger oil cooler isn't going to break the bank (as long as GM is OK with it).
I'd get it in writing from them before I did so...
12-31-2014, 06:07 PM
#18
Safety Car
Thread Starter
They are ALSO both very track-capable cars...but if you are a track rat, you can't just buy one (stock) and expect it will survive a 30 minute session without SOME cooling system upgrades needed.
Only on the previous generations...BRAKES also needed some serious work to slow down the package. Not so much (it appears) on the C7Z
Those 3 cars at Homestead seemed to do OK...and until we see more of them running in hot(er) weather, I'm willing to take it at face value that they have it right on the ragged edge for track rats.
For the 98-99%...the cars are FINE in stock configuration. The rest will need to upgrade as needed...and that isn't any different than any other PRODUCTION vehicle.
Last edited by 1991Z07; 12-31-2014 at 06:11 PM.
12-31-2014, 06:27 PM
#20
Gasoline Addict
