mark b

On NJMP Thunderbolt and lightning road courses? And the Glen?
I'm running consistent low 1:40's on Thunderbolt and Low 1:20's on Lightning
My Car is Basically stock full weight Nitto 555 r2 tires, stock z06 suspension bilstein sport shocks, 6 speed tranny, and oil and tranny coolers...
I'm also running low to mid 2:20's at the Glen.. To all you pros out there how is that? I'm considering coil overs and maybe a light cam to wake up the LS1 motor alittle.. I make 350 at the wheels..
I drive my car to track events, go about 8 times a yr.. I'm getting along with stock brakes and carbotech pads, although stock brakes are OK I know a BBK would be better..
I push the car as much as I can while still staying on the black top, and keep in mind I have to drive the car home..
Ive been doing this seriously since 2007
feedback?

Ludeaem

This makes me think that we should have a sticky thread with lap times/mods. Just as a basis of where people stand.

JeremyGSU

I don't know what good lap times are for those tracks but I can tell you a BBK will help if you're really using your stock brakes but you'll need 18" wheels to get a larger kit. Again, you really have to be using your brakes though.

RDnomorecobra

I have a '03z and my best is 1:32:xx on t-bolt and 1:15:xx on Lightning. Drivetrain is stock, I have T1 bars, aggressive alignment, 305 square tires usually running Conti scrubs, and Wilwood H pads on stock calipers. Add a few seconds when I'm on street tires. I don't race but from what I gather SCCA T1 c5z's can run about 1:25 or a little better. So for me, for HPDE, I think I'm doing ok. Never the fastest guy but far from slowest.

My $.02, skip the $$$ coil overs and cam for now. Upgrade your sways, get a good track alignment, maybe get a tune, and if you're running Carbotechs I assume you're running at least a xp16. I think there's more in your car before dropping the coin - imho.

good reference ...


this is insane, although in a c6 with an LS7 and a pro, but fun to watch...



a mere mortal (me) ...


(t-bolt w/chicane)


lightning

GettReal

I think if you are getting low 20's at the Glen, thats pretty decent for a stock car with stock brakes, with more track time there, you should be able to slide under 2.20 with your set up. I average 2.10-2.12 with a modified C5 and slicks but I only get there once a year, twice if I'm lucky. Really fast guys are 2.05 and under.

jstout

tires and brakes. These will drop your lap times considerably. Everyone used to tell me hoosiers would take 3 seconds per lap off my Road Atlanta times. Well, they did and then some. The combination of good brakes and good tires.....Well, think about it, if you can stay in the throttle longer going from straight to turn, and brake later, and get back on the throttle sooner because of the tires, how much lap time have you just picked up, and all without adding a single horsepower. Most drivers never use all the horsepower they have at the track anyway. I did time trials in a modified C6Z06. 530 hp at the rear wheels. Won a fair number of hoosiers doing that. Then decided to go wheel to wheel in a C5 race car. Had to learn to drive all over again, because I didn't have the incredible power to make me look good. Had my lunch handed to me by lessor cars , because they figured out how to drive a corvette like a momentum car. Exit speed is the key to lap times. Still chasing that. Jerry

Supercharged111

Power is NOT the first place to look for drops in lap times, but with that said low ambient temps can drops my lap times by a full second or 2 so when I talk lap times, I also talk about temperatures as it transforms every aspect of the car. Think of it like this: for every .1 second you drop in the 60', you drop .2 seconds in the 1/4 mile. Now apply that to road racing. What does that tell you? Exit speed and initial acceleration are everything. Much the same as racing books will tell you that exit speed is #1, entry speed is #2, and mid corner speed is #3.

Soloontario

Tires are the best determinant of lap times other than the driver.

At Mosport, back to back (different days but same weather conditions and exact same car on the same weekend) I am 2 seconds faster with 4 year old Nitto NT01s that are effectively the same rubber size as brand new Michelin Pilot Super Sports. I would fully expect to be a minimum of another 2 seconds faster with Hoosier R7s or Kumho V710s.

If all you want are lap times, the tires are your best investment other than driving schools.

mark b

Thanks for the replies..I forgot to mentioned I have 18 rims all around and use xp20s and xp10s front and rear. I drive to tracks so Hoosiers are out.
I recently put nittos nt01s on and I'll be at thunderbolt w NASA tomorrow to see how they are compared to the 555r2s I used to use

Its true I have to brake slightly earlier sometimes because of the stock brakes and that feeling that they won't slow the car fast enough. I do need better brakes but they do the Job for now...

V4kerker

mark b FWIW,

My 2007 C6 A6 non-Z51 I my lap times were 1:22-23's on NJMP-L. Only mods were JOC sway bars and shocks, brake ducts and hawk+ pads. 300 wear rating tires also.
If your running a base C5 you may want to try running a different rear gear to get better acceleration.

StreetSpeed

Mark fwiw I had a similar setup to yours last year and I did a 1:34 at Thunderbolt. Yesterday I did a 1:27.3 in qualifying and then won the ST2 race. But, data says 1:25s are possible, so we all have room for improvement!!

Any chance you're here with NASA this weekend? I'd be happy to throw my AIM Solo in your car, have you drive for a session, and then take a look at your data and see how it compares to my 1:34 from last year. I'm paddocked down near turn 1. Red Z06 #265 with a grey enclosed trailer that says AMT Motorsport on the side.

troyguitar

FWIW I ran 2:14 and with a better driver the car would have done 2:12 in a bone stock 04 Z06 at WGI on new 265/35/18 Michelin Pilot Super Sports. I don't know how the NT555R2's compare to the PSS, but that gives you an idea of the performance potential of the car.

The fastest guy in TT3 that weekend ran 2:05 on Hoosier A6's with a pretty fully developed non-aero car.

On NT01's I'd say anything 2:10 or faster would be doing really well, though who knows how the times will change since the track is being repaved...

FASTFATBOY

Look up said tracks Spec Miata lap record, this will tell you where you are in the pecking order.

FASTFATBOY

Less brake and more entry speed makes dramatic improvements in my laps, this is my biggest hurdle.

bags142

what does it mean if you are ~11 sec off the SM pace at road Atlanta and roebling?

FASTFATBOY

The SM pace or the lap record? You run 1:31's at RA and 1:11's at Roebling?

If you are in a true street car on a good tire with no aero, you need to be in a race car to see what you can do.

For DE guys in real street cars on most all tracks the SM record is a good goal to shoot for.

EDIT

If you are +11, more seat time.

tmtraylor

I was at RA this weekend: 1:40.33 was my best and not caught on video, but here's three 1:41s.

I have a stock motor C5Z, Monster LT1-S clutch, Toyo R888 295/30 square, stock brakes with cooling ducts in front, DRM Bilsteins, TurnOne pump, just put in delrin control arm bushings.

I probably have 1000 laps at RA now.

bags142

Sorry, yes SM record and SLOWER! Lmao

I was just being funny, but I AM ~11 sec SLOWER. I am OK with it. Well, good to know those times are obtainable in a real street car on street tires. Guess I got something to work towards!

I wanna be better, but hate to admit that if I can only be passed less than 10 cars in my hpde group, I feel pretty good

Bill Dearborn

When I had my C5Z with a 315/35/17 square setup and the LG G Stop front brake kit I could easily run 2:12s to 2:15s at the Glen. On Firestone Wide Oval street tires I was able to run right at 2:20. I also had a Ron Davis Racing Radiator with a remote oil filter and the GMPP transmission/diff cooler installed. Everything else was stock, no tune, no headers, no cam, no coil overs no special sway bars. There were other drivers going much faster. C5Z T1 guys used to lap in the 2:05 range.

You have a long way to go before you start thinking about power and handling mods other than wheels/tires and a solid set of brakes.

Bill

spdislife

You're leaving time on the table at Lightning.

I've got an 04 Z with T1 suspension, long tube headers, Nitto NT01s on stock C5Z wheels and a Wilwood caliper upgrade in the front. I ran 1:17s this June at Lightning and then had a fellow instructor who is a NASA time trial champ take my car out and he ran 1:14s! I realized I was leaving time on the table and adjusted my driving style. Unfortunately I was using his Aim Solo unit and didn't document times after the adjustments, but based on who I was pacing with and their times, I think I was in the 1:15 range.

I have a good friend running a base C5 with similar upgrades and he is well below 1:20 at lightning.

As others have said, skip the HP upgrades for now. More seat time and good instruction will help.

FWIW, I run with the RTR region of PCA. There are plenty of Corvette instructors in our club who can help you get quicker.