Katech "Track Attack" in Europe
05-18-2012, 05:12 AM
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Katech "Track Attack" in Europe
Hi
Since I am new to this forum I can start of introducing myself. My name is Kim Are and I come from Norway, I have been a big fan of the corvette`s for many years and finally decided to buy my car from the US. I have done some track days and Nurburgring laps the last years and also 5 years of go kart racing in my earlier days.
After looking around online for some cars and going trough my head what I wanted out of my corvette the decision fell on Nigel’s Katech Track Attack Z06. It had the right specs for me and looked ready to hit the track.
I picked the car up from Nigel in February, he was even so kind to let the car sit in his garage for 1 month until i could come and pic it up!
I drove it down to Florida in 1,5 day (980 Miles) and registered it there.
Since the plan all along was to bring it over to Europe I delivered the car to a tuner in Florida to get some work done to there. A little check up and change out some worn parts. It even got the Michelin Cup tires for the track.
The car then was delivered for shipping together with 3 other GM cars, 2 corvettes and one Camaro SS. All heading for the Netherlands.
So after a looong wait we picked up the cars at APP Race Engines in the Netherlands for then to drive down to the Nurburgring. And as I hadn’t tracked the car yet this would be the big test for the car
After some tire pressure sensor trouble I was ready to hit the track, and looking at the specs list I was pretty confident the car would destroy most of the other machines out there.. It took me only half a lap to realize this was not the case
The suspension setup was not good at all, over 120mph it was so loose in the rear it felt like the whole car was going to jump of the track! I handed the keys over to my friend Ed at Gmaxxcars and he only needed 2 corners to tell me what was wrong.. Both rear bearings was gone and the Moton setup on the car should never have been on there (maybe I will go in depth of this at a later time)
So I left the car with Ed for a full rebuild of the suspension. It will get a full uniball link setup, 4 new SKF racing bearings, Pfadt coilovers, rebuild rear wing and a new camber/caster setup.
I hope it all will be ready for next weekend when I go down to the ring again.. Ed is driving the 24 hour race at the ring this weekend so he is a Busy man
I will try to keep som updates here at the forum if people are keen on that. The car will see many European tracks this season including Spa, Imola, Monza and Hockenheim the next month alone 
Since I am new to this forum I can start of introducing myself. My name is Kim Are and I come from Norway, I have been a big fan of the corvette`s for many years and finally decided to buy my car from the US. I have done some track days and Nurburgring laps the last years and also 5 years of go kart racing in my earlier days.
After looking around online for some cars and going trough my head what I wanted out of my corvette the decision fell on Nigel’s Katech Track Attack Z06. It had the right specs for me and looked ready to hit the track.
I picked the car up from Nigel in February, he was even so kind to let the car sit in his garage for 1 month until i could come and pic it up!
I drove it down to Florida in 1,5 day (980 Miles) and registered it there.
Since the plan all along was to bring it over to Europe I delivered the car to a tuner in Florida to get some work done to there. A little check up and change out some worn parts. It even got the Michelin Cup tires for the track.
The car then was delivered for shipping together with 3 other GM cars, 2 corvettes and one Camaro SS. All heading for the Netherlands.
So after a looong wait we picked up the cars at APP Race Engines in the Netherlands for then to drive down to the Nurburgring. And as I hadn’t tracked the car yet this would be the big test for the car
After some tire pressure sensor trouble I was ready to hit the track, and looking at the specs list I was pretty confident the car would destroy most of the other machines out there.. It took me only half a lap to realize this was not the case
The suspension setup was not good at all, over 120mph it was so loose in the rear it felt like the whole car was going to jump of the track! I handed the keys over to my friend Ed at Gmaxxcars and he only needed 2 corners to tell me what was wrong.. Both rear bearings was gone and the Moton setup on the car should never have been on there (maybe I will go in depth of this at a later time)
So I left the car with Ed for a full rebuild of the suspension. It will get a full uniball link setup, 4 new SKF racing bearings, Pfadt coilovers, rebuild rear wing and a new camber/caster setup.
I hope it all will be ready for next weekend when I go down to the ring again.. Ed is driving the 24 hour race at the ring this weekend so he is a Busy man
I will try to keep som updates here at the forum if people are keen on that. The car will see many European tracks this season including Spa, Imola, Monza and Hockenheim the next month alone
05-21-2012, 03:36 PM
#7
Intermediate
Thread Starter
But who knows
05-21-2012, 03:40 PM
#8
Intermediate
Thread Starter
I bought a GoPro HD camera and a cage mount so I will try to post some videos as well
05-21-2012, 04:10 PM
#9
However, I also wouldn't recommend visiting Denmark just because of our race tracks. They're small and not that exciting.
05-21-2012, 04:46 PM
#10
Melting Slicks
Member Since: Dec 2009
Location: Smallingerland Friesland, Netherlands
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... the Moton setup on the car should never have been on there (maybe I will go in depth of this at a later time) ...
Please do! I have Moton coil overs on my Z06, and I'm interested to hear your story.
Nice pics in your post!
Ronald
Please do! I have Moton coil overs on my Z06, and I'm interested to hear your story.
Nice pics in your post!
Ronald
05-22-2012, 09:19 AM
#11
Seconded. What was wrong with the Motons?
05-29-2012, 04:28 PM
#12
Intermediate
Thread Starter
The Motons felt really good when i picked the car up in the US. When it came to Europe it was a different car even on the highway. It became unstable in the rear in high speeds even in a straight line.
It had got some new rubber and a new clutch before it came over so i suspect something happened to the dampers during this job or after. When we lifted the car up and the damper stroked all out the rest of the oil inside the left rear damper ran out
So that was the problem that was causing the unstable rear end together with the bearings.
The second problem was the front springs. The had a large gap between the damper cup and spring, they where completely loose when the damper stroked out. This can result in the spring to miss its place in the damper and crack. Not safe and not legal in any European country! And if you drive on Nurburgring the chances of getting airborne is big. In the picture under you se what I mean. As you can see the rear ones had a support spring to hold the spring in place when stroked out.
I talked to a tuning company here in Europe and they said they rebuilt the Moton kit on their cars because it was not right. There was also a problem with the rear dampers and a bracket was made for this as well. I was in such a hurry to catch my plane that I did not get it all.
So for now I am very happy with my new suspension but will sent the Motons in for a rebuild and test them again.
It had got some new rubber and a new clutch before it came over so i suspect something happened to the dampers during this job or after. When we lifted the car up and the damper stroked all out the rest of the oil inside the left rear damper ran out
So that was the problem that was causing the unstable rear end together with the bearings.The second problem was the front springs. The had a large gap between the damper cup and spring, they where completely loose when the damper stroked out. This can result in the spring to miss its place in the damper and crack. Not safe and not legal in any European country! And if you drive on Nurburgring the chances of getting airborne is big. In the picture under you se what I mean. As you can see the rear ones had a support spring to hold the spring in place when stroked out.
I talked to a tuning company here in Europe and they said they rebuilt the Moton kit on their cars because it was not right. There was also a problem with the rear dampers and a bracket was made for this as well. I was in such a hurry to catch my plane that I did not get it all.
So for now I am very happy with my new suspension but will sent the Motons in for a rebuild and test them again.
05-29-2012, 04:54 PM
#13
Intermediate
Thread Starter
A little update after the weekend. I Picked up the car on Friday in Germany and it was all finished and ready to go. The car now feels really good. The new suspension works like a dream and you can go fast without feeling out of control! I had 2 days at the Nurburgring and 1 day at the F1 track SPA in Belgium. Here follows some pictures.. Got some good movies as well, Will post them later.
05-30-2012, 03:24 AM
#14
Melting Slicks
Member Since: Dec 2009
Location: Smallingerland Friesland, Netherlands
Posts: 3,421
Received 39 Likes
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The Motons felt really good when i picked the car up in the US. When it came to Europe it was a different car even on the highway. It became unstable in the rear in high speeds even in a straight line.
It had got some new rubber and a new clutch before it came over so i suspect something happened to the dampers during this job or after. When we lifted the car up and the damper stroked all out the rest of the oil inside the left rear damper ran out So that was the problem that was causing the unstable rear end together with the bearings.
The second problem was the front springs. The had a large gap between the damper cup and spring, they where completely loose when the damper stroked out. This can result in the spring to miss its place in the damper and crack. Not safe and not legal in any European country! And if you drive on Nurburgring the chances of getting airborne is big. In the picture under you se what I mean. As you can see the rear ones had a support spring to hold the spring in place when stroked out.
I talked to a tuning company here in Europe and they said they rebuilt the Moton kit on their cars because it was not right. There was also a problem with the rear dampers and a bracket was made for this as well. I was in such a hurry to catch my plane that I did not get it all.
So for now I am very happy with my new suspension but will sent the Motons in for a rebuild and test them again.
It had got some new rubber and a new clutch before it came over so i suspect something happened to the dampers during this job or after. When we lifted the car up and the damper stroked all out the rest of the oil inside the left rear damper ran out
So that was the problem that was causing the unstable rear end together with the bearings.The second problem was the front springs. The had a large gap between the damper cup and spring, they where completely loose when the damper stroked out. This can result in the spring to miss its place in the damper and crack. Not safe and not legal in any European country! And if you drive on Nurburgring the chances of getting airborne is big. In the picture under you se what I mean. As you can see the rear ones had a support spring to hold the spring in place when stroked out.
I talked to a tuning company here in Europe and they said they rebuilt the Moton kit on their cars because it was not right. There was also a problem with the rear dampers and a bracket was made for this as well. I was in such a hurry to catch my plane that I did not get it all.
So for now I am very happy with my new suspension but will sent the Motons in for a rebuild and test them again.
And which company said that the Moton kit is not right? Was that APP in Weesp, Netherlands?
Last edited by Z06Ronald; 05-30-2012 at 03:27 AM.
05-30-2012, 04:38 AM
#15
Intermediate
Thread Starter
As I said i was happy with the car before they took everything down for the clutch change. I will now get a price on fixing the Motons and the upgrades they did ti these kits here in the Netherlands. Then they should be very good
05-30-2012, 11:01 AM
#17
CF Senior Member
Member Since: Feb 2006
Location: Tucson Arizona
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Congratulations on your Corvette and for using it as the good Lord intended.
Without question Katech is one of the premier names in Corvette performance. I'm sorry the car wasn't quite ready out of the box but IMO it takes time to get your car dialed-in the way you want or (or the way it needs to be). Going to the Pfadt suspension (and replacing the faulty bearings) should make a huge difference. I preferred the LG coil-overs but I know many guys who use and like the Pfadt coil-over suspension. I commend Pfadt for the range of suspension and 'handling' components they engineer and offer to the track enthusiast. I also use the SKF racing hubs/bearings and they work well. IMO there's always something else you want to do to your car. Hell, after 6 years my car is still a work-in-progress.
I'm envious....I'd love to run the Ring in my car but I rather doubt I'd ship it there just for that. Oh well, even a rental car would be fun. Enjoy your Corvette and keep us posted with your modifications and your results on the track.
Without question Katech is one of the premier names in Corvette performance. I'm sorry the car wasn't quite ready out of the box but IMO it takes time to get your car dialed-in the way you want or (or the way it needs to be). Going to the Pfadt suspension (and replacing the faulty bearings) should make a huge difference. I preferred the LG coil-overs but I know many guys who use and like the Pfadt coil-over suspension. I commend Pfadt for the range of suspension and 'handling' components they engineer and offer to the track enthusiast. I also use the SKF racing hubs/bearings and they work well. IMO there's always something else you want to do to your car. Hell, after 6 years my car is still a work-in-progress.
I'm envious....I'd love to run the Ring in my car but I rather doubt I'd ship it there just for that. Oh well, even a rental car would be fun. Enjoy your Corvette and keep us posted with your modifications and your results on the track.
