BLK06ZO6

Hey guys,

I wanted some advice from the experts regarding HPDE and the ZR1. First and foremost, my goal on the track is to be a good driver and be safe. That being said, I have track experience and consider myself an intermediate level driver. I had a 2006 C6 ZO6 which unfortunately I needed to trade, but now I am looking to buy another vette. I have been enamored with the ZR1 and I have certainly done my research. Opinions from many drivers on this forum is no regrets going from the Z06 to the ZR1. The question I have is the ZR1 too much car for my level of driving? I know that's difficult to answer since you've never driven with me, but in terms of handling and PTM I feel the ZR1 is controllable if its respected. I love the idea of driving a built car as the ZR1 was designed from the chassis, suspension, tires, clutch, brakes to handle that power. I do not think I would mod the car. In addition, the car would see the road 80% of the time so I'd love to have a comfortable cruiser as well. Considering the fact you can get a 2012 or 2013 ZO6 with PTM and MRSC, I wouldn't be opposed to buying another one to experience that technology on the track and road, but I think I just want more and the ZR1 is the way to go. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to drive the ZR1 yet, which is why I asked this incredibly long question. Thanks very much in advance for your advice.

UrbanKnight

Fantastic Car for the track. You need to address a few issues though to track it regularly.

1. Are you going to run street tires or race tires? Either way, get a good alignment
2. Heat- The intercooler on the ZR1 is pretty inadequate for real track use. It would be a good investment to upgrade the heat exchanger, and have the intercooler bricks fixed, even if the car is staying stock
3. PTM- Use race mode for the big tracks until you are comfortable running all off. Race mode (PTM 5) is on all zr1's 2010 and up


I went from a 2011 grand sport to the ZR1 and I only had the GS on track once... Loved the step up to my ZR1... the car is very forgiving, and the brakes are a pure godsend... There is no such thing as too much car, only too much driver!

0SNL/MonsterClutchCo

Also the stock ZR1 clutch is a terrible unit, defiantly look into replacing that if you are going to be driving the car aggressively.

QUIKAG

That is ridiculous. That is the first I've heard of the ZR1 clutch being terrible. I wonder if you're a little biased, Mr. Monster Clutch.

OP, the ZR1 is an awesome track car. Run in the lower PTM modes, be careful, and you'll be fine. You also don't need to upgrade anything besides the brake fluid and make sure the alignment is good unless you really start pushing the car. The cooling is fine unless you're a very aggressive driver in greater than 90F ambient temps.

In short, buy a ZR1, put in some good brake fluid, check the alignment, and go have fun.

BLK06ZO6

Thanks for the info. I plan to run dedicated wheels with sport cup 2's on the track and use the stock wheels with super sports on the street. I am planning on using stock wheel and tire sizes. As for the heat exchanger and intercooler bricks, Ive read about overheating issues and I appreciate the advice to address that. I think I will always keep PTM on until I am very comfortable in the car. I don't see a reason to turn it off for a driver at my level. Glad you're loving your ZR1. I really want to join the ZR1 club!

0SNL/MonsterClutchCo

ROFL, really? You've never heard the ZR1/LS9 clutch is a terrible setup when being abused/driven hard?

So what you mean to say is you haven't researched the failures? That would make more sense as it's common knowledge.

Biased? No. He can buy whatever he'd like, including mine. I'm just letting him know the clutch is terrible.

BLK06ZO6

Thanks very much. I've only heard great things about the clutch. From what I've read it's surprising light and easy to use for as much power as the car puts down. Looking forward to tracking this monster!

Crabbers

Brake fluid is the number 1.

QUIKAG

Exactly. Unless you're drag racing with 800rwhp or whatever, the stock clutch is no problem at all and is very nice. I've tracked my car hard for 4+ years now with zero clutch issues. Heck, I haven't had a clutch issue with any of my 3 Vettes which I've all tracked big time. Only issue was a slave failure on my '08 LS3 Vette. Took an hour at the dealership to replace under warranty.

One little trick (which you probably already know about) is to occasionally suck the fluid out of the master cylinder (it'll get black) and pour in fresh fluid. It takes like 2 minutes and helps to circulate fresh clutch fluid in the system to keep the seals from wearing out prematurely and causing the slave cylinder to fail.

The ZR1 is very robust and fun for track duty and if you ever really start pushing the car hard in very hot weather, then you should consider upgrading the cooling. Otherwise, you'll be fine with keeping it all stock.

INTRCUL

I think you'll be fine with the extra power of a ZR1. I went from a C5Z straight to the ZR1 and the balance is almost the same even with the extra 230HP, but you'll be going a lot faster! I'd probably also call myself an intermediate driver and at best could maybe win an autocross event, but I had never done an HPDE or any form of road racing before. I did the 3 Day Spring Mountain ZR1 course last Fall and it never got out from under me.

Spring Mountain is a 2.2 mile, 10 turn course in Las Vegas. I ran PTM mode 3 and it only stepped in maybe two or three times over two days and it was very minor while under throttle. I probably could have corrected easily if I had everything turned off but I wanted it there just in case. PTM is designed so you can mash the gas at the apex and it'll figure out how much power it can put down, but I wanted to test my own throttle control and not rely on it as a crutch. I was smooth but still fast, but it could step in if I got in over my head. It really helps car control for a learning driver, and can help lap times in the last two modes by allowing drivers to be more aggressive safely. I'd probably try PTM 4 or 5 next time.

Heating wise, it was 80-85 degrees and I never broke 260 for oil, coolant, or transmission, and the intake temps (IAT2) never broke 140 so it never pulled timing or power. Granted my heel-toe isn't the best so I wasn't in 2nd gear as much as I should have been, so the lower revs helped keep temps in check. The smooth lines are faster than having the extra power and blowing the line anyways, and I was still one of the fastest students in the class. If you can row the gears effectively and are in the higher RPMs a lot, there are a lot of options to handle the cooling like others mentioned.

I also think the ZR1 is a little more bullet-proof than the new Z06 and I'm glad I went this route instead and plan on keeping it for many years. There are still great low mileage ones out there as well!

camirocz

Hahahahaha, you sell clutches for a living.Please! The stock Zr1 clutch is excellent unlike the Z06 clutch which is total garbage.Dont you be spreading crap that is absolutely untrue!

0SNL/MonsterClutchCo

I don't argue the LS7 was/is garbage, I'd recommend you research before claiming to know all about the LS9 setup.

BLK06ZO6

Thanks for sharing. I agree with you about being smooth, which makes you fast. I'm excited for the challenge of doing that with the ZR1. It has such a high limit it'll be great to "grow into" the car. In comparison to the C7 ZO6, it will be interesting to see how that car fares once the kinks get ironed out. I don't think I'd see any problems with overheating at my level of driving, but regardless I prefer the C6 exterior styling over the C7 and no one can argue the incredible current price point for the ZR1.

DebRedZR1

My ZR has been pushed hard at a number of HPDE events with ZERO Issues, good alignment and brake fluid as the others have stated.
And ummmm yeah a spare set of tires

BLK06ZO6

When you say alignment, do you mean make sure it's within stock parameters or are you referring to increasing camber to help with cornering?

UrbanKnight

More aggressive alignment than stock.. Most recommend something along the lines of Pfadt's alignment sheet for the tires you are running.

And my stock clutch took 6500 miles of hard track abuse before giving up the ghost... and most of the abuse came from autocross launches...

05dsom

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...alignment.html

DebRedZR1

THIS ^^^

BLK06ZO6

Thanks I appreciate it. Do the Pfadt alignment specs aim toward increasing tread life or are they aimed more at increasing stability while cornering? I'd like a happy medium since the car will see the street more than the track.

UrbanKnight

Depends on which of the alignments you choose, the pfadt sheet has 6 or so alignments, the street ones are good all around, the more track oriented ones obviously are not as heavily focused on tire wear.