Prepping for Road Course with SC
01-01-2017, 03:47 PM
#1
Team Owner
Thread Starter
Prepping for Road Course with SC
We used to run our own HPDE's but stopped because we were starting a new business. Then work got in the way but finally ready to go back out.
New house was purchased, we've finished 90 percent of it. Got a new lease on our new building for the business and moving in shortly. All the big stuff is done and want to get back on to the track.
We had a few different idea's the least likely of which was getting the C7 ready for the track. I decided once I put the SC on it the idea of taking it to a road course was out the window.
We had thought of a Boxster GTS but that would be a 4th car and a lot of money to spend for something only used during the summer. It would be my wife's summer car and she doesn't drive a ton.
I used to rent a FRS500 Mustang from a local race shop and now they have Boss 302's completely race prepped for rent. I did not think they did it anymore but apparently have expanded the service.
Car has an ECS kit with Meth, nothing else, tuned by Dr. Phil. 2 minutes of hard driving easily pushes temps into the 230's so its not anywhere near ready to go now.
So I have a few questions:
1. I've already got 15K on my engine with the SC on it. Put it on at about 13K and pulling it out of the garage to re-arrange things it sat at 29K. Those were not light miles by any means.
2. I assume rad, bigger oiler cooler, slightly less aggressive tune...what else is needed to run it for 20 minutes at 8/10'ths on a track? Bigger brakes were already on the schedule for this winter.
3. How reliable is it really on the motor side? I'd probably do 5 events, 8 sessions per event. Sometimes double duty taking customers and others for rides/letting them drive. Figure roughly 8-12 hours of engine run time per season. I hear most stock engines driven hard last about 100 hours but that is stock or near stock.
4. What needs to be done to make the motor reliable? Pistons? Cost benefit of doing it now versus waiting for it to blow and then doing it?
5. What else would help it live? Remove front cats and things like that?
The rental will run me I suspect about 2000-2200 per day. I was paying $1,500 a day before but that was 5 years ago, assume it has gone up. That does however include all consumables. So no oil changes, fluid changes, etc. that need to be done to my car.
So 10K for a season versus putting 10K into the car and possibly a never ending series of issues to deal with.
The rental car is nice. Slicks, new pads, perfectly setup and ready to be driven hard for hours at a time. Pick it up on a trailer, drive it all day, drop it off the next day. All professionally done and no hassle assuming no off road excursions.
The whole driving a Corvette vs driving a Mustang doesn't fall into it. Even the old FRS500 which is for all purposes a factory race car would lap my old C5 easily and I suspect a properly setup race prepped Boss 302 would do the same. These are not full interior cars, steering wheel, race seats, complete aero, fully adjustable suspension, entire interior removed, racepak electronics, etc. It is a Mustang Challenge car for all purposes.
Thoughts on this...the rental sounds easier but what would probably be an extra 20-25mph on the straights sounds like fun too.
New house was purchased, we've finished 90 percent of it. Got a new lease on our new building for the business and moving in shortly. All the big stuff is done and want to get back on to the track.
We had a few different idea's the least likely of which was getting the C7 ready for the track. I decided once I put the SC on it the idea of taking it to a road course was out the window.
We had thought of a Boxster GTS but that would be a 4th car and a lot of money to spend for something only used during the summer. It would be my wife's summer car and she doesn't drive a ton.
I used to rent a FRS500 Mustang from a local race shop and now they have Boss 302's completely race prepped for rent. I did not think they did it anymore but apparently have expanded the service.
Car has an ECS kit with Meth, nothing else, tuned by Dr. Phil. 2 minutes of hard driving easily pushes temps into the 230's so its not anywhere near ready to go now.
So I have a few questions:
1. I've already got 15K on my engine with the SC on it. Put it on at about 13K and pulling it out of the garage to re-arrange things it sat at 29K. Those were not light miles by any means.
2. I assume rad, bigger oiler cooler, slightly less aggressive tune...what else is needed to run it for 20 minutes at 8/10'ths on a track? Bigger brakes were already on the schedule for this winter.
3. How reliable is it really on the motor side? I'd probably do 5 events, 8 sessions per event. Sometimes double duty taking customers and others for rides/letting them drive. Figure roughly 8-12 hours of engine run time per season. I hear most stock engines driven hard last about 100 hours but that is stock or near stock.
4. What needs to be done to make the motor reliable? Pistons? Cost benefit of doing it now versus waiting for it to blow and then doing it?
5. What else would help it live? Remove front cats and things like that?
The rental will run me I suspect about 2000-2200 per day. I was paying $1,500 a day before but that was 5 years ago, assume it has gone up. That does however include all consumables. So no oil changes, fluid changes, etc. that need to be done to my car.
So 10K for a season versus putting 10K into the car and possibly a never ending series of issues to deal with.
The rental car is nice. Slicks, new pads, perfectly setup and ready to be driven hard for hours at a time. Pick it up on a trailer, drive it all day, drop it off the next day. All professionally done and no hassle assuming no off road excursions.
The whole driving a Corvette vs driving a Mustang doesn't fall into it. Even the old FRS500 which is for all purposes a factory race car would lap my old C5 easily and I suspect a properly setup race prepped Boss 302 would do the same. These are not full interior cars, steering wheel, race seats, complete aero, fully adjustable suspension, entire interior removed, racepak electronics, etc. It is a Mustang Challenge car for all purposes.
Thoughts on this...the rental sounds easier but what would probably be an extra 20-25mph on the straights sounds like fun too.
Last edited by NoOne; 01-01-2017 at 03:49 PM.
01-01-2017, 05:15 PM
#2
Team Owner
Member Since: Jan 2007
Location: cookeville tennessee
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ttt
Looks like you are on your way.
1) Big brakes set up with some really good rotors & coolant duck for the air to get to them.
2) Big Dewitts rad
3) Get all of the LG motorsports coolant stuff that you can get for the car, like oil trans if auto. I have all of it and it really does work to keep the temps down.
4) I would put a set of coilovers on the car if you want it too really handle
5) rims and tires for the track.
1) Big brakes set up with some really good rotors & coolant duck for the air to get to them.
2) Big Dewitts rad
3) Get all of the LG motorsports coolant stuff that you can get for the car, like oil trans if auto. I have all of it and it really does work to keep the temps down.
4) I would put a set of coilovers on the car if you want it too really handle
5) rims and tires for the track.
01-10-2017, 03:39 PM
#3
Safety Car
Is your meth stored in the windshield washer fluid reservoir? If so I would pay close attention to your low ww fluid light as I would be surprised if you could run your car on a track for a full 20 mins with out running out of meth. You will be in the boost probably 90% of the time on a track so you will always be spraying.
Second if you do store it there I would look into protecting that meth motor with some heat protection. Meth motors will leak at some point in their life 1-2 years from use. That meth leaks to the bottom of your wheel well and one little spark from your brakes and you have a fire.
Two vette's with meth at COTA caught fire and no one knows what the story is but the pictures I saw point right to where we store the meth in our setups.
Second if you do store it there I would look into protecting that meth motor with some heat protection. Meth motors will leak at some point in their life 1-2 years from use. That meth leaks to the bottom of your wheel well and one little spark from your brakes and you have a fire.
Two vette's with meth at COTA caught fire and no one knows what the story is but the pictures I saw point right to where we store the meth in our setups.