Rush05

I just bought a magnacharged 2005 C6, Z51, 560whp, heads/cam, suspension work, Z06 wheels, 345s, full exhaust, new brake pads (stock size), 32k miles.
I've tracked my previous cars 2 or 3 times a year. I don't need to track this car but it would be nice to get it out there if possible. I'm not into the straight line thing. This is my first vette and I'm not sure if tracking this car is the best idea. I would think that keeping a s/c large displacement engine cool would be the main issue.

Do you think I can track it? Why or why not?

NORTY

I've seen blown Corvettes @ trackdays do quite well. Engine temp mgmt and brake temp mgmt would be a concern...

BEZ06

Lots of ZR1's run track events.

The ZR1's at Spring Mountain and Bondurant run on the track pretty much exclusively.

Bob

TS Motorsport

Make sure you pay close attention to cooling. Forced induction engines run hotter than N/A so you will have to pay attention to engine and oil temps. Try to run larger a larger oil & radiator cooler.

As long as you're on top of the temp's you should be okay.

TheKomoman

I don't know enough about forced-induction motors to comment intelligently regarding them, but if oil temp is an issue then you may want to consider running a heavier weight oil when you head to the track. Mobil 1 guy last year at NCM VIR was very convincing about the usefulness of their 15W-50 vs their 30 weight when the oil will see sustained temps at 250+. I've been running it pretty much ever since in my LS7 and 250 isn't hard to get to even on an 80 degree day(it was 100 at VIR those days!).

jvp

I track my ZR1 quite a bit, so yes, it can be done. However, my car has GM's careful attention to air intake cooling (ie, the dual-brick intercooler). What kind of cooling does your Magna Charger include? Anything? I assume there must be something included.

As others have noted: keep an eye on your coolant temps because that'll be your only real in-car indication that something is getting toasty. I don't have a problem with mine, but I've seen blown C6s have temperature problems at the track. It all just depends on how well the cooling is engineered.

jas

ScaryFast

Interesting timing on your question. A buddy had one of the "baddest" blown C6's here on the forum that he tracked quite frequently. He struggled with the power, spinning the tires in 4th gear on straights, etc.

He pulled the supercharger off over the winter and ran faster this past weekend than he's ever run and had about 200% more fun.

Not exactly the answer to your question, but interesting nonetheless.

As stated above, cooling would be my only concern. I expect that the LSx bottom end is easily able to handle an addition 150 hp.

jwg2

ditto. had a student with a well regarded tuner's supercharger kit that had been professionally installed. blazing fast but temps were a constant concern and they cut short several sessions and eventually the weekend.

Snuckley

Feel like typing today. Numerous questions like yours over the years here. Yes , you can , but it's not, if, you'll have a problem with cooling it's, when . You didn't buy a ZR-1 , you saved a bundle of cash, but you'll have to see how the temps rise. The post above about having more fun without FI is believable. My car with only 410 N/A rwhp is dangerous in the wrong hands on the street with the wrong tires at the wrong pressure on a cooler day. If you are not used to FI with max boost happening when you are not "ready" you'll learn car control real fast. Most guys here on the forum have seen alot of cars like yours go home on the trailer leaking fluids because they weren't engineered by GM like the ZR-1 . If I had $120,000 to spend on a ZR-1 and wanted to do alot of track time, I'd buy a Z06 and add some do dads, unless I lived in Germany. If I had $40,000 to spend on your car I'd buy a used Z06, Sorry. These cars(C5,C6) are so capable stock, there are probably <50 guys who post here who can get 100% out of these things. Invest in coolers, safety equipt and avoid hot days unless you have funds for rebuilds.

Timz06

Your buddy must be a horrible driver and not know how to modulate the throttle.

I'm sure you can run a SC car like yours, but the question is for how long. Watch your temps and pull off when they get high. Then you will have the answer.

Tim

waddisme

I run mine with Procharger for 2 years and had a blast. Had DeWitts so I never had cooling issues per se, but heat soak is harder to tell exactly what I was losing. Still a blast ripping down VIR or Lowes backstretch. Eventually, # 7 and #5 pistons melted at VIR. Luckily I was able to drive 2 1/2 hrs home on 6 cylinders (but it was smoking like steam engine). For occasional use, it will be fine, for frequent use long term - it wont last. Have na now with 100 less hp but more rwtq and it is much quicker and faster at the end of backstretch. HTH.

ScaryFast

Yup, I'm sure that's true. All HPDE students should be able to handle their first overpowered track car right out of the gate like I'm sure you could.

waddisme

I think the Maggie is a little different from mine being a roots type, but with mine, you never felt the extra hp/tq until the higher rpms, ie middle of the backstretch. My lap times are much quicker now with na.

VatorMan

Buddy of mine runs his S/C Callaway pretty hard. Fast car.

PushinTheLimit

I think the misconception is "tracking" a sc car versus "racing" a sc car. Tracking a supercharged car is just fine as long as what others have already said about keeping an eye on your temps. Racing one is a different story. That's one of the main reasons I sold my 04 Cobra for a C5Z to get away from forced induction as I knew I would be running races and not just HPDE's.

Rush05

Thanks for the info guys. I may try it out and just keep an eye on temps. If I can't stay out for a whole session so be it.