I've spent most of the day searching posts on TPMS side effects and have seemed to come upon a hundred variations and issues and even more questions.

My situation is this: I've got a HPDE set up from my old 2007 z06. I now have a 2011 Grand Sport that I'm taking to the track tomorrow. Having recently learned about the change in TPMS part #s from 2010 model year and up, I now know my old 2007 TPMS setup is not compatible with my 2011 GS. And I have no time to change the sensors.

So now that the sensors don't talk to the car the possible scenarios I have read include:

1. Limp mode will kick in at 55mph - I don't give point bys that easily, so this will be bad for all the drivers behind me.
2. Limp mode will kick in at 85mph - same as 1 but maybe they will be a little less mad.
3. The car will explode.
4. The car will apply the brakes when cornering "aggressively" - not a desirable strategy on the track, and pretty sure a bad variation on trail braking.
5. If I can sneak up next to another 2010+ Vette every other session and steal his PSI signal I'll be in good shape.
6. If 1, 2 or 3 tires show a zero psi or xxx then all the above could happen, but if all 4 tires are like that nothing will happen.
7. If Limp mode kicks in just turn it to Comp mode and the car accepts the situation

So fearing that my first track event in 3 years word be completely ruined by the unknown, I went out for an hour long drive tonight with NO TPMS sensors in my track tires. After 18.5 miles and 20 minutes the Service TPMS warning came on as expected. So I did a little testing.

55mph - check
85 mph - check
100 mph - check
Mildly aggressive cornering - check
No explosion - check
Comp mode - check
All systems Off - check

So I'm hoping that the scenario where all 4 readings are xxx is true, the only thing you get is the warning. I'll report back tomorrow night, following my day at NJMP Lightning, and the drive back and forth.

Wish me luck. Any insight would be appreciated!

 

Luck & lurk

 

350 mile round trip.
6 track sessions at high speeds (135 max) and high G's.
Not a single issue other than the "service" warning.

 

These things can be freaky. Sometimes they don't care, sometimes they do. Seems like most issues pop up right after a dead battery situation. Seen that happen on both an '08 and a '12 where the car would not let you do anything at all and was in the (you have a flat and we need to save you mode). Once the TPMS was relearned in those cars it was fine. But it's cost people runs when it's acted up so I'd rather not risk it.

Personally, I like having the TPMS as it's caught leaks to bad pressure gauges. I run sensors in all my C6 stuff. I sold my '12 GS and we back to an '07 Z, and happen to have two sets of the late TPMS sensors. $180 for a set and I'll mail them for that too if anyone wants...

 

Sam,

Do you still have the 07 black Z06 I sold you?

Jason from NJ

 

A lot different than my 2008 Z. I can't run more than a half hour before the system shuts me down slowing the car to 55 mph in turns. If I park the car next to my street tires between sessions the car picks up the signals from them and will give me another half hour. The problem comes when the 4 sensors are on different broadcast time schedules since they all don't go xxx at the same time. However, I usually pull the steering sensor connector to eliminate sudden braking in places where sudden braking is ill advised.

Bill

 

The only consistent thing about this TPM and Stabilitrak interaction is: it's inconsistent. It seems to change from year to year, from car to car, and from environment to environment.

And here I thought computers were non-deterministic. Honest.

I used to run my 2007 Z06 without any TPM sensors, and would react similar to yours, Bill. The work-around that I figured out was to first make sure I'd driven the required 25-30 miles that it took to disable the TPM system (ie: DIC warning). From there, I'd do a funny power-cycle drill:

1. Power the car up without my foot on the clutch.
2. Let the car cycle through its boot-up process and wait for the "TPM" error to pop up on the DIC.
3. Shut the car off.
4. Actually start the car and again wait for the "TPM" error to pop up.
5. Hit "Reset".
6. Immediately dial on Stabilitrak mode (Comp Mode, for me).
7. Run the session without any trouble.

That doesn't work on my 2010 ZR1. I had TPM problems at my latest track day, forcing me to call it off. Nothing I tried would let me get the car into the Perf Track mode. It was either All-on or All-off. Grrr.

 

Hey Jason.... I wish I did. I did something I kind of regret and traded it on a 2012 Grand Sport. And about a year and a half later sold that for a.... 2007 Z06, this one is silver (which is what I really wanted from the start). Luckily I found one in even nicer condition for a decent price, not that the black one was bad but the windshield on this one isn't pitted.

Anyway back to TPMS. Just the different happenings above kind of show how freaky the cars can be sometimes. My '07 doesn't care but for a light and can stay like that for hundreds of miles.

 

Regrets...I picked up the 2011 GS in my avatar this summer. Really was enjoying it until I took it out on the track. Its nothing compared to the Z06. I went from hanging with all the big boy Porsches to chasing down Caymans and BMW's. Missing the Z now more than ever.

 

Thats why I sold it to you Jason...

Its fantastic on the autocross course, but on the track with the heavy hitters, it needs some better gearing and a few more ponies if you are going to play with those boys...

that said, the zr1 is just wowsers!

 

Well, I've played with both the GS and Z06 autocrossing. I've pretty much setup the fastest of both, and been the fastest of both @ Nationals (twice in each model, 4 different cars).

The GS has some strengths and some weaknesses, for me the Z06 is a better fit which is why I changed back. But while I was 2nd @ Nationals this year to a GT3 (again and again less than .5 back), a GS I setup was 3rd.

All in all, I just like the Z better. Stiffer front spring (and more than 10 pounds that's rumored that's clear) and that LS7 makes me giggle, everytime.

 

Don't get me wrong Bri, you set the car up nicely. The Konis and sway bars translate really well from autoX to the full track...I was telling a buddy that the car felt much lighter and tighter in the corners than the Z, but when hitting the go pedal on the front straight i thought I had a parachute on.

The sound that thing makes is unbeleivable. Guys behind me couldn't hear their own cars!

I'm going to be in Daytona next weekend for the classic 24hour race. If you are around let me know...wouldn't mind catching a ZR1 ride.

PS weird to have the buyer of my last car and seller of my new car in same thread. Gotta love CF.

 

I just ran the zr1 at Daytona this past weekend (what an absolute blast!!!)
Ill be autocrossing both days, but if I get done early I'll give you a holler!

 

JVP:

Many time you can run without (0) any TMPS and still bypass the limp home mode. Learned this from a Corvette electrical development engineer.

If you have a later model (10 and up) Corvette without the TMPS, you can park within 50-100 ft of another Corvettes (10+) and it is possible that you might pick up the signals and the car will go into stability control mode. 09 and newer this does not work.