jonessw20

I just recently picked up a 2002 Z06 with 61k miles and I am looking into what it would take to keep it super reliable for a full track season next year. It wont be a wheel to wheel car, mostly time trials,HPDE, and autox. Ive been doing some research but was hoping to get some experienced suggestions on what parts to buy and also what vendors are recommended.

Ive been involved with trackdays and autox for around 11 yrs and I like to push my cars to the limits. So it will be getting driven hard. Previously I have been running my highly modded toyota MR2 making 360whp(200 more then factory) and weighing in at about 500lbs lighter then the z06. Ive grown tired of the constant breakdowns with that car and decided that a z06 that makes the same power stock would be a better fit. I plan to not really add any extra HP for awhile.

What im currently researching is listed below.

1) Brakes
I hear that the cheaper parts store rotors crack often. Was looking at the KNS brake rotors. They sound promising or maybe even the 2 piece rotors would be a better idea? Id like to start off on the cheaper end just to get more acquainted with the car before going off the deep end. How about pads? So many options and not sure which ones to start with. Also, sounds like its a good idea to get the stainless lines. Would the stainless caliper piston kit be worth it or needed?

2)Tires
I got a second set of wheels with the car so I plan to run a 18" square setup. Was thinking of just starting with the r888r's since they are priced well and have good reviews on track. I was also considering the NT05's as a beginner tire for the car.

3)Bearings
Is it as bad as it sounds and I should start off right away with the SKF's? I suspect that I have a bearing going out already so I figure I might as well go through them while i have the time.

4) Cooling
Im sure ill be out on a few 90deg days in the summer and I hear these motors like to run on the hot side. Can I get by with the dewitts radiator and built in oil cooler? Ill probably only do max 20min sessions. Also, figured id throw in the 160deg thermostat. If I can find a spare hood I might cut it up and add some vents as well, if necessary.
How about the trans and diff? Will those be just fine with 20min sessions and fresh fluid.

5) misc. things im overlooking?
If there is any other suggestions on must haves or things that will greatly improve my on track experience that might not be commonly known about, please let me know. Again, I am coming from a car that has had lots of reliability issues and cost me alot of wasted track days. I recently had my first kid and now i wont have as much time to spend fixing my car and also just getting to track days. I really want to be able to utilize my time that i get to the fullest. Reliability is a must, this go around. When my kid is old enough to help me fix the car I can go back to ruining the reliability.

Thanks in advance for any helpful information!

Josh

JRitt@essex

Hi Josh,
Congrats! I owned and tracked an '03 Z for a number of years, and I've helped many, many others with their brakes on these cars.

Brakes- We just announced our Black Friday sale on Essex Designed AP Racing Competition Brake Kits. If you're thinking BBK, now's a good time. We almost never have any sales, and when we do, it's usually not on our Competition Kits. Check out that link. There aren't many track mods that you'll do that will give you as much bang-for-the-buck. You can read owner reviews on our blog. Brake consumption is going to be much, much higher than what you're used to in a lightweight, slower car. If you're on a budget, focus on getting the best front system you can. That will save you lots of headaches and money later.

Wheels- four 18" rear wheels is a great setup to run for wheels. They can hold up to 305 width in some brands. I'm honestly out of the loop on the latest tire crop, so I'll leave that to others.

Cooling- I ran a Ron Davis with integrated oil cooler in my car. LG Motorsports has nice ones as well. I ran mine in Los Angeles, and the Ron Davis did a great job of keeping temps down for me. Yes on the Thermostat. I used to run in the desert at Buttonwillow, Willow Springs, Spring Mtn, etc., and I never had any major issues with the trans or diff in my car doing 20 minute sessions. If I remember correctly, I think I got a trans over-temp warning one time ever.

Bearings- If you're going to do one, it may not be a bad idea to just knock them all out to prevent future headaches.

Clutch- If you're on stock clutch, you can probably expect to run into some issues. Many or most people have theirs stick to the floor at an inopportune time. Mine did it on the last turn at Buttonwillow...good times. While you're upgrading the clutch, go to a slightly lighter flywheel, and it makes the car really fun. Also do a Tick remote bleed on it while you're at it.

As you mentioned, no need for more power. Eventually, long tubes, intake, and a tune will probably be something you'd like. You'll gain about 35/30 in HP/TQ, save some weight, and the car will sound incredible. You're going to find that with stock power the car is still faster than most other cars out there. It has serious mechanical grip and can take a lot of tire.

Other issues- Column lock bypass, Oil pressure sensor, others will chime in. Overall, these cars are extremely reliable despite how fast they are. So much so, that I'm actually thinking about getting back into one myself! Good luck out there.


FYI...I have an MR2 Spyder as one of my street cars...fun car!

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

If you decide to keep the stock calipers to start I would recommend Carbotech pads the compound will depend on the tire you are using. From what you said about tire choices I would recommend running the XP12 front and XP10 rear this has been a great combo for years on the C5 platform many people run this set up with great results. I would highly recommend getting a front brake cooling ducts as well this will save you pad life.

Carbotech™ XP12™

Another highly successful XP™ series compound with an excellent initial bite, torque and fade resistance over and above the XP10™ compound. XP12™ has temperature range of 250°F to 1850°F+ (121°C to 1010°C+). The XP12™ has that excellent Carbotech™ release and modulation that has made all other Carbotech™ compounds so successful. The XP12™ is more rotor aggressive than XP10™, but compared to the competition the XP12™ is still very rotor friendly. XP12™ is NOT recommended for use as a daily driven street pad due to possible elevated levels of dust and noise.

Carbotech™ XP10™

When Carbotech™ unleashed the XP10™ to the general public it immediately gathered multiple regional, divisional, and national championships. The XP10™ has a very strong initial bite with a coefficient of friction and rotor friendliness unmatched in the industry. Fade resistance is in excess of 1475°F (801°C). XP10™ still maintains the highly praised release, excellent modulation and rotor friendliness that have made all Carbotech™ compounds so successful. Carbotech™ XP10™ is not recommended as a daily-driven street pad due to possible elevated levels of dust and noise.

If you do stick with stock calipers than rotor suggestion would be KNS blanks or Centric premium blank rotors.

fatbillybob

I think you have to be honest about your skill set. Some guys are just fast and some guys are just slow. If you are slow it takes a while before you overheat trannys and some slow people get by just fine on stock brake calipers. If you are fast you are going to kill the brakes and the bearings. IMO the SKF bearings is the most important because at 150mph that these cars are very easily capable of you don't want your wheel falling off and spin into a wall. The SKF bearings are a safety item. BBK brakes are a must if you want pain free tracking. There are tricks with stock brake calipers. I heard some guys had some one shave the stock calipers so that thicker stock pads could be used. This was done in a effort to be able to use the stock caliper at a lower race weight and be class legal. Tires stop the car not the brakes so when we raced in T1 some of the guys ran stockers some BBk's. There was really no performance advantage in the BBK. The advantage was pain free living and very consistent good brakes from the new pad to wornout pad. When we ran the stockers the brakes were much better with new pads and once done to about 50% you just had to replace the pads despite lots of meat left. Then the rotors cracked on the 3rd trackday. Now with BBK and racing T2 at 3550LBS min I still have nver cracked a BBk rotor and change them maybe once a year or every other year. In fact this year I raced all year and never pre-race bleed my brakes not even for Runoffs at Indy. That's the kind of head room a BBK can give you.

The hot ticket on brake ducts is get the C6Z06 ones for like 10 bucks each. They are a bit smaller and then you can run 315's square and have 90% of your lock to lock range.

Quickshift_C5

I tracked a BRZ for several years, and did what I could to learn how to drive a fast car slow. Similar situation as you, only a much slower car yet. However, it shortened the learning curve with the ZO6.

f you have some previous track experience, you'll want an oil cooler for sure. I can run my C5Z up to 300F oil temps in 3 laps in 75F ambient temps on our short 1.9mi track here in Iowa. Oddly, coolant hasn't been an issue yet. It's been as high as 232F, but no higher than that. I'm adding independent oil cooler and radiator over the winter months.

Bushings are the next big thing. On the very first track day, I already had AP Racing brakes installed and 18x305 R888R's on all corners. By the3rd session, I had squeezed the front upper control arm bushings partially out of the control arms and screwed up the alignment, specifically the toe. We've had to make toe corrections at the track the following 2 track days. Delrin bushings are going in this winter along with an alignment kit to keep the eccentrics in check.

Brakes. Huge safety item, IMO. Also, as mentioned above, cutting costs in the long term. If you do it ASAP, you'll save more if you track the car for several years, and you can sell the later to recover some of the cost. It's nice to finish a session and RELAX, without having to constantly check the brakes, swap components, and worry about the consumables and worrying about brakes on the track. I did that enough with the BRZ, I decided I never wanted to deal with it again. With the AP Racing brakes from Essex...I literally have done NOTHING with my brakes since installing them.

Finally, the seats... The seats are so bad in this car after a 20-30min session that I wouldn't be surprised if I found the BOSE emblem imprinted in my leg. Also got out of the car with my fingers stuck in the grip of death pose. Jokes aside, they are bad....utterly terrible. It takes a significant amount of energy to hold yourself in place and I know lap times are clearly affected by it. Something to consider. Car health first (see above), but anyone doing decently quick laps with big sticky tires really should look into binding themselves to the seat better or more appropriate seats.

SunnydayDILYSI

1) Brakes
Cheap NAPA rotors are the lowest cost way to go, will last a few weekends. If you get tired changing them, upgrade to Wilwood 2-piece (will last ~30% to 50% longer). If larger budget and still changing too frequently, then get a BBK with larger rotors (Wilwood, Stoptech, AP depending on budget - AP the best). For pads, Wilwood H are relatively cheap, PFC 11s better but more expensive. HTC 60/70 and Carbotech 24s in between. Stainless steel lines a good idea and not very expensive. Steel pistons will likely not be noticed.

2)Tires
Start with a set of the NT-05s if you are just learning the car. The r888r's are good tires once you dial it in. Just don't drive on the highway in rain / standing water.

3)Bearings
If you have a bearing going, put the SKFs on all four corners. Just a matter of time until the others go.

4) Cooling
Ron Davis integrated radiator and oil cooler. DRM trans and diff cooler.

5) misc. things im overlooking?
For the most reliability, only change the cooling and hubs. Keep an extra quart of oil in the car when tracking. Consider DRM front brake ducts. The hardware will also help to protect the front tie rod ends and ball joints. Keep an eye on those for cracking / leaking. And replace the hubs as they loosen up.

jonessw20

Lots of great info guys!

Things that are a must have on my list currently with approximate pricing:

1) SKF bearings all around (1300$)
2)Valve spring and trunion upgrade (300$)
3)Tires (1000+$)
4) fluids changed (200$)
5)alignment (120$)
6) Brakes (tbd)
7)radiator/oil cooler (600$)

Im quickly realizing that A BBK probably isnt in the budget quite yet. Especially since I just dropped alot of money to buy the car. I think what ill do is buy some lower grip tires and really learn the dynamics of the car and hopefully cut back on the stress on the brakes and bushings and such. Then next season I will be ready to turn it up to another level and have a better idea of what the car will actually need.

jonessw20

The car did have the tick master or slave(? cant remember which) upgrade due to having the clutch pedal stick to the floor. Hope thats enought to get by for awhile. Had the recall on the column lock performed as well. Ive heard that fix could actually fail though so I will probably do more research on that.

MR2 spyder turn in is absolutely amazing. It was actually a consideration of reliable car to buy but I have been tracking a Fiesta ST for the last year while my turbo mr2 is down and I miss the Horsepower.

jonessw20

Have you been at the track days with SCCA? Ive been to the last few with my daily driver fiesta st. Dont remember seeing a Z06 out. They have a pretty decent looking schedule this year with Time Trials. Hopefully ill see you there! Would be great to check out the difference with your car and the mods you have. I plan to join the local corvette club and go to their events as well.

Did you get any lap times while at the Iowa Speedway? Curious to know what to kind of times to be expecting.

SunnydayDILYSI

Looks like a good plan. I wouldn't worry about a BBK until you are at the point of frequent front rotor and pad changes and it's getting annoying. The stock brakes are actually pretty good. It's just that once you have sticky tires and are pushing hard the pads and rotors start to wear out every few events.

Quickshift_C5

Sounds like a great plan. We have about the same idea starting out with these cars. Take it to the track as is, and just simply drive the car and get some seat time instead of the throwing the book at the car with a bunch of nonsense aftermarket parts and power upgrades. The car will let you know what needs to be upgraded. I threw on brakes and tires when I bought the car (it's purely being built as a track car). In the first season, I discovered my priority items were cooling and bushings. Good luck!!

I've only been to Raceway Park of the Midlands three times so far, since I started tracking with the Vette early this season, and haven't participated with NASA. I took the BRZ all over the place, such as RPM, Autobahn, Road America, Sebring, etc. That's where most of my experience is from. Some of the other folks here might be a better resource for comparable lap times, since they have far more experience with the C5.

Bill Dearborn

Maybe you should explain your reliability issues. That could change our advice. The C5 Z is one of the most reliable track cars you can drive. They are tougher than hell. Change oil, change tires, put gas in it and go to the track. Pull into the garage after a session and walk away from the car without checking it, come back do a quick walk around and go out and hammer it for another 40 minutes. Did that for 6 seasons. Bought it with 18K miles on it and sold it with 43K miles. I know others that started tracking their 02s in 02 and are still running them without taking the engine apart yet.

Bill

FAUEE

One thing to add, and it was hinted at before, you need to be honest about how hard you push it. I know guys that run bone stock c5z as track cars without issues. If you don't push them super hard because you're inexperienced, have fear of wrecking it, etc - and most people don't - the car will be reliable with fresh fluids and decent tires.

Personally, I'd run it stock your first few events. See if you even get it hot enough to matter. The car can handle an hpde bone stock, and if you don' get to the point of too much heat, you saved yourself a lot of money, and learned you'e not experienced and fast enough to warrant upgrading the car yet.

jonessw20

Im not gonna sit here and say that im a T1 class winning driver or that my car is gonna be as capable of what they could do in that class any time soon. But I am comfortable with finding the limits of a car and pushing past occasionally. I know what it means to truly use the brakes to their limits and have even learned the importance of trail-braking in my other car that is mid engine. Even with my 360whp MR2 which is a known car for not being very forgiving, I really enjoyed sliding it and throttling out of the corners and keeping it down to straighten out if i got too out of line with it. The Z06 is definitely a new platform that will take some getting used to, but I will drive it hard. I also autox whenever i get the chance and I believe that really helps with car control and overall confidence. I won the All American Sunday Autox event at my local goodguys car show with my daily driver Fiesta ST. And tied for first in points for the season in my region.

Hopefully that is enough info to keep this post more focused towards what it takes to keep a lightly modified Z06 reliable when driven hard for a season of around 10 track days. I think I got a lot of what I was looking for already though. I just really dont want to waste alot of time chasing issues while at the track. Ive gone the overly modified constantly breaking 4cylinder turbo car route. Now im hoping to be in a reliable and proper sports car that can handle the heavy abuse. I just know that every car is going to have some weaknesses and id like to be proactive on fixing them while I have all winter to do it.

crimlwC6

I agree with Bill almost word for word. I would contact TCE Todd and discuss with him your budget/expectation on brakes. I don't recall the LG kit off the top of my head but I know it was quite popular. I run wilwood SL6 calipers and stock rear equipment with HH pads and I race wheel to wheel going on closer to a decade than not. Todd can probably get you my setup for under a grand. I run the napa 6 rotor system (4 on the car and carry at least 1 front and 1 rear as spares).

crimlwC6

Also venting the hood properly ( run a single boomarang vent) and laying the radiator forward and converting to a front breather does wonders for cooling but may not be viable if you aren't committed to track only car.

jonessw20

How often are you changing pads and rotors with this setup? Also, Ive never had a car that cracks rotors. What exactly happens when they crack. Guessing its just something you can feel in the pedal and want to get it swapped out as soon as possible?

wtb-z

I drove for years on street tires before my first hub went bad. But everyone's luck varies.

Protect the dust boots on the ball joints so they don't melt off.

Street pads will be less likely to crack rotors than race pads. The rotor will usually crack in the pits as the car cools down, and you will feel it in the pedal at the start of the next track session.

Hi Volts Z06

I see a lot of the responses here and I think there are a few things people overlooked that should be noted. (Forgive me if I repeat something someone else said).

First off.... stainless steel brake lines and a good quality synthetic fluid. Start with stock brakes and good quality pads (perhaps a Carbotech XP -10 front and XP-8 rear. See what your expendable usage looks like and see if are starting to experience fade before spending money on brakes just yet.

Second, the NT-05 is a great tire to start with. They are pretty good in the rain and you can drive on the street. Progress to the R-888 as that is considered an "R" comp but despite tread, don't expect much more than a car control lesson in the rain after about 50% tread wear.

Third, spend the money on a good track alignment to help keep the tires wearing evenly. The Pfadt alignment specs (Google it) will give you good parameters.

Fourth, have your hubs checked by your mechanic. With a tire like the NT-05 you won't be stressing them like you would with a set of Hoosier "A" or "R's".

Fifth, the stock radiator is the weal link on track days so it probably is a wise idea to upgrade now and do the oil cooler as well.

Lastly, keep fluids fresh and just enjoy driving your new toy. Since your going to be saving some money on a few of the non-essential items (for now) spend that money on a good race seat, harness bar and harness. That will allow you to stay planted and concentrate on driving as opposed to try to brace yourself to compensate for all the grip your going to find in this car.

Future upgrades can be dictated by your own progress. Keep an eye on your trans temp because that will eventually come into play but one thing I will tell you is that excessive trans temp will lead to an increase in heat soak in the car so a cooler will help that a bit as well.

Have fun!

Tomswheels

Just a quick 2 cents on tires, I hated the feel of the soft sidewall on the NT-05. IMHO the MPSS, New Continental, New Cheapy Federal, or any of the other 200TW Performance tires are a better choice. R888s and NT-01 are fine as well.