tomtom72

All I can say is thanks for all the time all the experienced guys put into this thread......a noobie like me really finds this very educational.

I have one question about helmets. In the northeast/NYC metro area where would I look for a place that sells helmets. I wear eye glasses and I was told that I really should first try on any helmet that I buy.

TIA

Tom

TheSkunkWorks

My take on this is to get the best real racing helmet you can afford, and then to get a pair of glasses that work with it. A DOT helmet is not sufficient, as passing SNELL requirements are specified by major motor racing sanctioning bodies; and for good reason. Depending on what type of racing you do and with whom you do it, the oldest year accepted will vary. Even if a SNELL rated helmet is not specified think about this...

"If you've got a $10 head, put it in a $10 helmet." Evel Knievel

Note that you may have fogging issues to overcome should you be getting a full face helmet. There are treatments and coatings for this, but it will help to have a helmet with a decent ventilation system designed in.

tomtom72

Thank you for your thoughts TSW.

I had not thought to get the helmet first and then get the glasses to fit. I also did not think about fogging.:o

I was not thinking of getting any other than a SNELL rated helmet. I also knew that all helmets have a "best used by" date. It's the cost of participation I figure.

Thanks for your take!

sp33dracerman

this was a great read thanks to all for the helpfull info

KWilliams

Good thread. Very useful info. Novice drivers should take advantage of schools by area clubs. You'll flatten the learning curve dramatically.

Novice drivers are our lifeblood. The more we can teach a driver about himself and his car, the better driver they will be on the road. It's amazing what a little confidence will do.

www.NARRAonline.com

KevinK

I'm still working on getting my car SAFE to drive hard. I didn't read the ENITRE thread, as it's quite long, but from what I skimmed, it was mostly driving advice.


I need some tech tips.

I have a 76 vette, and would like to track it. In order to do so, I imagine I need to be safer than I am. Aside from my most obvious and recent problem, brake lights not working, what else would I need?


So far, on my list of things done...
1. New master cylinfer, brake lines, and calipers. The old disks had plenty of life left in them, so I let them be.

2. Suspension rebuilt with the VBP dual mount kit, front and rear, with new bushings, tie rods and ends, and various little odds and ends.

3. New wheels, off of a 2000 corvette. Tires to match.

4. Headers and true duals.

On my list of things I think I still need are...

1. Some way to get better seat belts. The ones in it will not save my life at all. In any way. Ever. I would like a shark bar, and it seems a pretty good deal. What about seats, though? Important? Or only for the weight savings?

2. Helmet, obviously.

3. Fire extinguisher. I still can't believe I have not gotten one yet....

4. Roll cage? To be honest, I don't have the money for one, as I'm sure I would have to get osmething custom...and custom = $$$$.


ANything else to add to my list?

fire_n_ice

I'd say you are well on your way, as far as safety goes. Definitely get some supportive track-based seats (fixed back or recliner) that are meant to be used with a 5pt harness (i.e. the seat will have the two holes above your shoulders). Some guys use harnesses with stock seats, but from what I understand, it is not really safe since there will be a gap between the belt and your torso. Being locked into a good seat and harness setup will improve your safety while driving, too, not just in an accident, because you will be able to keep a light responsive grip on the steering wheel. This will give you much greater control of the car, rather than having to "hold on" to the wheel as you corner, accelerate and brake because your seats aren't supportive enough!

High-functioning brakes are a must. Inspect them visually after every single on-track session and make sure no serious cracks are developing in the rotors. Bleed the brake fluid, at a MINIMUM, after each full track day.

Make sure those wheels are OEM or at least OEM-quality. I saw a massive accident (Vette written off) last season due to a poorly cast replica wheel that snapped under braking. It happens, so don't make your choice of track wheels a weak link. Ditto for tires, obviously.

A roll cage is a complex (and costly) endeavour. To be honest, however, at the speeds we drive our cars on track, we should have them. I do not, in my Z06, but only b/c I'm not 100% certain how long I'm keeping the car. If you plan to keep the car and track it, I'd say save up for it and get it done properly. Search for other posts on the subject, however, as there are many opinions, especially about putting cages in cars that are still driven on public roads - since you can injure your head severely on the cage during an otherwise mild street incident. Research it, so that you are well informed of the pros and cons.

Same for HANS device - some guys recommend and some do not. But it is worth to read all the discussions and apply to your specific situation.

Thumbs up for thinking along the lines of safety first. Most guys get busy adding more horsepower before they even consider safety. Should be the other way around!

KevinK

I bought the wheels from a forum member who got after market wheels for his 2000 vette.




Thanks for the advice! I'm so close to being ready I can taste it!!!

I'm not really interested in competing...I just want to be able to drive fast legally....

fire_n_ice

You are guaranteed to enjoy it! Stay safe.

MartyZ51

Here's my track experience with an '08 Z51, NPP, 6 speed that may be helpful for some people hoping to track a C6:

PCA three day advanced Driver Education event at Heartland Park Topeka. I have 8 years of track experience with Camaros at various tracks in the midwest. This was my first weekend in the Corvette.

Modifications: Hoosier R6s (Tire Rack) mounted to 5 spoke stock take-off rims, Quantum brake vents with 3" hose (street hose is fine), -2.1 degrees camber on the front and -1.1 on the back (NTP). Carbotech XP10 pads on the front and XP8 on the rear. I flushed the system with Autozone Dot 4 fluid using newly installed Earl's Solo Bleeders (LG). Greased the rear tie rod ends and wrapped all four with heat shield tape to prevent them from melting. GM splash guards (Gene) were added to help reduce rock chips from the slicks as they are wider than stock. The TPMS reset tool from Katech and the TPMS sensors (House of Wheels) worked flawlessly. I don't subscribe to On-Star but I pulled the fuse at my house beacuse I could feel the black helicopters circling overhead. The car is a 3LT with HUD and without floor mats and with a 1/2 tank of gas it scaled at 3230 pounds.

I ran the car very aggressively and generally had 1.52 minute lap times. The Porsche Club race 944 winner's best lap was 1.48 in the same conditions. The oil never got above 285, the highest I saw the G-meter reach was 1.17 (banked corner to so who knows what it really was). I left the competitive mode on most of the time and did get the active handling intervention message on about 1/3 of the corners. It must not be tuned for slicks because the car didn't want to push out but it did make me feel very safe. After a long cool down, the front rotors generally ran 195 degrees and the backs were 75 degrees more. I assume they were more because the active handling was working them and I don't have an axle mounted duct. I took the temps after a session with all stability control off and the rears were 30 degrees lower but still higher than the fronts. A three section width tire temp and the tire wear indicated not enough negative camber. After 350 miles on the track the back R6s are 1/2 gone and the fronts are 80% gone. I'll flip them both to get a fresh edge on the outside.

The only mechanical issue was in wet conditions at the top of third gear the speedo would sometimes go to zero and then engage again to about 120 MPH when I got into fourth.

My conclusion:
The C6 Z51 is a world class track car that is extremely competitive with very little modification. Hoosier slicks are expensive and I'll move to take offs or Kumhos for the front. The single biggest improvement I could make to the car beyond the driver mod is a set of 18" CCW light weight wheels. I test fitted a C5 ZO6 18" rear to the front figuring I could run these on all four corners but wasn't comfortable with the clearance. This would be more of a pocket book improvement verses a performance improvement allowing me to run take-offs. I will reduce my brake pad aggressiveness one notch front and rear to save rotors. I'll be looking for a better rear brake duct solution to get my temps lower than the fronts. I experienced no brake fade and didn't bleed the brakes all weekend so I won't be buying stainless pistons or lines and won't buy expensive fluid anymore. I will probably switch to a Z06 or some other larger oil cooler. I think it will be hard to stay below 300 degrees when it's 90 outside. The car didn't burn a noticeable amount of oil and I topped it off as indicated in the manual. The intake, engine, and exhaust are stock with the exception of the Nakidparts NPP controller. I'll be keeping them that way as the car doesn't need any more power.

I hope this encourages some new owners to get their cars out on the track where they belong!

Perry5610

I've read about 90% of this and have tracked at MSR houston once with an 08 z51 m6. Had a great time and am going again in October.

I have a limited budget but want to get some better track tires than the stock f1's. Stickier but still daily driver and hopefully not too expensive. I don't care or want run flats. Would also like to get them a little wider - 305's rear and 255 or 265 front.

Nitto Invo's, Bridgestone re11, and Yokahama ad08 all look like options. Maybe the michelins but are so expensive.

Any suggestions? Experience or recommendations?

I ran with stock cold pressures of about 32 PSI and didn't roll over the F1's. Any tire pressure starting points from the experts?

What about wheel alignment for the track?

Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

Jacki&GeneZ16

In Las Vegas I rented a C6 with good F1s for a Corvette Tracks Day at Spring Mountain and really enjoyed it. Back home in Alaska we don't have an road courses, however, since driving at Spring Mountain 2 years ago we wore out the F1s 265/40-17 front and 295/35-18 rear SuperCar tires on my wife's C5 ZO6 with stock wheels. Now on the same stock rim sizes we use Hoosier A6 for autocrossing 295/40-17 front and 315/30-18 rear, and for the highway we use Nitto NT05 275/40-17 front and 295/35-18 rear.

After writing this (Sep 09) I since found (Dec 09) the Nitto NT05 isn't availalbe in a size near the stock C6 wheels. Too bad, from others (assume they are C5 drivers) on the CF you'll find they are as good as the Michelin PS2 at a little more than half the price. And some on CF recommend these Nittos as a track tire, I agree.

Have fun! PM me if you have questions.

Perry5610

Thanks Much. I'll look at the NT05's closer, I had forgot about them. I had very good luck with nitto 555 on my C5 (not on track though).

Perry

bearnest

For my 06 c6 I ran nitto invo's. Once the got broke in they held up great and not to much noise.

Jacki&GeneZ16

What size of Nitto INVO's are you using on your C6? And did you stay with the stock wheels sizes?

Turbopower87

I would like to start autocrossing, what is the best way to find out where and when they are held in my area? I tried using google and can't find too much info.

thanks,
Neal

argonaut

Hi Neal - SCCA is the biggest organizer of Autocross events. Go to their website (www.scca.com) and click on the "Find Your Region" button. Generally each region has a website listing the dates, times, locations of events. Some regions offer AX schools in the spring, if you can find one, thats the best way to get started.

Jacki&GeneZ16

Neal, Argonaut is right. Check out the SCCA website, but don't be confused: an autocross in SCCA speak is called a "Solo." Years ago I autocrossed in the Erie PA with the Misery Bay Region, and the Steel Cities Region. Most SCCA Regions are made up of local clubs. The closest SCCA club to Mechanicsburg may be the Appalachian Sports Car Club, Susquehanna Region SCCA in Harrisburg http://www.scca-susq.com/ . From last years info, sounds like they had a REALLY SWEET EVENT at Hershey Park.

Also, checkout the offerings of the Porsche Club of America, their Zone 2 includes the Central PA Region. Their next http://www.cpa-pca.org/index3.html Autocross will be at Hershey Park, April 18, 2010. Here in Alaska PCA puts together Autocrosses that are a little more open to accommodate our more powerful cars.
Have Fun!
Gene member of:
SubZero Motorsports, Team ZR-1 Motorsports Alaska, Western State Corvette Council, Anchorage Corvette Association, the Alaska Sports Car Club, and the SCCA Guam Region

Turbopower87

Thanks guys I plan to sign up for one 30 min from me in March!

kimmer

This thread is great!, my first autox was last weekend and I did respectfully for my first outing, with i read hear i learned a lot of things i was doing wrong, Cant wait for the next one and apply what i learned, Thanks everyone.