Some people awhile back were asking about the C-6 brake upgrade kit for our C-3's. IMO they are a viable street brake upgrade, but don't expect to take them to the track

Saturday I got to road race a C-6 with the Z-51 performance suspension. The owner is a new lady friend that wanted to learn how to drive her Vette. She decided to take her car out for a track day. I get to drive a variety of fast road racing cars. So it was great opportunity to actually get to know what a brand new C-6 was all about on a track that I have spent years driving around.

I had only heard about this traction control button from some of the other C-6 guys talking in the shade waiting for their track session. Full traction control - If the car has any wheel going a slightly different rpm than any other, some % then it will brake individual or multi wheels to make them all match. I guess what that means is that the most inept dumb *** owner dump can the clutch at 4000 rpm that the rear brakes come on and the fuel injection shuts down to limit rear tire power induced spinning. So he doesn't bite the curb the first time showing off to his friends. Setting # 2 is competition mode. It just screws you over less and lets dumb *** run respectable lap times. Setting # 3 is off and you get a warning light. That just means that your foot is getting a weird feeling from the ABS into every turn, but you don't have the computer tapping the brakes and the fuel injection shutting down your power.

The first thing that I did was to Turn off the traction control

I did a half *** lap to kind of see what it would do and then I sped up to test the limits. The stock tires are not up to the task. it didn't help that I had just got out of my Vette equipped with big slicks and optimum alignment settings. The front end went right into push. It is a design safety factor for the typical driver. The front tires are sliding to the outside of the turn and your nose will hit the wall first. Which can be corrected by a tap on the brakes to get some weight x-fer to the front tires or on a wide race track it can be corrected by more gas. Because it goes into 4 wheel drift and then the rear comes around to square off the corner after the apex. I learned that it was best to enter turns at a lower mph and use the gas pedal to modulate the car. I have to say this......... It is 30 years of technology over a C-3. So it could make the 60 year old never owned a Vette before person be able to run some fast lap times.

Never having driven a C-6 I was surprised that within two laps on the 3.2 mile course that the cockpit was filled with burning brake smell. So I had to back off on the late braking.

The rear traction was more than enough. The lack of TQ allows you to drive it with your foot on the floor right after the apex of all but the slowest of turns clear to the next braking zone. The rear gear is in need of a 4.10 or something. Very lack luster acceleration after doing the 3-4 shift at 6500. Main straight maybe gets up to @5000 rpm at a little over 120 mph in 4th gear. It's a One HP per nearly 9 pounds.

Years ago when the C-5 Z06 came out the owners were all raving about them with the 405 some hp motor. The base model C-6 came out with as much power as the older vettes top of the line Z-06 model with more low end TQ.

I guess that I just expected more. I don't like driving a car with my foot on the floor all the time. It's like saying, "come on, come on it's time to go!" I was also really disappointed that the brakes were smoking in two laps. It's like Vettes are the American sports car and it is sad that they have to be modified.

I'd never fit into the I'm proud of my C-6 corvette club the base models are nothing to brag about. Unless you step up to the $100,000+ plate and buy the 427 ci Z-06 or the ZR-1

 

Did you turn the active handling/traction control off? You didn't mention what setting you ran it on. I don't think you could drive a C6 on stock tires foot to the floor all the time unless AH/TC was on. I've driven C5 Z's enough on track to know they have enough torque that you couldn't do it, and C6's have even more.

I think a C6 Z51 with tires and alignment has enough to do some damage and turn at least respectable times; maybe not in the league of a Z06, but at least respectable. Like any other car the brakes won't last on track without cooling. Especially when they have ABS and you can drive them deep into the corners. If I'm not mistaken the C6 Z51 pads are the same as the C5Z pads, and those have been found to be at least decent on the track, as far as stock pads go.

 

Yes, I had it turned off. The local track is kind of a 3rd and 4th gear only. I tried using 2nd on some of the slowest of turns and I decided that the extra shifts were not worth it. PDX cars don't run a x-ponder so I wasn't getting lap times. Also the track is at 4200 feet on hot day so your down on power compared to the sea level tracks.

Even in second on the tight turn and up a 120 feet of elevation change it would only spin the tires for a little bit and then grab. With only a minor steering correction. 3rd gear would also spin to lesser extent on the same turn.

These new motors don't really come on with a big power spike. I would bet that on a dyno they have a very linear TQ curve

 

What does the C6 have for calipers?
Are they the Brembo's on 14" rotors? or is that just the Zo6?

How do you like your brakes? were they worth it?

Oh Yea, and way to go George! Make those C6's earn their keep!

 

The ZR-1 is the one with the Brembo brakes and carbon ceramic rotors. Z06 has 6-piston calipers.

 

No the base models are some 6 piston on the front design. Driven hard they would boil the fluid away and suffer complete braking loss before the end of a session and I didn't want to dork them up because she drove the next two sessions with me as a passenger

My C-3 with Wilwoods and air cooling let you drive and brake as hard as you want. I never had to baby them at the end of a lapping session.

The C-6 30 minute session was right after I climbed out of my Vette with big slicks and over 200 more HP with less weight. So the C-6 was like driving an under powered family car. Nothing scary. Just driving around while talking to the lady about racing line and explaining that the front tires are just sliding because we exceeded the traction limits and it just takes a little work to then correct and hit the apex rumble strips.

Road racing is just a series of short drag races. In a lower powered car it gives you alot more time between the corners to think about what you are doing and alot less mph to have to scrub off. If I owned a Miata and just jumped out I would have been impressed with a C-6. It's hard to down grade!

 

That's what i got from looking at your videos. You've got it all wrong.

You actually need a lower hp car to really learn how to drive.

 

That's the bigest buyers of a C-6.

 

Yes, I have learned allot since those two year old original videos. I'm now smooth enough that I'm rarely making major or quick steering changes. My poor old vette is also done at the track. I'm selling all my spare sets of slicks and wheels. This winter the motor is getting a refresh, cage changes, new rear end gears. Turn it into a 600+ hp daily driver

I'm going to concentrate on historic open wheel racing. March F2 that in capable hands often get the fastest lap times at major historic events.

I wish you luck on your next racing season. To bad that we live across the country apart. When I upgraded wheels and brakes I gave away all my 15 inch racing wheels with mounted slicks, sets of calipers, stacks of new and resurfaced rotors. I just cleaned out my garage.

A good route for you to go is the SCCA instructor certification. Then you can get allot of seat time instructing HPDE & PDX schools. Then move up to the Time trial, track trials level. I had a good time driving around laguna Seca last month in a Porsche event for free.