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[Z06] thoughts on adding oil before track day?

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Old Apr 18, 2013 | 10:04 PM
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Default thoughts on adding oil before track day?

Do you guys do this? Do you drain a liter after or leave it in?

I heard you should add a liter before going to a track.

I'll be attending a 2 day driving school next weekend.

Thanks!
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Old Apr 18, 2013 | 10:16 PM
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absolutely add the extra oil. Even the owner's manual recommends it for racing purposes. Drain it after the track day and refill with the correct amount. Have fun it's a blast on the track!!
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Old Apr 18, 2013 | 10:41 PM
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Yes. You'll probably burn most of it off so there's really no need to drain afterwards.
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Old Apr 19, 2013 | 12:09 AM
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You definitely don't want less oil in the pan during high speed maneuvers, that's bad. Your motor will hate you afterwards like a d*** with no skills.
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Old Apr 19, 2013 | 07:12 AM
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Definitely do it

It was actually in the vhs tape that came with the car (Not sure if it is in the owner's manual as well)

I haven't tracked mine in a long time- last time I did two weeks later I checked and the oil was back to normal level
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Old Apr 19, 2013 | 09:38 AM
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So add one full quart?

Does it matter if it's the exact oil? Or so long as it's 10/30 synthetic like what's in it.
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Old Apr 19, 2013 | 10:54 AM
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Originally Posted by Scooter70
Yes. You'll probably burn most of it off so there's really no need to drain afterwards.
HAHA! yep.


I'd use the same brand / viscosity though..
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Old Apr 19, 2013 | 11:16 AM
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Yes, add the extra oil. Myself and others have not drained it afterwards.

I run 7.5 quarts all the time. Mine's a street/track car and I've done 15 track days with it and put 10,000 miles on it. No issues.

I run Amsoil 10W30 Z-Rod.
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Old Apr 19, 2013 | 11:29 AM
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I thanks, I just got mine changed and they used some sort of german synethetic 10w30, place is far away though, so I was just gonna add a quart of mobil 1 10w30
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Old Apr 19, 2013 | 01:58 PM
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Ok maybe I am a tard but I swear these cars call for 5w30 full synthetic, not 10w30?
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Old Apr 19, 2013 | 06:26 PM
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Yup

10.5 qts here or 15w50. have an accu-sump.

10w30 is good, 40 wt racing oil is good too.

5-w30 is ok for one or two events, but if you start dong more go heavier in the oil.

5w30 flows like water and is too thin when hot over 200 for extended times. breaks down quickly too.

so at least 10-w-30
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Old Apr 19, 2013 | 07:29 PM
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Originally Posted by SKMCOBRA
Ok maybe I am a tard but I swear these cars call for 5w30 full synthetic, not 10w30?
Yea, that's the general purpose recommendation. But oil viscosity can be adjusted for optimization depending on use.
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Old Apr 19, 2013 | 08:22 PM
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i meant 10w30 sorry.
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Old Apr 20, 2013 | 12:37 PM
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It should be the same with 5w30 10w40 or even 15w50, makes little difference. Go ahead put in another quart if it's low, five quarts of 10w40 with one quart of 5w30. You'll be fine, the engine won't complain.
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Old Apr 20, 2013 | 12:46 PM
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Originally Posted by magneto10
Definitely do it

It was actually in the vhs tape that came with the car (Not sure if it is in the owner's manual as well)

I haven't tracked mine in a long time- last time I did two weeks later I checked and the oil was back to normal level
This is good info, it does say this in the manual as well!
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Old Apr 21, 2013 | 09:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Sprayy
Do you guys do this? Do you drain a liter after or leave it in?

I heard you should add a liter before going to a track.

I'll be attending a 2 day driving school next weekend.

Thanks!
GM did recommend running a quart (litre) over for track days and I do this all the time - every session. Uncovering the oil pump pickup point is a very real risk at the track, particularly in high g, high rpm, long left hand turns where the oil moves away from the pickup point and doesn't drain well from the right side valve train.

I've read that the LS6 oil pan allows about 2.5 qts overfill before the oil hits the bottom of the crank which would cause foaming, so 1 quart over is not a problem.

As my car is only track now, I don't worry about the overfill after the event as there is no after the event. For the street, I'd just leave it there.

FYI, I run AMSOIL's Dominator Racing 10w30 at the track, but my car has an aftermarket larger racing aluminum radiator and aftermarket external oil cooler. Watch your oil temps without these extra coolers. My personal rule of thumb is that the viscosity of a 30 grade oil has dropped to dangerously low levels over somewhere about 270F when used in high load situations (like the track). With my setup, my oil temps are typically 245-255F.

If you are going to add Mobil 1 10w30, I'd use the "High Mileage" oil - it has more zinc and phosphorus than allowed by current API SN (or dexos1) specs at 1000 ppm phosphorus, 1100 ppm zinc. Not as good as the AMSOIL Z-ROD mentioned above at 1320 ppm phosphorus, 1440 ppm zinc, the AMSOIL Dominator Racing 10w30 I use at 1474 ppm phosphorus, 1575 ppm zinc, but better than the 800 ppm allowed by the current API SN spec.
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Old Apr 21, 2013 | 12:14 PM
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Originally Posted by SKMCOBRA
Ok maybe I am a tard but I swear these cars call for 5w30 full synthetic, not 10w30?
Z Rod doesn't come in 5W30 but is a better oil for the track than M1.
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Old Apr 21, 2013 | 01:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Supercharged111
Z Rod doesn't come in 5W30 but is a better oil for the track than M1.
I ran Valvoline full synthetic 5w30 in my 4V Cobra for six years and never had any issues. Makes me a believer in Valvoline the way I beat on that car up to 6,900rpms. Anyone ran this specific Valvoline in their Z?
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Old Apr 23, 2013 | 06:16 PM
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Don't know if you want to run overfill for street, it would be disadvantageous because of additional oil in the pan for street driving.
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Old Apr 23, 2013 | 06:46 PM
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Originally Posted by AU N EGL
5w30 flows like water and is too thin when hot over 200 for extended times. breaks down quickly too.

so at least 10-w-30
5W-30 and 10W-30 should be the same at operating temp. If standard xW-30 is too thin for track use, then one should step up to xW-40.

Originally Posted by ASIHRA
Don't know if you want to run overfill for street, it would be disadvantageous because of additional oil in the pan for street driving.
Why?
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