benspruce

I am plannng to take my C6 to the Bonneville Salt Flats this summer. I didn't know until recently that anyone can drive his car on the Salt Flats when there are no scheduled events. I saw a video of a guy driving his 2003 vette to 163 mph. It looked like an exciting thing to do. However, the big deal is getting salt all over your car and into such things as the wheel bearings. The advice is to wash your car thoroughly and quickly after leaving the salt flats. Does anyone have any experience with this, and what is your recommendation? Is it too risky for the car? Thanks, Jim

Mad*Max

Gearhead Jim

Considering how the salt will get into everything, you might try the same technique I use on our C6 when driving to Florida from Chicago, during the winter:

Wipe off the bottom of the frame, then put duct tape over the shippng slots. There are other places for the salt to get into the frame, but the slots are both large and in the wrong places.

When finished, remove the tape. Go through a touchless car wash, preferably one with an underbody spray. Maybe more than once.

Go to the hand-wand bay, and use the wand to spray thoroughly underneath the car. On the rinse cycle, spray water up into the slots to flush out any remaining salt.

As soon as possible, find a big thunderstorm or long rainy day. Try to drive around in the rain for an hour or more. Hit a bunch of shallow puddles at moderate speed, but don't do anything risky to the air intake or to hydroplaning.

Having said all that, we drove our C5 through five chicago winters; both the paint and the underside looked just like any other summer-only Corvette.

sublime1996525

It's something I've wanted to do and I don't live too far away. I would was the car after and you should be fine.

DSOMC6

You need to pick a day when conditions are right. Right after a rain is not good. Also, a lift with a pressure washer will help. But still...on a new/newer car.

Rocketmanwpb

I have seen videos of vehicles that have participated in events at the flats and the salt buildup was unreal-enjoy.

Lucifer13

My wife and I drove out there from Salt Lake to take some pics with the car since I had never been there. Definitely try to go when it hasn't rained for a while. I thought we did but the salt still had a damp feel to it and clung to your shoes like crazy. We took our shoes off and put them on something in the hatch so salt didn't get everywhere in the interior.

Nothing is marked out there and it's maybe a half mile from the end of the road to where the "track" is. There were some wooden sticks spaced out that showed where the track lane was, but that was it. I took my car up to triple digits but that was enough as salt was flying everywhere. My car was pretty dirty after the trip but the salt came off really easily with the self power wash. I didn't find any salt after several inspections after the wash. I probably wouldn't take my car out there again but it was fun to do it one time.

AV8ForFun

Cool pics.

Wayne O

Nice photos but I'm curious.....is the surface of the 'track' as uneven and bumpy as it is in the photos? Maybe the underlying base is packed smooth but I'd hate to hit those bumps and ridges at speed. I hope during competitions they take a roller and tamp the track smooth.

mad11C6

Amazing shots, thanks for sharing those.

HOXXOH

The surface is crusty for maybe the first inch. They scrape the track as part of the prep.

Triple digits are far easier on IS 80 that goes across the salt, but illegal.

JoesC5

No way would I drive my car on the Salt, unless I was on the way to the dealer to trade it in(after a bath).

If you want to run some high speeds, take a nice vacation and drive to Talladega. Driving the high banked corners and the long 4,000' back stretch is a blast. It's worth the extra time and money to drive the distance to get there. http://www.vettes4vets.com/

R&L's C6

Totally.

I also remember someone posting that their car was overheating after going there and it turned out their radiator was clogged with salt.

EVRose

Do it in a Hertz rental.

yeller z06

Your wheel bearings are sealed. Other than that, yes, you will get salt in places you'd never have thought of and you will regret it. On top of that, the surface is very slick and it's hard to get traction. And heaven forbid if you have an accident or the car breaks down, will they ever find your body?

Jimmy W1

I don't know why you'd want to drive all the way to the Bonneville Salt Flats to see how fast your car will drive. You have a great place there in California to do that.....it's called Interstate 5.........

Lucifer13

The track area is perfectly smooth. These pics were taken between the end of the paved road and the track where it is bumpier.

EVRose

Check out the Viper in THIS thread. Probably pretty much how the vette would look after a day in the salt.

HOXXOH

These pics were taken in Oct '11 when racing was cancelled.
End of road is here. Notice water in the background.



The track is in the distance and lots of water all over. It'll need to rain and flood several more times to smooth out all the tire tracks.



I had salt on the bottom, in wheelwells, on suspension, and carpets. And I never even left the paved road. On previous trips when it was bone dry, I had minimal salt anywhere.

Please use caution if you drive on the salt. It's very thin in areas and is a WIP for restoration.

bradb

I've run Bonneville during Speed Week and am going back this August.
The SCTA-BNI volunteers scrape the track to smooth it out. Takes them a few weeks to finalize.

Suggest you spray Salt-Away under your care BEFORE going to keep salt off.





We are taking motorcycles back this year. :-)

It's a magical place.