Can'tHave2MuchHP

Going to be buying a C6 Z06 here soon as a dedicated track toy and wondering what you guys have done for yours. I'm thinking about starting with fluids/tires and going from there.

OEM Wheels with some R888Rs or possibly some Hoosiers or similar if I can get the right sizes. Also looked at NT01s.

Complete fluid flush/replace.

Brake upgrade? I'll do these as needed.

Suspension upgrades? Necessary? I'm not sure how well it will perform nor if I'll need any upgrades but what have you done to yours to help out?

As for aero, probably just run ZR1 aero and that's it. Not interested in tearing into the body that much for things like a wing or similar.

Possibly some power upgrade. I know the heads on the LS7 are an issue, I already have an LS7 car (2013 427) and I'm familiar with the power and characteristics. In order to fix the heads, I might as well do Heads/Cam/Headers/Intake/Tune at the same time I think...I'm only going to buy the highest quality parts and use the best installer (me) and tuner in the area. I'll make sure it's all for track use, so probably specced by Katech who knows the LS7 and track engines inside and out.

What regular maintenance should I expect? Besides oil changes, brake pads, tires, brake fluid, trans fluid, and clutch flush. What else?

______________________

Below is edited to reflect information gathered below...

Some changes I'm going to make and plans for the future...

NT01 Tires or R888R depending
Complete fluid flush/change
Carbotech Pads front and rear
DBA Rotors front and rear
Motul 600 fluid for clutch and brakes
Fix stock heads, and still stuck here. Not sure if I should just go aftermarket Heads/Cam or send the heads out to be fixed.
Possibly Bilstein DRMs
ZR1 Aero
Alignment

Mordeth

Very, very happy to hear this! C6Z was built by God himself for this very thing (road course with turns). Always happy to help a fellow C6Z owner (or soon to be) that desires to drive his car as God himself intended.

The answers to your questions are that it depends. It depends on your driving experience/skill on a race track (if any), what kind of tracks you will be on and how often you will be going. If it is truly a dedicated track car and you are an experienced driver that will give the car alot of track work then your list of mods will be different than compared to a new driver who only goes occasionally or is just starting out with the hobby. So kindly provide more details on your experience, frequency of use and specific tracks - otherwise I am spitballing.

The only thing you MUST initially do to put a stock C6Z w/ fixed heads on a race track is to get an alignment, change the fluids (oil, trans, clutch, diff), install dedicated track pads, flush with good brake fluid and run fresh tires. Then drive the bitch like you stole it and pass everyone else. C6Z is a monster on a road course pretty much as it sits.

And so you are already starting out wrong by considering more power and 19" wheels for a dedicated track car, that needs reliability and flexibility - not MORE POWA AND BLING (comon man). Furthermore, A7s are an autocross tire, as they come up to temperature fast. But they wear out EXCEEDINGLY quickly so they are typically only used by racers and autocrossing - not in HPDE. I've raced on them before and they don't last long at all - so ditch that idea.

So here are some things to consider doing along the way:

1) Fix the heads (don't pass on this one)
2) Add some power while you are in there for the hell of it (but no reason to go crazy). Yes I love more power like the next guy , but: More power = more heat. More power = more things that break. More power does not necessarily = faster lap times. More power simply makes it a little bit more fun on the track, but will always cost you more money/hassle in both the short and long run. Further, I guarantee you that no matter how much power you add that you will not beat my de-tuned C6Z with a small cam and ballast added on any track on planet Earth for at least 5 years. So why are you adding more power? To go faster? You won't. To lower lap times? Nope. To take corners faster? Haha nope. To break things more often and act cool? Yep. So think long and hard about spending money adding lots of power when it can be spent better elsewhere. You want RELIABILITY. If your car is always broken (like most guys on this forum that simply add MORE POWA) then it won't be on a race track much at all.
3) Address the oiling system. If the car is an 8 qt car then you should add the Lingenfelter expanded tank which adds 3 quarts. While doing that you should add the AVIAID tank baffle. And once your oil pan gasket starts to leak (and it will), then add the Improved Racing pan baffle when you replace the gasket. Eventually, you will get fast
enough to need a larger oil cooler and the Improved Racing cooler with thermostat is the ticket. Also add a Mighty Mouse catch can.
4) Address the brakes. You need dedicated track pads and rotors, as the OEM are not up to the task. The calipers can handle a few seasons though so keep 'em. The pad selection depends on your skill and the track you are on. I would suggest you start with Carbotech XP12 for the front and XP10 for the rear. DBA 5000 rotors for the front and the OEM rotors for the rear until they crack then DBA 4000. Motul 600 or Castrol SRF for brake fluid. Nevermind a BBK right now.
5) Address the tires. I would not go directly to Hoosiers. Start with NT01 (which come in OEM sizes). A great R compound track tire that lasts forever and can also be driven on the street. Or MPSS if you want to actually LEARN.
6) Address the suspension. Again this depends on your skill and the tracks you will be on. A good start are DRM Bilsteins (shocks). Leave rest of suspension alone until you build skill and confidence and know what the car is doing/not doing. You won't be at the limit of ANYTHING except your own skill for a LONG time (accept this fact now and save yourself some money in the process). At some point you will want coilovers, larger sways and spherical bearings (but all COMPLETELY unnecessary now).
7) Address the aero. C6Z suffers from front end lift at speed. A ZR1 splitter + splitter re-inforcement brace helps to initially address this issue. So does a vented hood (which also helps with cooling).

And this is just a start to creating a reliable, dependable, fast/quick track car. What you want most of all is SEAT TIME. Seat time is where you get better. Seat time is where you have fun. Seat time is when you are using the car as GOD HIMSELF INTENDED. Save and scrape all your money for SEAT TIME AT THE TRACK, otherwise you will be scraping together your money for REPAIRS in your GARAGE. (just look at all of the recent posts of guys whose cars literally live in their/someone elses garage torn apart and getting "fixed" because they just can't leave them alone). I'm at the track LITERALLY every single week either instructing, racing or practicing, not screwing around breaking stuff that didn't need fixing in the first place! Never mind MORE POWA and MORE BLING. Get your *** on the track and start taking names. Nevermind ripping the car apart to add 20hp that you can't even use!

I've helped alot of guys on this forum "off-line" with buying and setting up their cars for a road course. If you are serious about this feel free to PM me or email me at agnick5@yahoo.com. I am an instructor for many groups and a racer and am happy to help a fellow C6Z owner get on the track. Also happy to chat on the phone.

Either way, best of luck!

Anthony

Can'tHave2MuchHP

Wow! What a helpful response. I greatly appreciate it. My driving experience is pretty significant, though not necessarily with street cars on the track. I used to race some open wheel race cars and 'Karts and have always had performance cars since I was 14. But I'm not going to claim to be the fastest driver or need upgrades right away.

I agree with what you wrote. More than likely I'll do exactly what you said. I'll bookmark your post and read it several times as well as emailing you when I need info.

Keep the info coming, if there's any left on the table, lol!

Shortlist...

Tires
Complete fluid change
Brake pads and rotors when the stock ones go
Eventually shocks
ZR1 aero
SEAT TIME - As many HPDEs as I can.

I have 2 local tracks I'll likely be going to regularly. M1 Concourse and Waterford which are both relatively short, low speed tracks (Tops of about 125 MPH) but they're both a lot of fun. Eventually if I get serious enough, I'll start traveling with the car to tracks to check off the bucket list, already have the big car hauler and tow rig.

Mordeth

Awesome! I bet you get up to speed fast then.

And what you wrote on initial mods is correct, except you should change the brake pads before putting the car on the track. OEM pads are not up to the task as they are a street pad. They will fade quickly. Go right to Carbotech XP12 front and XP10 or XP8 rear. And replace brake fluid with Motul 600.

So it looks like this:

Tires: NT01 or MPSS (I'd go NT01 based on your experience. They are very effective, OEM sized, inexpensive and they last)
Brakes: Carbotech XP12 front and XP10 or 8 rear. Stock rotors until they crack (and they will) then DBA. Motul 600 fluid
Shocks: Stock or DRM Bilsteins (DRMs are cheap - around $500 and a very worthy mod for guys like us)
Complete fluid change: OEM fluids or AMSOIL
ZR1 aero: You don't need expensive carbon fiber, but you should do the reinforcement brace
SEAT TIME

And those are two great tracks!

Can'tHave2MuchHP

Sounds great. I appreciate the help!

dcooper23

Great information on a great thread! I started doing HPDEs in my H/C car about a year ago at Road Atlanta. So much fun and can really be rewarding as you get faster! I plan to do Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, Barber, and VIR in the near future. Once you start, youre hooked!

Racingswh

One upgrade I would consider doing to the suspension sooner rather than later Mordeth mentions in part 6 of his first post are bushings. I found that once the bushings were replaced, and in my case used Delrin, the car became more stable and predictable everywhere.

I found the stock rubber bushings to be overly compliant and resulted in unpredictable handling characteristics as you approached the limit.

I also found the stock brake calipers and rotors underwhelming. They were just okay on the GS but not robust or powerful enough to work well for very long on a Z06. I switched to an Essex / AP Racing brake kit front and rear and feel it's one of the best mods I have ever made on any car.

Good luck. These cars are just fantastic and are still one of the very fastest sports cars in the world on a road course when set up properly.

Can'tHave2MuchHP

I'm going to try just running some good Carbotech pads and a rotor upgrade when they crack. If the calipers become a limitation for me I will look at ordering those too when the rotors go.

Mordeth

Racingswh is correct. However, for someone purchasing a C6Z that initially just wants to get it on the track to have a little fun there is no reason to spend $5000 on an AP Racing BBK and $2500 on monoballs. It creates a cost prohibitive "entry fee" to the track that most average guys will avoid by simply not going to the track. We want to encourage more of our cars on the track, and fact is that for the most part they are very capable just as they sit. The OEM calipers with Carbotech pads and a set of DRM Bilsteins are a very affordable and effective way to get the car on the race track, go fast, learn the car and have fun (the most important thing of all). He can also easily re-sell the DRMs (I did) if he moves to coilovers. And pads are a consumable anyhow. What we don't want is for him to spend $10,000 on track mods, create tons of down time "improving things" and then stress, only to not enjoy himself and then sell the car. Believe me, there is plenty of money to be spent once you are addicted (most of which should go to reliability mods, safety mods and track time anyhow).

If he gets fast, moves to race tires and ends up a track junky like you and me then yes these are 100% necessary improvements (complete suspension, bearings, BBK etc).

Racingswh

I get it for sure.

For me it's just been my experience that having brakes that work flawlessly and a predictable suspension setup are two aspects that make the car incredibly fun to use as a track car.

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

If you would like to discuss comps shoot me a pm or give me a shout.

Red_eagle_1

It is encouraging to see that there are other people that have the same mentality as I do. I like to say that this is my first post and i am a new Z06 owner as of last wednesday. I am coming from driving various Subaru WRX and STI's in the past and with an opprotunity that I had to get into a Z i had to take it. I am always telling the Subie people to get out there and drive the car. Nobody listens. I am looking forward to taking my beast out to the auto-x and the road courses in the southeast region. I am also looking into the advice on what may need to be done to have my car a reliable track car.

tw78911sc

I recently bought a 07 Z06, did the heads/cam, the LS7 is a beast. I elected to make sure you can stop the beast at 160mph at large tracks. Added grill to rotor brake ducting, rebuilt all calipers (10 year old car, with low miles I doubt they were ever flushed, pistons had oxidation, some pistons took 100 PSI to even get them out because of seals/dust covers, and junk bleeder screws that would'nt even allow a good bleed. replaced the crap brake pins with RB, put RB SS pistons in front caliper, Motul 600 brake/clutch, have Raybesto's ST race pads for track. Had a remote clutch bleeder added because the clutch dust gets into fluid real bad, real fast. I also sent out my dry sump tank to Lingenfelter to have it enlarged by 3 qts, early models had a smaller tank and added a Aivaid tank insert to help out with making sure oil foaming was in check.

Got interior ergo issues sorted, changed clutch return spring to a C5, better release feel, added pedal covers to assist with heel/toe and a simple delrin shift **** instead a of a hot rod cue ball.

Get rid of zero flats, get a proper alignment.

Lot of work and $$$, not like starting off with a Porsche

Can'tHave2MuchHP

Great post, thank you. I will definitely be rebuilding all my brakes and doing a fluid overhaul first thing. I'm curious about those pedal covers though, care to share what you got?

tw78911sc

https://www.performancepedals.com/collections/chevrolet-billet-pedal-sets/products/chevrolet-corvette-billet-pedal-covers-performance-pedals

Lets you move brake closer to gas etc..

dcooper23

How many track miles/hours do you (or anyone else here) have on your LS7? I have a track buddy that dumped his c6z for a c7z because he swears all LS7s are all ticking time bombs... My heads are fixed and low miles but the thought is still in the back of my mind and he brings it up constantly... I have even thought about switching to a c5z platform but I just KNOW I will miss the capability, looks, and POWER of my H/C C6Z.. Any insight here is appreciated!

EDIT: For what its worth, I do most of my tracking at Road Atlanta. I run most of the track in 3-4 and usually never take the car above 5500rpm and still run faster than most everything on the track Lol

_BlueZ06_

I agree with Mordeth's post above on the order of events if you're starting to track on the car. Currently, I have about 50+ track hours on my engine. For reference, I fixed my heads and have added all the oil system upgrades (LPE tank expansion, engine pan baffle, dry sump baffle) to ensure reliability. I recently had an oil sample come back from Blackstone with no visual signs of wear or metal so I have been very happy with the car. No cooling issues with stock radiator and stock 08Z oil cooler. I run on 200 TW tires in my series and my brake calipers seep through the bleeder valves despite cooling routed from the front. Previous owner might have over torqued them, but they all seem to seep when out on track for 20+ minutes.

tw78911sc

The brake bleeder valves have the same issues with the new OEM Brembo calipers they put on newer models. not sure why they cant get that right.

AzDave47

Front brake cooling is a must if you are doing regular road course work and stay with OEM calipers ; https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-new-look.html

I "consumed" my front calipers in about 18 track days.




PM me with your regular e-mail and I will send you detailed info on the mod (not expensive). Unfortunately it seems like the Quantum cooling out to the rotors is no longer available.

The OEM rear shocks also need to be replaced. Now you would prefer DRM valved Bilsteins or alternatively Bilstein sports if the DRMs are not available in your timeframe. The OEM rear shocks impart a squirrel ly feeling to the car that goes away with the Bilsteins.

Fulton 1