Took my C5 Z06 to BMP for a little track time. Lined up against a gentlemen in a yellow C6 coupe who wanted to race my Z06. Cool!

However, the air condition was not perfect. No wind, and it was very, very humid with a temp around 81-82 F.

Our engines had time to cool since I got there around 8:30 and didn't make my first run until 10:30 because there were so many cars there. One race car tagged a wall at the far end and some fast cars oiled/watered down the track, a lot. Just part of racing. Waiting for the track to be cleaned is better than having my own car break at the track.

C5Z06- 2001 with 2002 Z06 hpipe, 2 degrees more WOT timing, Blackwing, 170 thermostat and 2003 Z06 clutch. 360/363 rwhp/tq

C6 Coupe- Mild heads and cam package. He wasn't sure what the specs were, just that he had heads and cam put in with tuning. He also had LG longtubes and a full exhaust put on. It sounded healthy, but perfectly streetable. Again, not sure what kind of cat back it had. I don't know the different C6 exhausts memorized yet, sorry. I'm guessing it had the mildest heads/cam package you can get.

My engine was starting to cool down pretty well after the 57 mile trip and 2 hours wait in the staging lanes.

I did no burnout since I was at the start of the lane 1 following a ton of slick tired cars that just ran. I knew the track would hook, so I didn't do a burnout. Also, if I do a burnout, my clutch/slave gets too hot and I didn't want to have my clutch not disengage on my 1-2 shift (been there, done that).

I held 3000 rpm and aggressively let the clutch out. The car launched hard but then hopped badly 10 feet out. On off the gas and it bit hard again. As soon as I got back on it the C6 jumped ahead. I pulled second gear at 6000 rpm and it hopped again. I usually shift 1-2 at 6000 and get really good ET's, every time it works that way???Any thoughts Ranger??? The 2-3 and 3-4 shifts I take at 6500. So on the 1-2 I had to lift again and get back on it. Now the C6 put a car length between us. This isn't looking so good...

He ran a 12.4 to my 12.7. His mph was 116.80 to my 114.59. Dang, wish the staging lanes weren't closed so we could have run again. It would have been a closer race had I not hopped so badly, twice. I know I needed to be smoother with the clutch, but I was too anxious to get a little more out of it. I'll look for him next time I'm out there...

What do you think of the heads and cam work? Must have been mild, or just had a mild WOT tune. What's your guess? From my experience with H/C vettes, I thought for sure I was up against a 120+ mph monster...

 

It's weird that he wouldn't now the specs of the cam. If I had mods, I would know exactly what was in it. Certainly seems slow in my opinion. Your car runs strong no doubt.

 

would of should of could of you lost. he could have had same problems, stock tires tm. or sandbagging i got to defend him this is the c6 section.

 

Heads and cam and he doesn't know the specs. Sounds odd.

 

H/C without knowing the specs? I don't think that's a big deal. Just shows he's probably modding for the fun of it, without taking it seriously. Supporting that is the fact that he put in a mild cam.

That also explains slower time than you'd expect. He probably is out there for fun, not to run the car ***** to the wall. Just my guess, and imo nothing wrong with it.

 

Hi TurboTnZ06,

Wheel hop comes when the driver is too aggressive with the throttle, overpowers available traction and then stays on the throttle. Gotta avoid the hop because it can break the rear end.

Four steps for avoiding wheel hop:
(1) run the stock rears at 24-28 psi
(2) warm the tires by a burnout
(3) modulate the throttle on launch and the shifts to maintain traction
(4) run drag radials

Given your description, suggest checking your clutch fluid. With that in mind, here are three clutch fluid issue threads to review:

Clutch Pedal Woes--Fluid Impact

C6Z06 Clutch Hydraulic Fluid--the Chevy Spec

Clutch Pedal Woes--Fluid Changing Kit

I never let my clutch fluid get really dark (e.g. out of control). Closest I get to "nasty" is dark amber, during and after making passes. So, using my kit, I change it:

(1) Night before the drags and then...

(2) after every 2-3 passes. And then...

(3) every few days until the fluid remains clear. And then...

(4) I check it each time I add gasoline. If it's not clear, I start again at (3).

This may seem obsessive. But a change take 3-4 minutes and can prevent pedal issues that would consume far more time & $$ in premature clutch replacement and collateral tranny issues.

Ranger

 

Ranger;

Do you just remove the dark fluid from the reservoir and replace it with new fluid?

Thanks

 

Yes, and the procedure is covered in the threads I gave links to; they provide a lot of info on the rationale too.

Ranger

 

Thanks Ranger- I've always followed your accomplishments over the years! I posted your 11.20 over on TurboBuick.com that first day you posted about it just to get those guys aware of what the new Z06 can run since not many of them were aware of the baddness of the new Z06

Yeah, I suck the fluid out all the time with my handheld brake fluid pump and refill the reservoir. The first time I did it (Christmas 2001), well, my fluid was a thick gel-like substance Next time the tranny comes out I'll do a speed bleeder for the clutch too. I'm thinking LS2 flywheel and LS7 clutch are gonna go in my car this winter...

My biggest problem is seat time in the Z06. For the past few years I've raced it at Bandimere (elev 5800 ft). That made for a mid 13 second car at best. I had no problem with wheel hop since I was down about 80-120 hp depending on DA. A 105 mph car requires different throttle off the line than a 115 mph car. I've also been running my Turbo Buick (10 sec) more than the vette and it is just a floor it and steer it down the track type of car...

 

Yeah he was having a good time. He also had a cute, younger little asian girl with him She raced her 350Z too, which was cool.