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That's not true if your car is equipped w/ Performance Traction Management (PTM) in Z51 and above cars w/ MSRC and the eLSD. In Track/PTM Wet, MSRC is in Tour mode, and in Track/PTM Dry, MSRC is in Sport mode.
In a standard or Z51 Stingray without MSRC, Track mode doesn't do anything to change the suspension, so it can't increase the risk of cracking a wheel.
It's still cold out here, and I'm still breaking the engine in, so I have only tried weather or touring mode so far on mine, but my plan is to run it in track mode all the time eventually (except when it's below 50F or if it's raining)
I have the base model without MSRC, so I want to keep it in track mode in order to get the best possible throttle response.
It's still cold out here, and I'm still breaking the engine in, so I have only tried weather or touring mode so far on mine, but my plan is to run it in track mode all the time eventually (except when it's below 50F or if it's raining)
I have the base model without MSRC, so I want to keep it in track mode in order to get the best possible throttle response.
With the base model, pretty much the only thing that will change when you have the car in "track" mode is the steering weight and throttle response. If you have the NPP exhaust, then the exhaust note will be at its loudest also.
My car doesn't have MSRC, and I try to avoid pot holes at all costs. The tires are like rubber bands over the rims. If I hit a pot hole, I'm sure it would bend or break a rim because there is very little tire to cushion the impact. I seriously doubt MSRC would soften the blow enough to save a tire given a large enough pot hole.
I think the issue over using "Track" mode with MSRC is that if you have it in Sport 1, Sport 2, or Race mode on the street and you hit a patch of uneven or bouncy road, the suspension may not give enough to keep the car straight and you could loose control of the car if you are driving the car at its limits. This is pure speculation, since I don't have any functional experience with MSRC, but it makes the most sense to me.
That rumor was debunked by Tadge's re discussion about wheels breaking in an "Ask Tadge" post, in October 2017. Quoting:
"We design wheels to withstand extreme pothole loads and test them on high speed laboratory equipment that can simulate the entire life-cycle of the vehicle. I have heard from some people that there is a theory that running the car in sport or track can contribute to damaging a wheel. That is not true.
Don't need anything special, MRC is smart!
In my 2014 Z51 non MRC made no difference as to Drive Mode! The likelihood is wheel loads were probably greater than with MRC but those 45 mm Bilsteins, like all quality HP shocks, do adjust! Albeit they only adjust with spring activated changing effective orifice size, etc that make compression and rebound forces rate dependent!
Assume GM's wheel load testing covers none MRC Z51 45 mm Bilstein shocks as well as the weaker springs and 36 mm shocks on the base car.
I have the base model without MSRC, so I want to keep it in track mode in order to get the best possible throttle response.
I drove my 2014 Z51 none MRC in Sport Mode to have the steering response, throttle response etc where I liked it. Got my Grand Sport and set the steering to always Sport and NPP to always Track-regardless of the Mode setting. But no such option for Throttle Response. Was not pleased compared to what I had been used to!
Turns out in 2014 Sport and Track Mode had the same (fastest) throttle response. However with the Grand Sport there are 4 modes and to get the maximum throttle response have to use Track! As someone once posted, you can feel if going over a dime it that mode! Not viable even for me who likes a "stiff suspension!" But not that stiff!
I bought a Vitesse Throttle Controller and find set at 4 or 5 it is about what I was used to for 3 1/2 years in my 2014 Z51 none MRC driving in Sport.
That rumor was debunked by Tadge's re discussion about wheels breaking in an "Ask Tadge" post, in October 2017. Quoting:
"We design wheels to withstand extreme pothole loads and test them on high speed laboratory equipment that can simulate the entire life-cycle of the vehicle. I have heard from some people that there is a theory that running the car in sport or track can contribute to damaging a wheel. That is not true.
True that.
I think this rumor started and got passed around on this forum when some Spring Mountain instructors started saying it in classroom sessions. It has been debunked, especially considering many cars don't have adjustable suspensions (MSRC), and those that do can use Track settings (PTM) which keep the suspension "softer."
Of course, if a pothole or the pavement is bad enough on low profile tires, it's capable of smashing a wheel no matter how soft the suspension is.
That rumor was debunked by Tadge's re discussion about wheels breaking in an "Ask Tadge" post, in October 2017. Quoting:
"We design wheels to withstand extreme pothole loads and test them on high speed laboratory equipment that can simulate the entire life-cycle of the vehicle. I have heard from some people that there is a theory that running the car in sport or track can contribute to damaging a wheel. That is not true.
Don't need anything special, MRC is smart!
In my 2014 Z51 non MRC made no difference as to Drive Mode! The likelihood is wheel loads were probably greater than with MRC but those 45 mm Bilsteins, like all quality HP shocks, do adjust! Albeit they only adjust with spring activated changing effective orifice size, etc that make compression and rebound forces rate dependent!
Assume GM's wheel load testing covers none MRC Z51 45 mm Bilstein shocks as well as the weaker springs and 36 mm shocks on the base car.
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.
