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These are usually valved much stiffer, let you adjust it ewith the ****, and can be a good match for the higher spec springs. You could also get the Penskes with no coils, and get them perfectly valved for those springs, that could work great, too. Earlier in my build thread, I've compared different OEM springs vs. LG springs (see post 3 for link). That might help you translate the spring rates into coil spring rates for Penske, and let them make the perfectly matched single adjustable shocks for you.
Coilovers don't allow you to retain stock height. By doing so (keeping stock height), you can keep it at perfect suspension geometry, and with additional body control, also use whatever tire you'd like (like 345/35/18s I use!).
Hey X25,
Saw your post earlier on the fender molding mod. Here are couple photos of the same setup you did but using the APR Z06 specific canards to clear the molding. check them out, looks really clean.
Just came back from a track day at the ORP. They ran CCW, which I haven't done in years, and it was also very hot, so I was pretty busy today : )
Transmission temp:
Despite having the Z06 size cooler core, the transmissions temp hit the upper redline in as little as 8-10 hot laps (20-25 minutes?) at 85+F weather. It never gave me the warning, but I started cool down laps just in case. During the cool-down, temps did not go down fast, either. After 2(!) full cool-down laps, I was finally out of the red zone. Did anyone else have any such experience? Does it go down fast, or does it go down very slow in your experience?
The fact that it takes too long to cool down tells me that it either doesn't get enough air flow, or perhaps something is wrong with the cooling system or my install, even though it would be hard to imagine how.
I pegged the trans temps on my M7 this weekend also on an 80F day - after running pretty hard for ~25 mins. I don't have any of the Z06 scoops or cooler core like you though, but seems like it doesnt make a huge difference.
And as you said it took a long time to cool down after the session. I just think the cooling system is undersized, even the Z06's.
Maybe I can rig up a leaf blower with a hose to pump air down the air inlet while sitting between sessions. With a dry ice container in line as well.. Would that even work as is the oil even circulating in the cooler core with the car off?
I pegged the trans temps on my M7 this weekend also on an 80F day - after running pretty hard for ~25 mins. I don't have any of the Z06 scoops or cooler core like you though, but seems like it doesnt make a huge difference.
And as you said it took a long time to cool down after the session. I just think the cooling system is undersized, even the Z06's.
Maybe I can rig up a leaf blower with a hose to pump air down the air inlet while sitting between sessions. With a dry ice container in line as well.. Would that even work as is the oil even circulating in the cooler core with the car off?
This issue has already been fixed for C5s and C6s by having the transmission cooler integrated into the radiator, but it's a big problem with C7s. Transmission temp is the only system on my car with runaway temps at the track. I should note, though, it never warned about it, even though it got very close to the redline.
As far as I remember, one forum member inserted the original small cooler as well, in-line, and placed it by where we normally have the rear spring, and said his A8 was finally running without overheating. That might also be a solution, and I bet under the car gets much better air. One caveat would be introducing another vulnerability point in case you go off track, but since I don't have the leaf springs, I could easily put it somewhat safe in there..
Thanks for the thoughts.. the car never had any trans temp warnings either, which I think is weird. I was just watching the temp on the dash creep up until it got close to 300 and then backed way off to try to cool it down.
I pegged the trans temps on my M7 this weekend also on an 80F day - after running pretty hard for ~25 mins. I don't have any of the Z06 scoops or cooler core like you though, but seems like it doesnt make a huge difference.
And as you said it took a long time to cool down after the session. I just think the cooling system is undersized, even the Z06's.
Holy cow. I've never seen above 255 in my GS, even during 30 minute sessions during the summer.
I wanted to replace my rear fender liners, war-torn from my tire/clearance experiments, and I just realized that the new LR liner has a vent to aid transmission cooler! The part number I have (23208844) seems to be for convertible models. Perhaps that's why it has these vents; it's identical otherwise.
Part numbers(see post #3)
LR: 23208844
The one at the bottom is the original fender liner.
The inside of fender with the liner removed.
The new fender liner, installed.
You can see the transmission cooler core from the bottom vent. I cut the plastic quarter panel ducting a bit more to let more air hit it directly.
I will get to try it this weekend (5/19) at the track. Some suggested that it might make it worse due to turbulence, but the air is not only let in, it's also directional. I have high hopes that it would help. In the worst case, I can always duct tape it. I might also test with/without tape, if I get to have time to test.
Received new tires to play with: Toyo Proxes R888R 315/30/18, 335/30/18; RR 295/30/18, 315/30/18. These tires are very affordable at Phil's tire service, and the new sizes added to RR now makes it possible for use on my Corvette. I have previously used them on my Miata, and they were great. RRs provide very good grip, and more importantly, RR is the only tire at its grip level that retains most of its grip after multiple heat cycles. R888Rs are obviously lesser compound, but they are available at wider sizes, so it'll be fun to check out the differences in lap times.
Managed to fit 12 tires in the truck bed. Unfortunately, my second set of B.C. Forged wheels were manufactured wrong (without knurled bead), which is why they will be delayed. The manufacturer decided to strip the paint and apply the knurled bead, and ship faster. Here's hoping they get shipped fast enough to make a difference : (
Since I only have 1 set of 18"/18" wheels, I'll only get RRs mounted at this time.
Here's a closer look on the new liner.
What is hidden behind the RR liner.
I've decided to put insulation between the exhaust and the reservoirs. The other reason is that the insulation makes the reservoirs fit snug to the space in there, meant to reduce the rattle I hear as they move during slow drives.
Grip Level
The number in parentheses is the tire's treadwear rating, where I could find it. Continental tires are not DOT approved and hence have no treadwear rating.
Tires ordered by grip level, highest to lowest:
Hoosier A7 (40), BFGoodrich g-Force R1 S (40), Goodyear Eagle RS AC
Hoosier A7 (40), Hoosier A6 (40), BFGoodrich g-Force R1 S (40), Goodyear Eagle RS AC
Notes
Grip level is based on the car running 9/10ths to 10/10ths in appropriate conditions, meaning at most 4-5 laps at a time for autocross compounds (Hoosier A7, Hoosier A6, BFGoodrich g-Force R1 S, Goodyear Eagle RS AC) and 20-30 minutes at a time for the other tires.
Grip level is indicated for brand new or low heat cycle count tires. Different tires lose grip at different rates with the number of heat cycles; tires marked ξ retain grip well over heat cycles and move up in the chart relative to other tires when the tires are older.
Available sizes vary from tire to tire. A tire that has a lower indicated grip level but a wider available size may outperform a tire with a higher indicated grip level but narrower available sizes.
RR tires: TL; DR: I think it can do better, so I'm working on it:
I only had the RRs to try at the track this weekend (could not bring R888Rs to compare). I've tried these tires on my Miata before, and I was not able to do significantly better than NT01s. I've had high hopes this time, despite the limited sizing of 295F/315R, but I still could not make any better than 1:53.0. I was shooting for 1:51 or better.
I made my best laps in the very first laps of the sessions, including the first one after the warm up! I refuse to think these tires overheat, so this made me think my pressures must be very wrong.
I've read in one of the forums that a guy has become champion in his racing series with these tires, and he said 32 PSI hot works, and that one can't argue with the results. Toyo recommends 35-40 PSI hot, but a magazine review stated that Toyo told them lower pressures would work, too, but at the expense of additional wear and roll resistance with no significant gain. Finally, people also talk about this 33-36 PSI "dead zone".
I do have a track day coming up this Wednesday. I'll try this 32 hot and see if it works. If a friend comes along, I'll also ask him to measure my tire temps with my pyrometer to see how it works.
Fender liner with vents for the transmission cooler:
Looks like it worked! I usually get into the red in about 45 minutes. This time it stayed right below it, so looks like it might have had about 20 degrees F of a good impact. I'll take whatever gain : )
In one of those days, I'm not busy working on tires, I might do back-to back sessions with duct tape covering the vents in one of them to compare.
Racing harness brackets: I switched from the sharkbar plate that raises the seat, to BK brackets that install onto OEM seat belt anchors. Looks like I've gained almost half inch height back!
Rubber marks made by tire pieces hitting my car at the track don't come off easy with a regular wash, but WD-40 with a paper towel makes wonders! I was able to clean most of the side and top hits. I left the bottom part of the bumper, since it gets dirty again, right away.
The plate has very thick tabs that are sandwiched between the seat and the floor.
Before (belt plate) vs. after (side anchors). I've measured with seat at rearmost setting, from the far back of bottom to the roof.
The new brackets are nice, but the one by the door hurts me if I'm not careful when getting in and out of the car.
Thanks for the update X25 - some photos aren't showing by the way, the ones with the seat/seatbelt.
Good info on the fender liner with the vents.. I have to get me one of those!
Fixed the pics; thanks!
Fender liner is just $80 or so. I'd love to see someone else also install it and see if it works for him/her. I'm worried about the 'placebo' effect, and a second opinion would help. It doesn't seem to be hurting anyway, so in the worst case, one would have a new nice-looking liner : )
TL;DR Check this out if "Service airbag" light comes on. Looks like the harness might get stuck in a wrong place.
Longer version
I have been getting "Service airbag" light intermittently. First, I went to the dealer to get it checked out. They said it's the seat belt retensioner, and replaced it. Unfortunately, the light came back soon after I got my car back. In time, it started getting even worse, and I realized it started lighting up whenever I apply weight to the seat base. This made me realize that something might be "under pressure", and I've decided to tear the seat apart to find out. Here is what I found:
This is the wiring harness for the seat belt retensioner. The harness was stuck in between the seat rail and the base. In time, my weight put enough pressure on the wiring, causing it to splice and start making contact!
This is how it initially looked, stuck in between.
I separated the wires, and taped them individually.
I was very excited to install BK lap belt mounts, since this would mean being bale to remove that heavy lap belt plate that also increases my seat height. Brey-Krause is a well known brand, and I was pretty surprised with the issues.
Problems
First of all, look how sharp it is! I've honestly never seen a sharp mounting tab like that; they're usually made as circular rings. Why is this sharp edged? I presume it's cheaper to manufacture like that, but after paying an amazingly high $150 for these little tabs, do we really have to put up with this? It actually scratched me two times already, and almost made me bleed.
And guess what, those sharp edges are not good for your car, either.
Solutions
I decided to tape the mounts. This actually helped quite a bit, and it no longer feels sharp.
I also pulled the tab that rubbed on the carpeting with an appropriate tool. It no longer rubs; neither does it touch me when I drive the car.
It is almost absurd to see them release an incomplete product like this. Making the rings circular (not rectangular cut), and even plastic-dipping the mounts afterwards would make these so much better.
I decided to tape the mounts. This actually helped quite a bit, and it no longer feels sharp.--- You can PLASTIDIP them with black liquid for a more finished looking appearance OR better yet use FLEXSEAL black liquid paint for a more longer lasting result.
I decided to tape the mounts. This actually helped quite a bit, and it no longer feels sharp.--- You can PLASTIDIP them with black liquid for a more finished looking appearance OR better yet use FLEXSEAL black liquid paint for a more longer lasting result.
I thought about plastidip, but it was pretty brittle when we applied to my friend's wheels, and came off after a few track days. I don't know about flexseal, though; I'd love to give it a shot.
Surprisingly, I heat wrapped my exhaust pipes around the transmission and this helped A LOT. like 20-30 degrees lower now. I don't even worry about trans temps anymore. It used to be number 1 to overheat. Weird how we have different results, and my car is supercharged.
Last edited by BrunoTheMellow; 06-01-2018 at 04:24 PM.
04-24-2018, 01:28 AM
