X25

Following up with BaylorCorvette's build thread, I will use this thread as my build journal. I will be getting my car delivered in a few weeks (since I need to find time to prep and ship my trade-in car to NorCal first), and I've already ordered almost every part I'll need; can't wait to put them on!

I've owned quite a few Corvettes before this one, and only had a lapse for about 2 years.

I traded in my last Corvette in 2014:
'01 C5 Z06
'06 C6 Z51 1LT
'06 C6 Z06 2LZ
'12 C6 GS 3LT
'13 C6 Z06 2LZ w/MRC

My other build threads:
'14 AGM 1SS/1LE Track build thread


'13 Mazda MX-5 Club build thread

X25

RECENT PICS



12/2/2017 - Hoosier 315/30/18, 345/35/18 - BC Forged RZ39

X25

Current mods list. THIS POST WILL BE KEPT UP-TO-DATE

• Engine / Powertrain
  • Z06 cooling upgrades:
    • Grille (23507619).
    • Quarter panel vents (23373152). 117.
    • Transmission cooler core (23283460). 114.
    • Secondary radiator (84037858). 136.
  • ​Power steering gear cooling duct instructions, 157.
    • ​Duct (15842373)
    • Rear Deflector (23135212)
  • BMS drop-in air filter. 662.
• Interior
  • OEM D Shaped Steering Wheel Manual Suede Black Stitching (23273168). 39, 131.
  • OEM 7SPD Manual Suede Shift **** Black Stitching (24269693). 39.
  • OEM C7 Genuine GM Suede Shift Boot Black Stitching (23174526). 39.
  • Sharkbar gloss black with lap-belt-bar-kit. 186.
  • Schroth Profi II ASM race harness in gray.
  • OEM Competition seat conversion kit w/suede/heater delete. $1640 shipped. 186.
  • Seat bottom cushion covers; black w/suede insert for GT seats (23133448, 22997067).
• Handling
  • OEM T1 (23336064) Competition suspension LCAs with up to 500% stiffer bushings. 39.
  • Penske 8300 2-way coilovers with 750 lbs/in F, 650 lbs/in R springs. 694.
  • LG G7 Sway bars + adjustable endlinks. 311.
  • Granatelli rear adjustable toe links. link. 291.
  • Aero
    • APR Performance Aero Kit Ver.II Track Pack. link, 157.
      • Track Pack Front Air Dam with Canards / Spats. link.
      • Side Rocker Extensions. link.
      • Track Pack Rear Deck Spoiler with adjustable wicker bill. link. 117.
    • OEM splash guards (F/R) (22935635, 22935639).
    • Z06 front fender spats (23315196, 23315197). 330.
  • Tires / Wheels
    • Nitto NT01 315/30/18, 325/30/19. 274.
    • Pirelli DH/C Scrubs 305/645/18, 325/660/18. 716.
    • Hoosier R7 315/30/18, 345/30/18. 690.
    • CCW TS12 wheels 18x10.5 ET51 front, 19x11.5 ET83 rear. 81, 91.
    • BC Forged RZ39 wheels 18x10.5 ET52 front, 18x11 ET79 rear; knurled bead option. 688.
  • Brakes
    • C7 Z06 front and rear brake calipers (370 mm; link). 30, 39, 63, 91.
    • Girodisc Z06 front/rear rotors (very light!). 291, 415.
    • Raybestos ST43s (For fronts, buy it from Girodisc for proper fitment; RC1718 from Porterfield is not correct)
• Fluids
  • Engine oil: Mobil1 ESP 0W-40.
  • Differential oil: GM 88862624.
  • Transmission oil: Amsoil Signature Series Multi-Vehicle Synthetic ATF.
  • Brake fluid: Motul RBF 600.
  • Coolant: GM DexCool @30%.
  • Suspension grease: Amsoil Synthetic Polymeric Truck, Chassis and Equipment Grease, NLGI #2.
• Weights
  • Interior
    • Sharkbar: 9.7 lbs.
    • Lap-belt: 4.1 lbs.
  • Brakes
    • Rotors
      • Z06 rotors: front 23.8 lbs, rear 24.8 lbs.
      • Z51 rotors: front 20.2 lbs, rear 18.1 lbs.
      • Girodisc Z06 2-piece rotors: front 21.9 lbs, rear 16.7 lbs. Front hats are 1.8 lbs.
      • DBA 5000 T3 Z06 front rings (only): 23.4 lbs.
    • Z06 front calipers: 9.3 lbs empty; 14.1 lbs loaded.
    • Z51 front calipers: 13 lbs loaded.
  • Suspension
    • AMT camber kit: 8.8 lbs for all bolts with washers vs. 10.4 lbs for stock bolts (with cam).
    • Sway bars
      • LG G7 10.1 lbs F, 10.7 lbs R.
      • T1 11.6 lbs F, 8.9 lbs R.
      • FE3 8 lbs F, 7 lbs R.
    • Lug nuts
      • OEM 2.2lbs.
      • Improved Racing Alu 1.1lbs.
      • CCW chrome 2.7 lbs.
      • Gorilla racing lug nuts (42133AL) 0.6 lbs.
    • Shocks / springs
      • T1 shocks: 4.2 lbs BOTH front and rear.
      • FE3 springs: 11.4 lbs F + 12.1 lbs R = 23.5 lbs.
      • LG G2 coilovers: 8 lbs per corner.
      • Penske 8300 with canisters: 8.7 lbs front, 8.5 lbs rear.
    • Endlinks
      • OEM: 0.55 lbs each.
      • LG: 1 lbs each.
    • Wheels
      • CCW TS12: 18x10.5 ET51: 19.5 lbs, 19x11.5 ET83: 22 lbs.
      • BC Forged RZ39: 18x10.5 ET52: 21 lbs, 18x11 ET79: 20.7 lbs.
      • TSW Nurburgring 18x10.5: 20.9 lbs.
    • Wheel/tire combos
      • Stock Z51: 51.5 lbs front, 60 lbs rear.
      • Stock Z06: 55.5 lbs front, 63.5 lbs rear.
      • CCW w/NT01s (275/30/18, 305/30/19): 47 lbs front, 53.8 lbs rear.
      • CCW w/NT01s (315/30/18, 325/30/19): 50.7 lbs front, 53.9 lbs rear.
      • CCW w/R7s (295/30/18, 315/30/19): 45.4 lbs front, 50.7 lbs rear.
    • Tires
      • Hoosier R7 315/30/18: 27 lbs.
      • Hoosier R7 335/30/18: 28 lbs.
      • Hoosier R7 345/30/18: 29 lbs.
      • NT01 275/35/18: 27.3 lbs.
      • NT01 315/30/18: 30.4 lbs.
      • NT01 305/30/19: 31.5 lbs.
      • NT01 325/30/19: 32.3 lbs.
      • Pirelli DH Scrub 305/645/18: 25.2 lbs.
      • Pirelli DHC Scrub 325/660/18: 22.4 lbs.
• Other / Discussions
  • How-to
    • Stingray how-to: 315 Front / 345 Rear tires for track use: link.
    • How-To: Install Z06 transmission cooler on an M7 Z51: link.
    • How-To: Eliminate AFM actuator melting issue for aggressive/track driving: link.
    • Stingray How-to: Add Z06 fender spats to a car with APR / similar aero with canards: link.
    • Hack for C7 fender lip roll. link.
    • C7 Z06 front brakes for $1150 + pads!: link.
    • New GM fender liners to the rescue for better transmission cooling! link.
  • OEM (Bosch) Digital Angle Gauge Adapter. Needed to adjust rear caster (CH-47960-10). 81.
  • Best C7 setup for track duty: link.
  • T1 Suspension kit, which replacement shocks to use: link.
  • Sway bar comparo: 227.
  • Oil analysis: 269.
  • Trailer info: Tilt flatbed (TLT-7-18): 382, 8x22 Enclosed Aluminum Car Trailer: 546.
  • C7 spring rates; revisited: 392.
  • Alignment: 334, 612.
  • Tips and tricks on measuring height: 494, 625.
  • Dyno results stock vs. BMS. 662.
  • Do you see permanent/intermittent "Service airbag" light? link.
• Archived
  • AMT camber kit. 598, 612.
  • Tires / Wheels
    • TSW Nurburgring 18x10.5 all corners. 650.
    • R7 295/30/18 front, 315/30/19 rear. 590.
  • LG G2 Coilovers with 750 lbs/in front and 700 lbs/in rear springs. 227, 311.

X25

This is where I am as of start of this journal (5/29/16). Soon, all those orange line items will turn into green as I install them. Looking forward to it!

Kamran

If you are going with 380 front rotors, make sure when you order your CCW wheels, you send them the rotor/caliper paper template. 380 mm is 15". Current Z06/GS rotors are 14.6"=370mm. Fitment is a bit different.


Here's Brembo's template for 380mm. Scroll down to wheel fitment and download the PDF:
http://www.racetechnologies.com/prod...0?vehicle=8008

Also you might double check the oil weight for track duty (see manual). 5W30 is on the light side for track.

X25

Yep, thanks for reminding/checking with me, I did provide the template to CCW before ordering the wheels. It's confirmed that the wheels fit

Oil is a long discussion, but I'm not sure if a thicker oil is a good solution. The HTHS values between 5W-30 and a thicker spec oil is miniscule (less than 1, even though it seems like a big difference in percentage), yet the thicker oil will cause oil temps to climb a lot more due to more friction.

By the way, I think GS comes with 14" brakes, not the 14.6" brakes that come with Z06:
http://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/...rvette-gs.html
I hope it's a typo in the press release:

Kamran

Haha! That's what I thought too, until I was corrected in the GS thread. It's a typo and since been corrected. It's the same as Z06, 14.6". If you go to that thread, you'll see where I was corrected.

I've played with oil weight on my track car (not Vette), and actually noticed my temp dropped from going above 280 to just below 280 by going from 35 to 40 weight.

Best to get your oil analyzed a few times trying a couple of different weights, while watching on track temp and pressure. I think you might find you can also hold better and more consistent pressure with the correct weight, which not necessarily the lighter weight.

X25

Good to know about the GS; the typo is still in the press release!

Regarding oil, I had comprehensive testing on my supercharged Miata, and my experience is the other way around, which has been shared by others, too. The higher weight oil always adds heat.

Regarding pressures, you cannot directly compare pressures of different weight oils since some of the pressure increase is caused by the back pressure, not necessarily more oil flow. After all, we care more about proper oil flow throughout the engine than anything else. When the oil is at 290 degrees F and you read very low pressures at idle, it might freak you out , but the oil is flowing regardless. It becomes more important as the revs climb.

Speaking of analysis, I did get 5W-30 oil analyzed after running very hot on my Camaro 1LE at open track days with hour-long sessions, and results were perfect; no issues or degradation, whatsoever.

Perhaps I might switch to 0W-40 for this car, we'll see, but 5W-30 worked great on LS3 and Miata's MZR engines : )

Kamran

I don't necessarily believe in one shoe fit all that all mighty GM mandates, but it might be a good starting point:

https://www.chevrolet.com/content/da...ckPREP_v23.pdf
From above:
"Mobil 1TM 15W50 Recommended for Track/ Competitive driving"

Also I'm not being a warranty police, but if you are going to blew up engine on the track, try to be in the ball park!

X25

Yeah, I know about that one, but it's way too thick; I don't think it's the best idea for LT1, especially considering all the cooling mods I'll have. No wonder, GM asks owners to replace it back with its regular oil once track day is done.

BaylorCorvette

I might be stealing the template of your list, super easy to navigate.

Do you have any intention of tracking it before the mods, specifically the T1 upgrades? I'm curious about the difference and how big of a change it makes.

Also I will be curious what pressures you'll find to be the best for the NT01's. On the ZL1 I ran about 35-36 (hot) all around. However on the C7 I'm running the rears at 36 hot and the fronts 41 hot. 41 seems way high but when I talked to Nitto they said high 30s and gave me an optimal temperature and when I took thermal reads of the tires it seemed to like 41.

I see you have the digital angle gauge adapter for rear caster, where'd you get it from? There's a few people here that have ordered it and the ship date keeps getting pushed back from Bosch, been a couple months of this.

On the oil thing, I've tracked the C7 on 5w30 Mobil 1 and 15w50 Mobil 1 and so far the 15w50 has seemed to work better form me in the Texas heat. However given all of the cooling mods you're doing and your location I wouldn't be surprised if 5w30 would be better.

X25

I haven't decided about it. Since I will have to work on the brakes, etc., I might as well upgrade to T1 suspension during that time. You're right, though; it would be nice to see the difference.

Regarding NT01s, you run the very same tires, but on 18x9.5 and 19x11 wheels, right? I wonder if the tire width will have any impact. I also got the same advice from Nitto years ago, and I will try to hit high 30s, which I think might be achieved by starting at 30 PSI cold. I also wonder if the aero and suspension will have any impact on tire temps. If the aero makes enough of a difference to change the load on tire, then temps should change (increase with additional load), though I doubt it; GM engineer mentioned the spoiler creates about 300 lbs of downforce at 150 MPH, but I can probably hit 150+ MPH only for a few seconds at my local track, before having to slam brakes, so the performance at 150 MPH is almost pointless (and it will have much lower impact as the speed goes down) : )

Regarding oil, since everybody seems to be shocked by my oil choice, I might end up choosing the middle ground and go with 0W-40; oh well.

On another note, RE-71Rs will be available at 285/305 or (identical to NT01's) 275/305 sizes in August, so that will be fun to test, too. I did order a set of RE-71Rs for my second set of wheels for the Miata, and I intend to run the same track, same day, with half-worn NT01s, and then brand new RE-71Rs; it will be fun to see what the impact would be : )

I ordered the adapter, but it's not yet shipped to me. I hope I don't get the delays other members have seen! I already received the gauge cube to read the angles, though.

BaylorCorvette

Correct about my wheel size. I would think that changing the suspension to being more stiff and added aero would heat things up more, maybe the aero not so much in your instance but suspension could play a role. For reference I'm running -2.0* camber front/back.

I remember the discussion on C5 and I only ever ran 5w30 in my ZL1 and that thing got HOT. I did oil analysis reports every ~3,000 miles and things looked OK, slightly faster wear in the various materials but that is to be expected. The viscosity still remained in good condition as did the boiling point. So I'd say whatever works for you go that route. I will be doing an oil analysis report in about 1,000 miles or so and we'll see what the baseline for my 15w50 is.

I have no personal experience with RE-71R's so I'll look for your feedback. I'm really glad you got (are getting) a C7, you're being the guinea pig for a lot of this stuff

four0nefive

X25, do you track at The Ridge Motorsports park?

X25

Yep, I usually go to Ridge Motorsports Park and Oregon Raceway Park. Here's a video from one of my last takes with 1LE:

four0nefive

I'll have to check out your video later, thanks for sharing it.

I wanna go to The Ridge for doing photography, except I live 80 miles away, so it's quite a trip. Hopefully over summer break I'll get a chance to go.

Kamran

Hah, I'll be at the Ridge June 12th with PCA, then Turn2 in July. Are you doing any of T2's or PCA's? I typically do most of T2's and whenever PCA is at the Ridge, not much with other clubs.

X25

It's also about 90 miles to me; it's still much closer than ORP, though, so I'm not complaining : )


Great to hear that there are other members also using the same track. I do sometimes go with Turn 2, but more often I go with Ridge Racing School, hoping it would be a bit less crowded. I actually even go on the week days to cut the track traffic. My favorite is ORP. I just love that track, and its ORP club, that lets me share the track with only a dozen people or less at a time in open track format, all day long; I love it!

By the way, what times do the C7s do at the Ridge? Trying to see what should be my goal

Stephen02Z06

another build thread...good job and have fun with the C7!! I can't wait to read about the comparison between it and the 1LE.

Rob Willis

Sounds good.

My 1LT Stingray has a lot of the upgrades you are planning.

Keep us updated!