I have a new 2016 Z51 and bought it with a dual purpose in mind. Purpose number one is to use it as a track racing hobby. Purpose number two is to use it in between monthly track adventures as a nice ride to cruise and enjoy the drive. Not a daily driver!
I have recently taken the Ron Fellows Corvette Experience class offered by Chevrolet to get more education on this car. They do discuss the changes that should be made to the car to run on the track. They were switching the motor oil, switching the brake fluid, upgrading the brake pads and putting in some negative camber on the front tires.
The Corvette manual specs all of these changes with the exception of the pads (which Fellows school spec'd).
Now I have the following questions for you guys that are already doing this.
1) What will I anticipate as the life of the tires if I run it monthly?
2) Do you run a dedicated set of tires for the track and switch back and forth for race weekends?
3) What tires do you recommend for the track on a hobbyist budget?
4) Do you change from the street oil to the racing oil for race weekends?
5) If I leave the thicker racing oil in for the street, what is the downside?
6) Same questions for the brake fluid. Switch in between track days? Not? Implications?
7) Based on the answers to these questions, have you established an annual budget to run a car like this as a monthly hobbyist?
8) If so, how much would that be approximately?
Thanks much for any light that you can shed on this topic.

 

1. Depends on your skill and how hard you push your equipment. I'm getting 4-5 days out of the MPSS ZPs at COTA.
2. I run two sets. I switch brake pads so the wheels are off anyways. Plus the track tires look a little rough.
3. There are several options you can run on a budget. If you pick up a set of 18/19s wheels your tire options open up.
4. I switch to Mobil 1 15w-50.
5. It's harder on the cats. This really depends on how much you plan on driving between events. I left mine in from November 1 to March 24th, but I only drove about 500 miles in that time.
6. I leave Motul 600 in year round. Just bleed them every couple events.
7. I guess the answer to this question depends on which components you choose. My track fees are way more than car setup. COTA is expensive.
8. Not sure.

The one thing you didn't mention is brake pads. I switch from carbotech 1521s to XP12 front and XP8 rear.

 

Appreciate all of the feedback.

I do have one follow-up.

Since you switch tires for track days, when you go back to your street tires do you go back to a more neutral camber on the front end?

 

I leave the alignment alone. I run a track/street alignment so I don't have to. My car could use a little more camber but it's not worth it to me to adjust it constantly. I run the Pfadt track/street settings.