First HPDE this past weekend
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 841
Likes: 53
From: LaGrange KY
First HPDE this past weekend
Attended my first HPDE event this past weekend at Putnam Park hosted by KY PCA. I had a blast! It was awesome to run the vette on the track!
It was a two day event, weather was in 70's-80's and I had no issues with oil temps running high, or tranny or coolant. I run PFC 01 front pads w/ DBA 4000 rotors, stock pads/rotors (bought PFC rears, but they didn't fit). Brakes performed well.
I was in the yellow group and managed to lap most the field. On clear track I was running low 24's.
My issue.... Tires! I smoked my front and rear oem PSS badly. This was only one-track event and they are shot! I kept hearing about all these guys who get three or four track events and tons of miles out of their tires! Not sure how they are doing so, I'm at a loss. They performed well, but I can't keep replacing a set of tires for every event I attend!
I had a local dealer track align my car, not sure now if they did it right! I don't know if it was the alignment or not.
The book says to start with 26 psi for the Z51. I started them at 29 cold, they never got much over 33/34 when hot.
Looking for tire maintenance advise. I want to do more of these, but can't swing 2.5k per weekend! Open to advice..... Thanks, Tony
It was a two day event, weather was in 70's-80's and I had no issues with oil temps running high, or tranny or coolant. I run PFC 01 front pads w/ DBA 4000 rotors, stock pads/rotors (bought PFC rears, but they didn't fit). Brakes performed well.
I was in the yellow group and managed to lap most the field. On clear track I was running low 24's.
My issue.... Tires! I smoked my front and rear oem PSS badly. This was only one-track event and they are shot! I kept hearing about all these guys who get three or four track events and tons of miles out of their tires! Not sure how they are doing so, I'm at a loss. They performed well, but I can't keep replacing a set of tires for every event I attend!
I had a local dealer track align my car, not sure now if they did it right! I don't know if it was the alignment or not.
The book says to start with 26 psi for the Z51. I started them at 29 cold, they never got much over 33/34 when hot.
Looking for tire maintenance advise. I want to do more of these, but can't swing 2.5k per weekend! Open to advice..... Thanks, Tony
Sr.Random input generator
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7,792
Likes: 2,223
From: Sammamish, WA
It's hard to recommend any tire before you switch to better-suited wheels. In other words, lower diameter, wider wheels that could accept tires that are much better suited for track duty. Especially your front tires are pretty small for a car of this caliber, and they will take a beating. A much wider tire set could elevate these issues, but would need wider tires and possibly different offset wheels to work well.
You know, it's a slippery slope: Once you settle at significantly better tires, you might find the suspension too soft for them, and the story goes on. Good luck!
You know, it's a slippery slope: Once you settle at significantly better tires, you might find the suspension too soft for them, and the story goes on. Good luck!
Last edited by X25; Sep 13, 2016 at 01:50 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 2,598
Likes: 1,593
How could you "smoke" a set of MPSS tires in one weekend? Yellow is usually a novice class in PCA.
I've done 3 HPDE events in the Instructor group with my 2016 Z51 and have had no significant wear.
Are you using PTM?
However, for future use, tires and maintenance are a major expense if you track your car.
I've done 3 HPDE events in the Instructor group with my 2016 Z51 and have had no significant wear.
Are you using PTM?
However, for future use, tires and maintenance are a major expense if you track your car.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 841
Likes: 53
From: LaGrange KY
How could you "smoke" a set of MPSS tires in one weekend? Yellow is usually a novice class in PCA.
I've done 3 HPDE events in the Instructor group with my 2016 Z51 and have had no significant wear.
Are you using PTM?
However, for future use, tires and maintenance are a major expense if you track your car.
I've done 3 HPDE events in the Instructor group with my 2016 Z51 and have had no significant wear.
Are you using PTM?
However, for future use, tires and maintenance are a major expense if you track your car.
I kept trying to turn the traction control off, wound up running in Race mode for the last day and figured out how to turn it off. Saturday was off and on rain, so there was some wet track driving.
I'm well aware of the expense involved with track events. Just wasn't expecting to blow through a set of tires like this. There was a Porsche GT3 there with hash marks on his NT01's for all the heat cycles and he runs mostly at Putnam. There has to be a way to do this in a C7, yes?
I was carrying extra weight in a few sessions with instructors riding. Even after I was soloed, I had an instructor with a C5 go for a ride to experience the C7.
I was hoping they would last for another PCA event in October. But If I run them as they are, they would be corded after two sessions.
I don't know. This was my first track event in a car, but not my first event on this track. I have run Putnam since the 1990's when I was racing with WERA. I host track days there for motorcycles.
Last edited by AKKutz; Sep 14, 2016 at 11:20 AM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 841
Likes: 53
From: LaGrange KY
This may be an issue. I made the mistake of letting a local dealer do it. They borrowed the tool from GM (so they said) to align the rear. When I got the car back they gave me a print out and it was no were near the specs I gave them to set up. After the damage they did to my tie rods, I refused to let them touch the car again. I need to have my alignment checked, but not sure where to go.
I would really like to learn to do this myself.
Sr.Random input generator
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7,792
Likes: 2,223
From: Sammamish, WA
I did 5 track days with my Nitto NT01s at 275/38/18F 305/30/19R, and they were just past half-life (which happens when extra grooves disappear on NT01s) before I replaced them to try another size for my suspension tuning.
I agree with others that your alignment might have a lot to do with your issues. I should also note, I've never had good luck with PSS tires. They provide great traction for the first few laps, and then they just overheat and get greasy. I did not even try them at the track on my C7 Z51, but I did try them on my C6 Z06 and EvoX GSR a few years back.
I agree with others that your alignment might have a lot to do with your issues. I should also note, I've never had good luck with PSS tires. They provide great traction for the first few laps, and then they just overheat and get greasy. I did not even try them at the track on my C7 Z51, but I did try them on my C6 Z06 and EvoX GSR a few years back.
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 841
Likes: 53
From: LaGrange KY
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 841
Likes: 53
From: LaGrange KY
Sr.Random input generator
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7,792
Likes: 2,223
From: Sammamish, WA
The idea is that, if, for example (making up numbers), you need to start at 28 PSI cold at 70 degrees F ambient to get tires to 180 degrees F for ideal setup, then if it is 40 degrees F outside, you would start from 26 PSI, which would become 28 PSI when tires climb to 70 degrees F or so, and continue to increase the pressures as its temp climbs up to 180+ degrees F, hitting the same goal with the same actual amount (mass) of air, only starting from a different (lower) point of temp/pressure graph.
Last edited by X25; Sep 20, 2016 at 05:02 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,251
Likes: 343
From: Louisville KY
Excellent. Hope to see you there. I drive a 2016 Shark Gray Coupe. Just bought it, still has temp tag. Sold my 2013 Coupe last year. I am in Falls City Corvette Club. Some of the members do HPDE. I have not done one, but am interested in them. Our meeting is this Wednesday at 7 pm at Bachman Chevy on Hurstbourne Ln.