Wow Hawtness..:D

you mean the car right? lol

I am going to try to get couple pictures of the girls with my Z06 end of month when my body shop hold their annual BBQ car wash

Does she take plastic?

no ... they charge too much fee

Nice job with the Xpel.

I bought a pre-cut Avery Nano Fusion kit for my front end and installed it myself so I can only imagine how tough it'd be to do a custom job with a rolled sheet.

The lower bumper must've been quite a pain!

Yes, the front and rear bumpers are PITA and it take alot of patience and concentration to get it right. No one can tell I have clear film wrap unless I tell them. People always wonder why I have such a deep gloss shine :D

:thumbs:

No Porsches look all the same to me..:D

Now the chick..:smiliedrool:

lol

I took great risk to post the girly pictures at work and glad you approve :D

I am thinking about bringing some of them on the track as umbrella girls ... I am serious. I need help to buckle up

Mike,

Great pictures and I love the build you did to your Z06.

What size wheels and Hoosier are you running?

Thanks

I am currently using Hoosier R6 295/30/18 front and 345/35/19 rear. Wheel size is 18X10.5 front and 18X 12.5 rear. It's been over 30 heat cycle and still very consistent as far as grip and lap time. I rotate the tire inside out every 12 heat cycle to even out the wear. I estimate it has another 20+HC left in life!

Will be trying out Michelin slicks soon :)

With the Michelin slicks your times will be faster than your Cup car. Just amazing what these cars can do.

Do you think the ceramic brakes are worth it for the track? Seems like most of the Porsche guys swap out the ceramics for steel rotors.

You know me, I like technology. Steel rotors can easily do the job well but I like trying new things. So far the Z06 ceramic brakes are fantastic but brake pads are expensive. I had about 8 track events in the Z06 and front pads are almost done. They are $500 a set for the front. I am talking with endless to see if they can custom make a set of pads for me that will last longer with better brake modulation - OEM pads do grab too much and release is a bit tricky.

Yes, my Z06 with Michelin slick will be faster than Cup but hauling 3300 lbs at that speed is hard on the machine so won't be able to do low 1:50's at TH lap after lap like the Cup

Endless pads are always money $$$$. I was running both Endless brake fluid and ME20's pads, and they were both great. A real firm pedal, more initial bite, and plenty of power. It should be great for your Z06.

Yes, it is unlikely a modded Z06 could sustain lap after lap with a Cup car but it is certainly interesting to know how much potential is in the car. I am even somewhat surprised it could even match a Cup cars one lap time. Very impressive.

Where dealer did you get your car from?

There aren't too many dealers here in LA with any inventory. And, I am having difficulty of finding a good shop to perform any of the mods or upgrades to a Vette.

Endless brake pads cost $1100 a set of my Cup but the same pads has lasted over 1 year and no signs of pad wear at all ... really amazing stuff. I was using Pagid and would have to change pads at least twice by now and each set cost more than $800 so at the end endless pads is much more cost effective

All the new Z06 carbon are sold. I got mine from San Jose Chevy. I do all my work and had to use Able Chevy at times to reflash software etc.

I just change out rubber control arm bushing to spherical and also got rid of stock shocks and changed to Ohlins two ways - hope this will be more durable when I do fast lap after lap - more tuning is still underway for the new shock setup. Was out at Thunderhill last Friday and ran with couple Z06 and a 600+ hp to the wheels ZR1 .... it was super difficult for them to keep up :D

Nice video and it looked like a lot of fun out there. It is a bit too far for me to get up there. Furthest north I go is Button Willow.

Yes, I think your car was a limited run but you can still get a Z06 with the Z07 performance package. That package has the ceramic brakes, selective ride control, traction control, more cooling capacity, and Sport Cups. I am wondering if you can get the stock shocks re-valved and re-sprung???!!!!

I don't think you can revalve the stock shocks since it's the "fancy" magnetic shocks and work differently than typical mechanical shocks. Once you get to Cup car speed you have exceeded stock suspension capability .... my Z06 managed to pop Pfadt sway's retaining ring and bend both sway connecting rods!

Yes, you do not need the Carbon edition to get the goodies of the performance package. Once you run Laguna Seca and Thunderhill Southern California tracks will feel like driving in the parking lot :D

I have run at Laguna before but want to get up to Infineon and TH someday.

I know Big Willow isn't the most challenging and Button Willow's pavement is a little suspect but Chuckwalla and Fontana are a lot of fun. I am sure you would have a good time at both those tracks in either of your cars.

I am really spoiled by the tracks here. Sonoma raceway aka Infineon is fun until you pick up speed then it's not so fun when the wall come crashing to you. it's totally worth the trip to try Thunderhill one of these days. You can sign up to two days weekend event to give yourself time to travel and learn

There still might be a few Z06 Carbons out there. I purchased mine June 19 2012. It had 6 miles on it. At that time I think there 4-5 left. One in Texas for sure

So you disabled the magnetic ride? Did you use the Caspers thing to do this or another way?

Funny.... You're the 2nd person on this forum to take out the glorious f55 magnetic shocks for a better alternative.

I did a search on autotrader and found none that's new. I did see the one at Texas ... maybe I should get another Carbon as spare :D

I don't know what casper stand for but it is a PITA to override the electronic nanny! Able Chevy was able to figure out a way and it took them over two days. Magnetic shock was nice until you reach warp speed

LOL. Caspers sells something that plugs into the system to fool the car that it still has MSRC even though it doesn't.

How do you like the Ohlins? Why did you not go with a full coilover design?

So what do you do for a living because you seem like you have a lot of money? :)

I will probably just order up a '13 when the time is right.

Mike,

Is the chin spoiler on your Z06 lower than your GT3RS? I had the front end lift on my old GT3 so I could in and out of my garage without scraping too much. Just wondering if I would end up tearing off the spoiler or the side skirts on a Z06 around the streets of LA.

How funny, if you are talking about the Chevy dealer on Capital Expressway in San Jose then it's a small world because I almost bought your car lol! When I was talking to them I ran across the orange one in Montana and decided to jump on that instead.


LZF, the guys at Katech used the Casper plug in's on my car as part of the delete. I still got some error messages so you still have to get into the electronics and make some changes so it is not really a do it your self at home type of thing. Also keep in mind that both mikymu and I are doing this to make the car more track worthy. The stock magnetic suspension is a decent compromise if you are not really pushing the car or you are not running stickier R-compounds or slicks. Also mikymu's Ohlins suspension that he went with are full coilovers. I'm sure that he will add some detail but imho they are some nice looking units! He went the Ohlins route and I went with Moton's on my car and between us I think that we are the nuts with the two most modified Carbon Editions in the country lol :crazy:

I used to have alot of money until I took my old M3 on the track ... now I have no money

Make sure to get alcantera appointed interior so you don't miss your GT3's

No worry, the front spoiler is much higher than my RS so you are good. the side skit is lower than GT3 RS so you need super low profile jack to reach jack point

Yup, I got the 8 miles blue Z06 carbon from Capital Chevy and they had another one with 30+ miles. I called them, tell them what I want to pay for the car, show up with my trailer and took her home :) Painless process.

Ron, you and I are the only post 09 ZR1/Z06 carbon that had the magnetic shock nanny warning light delete. Wiring for post 09 is completely different and it is not a simple plug and play as you have mentioned. Little did I know how complicated it is just to put on a set of coilover :eek:

Yes, will do a detail DIY post with driving impression on the Ohlins and spherical in couple week. Still in the test N tune process. Look forward to run with you on the track soon :thumbs:

Mike,

Any update to the Ohlins???

Just changed out to stiffer 750 front and 850 rear springs and next test and tune will be this Friday at Thunderhill. Stay tune ...

Love your car since I've seen it at ALMS!

Thanks Andy :)

this is great stuff. out of curiosity, did you consider any other cars other than the z06? like an ACR? i'd love to hear some of your opinions on these cars.

You really reinforce the statement that the only difference between men and boys is the cost of their toys!

Damn nice job! :thumbs:

Awesome thread and love what you have done.... Have a 11 Z07 carbon custom...thanks for educating the rest of us wannabes
See you at road Atlanta next week if you are going to be there
AJ

Is the blue piece the pfadt adapter?

http://imageshack.us/a/img208/7007/pict9383.jpg

Or is this what you used?

http://www.pfadtracing.com/photos/da...endering-2.jpg

Yes, I consider many other cars but only Z06 makes sense looking at price, power, maintenance et.

E92 M3 - too heavy and need to lose >600 lbs and need tons of mods to go fast. Super thirsty on gas and only makes 400 hp

Porsche GT3/spyder - too expensive and takes $$$$$$$ to mod and won't come close to Z06 speed

Ford mustang - ugly
Viper - nose is toooooo long. Engine reliablity is uncertain

Ferrari 430 challange - still waiting to win lotto and it's slow compare with Z06

lol

Thanks. I am a boy inside for sure ...

Thanks

I use Pfadt adapter - it's the only one that works for our our car. I recently change the steering wheel quick release to lifeline so I can mount steering wheel controls

http://imageshack.us/a/img715/9519/pict9813.jpg

Hey Mike,

How are the Ohlins with the new spring rates???

Did you ever consider the Motons, KW's or Motion Control Coilovers?

Have not had a clean lap in the past 3 attempts to really try out the shocks. First it was a broken fan belt then active handling then a horrible track at Fernley :(

Next try will be Thunderhill in 10 days

My friend Derek was at Fernley too. He said the track surface was so rough and bumpy, and it was just a bad track experience.

Did you ever consider the other coilovers other than the Ohlins?

I left Fernley after 1 session and still digging out rocks from wheel wells. Derek was brave to stay for 3 days and put his RS through the works. Fernley at best is an off road track and should never be used for road cars at it's current condition

Yes, have consider other coilover but these Ohlins are super nice ...

Hi Mike,

I have been following this thread since you started it. It is my favorite build on CF. :)

Do you have any updates?

Hi Mike,

I have been following this thread since you started it. It is my favorite build on CF. :)

Do you have any updates?

:thumbs: and :bigears

Awesome thread, and beautiful Z. Can't wait to see what you have in store for her next.

:iagree:

Wow. First thing I need to know is who your stock broker is ? My guy at E.F. Nutten tells me I'll never have the cash to do what you've done. Second, have you done any adjustments with......oh... the valves in your heads? You have a ton of money in an awesome car, it would be a shame to knock a hole in such a fast cars block. :thumbs:

HAH! Agreed!

Mikey, one question. That poor crushed 350z - what happened? :ack: Do you recommend leaving that one off the track? Mine is about to get a new set of suspension arms.

I mean, its a desent job and all. :)- AMAZING, is the only word i can think of!!!! Your attention to detail is top shelf!!!!!







Ps! Has anyone mentioned the word valve to you? :D

Lol Don, Mike's my buddy that I hang out with at the track, really nice guy and a sharp car! A lot of people trip off the fact that someone is running a Carbon on the track but we're pretty lucky at my track as we regularly have a stock orange Carbon, Mike's modified blue Carbon and my orange modified Carbon so 3 pretty race cars running on the track at the same time! Regarding Mike's valves & guides, I don't really think that he is concerned as his engine is stock :D

:thumbs::thumbs: Thats what i wanted to hear...Im gonna miss yall Bad AT TRACK ATTACK this year. Grey would look nice next to both yalls killer carbon Zs:cool:

and here come the "chicken Littles"..Great thread OP

You know you kinda bring up this chicken little comment every time someone even brings a concern about a known problem with the LS7. That tells me that either you don't even own a Z06 or you have your head in the sand....so which is it. Just a day or so ago another Z owner dropped a valve and now has a boat anchor where the motor used to be. You should read the forum instead making snide remarks as the guy just got the bill to fix his car. 15 thousand dollars, that's right 15 big ones and yet its not a concern to you....that's cause your not paying the bill. :toetap:

Glad you guys like the post and so far the Z06 is running strong and sharing time with it's GT3 Cup and Honda civic sibling on the track.

Here are couple video of my other race cars. Will post video of my Z once I get her back out in a month or two

Cheers

Mike

civic



GT3 Cup

Z06 Track Day Build
 

Mike...great info, wish I had followed your thread before starting my project! We just ran mine for the first time 9/6/13 at Thunderhill for a shake down after the engine build. Then raced Silver State Classic Challenge last weekend (1st in half mile shootout, 3rd in 125mph division open road challenge) yes it has some big power taking down several modified ZR1's and SC cars at 6400' altitude. I'll post a thread detailing all my goodies soon, meanwhile I have a couple questions for you.

What Pfadt Sways did you use LR or HR?
My next focus is suspension, currently running Pfadt Coilovers and plan to purchase sways...I may steal your alignment specs...any other bang for the buck upgrades you'd recommend? (running Continental Slicks currently)
My current builder has steered me away from the hard mounts for the motor and tranny. How important do you feel these items are to the purpose and feel of the car?
What size roll of XPEL did you purchase? I have two cars I'd like to cover...Z06 & a SRT8 Magnum. What is the best width roll in your opinion?

Thanks for your thoughts, hope to see you on track soon!

Mike F...

Mike is probably out on the track now, but he is using the Pfadt heavy duty sways.

I have the same sways on my car too, but I would probably prefer the one-piece bar like the T1 bars. I had to go with Pfadts because of the coilover setup I am using. It provides a little more clearance than the stock sway bar which tended to rub on the coilover.

Thanks, so you think I would encounter the same rubbing issue with Pfadt coilovers? I've heard the Pfadt Sways are clunky at low speed, are they the only/best option for coilover setups? I've had a couple people try to steer me towards LG Motorsports sways.

No, you shouldn't have the same issues with the Pfadt and my Pfadt sways are quiet. I actually prefer a 1-piece bar and would have gone with the T1 bar if I knew I had the clearance. The T1 and LG bars are quite similar. My understanding is the T1 bars were in short supply at one time, and LG decided to make a very similar bar due to the shortage in supply.

WOW! What a great thread and write up! :thumbs: :steering: :cheers:

I love this car. Yea, the valves are a problem. My friend lost his 427 at Fontana two weeks ago. What can ya say. It sure gives you an opportunity to do something better. Gotta look on the bright side!

Hi Mike

Sorry I did not get back to you earlier. Peter is right, I been busy on the track. I will try to answer your questions as follow:

I use heavy rate pfadt sway and you have to be very careful with them. I have seen several major failure with these sways at the end links and mine was bend when I was using stock springs. I was told by pfadt the stock springs are too soft and the car use sway bar as spring under load and cause undue stress. I have since switch to coilover with 750 and 800 springs and add additional clamps at ends of sways bars so it does not move from side to side - I check these sways at each track event to make sure there are no signs of malfunction

As you well know the best bang for the buck upgrade is to polish the nut behind the steering wheel :) other than that despite of your builder's recommendation I would change out stock engine and tranny mounts. Stock mounts are soft as jello and it really cause undue instability at hard acceleration and you will notice the instability coming off T9 at Thunderhill.

I bough one giant roll of the widest size XPEL to cover the whole car and just cut to size. I think they are 72" wide and that's another great bang for the money and save my paint many times on the track

Thanks. It is a great car and totally love it every time I get to drive it on the track. Here is my latest outing at Thunderhill and was able to manage a personal best of 1:53.7 despite of very slippery track surface from rain earlier in the week.

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/7607/c6h4.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img856/7561/77og.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img19/3008/h0od.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img850/2701/7s6x.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img545/2804/2f1e.jpg

Holy crap Mike, 1:53.7 is smoking! Congrats :thumbs:

Love your car, hopefully one day I can get mine set up nicely.

Sound good. These cars does not need much to go really really fast

Thanks Ron. Still got alot more work to do and sub 1:50 is possible with more practice and fine tuning. Here is the video - I was all over the track searching for grip and brake on a very slippery day

Mike. What do you use to record your lap ties and other data in you videos? It's fantastic. You and your car are pure art together. Wow. (Fricken Miatias always get in the way)

Great driving.. lots of fun to watch....!!!

thanks

I use AiM solo DL for timing and this is the best timing device now days and you see all the race teams use them in ALMS and Grandam despite of their onboard Motec data display. The beauty of the AiM solo DL is that it's plug and play and you just show up at the track and it know where you are and start timing when you start driving. You use a provided OBDII plug to collect engine and driving data directly to the device. I use DashWare to process video from gopro and sync data from AiM.

This Z is pretty sweet and sure put on a show every time. Most miata are fine and people know me well now days so they do give way pretty fast as show below :thumbs:

mikymu you have built a wicked Z06 that is an inspiration for all track car lovers! A few set-up questions if you don't mind :cool:

Before you changed to coil overs how much negative camber did you need to run to keep your track tires from cording?

Are you still using the original rubber control arm bushings?

Compared to your street GT3 (not Cup car) how streetable is your Z06 with the high springs rates? A stock Z06 is very comfortable but with your 750/800 springs it might be a pain in the a** on the street?

Are you coolant and oil temps staying in-check for 15+ minute sessions?


Thanks! Drive safe and keep posting your impressive lap times :thumbs:

Thanks for the kind words and I have so much more to learn

I was running pretty much the same camber settings -2.8 front and -1.8 rear with both leaf spring and coil over. I am not normal when it comes to tire wear on the track. I make my track tires last 2-3 times longer than my peers and at faster lap time. My last set of Hoosier R6 lasted more than 30 heat cycles and the wear is totally even

I am currently running pfadt solid spherical in my control arms. If I would to do it all over again I would leave it stock. I did not notice much benefit with solid control arm bushing other than some creaky noise going over bumps. Ride quality is not as good as rubber but not horrible either with 750 and 800 springs. You have to select the spring carefully with solid bushing or your car will toss up and down alot and make you sea sick. My Z06 ride much better than my previous street GT3 RS - much more comfortable at highway speed. GT3 RS make my ear bleed and rattle my teeth lose on the street

So far no issue with coolant and oil temp even in the hottest 100+F track days.

very nice write up. I can't wait to get my z06 on the track and out of the shop....

Brentwood, you are very close to Able Chevy and they will take good care of you. Should see you at Thunderhill one of these days

You will see me out there. I bought Dave H. 06 lemans blue. track prepped Z06. It has the same roll cage as yours. Very nice cage. Its getting a motor rebuild down at synergy. I think Richie at Able or Rick at Synergy you can't go wrong. Getting excited. How is your Akro exhaust at Laguna Seca? I am thinking about it but I don't want to have to worry about getting the boot.

Laguna is down to 90db's for so many events. A Z06 with any aftermarket will have a tough time passing sound. You may need to have your exhaust valves in the closed position in order to pass.

very cool!

Akrapovic sound fantastic! you can modify the exhaust flap control and you may pass sound at LS http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-z...5-seconds.html

I recommend you to wire up a switch to control the flap up T5-T6 and open back up the exhaust after T6 as not to burn a hole through your mufflers

Laguna Seca is dead. I will not go there until they wise up and allow reasonable sound on a race track. 90 db? That's quieter than my street on a Sunday drive

Who needs Laguna Seca when you have Thunderhill - 103 db. Check out their new expansion and it's gonna be longer than 4 miles!

Wow that is awesome. It look's like Thunderhill will be the new Laguna lol..

How's the Z? Haven't seen any recent posts or videos from you.. It's good to see you Mike..

Z06 is all good ... and fast

This is the latest video at Thunderhill if you did not catch it: 1:53.7

Hauling a$$ bro! That was sweet. Congrats..

Eh it's funny cuz I asked Edwin " where's Mikymu been"? Ha ha!

been busy tracking :)

Come with Edwin next year to NCRC and PCA events. All the track nuts from Norcal will be there

Ok cool bro..

We are running Laguna on Thursday. Last run for the year..:D

What an awesome looking layout with some nice elevation changes. That looks like it is going to be a fast, fun track :rock:

Will the new expansion at TH connect with the existing portion of the track?

alot of switch back and tight turns with long straight. We are going to have some fun at the new track next year!

yes it will, enter new track before T9 and exit before T10. Here is a post from one of the DE club regarding new layout rental

THUNDERHILL 2014:
TH’s 4.8 mile track should open no later than June 1st. They hope to have it open as early as April at if the weather cooperates. Please note that the 4.8 miles track will probably cost the same as Sonoma or LS but prices have yet to be announced. I spoke with TH today and they said that the 4.8 mile track will be a “significant” price increase. In short, we can’t go to the 4.8 mile track with the 50+ cars we are getting at the 3 mile track.

TH’s spin is that most will go for one track or the other allowing two tracks to be rented on the weekend and thereby increasing weekend rental availability. However, I heard the same story when TH upgraded their original 1.8 mile track to the current 3 miles. It was supposed to be a 1.8 mile and a 1.2 mile track. Now everyone rents the 3 mile track and no one has any interest in the smaller tracks. If history repeats itself, you can forget sub $200 events at TH and you can forget weekends unless you join up with a big club that can bring 120+ cars.

I do think we will get a chance at the new 4.8 mile track if we continue to hold Monday events; but unless the 4.8 mile track increases interest at TH, we will probably end up back at the 3 mile track or perhaps even the new 1.8 mile

Mike,

I would even consider running on Hoosiers if I run at TH again. :)

you know that's a requirement. Anything else are just too slow

Only, if it is a 3 day event. Lol

my R6 lasted more than 35 heat cycled and still pumping out 1:57-1:56 lap after lap. You will be fine :)

FYI: that's with -2.8 front and -1.8 rear cambers

Mike,

You are a beast with that many heat cycles!!!! I cannot wait to get back up there.

Mikymu....can you point me to your thread that had the exhaust mod done where you wired a switch to keep the flaps closed ? I can't remember what thread you posted that in. thanks in advance :cheers:

here you go: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-z...5-seconds.html

I love this thread, read it over and over love the mods and what is a z06 capable of.

one of the main reasons that I got my Z is to track it .. but for my misfortune the closest track to me is 5 hours drive through another country :lol: been there twice so far and planning to not miss any trackdays once I get a trailer ( speed bumps as high as the eye can see scratched the car on them when i drove it there :smash::smash::ack:)

just wanted to revive the thread since i consider it one of the best DIY and track info/modification threads ive read. :cheers:

nice info

Thanks guys and glad you find the post helpful :)

Just LOVE this car and it's easy to handle, fast and relatively inexpensive to run plus it look amazing ... what not to like :D

Here are couple more video and pic from couple months ago at 5 miles Thunderhill chasing werks and couple fast 911

getting well deserved rest at home

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...3ed737f775.jpg

fun chase with werks



PCA bash with GT3 and 911 TT

Hey, great post, and THANKS!

Fellow SB CE here - #131.

So, reading through these posts, several folks have asked you about checking the valve guides, and I didn't see you reply yes or no..

Have you checked them yet, and if not, why not? :cheers:

Sure thing Dan

I have not check the engine valve guide but folks at Able Chevy say my engine runs really well - it's not a hard check but I am OK with it. Still running stock engine/dry sump for a while longer. Like to see how stock engine setup hold up with time

You are exactly right, it is not hard to check at all, clearly you are capable. Did you reach some arrangement with Rich that if you have a failure, his dealership will honor the warranty, ever with your mods (exhaust)? Did you have the car tuned?

I'd hate to see you lose a motor and all the hassle and expense (and possible damage to the car from a spin at the track). BTW, historically, the problem moved from exhaust valvle guides to the intakes being the issue on the '10's, '11's, etc., which is why you probably haven't dropped a valve yet - but please trust me, this issue is far from Internet hype - it will take you less that 30 mins to check the passenger side.

I haven't been at TH since the additions, I do miss all the California and Nevada tracks, but hey, I do have access to Barber, AMP, Road Atlanta and VIR now, so I can't complain THAT much.. :thumbs: Keep kicking P and B cars butts for us out there! :cheers:

Do Werks and Mike have any R6 Vs.Conti slicks comparisons to share?

Ron

Yep I think Mike and I have pretty much come to the concensus that there is about 3 sec a lap difference between the two on the 3 mile track. On the 5 mile pictured in the video it's probably 5-6 seconds lol. Also that is in favour of the R6's, so they are faster than Conti's!

Good advice and I will be well taken care of :thumbs:

The new 991 GT3 is super fast and werks and I will have our work cut out this year. Good to have some real competition. So far our Z06 dominate none race car field easily in advance group

As werks mention below. R6 is crazy fast when new and it's like a drug and conti slicks are slower by couple seconds and heat cycle out much faster than R6. You can run R6 all the way until they cord and still have consistent lap time

We will see how the new R7 fair compare with R6 this year

Mike,

Stop messing around with Ho Ho's and Contis. Just hit the crack pipe and use Michelin slicks.