Driftpinto

Hi,
My Name is Scott 30 years old from Clovis CA. Recently purchased an 02 z06 with 50k miles. I have signed up for a local auto cross beginner course at the end of this month, as well as a performance driving clinic at button willow next month. My Car is stock suspension, stock brakes, and a worn down set of tires stock sizes. For autocross I plan on running as is.

Button willow i have ordered power stop track pads and rotors, i am still deciding on what tires to order. This is a weekend car that will see some track use depending how much I enjoy the upcoming events.

Hoping for some good advice on tires, as well as how to prepare for the button willow track day. definitely want to go to Laguna Seca in the near future. I will be trailering the car to the track events.





thanks
Scott

bellwilliam

stock tires will do just fine for your first track day..... but if you must have "track tires". if budget is tight, Federal 595RS-RR can be had for under $500 a set, they work well in winter (they don't like heat much compared to fancy RE71R, RS4, Rvial S 1.5 street tire). for R-comp, NT01 is the golden standard, but R888r and RC1 are also great track tires.

you will probably change your mind on brake pads as you go faster, but again you will be fine for now. just make sure your brake fluid is fresh and with decent fluid. Motul 600/660, SRF, etc....

don't over think it. other than fluid changes (brake, clutch, power steering), just go out and enjoy... you will do just fine.

Driftpinto

Thank you, are those tires available in stock c5 sizes?

Scott

Daffy2

I put Firestone's new Firehawk Indy 500 on my E39 Touring that I auto-x and they are a great tire. The reviews are also excellent and they are pretty cheap for their segment.

In the past they were a crappy muscle car tire but now its identical to the Bridgestone RE003 that was previously only sold in the Asian market. (any Mighty Car Mods fan will recognize the name)

Looks like the are available for base C5 sizes but not C5Z widths. Are C5Z's tricky to find tires for?

-Tim

Garry_W_C5_1999

Brakes and tires are a good start for autocross untill you learn enough about the car. The Z06 is pretty decent right out of the box. I have tried a few different brake pads. I currently run Carbotech 1521 for street/race. I have Powerstop Track Day pads on the back and the seem okay. I would stick with solid rotors as I found drilled and slotted to crack on the track, sometimes pretty quick, depends on your driving style and cool down methods. Hawk were very hard for brake dust cleanup. BFG Rival S is a good 200TW performance street tire, as are the Potenza RE71's. I would also invest in a good full face helmet and Hans or neck brace for track. Get yourself a mobile air tank and decent tire pressure gauge. Tire pressures are one way you can adjust your car during an event. If you don't use it as a daily driver I would also suggest adding some front and rear negative camber, run the front slightly toe out and the rear slightly toe in. All that should be good for your first year. Take plenty rides with fellow competitors, and vice versa, you will learn a lot from others, talk and ask questions. For autocross you need to decide whether your will run a stock class (A Street) with 200TW tires with wheels and tires as per OEM diemensions and limited modifications, or SSR with sticky tires, or CAM-S 200TW but a lot of freedom for modifications.

bellwilliam

http://www.federaltire.com/en/produc...s_detail_sn=36
they have it in 275/35-18. it is $111 per tire here in socal (R Compound USA).
595RS-RR is a great fool around track tire.


I wouldn't run Carbotech 1521 on a Vette. I run XP20 for track (not recommending you to run this, this IS a track only pad), which is heat range above XP12, which is above XP10, which is above XP8, which is above AX6, which is above Carbotech 1521. Spec Miata guys runs XP10/8 or XP12/10 combo, and this is on a 2,400LB car including driver.

FAUEE

Don't get wrapped up in what tires are best. As a beginner, focus on reliability, and more track time. Don't get too worried about the best or the fastest, get something inexpensive that won't fall apart. Most summer tires will fit the bill here.

I would warn against getting too sticky of a tire early on. A C5z will mask a lot of your mistakes with its chassis and electronics. Sticky tires will just exacerbate the issue. If you want to learn, do it on inexpensive and less good tires.

Garry_W_C5_1999

Bellwilliam is correct regarding the brake pad selections. I only do 3-5 laps at a time as time trial before 200TW tires get too hot and greasy. I have found the 1521 do not fade with such limited laps. That’s my choice for now as they are also quiet on the street and work fine on autocross. As wear and money allows I may try some of the higher rated carbotech brakes next.

nerz

Noob question here: If I daily drive my R compound tires will they heat cycle out inbetween each HPDE I do? Or will the temperatures of normal highway driving not really get them up to track temps so they won't turn into rocks before the next HPDE?

jpb1978

As a beginner, it will be really hard for you not to over drive the car. Slow in REALLY is fast out. If it starts to spin don't try to save it, both feet in, meaning brake and clutch. Seriously, try not to kill your front tires by driving to hard into the turns, also youu want at least 35 psi in the front tires and 30-32 psi in the rear when cold for autocross. They will increase as they heat up. Take a folding chair and plenty of drinking water. The little triangles on the sidewall are not where the tread ends but they indicate where the wear bars are located.

Driftpinto

Thank you for all the insight, i'm questioning my decision on putting on the slotted and drilled rotors for my first track day, maybe even returning them. I got a great deal on a new set of R888 275/40 front and 305/35 rear, that should be here before the track day. For auto cross i will run the firehawks that are currently on the car and will make sure tire pressure is good. I will definitely take the track day slow. I will have an instructor in car help as well and am hoping their will be other vette owners there to talk too.

Scott

mnmthoele

I would send back the drilled rotors. They will crack much quicker where the holes are drilled. I personally just use the NAPA blank rotors on my 01Z., with CarboTech XP 10 pads. I normally get 2-3 weekends out of the rotors. That set of tires should work fine for you.

RickMack

Ditto Use a NAPA rotor you are going to crack them once you start running hard. Carbo XP8s are good for AX and track day-they don't need lap time to warmup. Similar to HP+s.
Once you start cracking rotors be prepared to do track replacements. Fresh brake fluid is cheap insurance. Bware of a hard pedal turning into asoft pedal - slow down and get off the brake pedal. Check for leaking fluid and do some laps in the paddock area to cool fluid and cool rotors.
Rich

jaredtxrx

Keep the pads. Send back the rotors.

jcarothers

All of this is true. Making your car "perfect" for performance driving is a really fancy way of chucking tons of money at your car. There's plenty of time for that when you get more and more into it and you're starting with a very capable car.

Also, OP is this the Fresno SCCA autox school you're going to?