PShea814

Hello to the Corvette world! My name is Patrick and soon enough I will be not only a C6 owner, but a first time owner of any Corvette! Ready to buy just looking for the right one to be available (and for my Jeep to sell).
Along for introducing myself I just wanted to share my build plans, and hopefully get some input from anyone interested in helping me make my transition to this world. I grew up at Road Atlanta and the Petit Le Mans, and am ready to get onto the track myself (purely recreational). I am no stranger to forums and the search functionality and have already began that journey. I am looking to hear some suggestions, personal experience, and any favorite threads/articles pertaining to my goal. So please feel free to make suggestions on parts/kits/brands/articles etc! I figured since I am looking at multiple parts it is easier to have one thread than 5 specific threads.

Basic Build Considerations:

• This will be a daily driver ( < 12K miles/year), BUT be my track toy also. I live in the city so I do not do a lot of road driving other then to work 30 miles each way.
• I have driven manual and flappy paddle gearboxes. Obviously living in the city the A6 might be the better option with traffic, and I can be very useful on the track. BUT I do plan on eventually building big power (whether by an engine swap or FI), and I do not believe the A6 can handle that. Please correct me if I am wrong. I am not against the M6 in any way.
• I live in Atlanta, where potholes are plenty, so it needs to be able to handle that without breaking my back, as well as not sit too low to destroy my aero and bumpers. BUT I currently drive a 4 Door Wrangler lifted on 37" tires with a stiff suspension so I am no stranger to a rough ride, or afraid of it. I do not expect to have a "soft luxury ride.

• Performance:
  1. Engine Rebuild - Need most of my help here. I am buying a higher mileage car (120k+ miles) as I plan on replacing many of the components of the entire car. Should I rebuild the engine at purchase? Or wait to supercharge it and redo it all at that point? Or turbocharge? Or even scrap the SC/rebuild and just drop a new 525HP LS3 in it to avoid the wear/tear/heat of forced induction?
  2. Upgrade Brakes - Looking to stay between $3k-$5k for front and rear. Might as well go bigger than Z51. Baer? Z06 Upgrade? Wilwood? StopTech?
  3. Suspension Upgrade - Should I go 4 corner coilovers? That was my plan. If so -- Aldan? Johnny? LG?
  4. Exhaust & Headers - I know this is purely personal preference but still love to hear from anyone and everyone.
  5. Transmission - Again A6 or M6? Swap? Or upgrade internals? This is my least knowledgeable area for the Corvette.
• Aesthetics:
  1. Morimoto Afterburner Tails & C7 Style Headlights.
  2. SV Waterfall or SSV Vented Hood
  3. Wheels - Cannot decide, I love about 10 of them. Thinking something along the lines of TSW Interlagos
  4. Looking into splitters, diffusers, and additional aero currently.

Of course much more to come to all of this but these are the initial plans. Getting excited just typing this!

Thanks for any guidance or suggestions everyone.

Mordeth

RX82Z06

dclafleur

I'm going to re-iterate what the other guys said. Bring it up to maintenance, change fluids replace brake fluid with a good dot 4, make sure you have decent wear on the rotors and a fresh set of pads and register for an HPDE. Drive the car, get some instruction spend the money for "modifying" the car on track time at first.

I do "daily" drive my track toy (I also have other vehicles for lousy weather and even average 2-3 days a week it only sees 5000 miles a year) and the only thing I can say to that is don't lower the car, get a good alignment with a bit of a track focus but leave it able to clear the entrance to your favorite lunch joint or the spike strip at a parking garage.

As frequently as I go to the track, I still run street tires and have factory seats because I'm not willing to start towing my car to the track or give up taking my kid to lunch in it. I'll also recommend watching the videos in the "Why did I crash thread" there are some good drivers who contribute footage and none of them crashed because they didn't have enough power.

Also shoot Tom a message, that's probably the best offer you're going to get.

PShea814

I guess I left out some details haha.
I posted in here because I originally posted in General C6 but due to my suspension, brakes, and track desires they recommended I come over here for those questions.
The plan is for this to be a daily driver, as I build the car for strictly track purposes over the next few years. Then it will become a dedicated track car. For the next few years it will be a daily driver that I track once a month or so.
I have ditched the idea of a SC after more reading.

I am selling to buy for space reasons, and no need to keep two cars at the moment. Selling will also fuel my budget more so, but not necessary needed for budget reasons.
I completely understand all that you are saying, and I didn't necessarily plan on a new motor and was just was throwing out the idea if it is something I should plan on doing down the road. Or if I should just maintain/rebuild/upgrade the current motor over time.
Motor regardless is the last thing I am touching no matter what. Everything I listed is not a "I am buying the car, and then next week doing all of the modifications" it will be and over time thing. I just like to know where I am heading with parts/pricing etc.

I am not "new" to driving track, but all I have ever driven on track consistently my whole life is a C43 AMG, and our 1986 911. So yes this is a new level to me. although I have driven others on the track.

I know I did not list any safety features, but I assure you they are in the plan. All I listed on the plan was things I did not know about, or things I have not settled on yet. Seats, cage, helmet, harnesses, etc are all already picked out.

So I guess I should rephrase everything as to the plan is to get the car, update everything I can for reliability, suspension and brakes are my first priority of the list I originally provided in the post. Engine is my last idea just wanted to start thinking ahead.

I appreciate the honesty for sure.

It has been about 10 years but I have done the Audi HPDE at Road Atlanta, which now is the AMG class. I do plan on doing another once I purchase the car, but right after begin the build.

jaredtxrx

What kind of C6? Base, Z51 optioned, GS, Z06?

Brakes are one thing you can upgrade (and will want to probably upgrade) and still be 100% streetable with a simple pad swap.
With a brake upgrade you may need new wheels.
After that things like an aluminum radiator, oil cooling.

Once you have the brakes and cooling down then maybe move to some sport seats that are adjustable, a harness bar, and of course harnesses.

Those things above are pretty safe to put into a daily driver.

Once you start going cage, fixed seats, removing innards for weight, slicks, you are going to have the trailer the car and bye bye DD status.

PShea814

I will more than likely go Base or Z51 depending on what I find since I will be replacing majority of the components over time. If I found the right GS I would go that route.

This is the route I am going initially.
Brakes
Suspension
Wheels/Tires
Radiator/Cooling
Harnesses/Adjustable Seats.

Everything there are my first priorities.

truth.b

OP,

Below is a quick run down of my journey over the last 6 years with my GS that i wrote for another thread. Granted I bought my car new but if the one your acquire was well maintained and/or only slightly driven you should be fine. In general, any late model corvette provides enough room to grow for "most" HPDE drivers. My car is still a DD and I spend a fair amount of time in the western NC mountain area which is why I haven't added brakes/suspension/seats. I know my laptimes suffer buy the enjoyment does not. I'm not a 10/10ths driver and would not recommend that in any car (especially a corvette) without a proper cage. As a point of reference, the vids below show where I started and where I'm at now. I hope this helps.

My $.02

This clip is when I was Showroom Stock even the brake pads with the only change being DOT4 Fluid.



This clip has all the above mods but before I retuned the engine. At the time I was making just around 410/385 HP/TRQ at the wheels; now I making 420/410 HP/TRQ at the wheels.

PShea814

Very helpful! And does give more perspective. I know not everything is necessary at the beginning and I should have emphasized that all of this is a multi year project. As I hit the track more often, add new parts, and get close to completion (and secondary vehicle for a DD) it will become a full time track car.

Once I get the car the first and only modifications I would make is aesthetic, exhaust, maintenance, and safety. Everything comes after over time.

Those videos are making the itch worse!

JRitt@essex

I'll address the brake side since that's our area of expertise, and we've helped thousands of Corvette owners here on the forum over the years.

The brakes on the base or Z51 are actually better than those on the Z06. If you go with a Z06, I wouldn't waste any time with the OEM calipers and discs. I would immediately install a front brake kit and save yourself a massive amount of headaches, money, missed track time, and frustration. Again, the OEM C6Z brakes are a comedy of errors. I literally talk with customers every single week who curse them up and down and tell me that they regret ever even trying to run them on the track. I've had several customers who have crashed their cars because of issues with the stock brakes, and many who have had very close calls/seriously scary moments. This is particularly true if you plan to make the car even faster than it is out of the box...and it is damn fast out of the box!

If you go with a base or Z51 on stock engine/bolt-ons, you can at least ease your way into things with the OEM calipers and discs. At minimum I'd suggest some good fluid (we recommend Ferodo Super Formula or AP Racing R2-R4) and some good pads. Some of the most user-friendl pads that work awesome on corvettes are the Ferodo DS1.11. We have hoards of brake kit customers running them with great success. After you run through your first set of race pads and/or discs, you may want to then consider a complete front brake kit.

The front brakes on these cars get pummeled, while the abuse on the rears is far lower. Most people run through 3-4 sets of front pads for every set of rear. If you go the brake upgrade route, you will be FAR better spending your $3-5k brake budget on a superior FRONT system vs. dividing that budget on a lesser front and rear setup. In other words, having amazing front brakes pays big dividends on these cars, but the ROI on the rears isn't as great. You can always add a rear kit later when your OEM rear equipment sees its final days. We have a number of front systems that fall in your budget range. You can see all of our Essex Designed AP Racing Competition Brake Kits for the C6 Corvette here.

The other mods you plan for the car will determine which brake kit is most appropriate for your needs. The more grip, aero, and power you add, the more thermal capacity you'll need in your brakes. So rather than buying a quick fix that will solve your current brake issues, plan ahead and get something that will cover you for the foreseeable future. The best upgrades aren't cheap, and you certainly want to do it once and do it right. If you plan to wheel-to-wheel race, unsprung weight also comes into play. For example, we offer two front disc sizes in our six piston kits that fit under 18" wheels. One is a 355x32mm, 72 vane disc, and the other features a 372x34mm, 84 vanes. The larger one weighs four pounds more. If you're racing wheel-to-wheel, that 4 lbs. unsprung weight may matter to you. If you're just looking to have fun and fiddle with your brakes as little as possible, then the larger system is the better choice. The heat is spread over a greater area, they have more thermal mass, and you won't need to change them out as often.

Here's a video we did on the topic:

Our essex YouTube channel has even more videos, and you can see tons of owner reviews on our essex blog and elsewhere on this forum.

There will be plenty of people that chime in here and tell you that the stock brakes are great, good enough, etc. Something that needs to be factored in is how much time you want to spend messing with your brakes. How often do you want to be changing pads, discs, bleeding fluid, rebuilding calipers, and easing up on your brakes in your afternoon sessions. Many of our customers don't want to deal with any of those things, so they hit the easy button and buy one of our kits. All of those things go away, and you no longer have to worry about your brakes.

Others will tell you that you'll become a better driver if you suffer through the factory brakes and make them work for you. Many of our customers don't want to suffer. They want to have fun. The single, universal comment that we receive from pretty every much Corvette customer running our brake kit is that they inspire a level of confidence far beyond what they ever had with the OEM equipment. Hopefully some of them will chime in here. To many, that is worth the price of entry alone, and it can be the difference between having a really fun day at the track vs. not. In other words, having superior brakes allows you to focus on all of the other things going on out there.

Another issue with the OEM brakes is that they are a poor investment. You quickly burn through pads, discs, and fluid, which in the end is all stuff you throw away. The discs crack, the pads burn up, and the fluid boils. In the end you still have stock brakes, and the OEM components look like they went through the ringer. Conversely, our brake kits were expressly designed to handle track abuse and dramatically slow the consumption of pads, discs, and fluid. We have many customers (like this one) that run our systems for years without doing anything other than beating the hell out of them. Our kits also have solid residual value, so when you move on to your next car, our kit actually adds value, or you can pull them off and sell them for about 65% of what you paid for them. When you run the long-term numbers our kits tend to pay for themselves in about 2-3 seasons. That's not just me saying that either. That's based on many, many data points across all different types of cars, including a huge number of Corvettes.

Finally, I'm proud to say that we offer the best customer service in the business. We've been long-time forum sponsors, we're always happy to help, and we have a staff of professionals dedicated to brakes. Our team supported Corvette Racing and the C6.R with AP Racing Brakes during their Le Mans wins (and still support the C7.R).

FYI...My current personal track car is a C6 base with a Lingenfelter 403 engine, and I also tracked a C5Z06 for a number of years. I love Vettes, and I love helping vette owners have more fun at the track with our brake systems.

village idiot

For basic track use, get a GS or Z06. The dry sump, wider body/tires and better brakes are well worth it. The base C6 platform isn't really worth it IMO.

If you actually want to run at the track, it has way more power than a beginner should have. If you insist on having more power, do it NA. Boost causes all kinds of heating issues.

Get a Grand Sport. Swap out brake pads and fluid. Drive it till something blows. Rebuild with a little more power. Add some coilovers if you're bored. That will get you through your first 20 track days, at least.

NSFW

Forum sponsor TPS Motorsports has a StopTech ST-60 front / ST-40 rear package for just under $5k. When I was shopping for brakes for my C5 I couldn't find anywhere near that bang-for-the-buck from anyone else, so that's the route I went.

AND0

Track car build lessons

Have you read this thread yet? Answers all you questions already. Lots of great info.

You really need two cars. Buy a beater anything for daily. We have all been there......
Limited on parking? Pay for the extra carport or parking space.
Can't afford that? Consider tracking a cheaper car like a Miata. Way easier to learn to go fast for less. Whats your track budget?
Figure at least $100 per hour. Brakes Tires fuel entry fees travel lodging Misc

C6 Grand sport with upgraded brakes and cooling, harness bar

PShea814

I had already figured $120-$150 for track days to over budget, I live by Road Atlanta. So travel and lodge is nil.
Thank you for that article!! A great resource!

My apartment complex isn't exactly reasonable for parking. They charge a fortune for additional parking, and as I mentioned before I just don't want two cars at the time.

I am starting to definitely consider the Grand Sport as my route with upgraded brakes and cooling as you mentioned.

village idiot

Gray Ghost GS

+1 for a '09 - '13 GS with upgraded brakes, cooling and harness bar.

village idiot

Gray Ghost GS

You're right; meant to say a 4-point roll bar as a minimum, not harness bar.