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Building a $50K Track Tool to beat $500K Track Tools
- Thread starter 1K2GO
- Start date
Been lost in the wilderness for a long time. Women will do that to you...
- Joined
- 25 February 2012
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I can't overheat my Koyo, even on a 101F track day. But, like you said, I am NA.
I was at Thunderhill last weekend (~107F out) and at the end of afternoon track sessions the needle started to creep up a bit past where it usually sits - is that considered overheating? I have the Koyo as well.
You really can not rely on what the gauge is showing you for any kind of an accurate reading. It will show you that it is trending higher or lower than normal but that is about it. If want to know actual coolant temps you can add an extra coolant gauge or for the OBDII cars you can get an OBDII reader and view the actual live data from the ECU. Once the engine reaches 180* the gauge will be in the normal everyday position and the amount of movement of the needle from 180* to 210* is hardly noticeable but a 30* swing is something you may want to know.
Running on track with 400whp and a WTA cooler in front of my radiator my coolant system will see 210* by the end of a 20 min session in 90* ambient temps using the OEM radiator and a vented hood with no additional ducting, by the end of my cool down lap the car is in the 190's and by the time I get to the pits and idle for a few minutes to cool the turbos I am looking for the coolant to get to 192* or lower before I shut the car down. YMMV but from what I have seen the gauge really does not move much off of the normal position until the temp is in the 220* range or higher. Keep in mind our cars have a pressurized cooling system and 220* is not going to be an issue as long as it is controlled and not swinging around all over the place. The Corvettes will see mid to high 230's just from normal around town driving but settle in around 220-225* on the track. Obviously cooler is better but I think these temps are considered normal on modern engines.
Dave
...or you can choose to not track the car in 90-100 deg. temps. Problem solved. I don't like to drive my car in those temps let alone race.
107! I probably would have stopped tracking and went home. Without any gauge to monitor temps that is too risky for me..........
There are better ones out there IMO. Dave sells Zeitronix and after a LOOOOOOOONG search I personally picked Stack Pro Control. Anyway hijacking Rob's thread now... Sorry Rob
1K2GO, since the budget is long-past blown and your focus is squarely set on dropping weight, have you considered upgrading to the newer ABS system or removing ABS altogether? According to SoS, the new system should shave about 15lbs. Not sure how much more you'd lose with the system delete, but I doubt you're making use of it on the track with such sticky rubber. On the street, however, it may be worth having in case of rain.
Gotta admit, every time I read this thread, it makes me want to throw money at the car. Dangerous read!
Gotta admit, every time I read this thread, it makes me want to throw money at the car. Dangerous read!
Thanks quicksilver, I'm at approx. $75/80K including initial investment so yeah, budget blown but the goal of building an affordable trackable, street legal(ish) car that can hold its own against the best modern high dollar contemporary track packages is still very much alive. The 2015 ZO6 appears to be the new benchmark and will be a challenging opponent.
I go back & forth about deleting the ABS unit. To be really serious about weight reduction I know it needs to go but I'm no quite there yet. What I get the most satisfaction from is when 'that guy' driving the GT3RS or or any other dedicated hyper track car that I just dispatched, wonders over to my pit at the lunch break, expecting to see a fully stripped down dedicated trailer queen. To his surprise, he discovers that my 'little vintage ricer' that's been harassing him all morning has a complete interior including air con, satnav, cupholder & carpet kit etc.
:biggrin:My latest addition: for Ayrton
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Yes, for a couple years now. Got it from Dali before I made his $hit list. Strictly cosmetic with little to no weight reduction.
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What I get the most satisfaction from is when 'that guy' driving the GT3RS or or any other dedicated hyper track car that I just dispatched, wonders over to my pit at the lunch break, expecting to see a fully stripped down dedicated trailer queen. To his surprise, he discovers that my 'little vintage ricer' that's been harassing him all morning has a complete interior including air con, satnav, cupholder & carpet kit etc.
I'm so inspired by that haha.
If you can, post more pics of your harness bar install and seats and stuff? Or if you did and I just missed it please point me to the post...
Love that "WTF moment":biggrin:
Seats, Harnesses & Bar
Sub
Sub to Bar
Shoulder Harness to Bar
Love the seat by the way, very clean and purposeful upgrade.
The Z06/Z07 will be a very hard car to beat on the track, GM has finally fixed most of the C6 Z06 issues. I had a 2011 Z07 Carbon on the scales last week, 7/8tank of gas, 6pt. cage, harnesses, CCW wheels and R6 Tires, with everything else stock and the car weighs in at 3047 and nearly 50/50 weight distribution both front to back and side to side. Add in the 525whp with a mild tune and a good driver and this thing is as fast as just about any dedicated track car we run up against. If the new C7 Z07 gets another 100whp, 150wtq, and real Aero it will be a track monster. I can not wait to get my hands on one for some testing.
There is something to be said for warranty racing, and as my buddies C6 Z07's warranty is about up he is already hinting at the C7 Z07.
Dave
You asked that same question here:
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...more-testing?p=1658383&viewfull=1#post1658383
And I answered it here:
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...more-testing?p=1658393&viewfull=1#post1658393
Dave
My buddy owns a big Corvette/GM dealership out here. It is my understanding that the C7 ZO7 is what you get when you check every box on the ZO6 option list including all the aero & carbon bits, massive ceramic Brembos and a 650hp supercharged small block. I have test driven a C7 with the Z51 package. It felt fast but it still felt big and bloated. Its still a front engine sports car, a very powerful car and I'm sure that ZO6/ZO7 will be very popular at the track. I might have to re-adjust my budget to keep up with it.
- Joined
- 25 February 2012
- Messages
- 2,166
Yes, a lot of NSX owners are going to dump a lot of money into making our cars faster than the new Corvette.
Me and my (essentially) stock car are just thinking about ways to deal with those darn M3s... LOL
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I gave more detailed thoughts in the thread about the new Vette but I got to drive one at Thunderhill last weekend and my one-sentence summary is that it felt more like my Volt than like my NSX. That is no compliment.
Me and my (essentially) stock car are just thinking about ways to deal with those darn M3s... LOL
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I gave more detailed thoughts in the thread about the new Vette but I got to drive one at Thunderhill last weekend and my one-sentence summary is that it felt more like my Volt than like my NSX. That is no compliment.
I got it from Shad and to be honest I have no idea who's it is. I do not believe its a CT and it is not custom either. It's nicely finished and better than most that I've seen.
As I said previously, I haven't been able to do any track events this past year due to my bitterly contentious divorce, but when I do, I prefer Trackmasters or Speed Ventures. I have tried all of them including HOD, NASA, Shelby, TM, SV etc. I only run in the 'expert' or 'race prep' group and I've found the drivers in these two clubs to be more consistent and less likely to do something that ends up in tears. I hope to do a Sears Point event this fall. Watch this space :biggrin:
Thanks... now what were we talking about again? LOL
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A shop near me had a C7 apart, bumper off. It was very interesting... the bumper "beam" was this large flower shaped plastic crush boxes. perhaps 8-10 of them side by side. I am certain it was lightweight and absorbed impact well. I am looking for something similar.
The C7 is an amazing car and the engineering that went into it is impressive. The C7 Z06 is ridiculous and the aero package for the car is unbelievable. Chevy really stepped up their game and it'll be a tough car to beat....
+1^
I've had my fair share of track battles with well prepped C6 Z06's. With a capable driver they are a formitable adversary. IMHO with its 505 SAE hp & 3000++lbs. vs my 400whp & 2800 lbs. and equal drivers its pretty much a coin flip depending on the track. I've had pretty good success reeling them in at Sears Point/Infineon/Sonoma but thats not a HP track.
The new C7 Z06/Z07 with 650 SAE HP is a whole other kettle of fish. I reckon I need at least another 100hp to run with it. Or drop another 200 lbs. I've heard that a fully specced Z07 is going to cost you well north of $100K. I still wouldn't trade though. Not a bow tie guy
