Coming back to the Z06 scene...Help w/ Q's

[Driv200mph]

Hey guys. Sold my '02 Z06 after a very successful season of Instructor level High Speed Touring years ago and went on to other cars with great success. The C6 Z06 is calling me and I want to get caught up on what the best year model to get is and what updates are required for serious weekend track days.

Articles keep talking about road hop over bumps and numb steering? Read they just changed steering feel on new models? I would probably not care about this with my stickies and mods on a race track. Also, what about tranny heat and engine heat management with the new dry sump etc???

What about a new '08 C6(non Z06) with cams and bolt on mods? Seems pretty good too?

My interest is a C6 Z06 with LG cams, pro LT's, exhaust no cats, stickies, CCW rims, brake pads, brake lines, harness bar, 5pt cam belts, short shift, air intake. Anyone know where to look? Could not find "for sale" on this forum???

Prices seem to be dropping on Z06's and everything else. What are some solid good deals out there?

Thanks all. Look forward to some help to get me back into a Z06 and at the track events!!!!

Driv200mph@aol.com
Andy

[DennyM]

Welcome back!
So ... when you get a C6 you're gonna update your sig? ...
Methinks you're wanting to buy/build a dedicated track car ... you going racing or just HPDE?
What I've gleaned from reading.
'08 had improved steering
'09 has more improved steering and the ZR1 resevoir of 10+ qts.
Hard track use suggests one piece pads on the stock calipers.
Don't know of a solid rotor available yet in C6Z size.
Engine heat does not seem to be an issue on a NA Z.
If you don't care about class rules - you might end up messing with different sway bars and DA shocks to fine tune the suspension - next step is coilovers.
Haven't heard much about having to add additional cooler in rear ... diff has one, IIRC.
You might think about track seats ... and a HANS if you don't have one.
LS3 in C6 w/ Z51 is a nice platform to build on ... if you're neutral on appearance and want to take the $ difference to apply to track-specific mods. ... prolly go with a BBK and solid rotors, tho. (or two-piece)
Looking forward to your reports!

[Driv200mph]

Hey Thanks! Sounds like the cooling issues are not an issue anymore then? What did you mean by BBK?

With the price difference, the C6 LS3 would leave more room for upgrades. But the Z06 is just my real focus and I can't stop thinking of that. I usually save coilovers for my last big investment since a car like this has a pretty good suspension set up already. Sway bars are definitely in my plan. I would like to do NASA track time trials at TWS, Motorsports Ranch, TMS, Heartland Park, etc.. Would love to go back to Road America!!!

I always say I want a track car I can drive on the street. If I lose the street factor, then I am stupid for not having a dedicated track car. I love the social scene too and the fun times with people at stoplights and back road cruising.

Is there a 'for sale' forum on here?

Thanks.

[DennyM]

BBK = Big Brake Kit ... StopTech popular among C6 crowd. Wilwood popular among C5 crowd. Other good names of course.
Member Sales-Parts & Cars for "for sale"
Good luck!

[cdfmg]

Been tracking my '08 Z with no issues. Showroom stock and very fast. First track car so can't compare handling, but I can't imagine something handling much better.

Still on the original runflats. Only mods I'm planning are wheels, tires and brake pads and lines. No cooling issues to date. Torque everywhere so I'm not running at redline; a real race car driver might cause some heat problems, but I haven't heard about it.

I put in a Kirkey seat and hardbarusa harness bar, mainly because I'm 6'5", but it's nice to be bolted down. To do that you need a Pfadt electric dohickey so the car will think the seat's there. Call them and they'll sell it to you; not on the website as of a few weeks back.

Haven't heard much about differences in the C6 model years, but possibly there are some computer fixes re tire pressure, tire size with the traction control, etc. I ran my tire over the 41 lb limit the other day and it gave me a warning, but didn't slow me down (on the highway), so I'm not sure the computer limiter concern re tire pressure applies to the '08.
Good luck.