I was putting together a checklist for my own personal use and decided to share it here. I thought it would be nice to have a resource on Z06vette that was specific to our cars and easy for HPDE noobs, like me, to find in a site search. This information has been taken from several different sources and is a consolidation of all the good tips out there. If I’ve left anything out or need to correct something, let me know by replying to this thread and I will update it.
At Home:
Check / change the oil (fill to top mark on dipstick; flushed within 30 days).
Check brake lines for cracks (stainless steel brake lines and "Speed Bleeders" are also a good investment) and make sure your brake lines have enough length in them when your suspension is fully extended. You can buy directly from speedbleeder.com or other performance vendors.
If pulling tranny/torque tube out of car for other maintenance, check around the bolt holes on the clutch pressure plate for cracking. Once you get to 40-50 track days, if you pick up a vibration in your car that varies with the clutch in and out, I would bet the pressure plate is beginning to get cracks around the bolt holes.
Check the steering & suspension for excess play or clunking sounds. Check sway bar nuts and bolts, especially on the front where the sway bar bolts to the aluminum a-arm. With the car on jacks, wiggle the wheels. If they have some play and move back & forth with your hands at 6 and 12 o'clock, you probably have bad wheel bearings. If they show some play with your hands at 3 and 9 o'clock, you probably have worn tie-rod end-links.
Print out the C5 computer codes found here: Corvette DIC Codes
Turn the key to the ON position, but don't start the engine. Clear any present messages by pressing the RESET button. Hold the OPTIONS button down, and press the FUEL button 4 times. This will get you into the CODES section of the DIC. The computer will automatically display all the codes your car has created. It will cycle through each code every 3 seconds. Any code that ends in H is a history code (something that has occured in the past) but is fine now. Once the computer has finished going through all of it's codes, press RESET to enter Manual Configuration mode. It should start with a module and show "NO CODES" or "# CODES".
Check / adjust tire pressure (30-31 psi cold, ~40 psi hot). Remove center caps. Tape up wheel weights with duct tape or that shiny silver/heat-reflective tape so when the wheel weight adhesive melts from the rotor heat that they don't fall off your wheel. Z06Vette.com - Corvette Z06 Forum - Tire pressure on road course
Make sure driver’s seat back is up-right and seat is close enough that you can reach the steering wheel with bent arms at the elbows. You will have much better car control this way.
Other tools (sockets, wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, etc...)
Bottled water, Gatorade, etc.
Food, energy bars, etc.
Stuff To Bring (Optional):
Spare parts (This is probably overkill for the novice driver. However, it is always better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.)
Serpentine belt
Brake pads
Rotors (front & rear)
Wheel hubs (front & rear)
Caliper bolts and caliper bracket bolts and caliper pins
Short and long 02 sensors
Knock sensor
Spark plugs
Spark plug wires
Fuel filter
Fuel injector set
Jack
Jack stands
Jumper cables
Funnel for oil
Tie wraps
Tire pyrometer
Run flat aerosol cans
Service manual
Grease
Hand soap or waterless hand cleaner
Ice chest
Sunglasses
Sun screen
Camera
Camera batteries charged
Extra tapes if you are doing in-car video (Don't use DVD or hard drive cameras. They don't record properly in the high G-force environment of the track.)
Stopwatch
Flashlight
Map/directions/phone number of hotel
Map/directions/phone number of track
Gloves
Folding chair
Umbrella
Ground tarp
Rain tarp
Extra set of keys
Beginning Track Session:
"Off the Line"
Tire pressure
Torque lugs
Fuel
"On the Line"
Memory Button – #1
HUD – Track Mode
AH – Off or Comp Mode
NPP Valves – Open
Radio/Nav – OFF
Air Cond – OFF
Seat Belt – Ratchet tight
DRL’s – OFF
__________________
Toyo T1Rs / CAGS Defeat / Tint / Soon to be Lowered / 15-lb Battery / Seat Bolster Mod / HPDE Checklist
"I've always followed my father's advice: he told me, first to always keep my word and, second, to never insult anybody unintentionally. If I insult you, you can be goddamn sure I intend to." -John Wayne
Excellent move!
Can the Mod's make this a sticky in this sub-forum?
At Home:
Fresh oil and brake fluid (flushed within 30 days)
DOT4 recommended, but not essential for first event.
Brake pads should be 50% or better.
At The Track:
EXCEPT C6Z06: Add oil to equal 1 quart over full (=7.5 qts)
Stuff To Bring (Required):
Helmet (DOT may be acceptable; but check first. Best to have Snell 2000 or newer, SA rated rather than M rated)
Required forms, completed in advance, e.g., medical, pre-tech, helmet/harness release)
Stuff To Bring (Highly Recommended):
1 container of brake fluid
Brake bleeding equipment (tube/bottle, etc.)
Stuff To Bring (Optional):
Umbrella
Ground tarp
Rain tarp
__________________
^VIR Turn 3 '08^-MungoZ06-'03 QS/ModRed - NCCC, NASA NCM Member - Z06 Fest IV,V,VI
Excellent move!
Can the Mod's make this a sticky in this sub-forum?
At Home:
Fresh oil and brake fluid (flushed within 30 days)
DOT4 recommended, but not essential for first event.
Brake pads should be 50% or better.
At The Track:
EXCEPT C6Z06: Add oil to equal 1 quart over full (=7.5 qts)
Stuff To Bring (Required):
Helmet (DOT may be acceptable; but check first. Best to have Snell 2000 or newer, SA rated rather than M rated)
Required forms, completed in advance, e.g., medical, pre-tech, helmet/harness release)
Stuff To Bring (Highly Recommended):
1 container of brake fluid
Brake bleeding equipment (tube/bottle, etc.)
Stuff To Bring (Optional):
Umbrella
Ground tarp
Rain tarp
Vant.....amazing work here. I personally thank you for this checklist. It's about as complete as I've seen. I'm in the middle of preparing for my first HPDE at Road Atlanta. I've pretty much done all you have suggested. I bought the blue painters tape but just zaino'd the car and also used the zaino sealant. Think I'll be getting some racers tape instead tomorrow. I've copied this checklist to microsoft word and will run it down just before I go.
I checked your list vs mine and the only things missing were very specific to my SCCA T1 racing (like transponder, radio and video camera batteries charged, video film in case, etc.).
Thanks for taking the time to put that list togther for those newer to HPDEs.
You are my favorite "poster" for your wittiness. Now I see you are an organized and pragmatic person, too.
Here are a few more thoughts I had....
Check sway bar nuts and bolts, especially on the front where the sway bar bolts to the aluminum a-arm.
Make sure your brake lines have enough length in them when your suspension is fully extended
Check wheel lug nuts with torque wrench
Check tires for excessive wear, flat-spots, cuts and bad/worn/cracked valve stems
Check wheels for cracks, especially around the spokes. This is even true of heavily used CCWs.
If pulling tranny/torque tube out of car for other maintenance, check around the bolt holes on the clutch pressure plate for cracking. Once you get to 40-50 track days, if you pick up a vibration in your car that varies with the clutch in and out, I would bet the pressure plate is beginning to get cracks around the bolt holes.
Add Redline Water Wetter to radiator
Tape up wheel weights with duct tape or that shiney silver/heat-reflective tape so when the wheel weight adhesive melts from the rotor heat that they don't fall off your wheel
Tape up the rocker panels below the doors and behind the doors go has high-up and all around the rear brake ducts. On tracks with debris and gravel, this is where 95+% of the paint chipping will occur.
Make sure transponder, if any, is secured by at least two tie-straps, plus some tape is recommended, too.
Make sure windows and mirrors are clean and not smudged, etc.
Adjust mirrors
Make sure seat back is up-right and seat is close enough that you can reach the steering wheel with bent arms at the elbows. You will have much better car control this way.
Camera batteries charged and extra tapes if you are doing in-car video.
Don't use DVD or hard drive cameras. They don't record properly in the high G-force environment of the track.
With the car on jacks, wiggle the wheels. If they have some play and move back & forth with your hands at 6 and 12 o'clock, you probably have bad wheel bearings. If they show some play with your hands at 3 and 9 o'clock, you probably have worn tie-rod end-links
Check rotors for cracks, especially the front rotors
Thank your spouse profusely for his or her support in letting you go do a stupidly expensive endeavor.
Yeah ... I now carry one of those, along with spare caliper bolts and caliper bracket bolts and caliper pins.
Thanks for keeping up the list, Vant ...
Suggest adding "spare set of keys" to checklist ... strongly suggested ...
If we are now going to consider spare parts, my list gets longer. I typically carried a box of spare parts including those listed above and:
- front and rear wheel hubs
- short and long 02 sensors
- knock sensor
- spark plugs
- spark plug wires
- fuel filter
- fuel injector set
Probably a couple other odds and ends I can't remember. However, for a DE, I'd consider most of these spare parts overkill.
Linear Mode
