Hey guys,

My dad is looking to possibly get into a Z06 as a track car. He's currently been using an 06 E46 M3 with suspension work. He does about 40+ track days a year so this car is 95% for the track, but he'll also be driving it to and from the track

Can anyone who has a lot of track experience in the Z06 chime in.

How good is the stock suspension? What work should be done on it if the stock is a bit soft?

How good are the stock brakes? Any overheating problems?

I imagine the engine is pretty solid at 7.0L and 500hp, but any problems with overheating, or transmission issues, etc. ?

And how easy/difficult is it to get some race seats and harnesses installed? I've seen some harness bars that go between the factory seat belt mount points, but is there enough room inside to get a large Recaro in there, my dad is about 6'1" and 200lbs.

Appreciate the feedback. Sorry i didn't use the search, but he may be making the purchase soon and I figured it would be easier to collect the info here.

Heading out for a test drive now.

Thanks.

 

I have driven two on a track. While they are monsters on the track, they are NOT for the novice. They take big ***** to be pushed to their limits. That being said, they are work to drive hard, but they sure are fun. The drivetrain in bullet proof and the brakes are far above average. THe only thing I didn't like was that the car bounced around a little over bumps at the limit which can be a bit scary. When I buy one I will swap out the shocks and change the bushings. Overall, great cars for the money.

 

I agree, the Z's brakes are awesome. I can't comment on their fade on the track as I haven't been on one with the Z, but as far as hard street use goes (extremely hard in some cases,) they really are a powerful setup. Seems like the Z walks a thin line between out of control and best lap times, and its up to the driver to keep it on that line. SSNISTR might be able to comment more on this.

 

I've taken mine to the track a few times. everything works great. only upgrades I would consider are perhaps brake pads, engine oil, tires, seats.

and if you get really serious get some nice track coilovers and racing wheels.

 

Some will say well duhh but for first time z owners it's good to know:

Always heat the tires before hard acceleration. This car's rear end will snap in a heartbeat and is not forgiving to the novice.

Always check the tire pressure manually as the on board CPU is not as accurate as you may think.

Let the car idle for at least five minuets before driving, 7.0 liters/429 ci ...enough said. Especially in cold climate.

Brake feel is hard and immediate, get used to feathering the brakes and powering out of corners.

Steering is twitchy and requires both hands, try to avoid rain and if no other choice, drive in fifth gear. Car is a torque monster.

ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY ... For the money there is nothing else as raw, unforgiving and just plain NASTY. I love mine.

 

Test drive went, really liked it, dad loved it, so now hes looking for the right one.

Looks like the market is around $49K-52K for an '06 Z06, does that sound about right (low mileage 3-9K).

I was wondering for the guys running the Z06 is there a good selection of race seats? The interior looks a little cramped, Im wondering what will fit, and harnesses and bars, what are the options?

Thanks

 

One thing your dad should know, there have been a few cases where the engines were starved for oil during long high-g turns. a few have actually lost the motor because of the starvation. Other than that, throw on a set of pfadt coilovers with their sway bars. It will then out perform anything on the track, in the street tire class.

 

and if you're looking at an '06 you might want to get the roof checked out, I believe they had issues at high speeds.

 

That was a simple TSB if I recall, also the '06 had crappy shock settings if I recall, find out what was changed for '07-on and do that upgrade.

 

The stock brakes will fade if tracked hard. The padlets (or whatever the little brake pads are called) will ruin your rotors. You have to get a better seat if you plan to do anything more than a couple track days a year.

If you decide to upgrade the suspension you will need to upgrade the dry sump so not to starve the engine in heavy G's. Brey Krause makes a nice harness bar that is easy to install and works great for a harness set-up. I recently installed a roll bar and have one that I would sell.

I tracked my Z06 bone stock last year. It is a great track car. I tracked it this year with suspension upgrades, hoosiers, race seat and a 6 pt harness. The car is way more capable than I am at this point. You have to respect the car or it will bite you. It is easy to get it going faster than one should at the track.

 

There was a guy at VIR who went through 3 engines in a short time. Chevy replaced the first two under warranty and then denied the third because they said he was racing. He fought them because he was doing DEs, I don't know what the outcome was. I know in 08 they changed the suspension enough to make the car mags (C&D & R&T) rave about the change. I also heard they took care of any heating issues affecting the first year run.
Good luck!
K

 

I met a guy from the Seattle area at Road America this year who is also on his third engine. Sounds like he got them replaced by the dealer but they told him he is on his own now. He upgraded his dry sump and has no further problems. GM should have done a better job with the dry sump system to start with - if you want to track the car you risk blowing the engine.

 

good to know! I don't really visit Corvette Forum as much as I probably should.

 

great value, especially as a track car.

corvette forum is the way to go

 

How much is the dry sump upgrade run? Are the 08's also affected and need the upgrade?

He will be running track pads from the get-go, and probably replace the rotors with slotted after the stock ones go, are the stock brakes with track pads adequate? Can anyone compare them to the turbo brakes or 997 non-PCCB?

The idea is to keep the car as close to stock in terms of performance to get the most out of it before modding anything. Racing seats and harness bar+harnesses will probably be put in sooner rather than later, but everything else he would like to keep stock, except for the pads, will it be on par with a turbo around the track?