STANG KILLA SS Goes Racin

[Sarra]

Yep. Should make an aluminum air dam, or get a good CF one that is strong enough to not bend.

[STANG KILLA SS]

Originally Posted by XSRCdesign

Ok dumb question.. doesn't removing the air dam increase your temps? I know the time I ripped mine off (accident) I was shocked at how quickly the temps got uncomfortable during every day use.

no, on the Z06 that area in front of the air dam is actually blocked off. ie the path that leads to the radiator. on all other models its open.
the primary reason for the air damn is epa fuel mileage, and helping air get to the factory under bumper brake ducts.(which i no longer use)
many have experimented with it on and off, and got the same conclusion that i did. no effect on temps.
the only theory on temps is that it helps create a lower pressure area behind the radiator, forcing it to suck more air from the high pressure grill. but real world no one has found it to effect temps.
removing it did help lower the aero lift though.

[XSRCdesign]

Well that explains it.. I didn't have a Z

[STANG KILLA SS]

was doing some research on high end coolant, and found out water is the best coolant there is. (i was embarrassed i had no clue about this) so i flushed the radiator 3-4 times to get all the orange Dex-cool out. i also fell for the commercial for the "as seen on tv" hyper lube/coolant additive. it was only $7 so i figured why not.


i also removed the baffle under the bumper on the Z to the radiator seen here


wanted to add some bottom breathing like an Fbody, so i picked up some aluminum sheet and got to cutting and bending. sadly i could only find .025" sheet locally. wasnt sure if it was gonna help or hurt but i was gonna find out. u can just see the rad and oil cooler


sadly as suspected the .025" sheet aluminum stood no chance against 150mph winds. just bent back.

the good news is the radiator flush/water did some good. i saw 10-30* cooler temps depending on time of day, and how hard i pushed. ambient temps were even 5* hotter.

Took everyones advice and ran the belts (lap and shoulder) threw the seat holes. while i had them out i took the buckles to a upholstery shop and had them sewed together so there was no chance of them slipping/sliding.


picked up a new set of tires, which meant cleaning out the rubber inside the rims


headed to the track last weekend.
Saturday after lunch the brakes and tires were cooled off, i pushed hard immediately and ran twin 1:56s on my first two outlaps!


these are those laps. i also added an external microphone to the gopro right above the license plate.
on the second lap i ran a 1:56.3. i really think im capable of a 1:55.x on that lap i got in too deep into T10 and slide the front tires and had to wait to recover, and also had to delay getting on power for the front stretch to get around a lemons car.


saturday night we got major storms there. couldnt get into the track until nearly 11am sunday. tunnel had almost 3' of water in it.




sunday afternoon i had a bird fly in front of me in turn 10. couldnt see if he came out or not once i passed. well on the next lap i saw his body laying there on track. really bummed me out and has been bothering me since.

[Tommy R]

Dude, I could've told ya about water for coolant. The main purpose of anti-freeze is literally to prevent the coolant from freezing in cold temps. It doesn't help cool better in hot conditions. I used to run like 80% water in mine when I was tracking it.

What are you doing for downshifting? I don't hear any downshifting at all, much less any heel/toeing.

Glad the car is working well! Can't believe the amount of rubber build up inside the wheels! That's gotta affect the tire's balance, I'd think....

[STANG KILLA SS]

well thanks alot!
its funny when i added the external mic there is so much off throttle crackling you cant hear the down shifts at all, i noticed that right away. when the gopro was just in a case you could hear them. no defiantly no heel toe, i cant do that shit.
i just wait a sec while braking for the revs to come down and downshift and slip the clutch out so it doesn't upset the car. especially the downshift between T1 and T2 (fully side loaded)
i down shift before T2(to 4th), T3(to 3rd), and 8(back to 3rd)
thanks for taking the time to watch the vid!

no kidding about the rubber. TWS is so rough i dont think it would be possible to ever feel the out of balance. luckily its a nice even coating of rubber so doesnt seem to have any effect.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by STANG KILLA SS

was doing some research on high end coolant, and found out water is the best coolant there is.

This never seems to change even with the coolant flavor of the month of which there have been too many. Nature knows what it's doing.

Originally Posted by Tommy R

Dude, I could've told ya about water for coolant. The main purpose of anti-freeze is literally to prevent the coolant from freezing in cold temps. It doesn't help cool better in hot conditions. I used to run like 80% water in mine when I was tracking it.

What are you doing for downshifting? I don't hear any downshifting at all, much less any heel/toeing.

Glad the car is working well! Can't believe the amount of rubber build up inside the wheels! That's gotta affect the tire's balance, I'd think....

Anti-freeze is also a rust inhibitor to prolong the life of the coolant system.

[hpiguy]

Damn that thing sounds so good. I too was surprised at the amount of rubber buildup, that's pretty crazy. Also, I know water wetter actually works from moto, and here's some proof you can appreciate;

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ally-work.html

As far as shifting, I've always been OK at heel/toe, but thanks to sim racing I'm pretty damn good at it now. I'd like to have another sports car one of these days. You never know, maybe I'll buy a Miata.

[STANG KILLA SS]

they hyperlube luckily has a corrosion inhibitor (as does the water wetter)
ive got a bottle of the water wetter standing by. they say the stuff only lasts a year before it loses its properties.

yeah the external mic really lets you hear that thing sing!
but you loose some of the other audio like rumble strips, tire squeel etc.

[Tommy R]

Jato is right about the rust prohibiting effects of coolant. I also used Water Wetter back in the day.

That's pretty crazy how the cracking is drowning out the downshifting....but it does sounds pretty damned awesome.

Regarding heel/toeing I can show you what I do next time we get together for a crawler run. I heel/toe my Jeep pretty much for every downshift!

[BigSki]

Those last few S's before getting back onto the high bank- how much spped are you able to carry through those curves? Just curious, I have no way of estimating speeds over the course, beside WOT around the banked section.

[STANG KILLA SS]

Originally Posted by BigSki

Those last few S's before getting back onto the high bank- how much spped are you able to carry through those curves? Just curious, I have no way of estimating speeds over the course, beside WOT around the banked section.

i had to clue, had to go look at the helmet cam footage. i rarely look at speed.
thats turns 13,14, and 15.
looks like my turn in speed for 13 is 70mph, and my slowest between 13 and 14 is 55mph.
the key is to "throw away" 13 and by the apex of 14 already be starting to accelerate to WOT for 15 and the straight. coming in 1-2 mph slower to 13, and first part of 14 can easily translate to an extra 5+ mph at the end of the straight.
funny you mentioned this, i learned something new this last time out about exiting 15. instead of continuing to turn coming out of 15 to line up with the straight away which limits my throttle input, i was pointing it at the wall right at the edge of the pavement, this let me get on the throttle sooner and most importantly ramp up to WOT much faster, i bet it moved my WOT and shift points sooner by a good 3-4 car lengths.
the downside of this is its a leap of faith, your essentially driving WOT right at the wall. if something were to go wrong, loss of traction etc, it wouldnt end well right into the concrete wall.

[STANG KILLA SS]

also while i was there, was offered a ride in a Radical SR3!


about 1300 lbs and 200 hp. (hyabusa motor)
unfortunately i didnt hit the button on the gopro hard enough so it never recorded. i did get my helmet cam footage though.

he did mention he would have to get used to my weight, adding 200 lbs to a only 1300 lb car is a huge percentage so i believe him.
there was no warm up or cool down, he just went straight to business.

no words or video can describe this damn thing. every thing i know about cars and physics went right out the window. insanely capable was an understatement. it must make as much downforce as it weighs because there were no laws of physics, centrifical force, momentum, or gravity in that damn thing. he could be fully side loaded cornering so hard, and at any time slam on the brakes or swerve in tigher and it would just stick.
Corners where im slaming on the brakes, turning in, coasting to apex, and gently apply throttle on apex, he was doing foot to the floor and just steering!
I now know why he wears a carbon fiber helmet, head restraints, and a full containment sent. i litterally could not hold my head up it corners SO damn hard, i had to hold onto my helmet and head the entire run with my arm. by the last two laps my neck was hurting pretty damn bad, but i smiled right threw it.

as any good driver the first thing i noticed he used every last inch of the track everywhere no matter what the consequences were. at the end of the straight i run 150mph, with all that down force he was toping out at 120mph. but that didnt matter he did most of the infeild damn near flat out. on a perfect lap i run 1:56, on a perfect lap he runs 1:39s! 17 seconds faster despite the 30 mph handicap on the straight.

i just cant discribe it, i didnt know that was physically possible by a machine.

heres the vid. in the last two laps(9 minute mark) i could feel he was pushing harder, and you can see us come up on two C5s and see the grip/performance difference. just insane.

[STANG KILLA SS]

my stock exhaust/mufflers broke an internal weld on the drivers side as was rattleing and vibrating like crazy. found a used B&B bullet exhaust on the forums and picked it up and installed it. the muffler is actually the tiny bullet at the top of the hump, the large canister is just a hollow resonator to eliminate the high pitches from the exhaust note.




also picked up a Dewitts radiator, twice as thick. has built in trans cooler like factory, but opted not to get the built in oil cooler after talking with other racers. to keep it seperate air to oil cooler.




stock rad removed, last pic i took


also remade my under bumper rad scoop, this time out of .06 aluminum.
made a redneck sheetmetal brake by bolting it to my bench with some angle alum.




unfortunately after the rad install and refilling the system, ironically the car over heated and we found out why.
melted center plug on the fan controller, a common problem on these cars, and had no airflow threw the new rad.


so i removed the stock plug, and not wanting it to keep happening i installed individual spade connectors for the 3 wires.

new spades and extensions on the fan controller side. yes thats dual 12G speaker wire


connected with fan motor side and heat shrinked


that fixed that and fans fired right up. still need to get the fan tune turned down though.

then i had a code after the rad/exhaust install and had also lost reverse gear somehow. p0449 "Evap Emissions control vent valve/solenoid circuit" which happens to be right near the exhaust in the back. spent two days under the car only to find one nicked wire, not cut, but insulation nicked. 3rd day i googled it. turns out the #13 fuse controls both the "evap vent valve solenoid" AND the reverse lock out. you guessed it, was blown when i nicked that wire putting in the exhaust. frustrating couple days, but an easy fix in the end remedying both.


after ignoring everyone telling me my fog light brake ducts wouldnt get cooling because the air is flowing over that area, not into it because its so far around the corner of the nose. well after several track days, i think they were right i wasnt happy with the cooling. so i made some scoops.








im sorta proud of them but watch your shins!

[XSRCdesign]

Some good stuff going on there

Since you are getting good at this bendy stuff, a piece of Kydex might work to make those scoops and not be so hungry for shins (if it ever becomes an issue)

[STANG KILLA SS]

whats kydex?

[XSRCdesign]

Originally Posted by STANG KILLA SS

whats kydex?

A pretty rigid black plastic, bends easy with heat. I use it to make rc bumpers and battery trays

[calcagno45]

Originally Posted by STANG KILLA SS

whats kydex?

Very popular material for making gun holsters with. Firm plastic that molds well with heat and cools off to remain firmly in that shape.

[Zukiiholic]

I just want to say.
This is the coolest Vette I've ever seen..
Well, First Vette I've even seen somebody actually modify and drive the Snot out of it..
Race On...

[STANG KILLA SS]

Went back to the track last weekend.

Saturday was a bust. had a bad valve stem/TPMS sensor. cost me most of the day, several trips back and forth from track to discount tire, before finally getting it fixed. Also snapped a wheel stud in the process. by this time the rains from the Hurricane hit and flooded the track.
barely got out of the tunnel with the jeep. water was up to the bumper. ripped off the skid plate.


Sunday all was good!
Radiator
New radiator was doing some good. initial testing was showing about a 20* drop in temps, as a side bonus, with the motor being cooler, the oil temps were 10* cooler too. I didnt pay as much attention in the afternoon when temps rose, but i was definatly able to push harder longer, and recovery was quick. New spade connectors on the fan wires worked flawlessly.

Exhaust
New exhaust sounded great. had several people come up to me and comment on it as well. but its almost too loud. well its not so much the decibles as it is the frequency. it gave a weird feeling in your ear, like a vibration or pressure. with the helmet on it was just barely tolerable with the helmet off it was quite uncomfortable. by the end of the day, even with helmet on, my ears werent happy, they were swolen and hurting. alot of pressure inside my ear drum and couldnt hear shit, but a constant hum.

Brake Ducts
got lots of comments on these. but they worked well. definatly were cooling better. never had an issue. however im still not happy with initial bite and pedal feel. different pads and stainless lines are in the future i think.

Sunday after lunch had one of the most fun sessions ever.
4 of GMs baddest bitches, and 4 even drivers.
C6 Z07 Carbon on Michelin Sport Cup 2s
Z28 on NT01s
C7 Z06 on Pirelli Slicks
C6 Z06 on Rival S's (camera car, me)