[cwebster]

I found a 1/4 mile stretch of unpopulated back-road yesterday and ran WOT break-in runs for about an hour. To keep things safe, I got some friends that live on the far end of that section of road to lookout for residents coming farther in from the highway.

My daughter Christine went on the first run, screaming most of the way. HaHaHa! I let her out and took a mechanic along that was visiting the friend. He was loving it! The object is to load down the motor, not to attain highest speed so having the added weight of a passenger is good. Even so, I still hit 139 mph during one run. Turned on PDR but, on play-back, found that the open windows overloaded the indoor mic so sound was horrible.

One important thing that many people forget is properly bedding the brakes. At the end of the first few runs I put increasingly more pressure on the brakes, until they got heated up so they were smoking. Took it easy on them for a few more runs, then repeated until I was virtually standing on them. The first part transfers a coating of brake material onto the disc surface. The second part embeds that material so that the pads are riding on a layer of baked-on material. They work much better at speed this way.

After it cooled for a few hours I could feel an exponential increase in torque later in the day. That tells me the rings are starting to seat well. If I turn off traction control it wants to spin the tires all the time. Traction control is great because it automatically applies just enough brake to the wheel that's spinning to get it to hook up. I saw the TC light come on a few times when I had it on during launch.

This motor is starting to wake-up now! I'll be doing some more break-in runs for the next few days. Then I'm hoping the Coastal Plains Dragway is open this weekend so I can get more break-in time with an official time-slip to gauge the progress. Chevy says these 6th Gen ZL1s should do 11.3 in the 1/4 mile. We'll see how close I can get to that.

I found this article about the 5th Gen ZL1 that describes in detail how the development engineers pushed and tested it, not for official performance numbers but for practical drag strip use. They said they tested it "the way we knew our customers would drive it on the track,”. I know a lot of testing went into the 6th Gen so I'm wondering if they'll come out with a similar article for the newest generation. Anyone see one?

(5th Gen) Camaro ZL1 Joins the 11-second Club


Oh yeah, I should be getting my re-painted heat extractor back today too. It'll be an old Corvette color - Crystal Claret Pearl Tricoat. It's a deep, rich, dark red color with small metallic flake. It should look good against the black.

--Cal

[TopazM3]

Sounds like a blast

[crunch527]

How many miles?

[scottzl1]

We are supposed to change the oil at 500 miles right?

[hawk02]

Originally Posted by scottzl1

We are supposed to change the oil at 500 miles right?

I believe that is the GM recommendation for the dry-sump LT4s. I have not seen a similar recommendation for the wet-sump engines. With that said, I'm doing the first oil change on my ZL1 at 500 miles just to be on the safe side.

[datboi448]

I saw the title of the thread and thought your car was broken into. lol glad to see it wasn't. Sounds like you had yourself a good time.

[1967RS327]

I'd like to know more about your break in approach...

[17CamaroZL1]

Originally Posted by cwebster

After it cooled for a few hours I could feel an exponential increase in torque later in the day. That tells me the rings are starting to seat well. If I turn off traction control it wants to spin the tires all the time. Traction control is great because it automatically applies just enough brake to the wheel that's spinning to get it to hook up. I saw the TC light come on a few times when I had it on during launch.

This motor is starting to wake-up now! I'll be doing some more break-in runs for the next few days. Then I'm hoping the Coastal Plains Dragway is open this weekend so I can get more break-in time with an official time-slip to gauge the progress. Chevy says these 6th Gen ZL1s should do 11.3 in the 1/4 mile. We'll see how close I can get to that.



--Cal

Nice update on your car! Like the sound of it feeling more and more powerful. Definitely keep us posted. Especially when you get the chance to go to the strip.

Wanted to make a couple of small corrections to keep down mixed information. GM claims 11.4 for the A10 and 11.8 for the M6. Hope you do better than their numbers. Also the traction control doesn't use the brakes to limit wheelspin. Traction control would cut power to reduce spinning, but the ELSD would do what it sounds like you're describing. It will clamp down on the side with the least traction to send the power through the tire that has the most.

Thanks for whetting the appetite of us A10 guys still waiting.

[cwebster]

Originally Posted by TopazM3

Sounds like a blast

Well, it had to be done so I forced myself to plow through it.

Originally Posted by crunch527

How many miles?

Total miles as of today is about 350. Miles on break-in runs that day - about 20. Sure wish there were a bigger track to get this done on. I'll burn about 40 miles each way to get to the drag strip this weekend just to get maybe 10 runs in. The first 500 miles are the most critical when breaking in a motor but without a dedicated strip it's hard to get the sessions and cool-downs in to get the break-in done more quickly. I'll punch it through 1st and 2nd to get on the highway but can't do too much in a 55 mph zone. There's a 70 mph stretch where my older grandson lives. I can build some engine loading coming off the on-ramps there.

Originally Posted by hawk02

I believe that is the GM recommendation for the dry-sump LT4s. I have not seen a similar recommendation for the wet-sump engines. With that said, I'm doing the first oil change on my ZL1 at 500 miles just to be on the safe side.

I'm going to change mine after the drag strip this weekend - maybe before if oil color changes.

Originally Posted by datboi448

I saw the title of the thread and thought your car was broken into. lol glad to see it wasn't. Sounds like you had yourself a good time.

Oh yeah, HaHa! I hope that doesn't happen. Not sure how hard these are to hot-wire. Yes, fun but everytime I drive it I can hear it begging to test the curves on a road track.

Originally Posted by 1967RS327

I'd like to know more about your break in approach...

It's a careful, progressively aggressive exercise of the motor and brakes using some sensible precautions.

This thread outlines my basic approach: Newest Blackest Badass ZL1 in Eastern NC

It stems from the method I used back in 2013 when I first got my 2014 Camaro 1LE. Here is a post describing that process:

This thing is a monster!

In that thread I pay tribute to Darin Morgan who had previously posted a detailed process he used, backed up by professional tuners and speed shops.

Darin Morgan's thread: Best break-in for a new car

Originally Posted by 17CamaroZL1

Nice update on your car! Like the sound of it feeling more and more powerful. Definitely keep us posted. Especially when you get the chance to go to the strip.

Wanted to make a couple of small corrections to keep down mixed information. GM claims 11.4 for the A10 and 11.8 for the M6. Hope you do better than their numbers. Also the traction control doesn't use the brakes to limit wheelspin. Traction control would cut power to reduce spinning, but the ELSD would do what it sounds like you're describing. It will clamp down on the side with the least traction to send the power through the tire that has the most.

Thanks for whetting the appetite of us A10 guys still waiting.

I will update. Thanks for the update on stats. I thought I'd seen 11.3 somewhere, though. I'll go back in my journals to check my references. If GM's numbers were recorded on a fully broken-in mule, I may not get there yet. I'm sure the numbers will improve as the motor gets more broken-in and I get more familiar with the car and track surface.

... after some research

Yes, let's limit misinformation by including references when citing specs:

We're both wrong. ZL1 "official" 1/4 mile was 11.4 seconds at 127 mph, according to "GM Authority", not 11.3 as I stated or 11.8 as you said. That might have been for the 5th Gen ZL1.

I have been unable to locate a definitive, official GM or Chevy reference describing how Traction Control and Stability Control function. Here are some references from other sources. I've included refs that describe it as using braking and those that say it controls engine torque. I'd very much like to see an official GM/Chevy reference describing all of our ZL1 automated controls and how they work together in various modes.

I do remember turning off launch control in my 1LE at the drag strip because it just retarded timing and blew my ETs. It's only value was to prevent embarrassment when you spin the tires at launch.

01/12/2017
2017 Camaro ZL1 Tested on the Road, Track, and Strip

Traction control was never abrupt with braking and we never felt that it pulled power, even when it had. However, the optional Performance Data Recorder told the tale. The camera mounted near the rearview mirror captures a driver's eye view of the track while 30-channels of data are logged, including GPS position, throttle and brake percentage, steering angle, driving mode, current gear, and of course speed. Replaying the video revealed we were often too eager to get back on the throttle. Each of our three-lap sessions showed our increased confidence in the car, with increased speeds and decreased lap times.
...

It has a lot of other good information about drag strip use too.

12/2/2015
What is the difference between stability control and traction control?

Traction control uses brakes to control spinning wheels to force power to another wheel. Individual sensors detect when wheels are spinning faster than their counterparts and apply brakes — very quickly — to reroute power to a wheel that may have more traction. With off-road vehicles, traction control is immensely helpful when one tire is suspended in midair. (Traction control also sounds like a ratchet when it's working.)

Stability control is an evolution of traction control that bites one or three wheels — or even cuts the power — to send a car in an intended direction. Imagine driving on a snowy road with the steering wheel cranked to one side, but the car is plowing straight ahead. Stability control often cuts power and brakes wheels to move the car where a driver is pointing it — with limited success sometimes, but it's better than fighting Mother Nature all by your lonesome.

Traction control only limits wheel spin; stability control can maneuver a car. Or, in bourbon/whiskey terms: All stability control is traction control, but not all traction control is stability control.

07-12-2010, 11:12 AM
Traction Control - A System Breakdown

TCS

The TCS actually has a "graduated" design. When the EBCM detects drive wheel slippage, the FIRST thing it does is sends a signal to the ECM telling it to reduce the amount of torque it is sending to those wheels. How does the ECM do that? It retards the timing and starts shutting down fuel injectors. (anyone starting to see how having TCS on affects seat of your pants acceleration?).

[17CamaroZL1]

The times I quoted came from the 2017 Camaro catalog that you can download from the Camaro website. Click on Shopping Tools, Download A Catalog, and choose the Camaro. It's on page 28.

0-60 3.5, 1/4 mile 11.4 at 127mph for auto coupe
0-60 3.7, 1/4 mile 11.8 at 125mph for manual coupe
0-60 3.7, 1/4 mile 11.6 at 126mph for auto convertible
0-60 3.9, 1/4 mile 12.0 at 124mph for manual convertible

You're right about traction control. It can be performed many different ways. I was going on how it worked on all the GM vehicles I've had and what I remembered seeing. My 99 WS6 with the old school throttle linkage between your foot and the throttle body, traction control would actually push your foot back when it kicked in. You could feel the pedal moving back and forth as you tried giving it gas. Pretty wild feeling. I'll have to find some videos on how the ELSD works later. They were videos of different manufacturers and seems like some generic generalized ones too. I do remember seeing a few things on the one used in the Z06 and ZL1 though. They were talking about how your standard LSD has around 20 Nm of clamping force and the ELSD GM uses has 200 Nm of clamping force that can be infinitely varied anywhere between fully open to fully locked.

[Bobfly]

Good luck at Coastal Plains. My SS spun bad thru 2nd gear with anything near full throttle on street tires. Track prep is not very good for street fight night. Drag radials are almost a requirement there. My best was only a 12.85 (M6). I'll be there sunday.

[cwebster]

Originally Posted by 17CamaroZL1

The times I quoted came from the 2017 Camaro catalog that you can download from the Camaro website. Click on Shopping Tools, Download A Catalog, and choose the Camaro. It's on page 28.

0-60 3.5, 1/4 mile 11.4 at 127mph for auto coupe
0-60 3.7, 1/4 mile 11.8 at 125mph for manual coupe
0-60 3.7, 1/4 mile 11.6 at 126mph for auto convertible
0-60 3.9, 1/4 mile 12.0 at 124mph for manual convertible

You're right about traction control. It can be performed many different ways. I was going on how it worked on all the GM vehicles I've had and what I remembered seeing. My 99 WS6 with the old school throttle linkage between your foot and the throttle body, traction control would actually push your foot back when it kicked in. You could feel the pedal moving back and forth as you tried giving it gas. Pretty wild feeling. I'll have to find some videos on how the ELSD works later. They were videos of different manufacturers and seems like some generic generalized ones too. I do remember seeing a few things on the one used in the Z06 and ZL1 though. They were talking about how your standard LSD has around 20 Nm of clamping force and the ELSD GM uses has 200 Nm of clamping force that can be infinitely varied anywhere between fully open to fully locked.

I already had the catalog from my shopping period. You're right. It does say 11.8 for the manual coupe. I guess I'd better get busy to try and hit that target or possibly surpass it. Again, I doubt I'll be able to do that on the first visit but we'll see...

It would be nice to see an engineering description and some test stats on the automated control systems like they did for the 5th Gens that I linked to earlier.

--Cal

[17CamaroZL1]

Originally Posted by cwebster

I already had the catalog from my shopping period. You're right. It does say 11.8 for the manual coupe. I guess I'd better get busy to try and hit that target or possibly surpass it. Again, I doubt I'll be able to do that on the first visit but we'll see...

It would be nice to see an engineering description and some test stats on the automated control systems like they did for the 5th Gens that I linked to earlier.

--Cal

You never know. You may blow it out of the water. I hope you do!

I'd like to see exactly what our cars have, and how it works, all spelled out for us too.

[cwebster]

Originally Posted by Bobfly

Good luck at Coastal Plains. My SS spun bad thru 2nd gear with anything near full throttle on street tires. Track prep is not very good for street fight night. Drag radials are almost a requirement there. My best was only a 12.85 (M6). I'll be there sunday.

Well, this one is mid-day, starting at 12:30 PM so the surface should be relatively warm. Night runs are dangerous this time of year. One guy a few years ago totalled his Porche there when he didn't get out of the throttle. Hopefully they'll have the track prepped and it'll stay dry.

Anyway, Traction Performance Management should kick in if it gets a little squirley.

I'll look for your Nightfall Gray 2SS when I get there Sunday. I think my ZL1 will stand out, especially with the distinctive new hood insert color (see signature) so you shouldn't have trouble finding me.

--Cal