Mod or Buy?

[JEBariffic]

Salivations!

I've a '11 SS convert that I really love. Basic mods only: corsa cat back, CIA, subframe connector.

I've been participating in a lot of track days, and I've been compiling a list of mods to make the car more track capable. Noticed that a lot of the mods (primarily 6 piston brakes, oil cooler, cams, adjustable suspension ) already are a part of the ZL1 package.

The biggest problem I'm having is brakes. I ran ducts to the rotor hats, but still boiling fluid and having to brake extremely early. Secondarily, the oil temp is running full gauge hot, roll is extreme, and I'm getting left behind on straights.

I've not done the math on all costs, but luckily for me, that's not the primary concern (although a z28 is probably too rich for my blood, plus no convertible ). The primary concern is which route makes for a better track car: modding my SS, or a new ZL1?

Do aftermarket parts out perform factory performance parts?

If factory parts underperform in comparison, am I better off sticking with factory engineering and not risk the cycle of one upgrade cascading into another required upgrade? The flip side is will I find the "track capable" ZL1 will still require upgrades?

I hope this isn't a personal preference question, and folks with track experience can provide some insight. If you do track your car, I'd appreciate hearing about mods you've made and impact. I appreciate it!

[christianchevell]

The CIA know your on to them?.... LOL Your suspension is softer with a vert from the factory for one so your in need of definite upgrades even compared to a normal fe4 suspension. You should talk to BMR and you could eliminate the roll better than a 1le or zl1 with good bushings and adjustable sways and work on the things you really need.. new delrin upper a arm bushing, trailing arms and toes. If your going to make it want to corner then treat it right and yes aftermarket parts are better engineered with beefier components or better quality bushings etc.... You may want to consider tracking the car severely limits the life of the oil also and you should run racing oil like driven racing ls30.

Your oil temp should not be that high. And being left behind on the straights is lack of power for the heavy Chevy. Lack of confidence in the corners is why your braking so much and wider stickier tires may help some but definitely upgrading the suspension is in order. Now boiling the brake fluid is not good and less braking may help that some but if you have a clutch use a separate clutch reservoir and when racing of course you have to change the fluid a lot more often also........ of both reservoirs. Have you changed brake pads also is a good question for the age of your car? DO you bleed things? I used to own a 2011 l99 vert, its ride was pretty soft and had more roll than the FE4 I have now. And building up a manual coupe now the trailing arms made a real nice difference in wheel hop....( getting rid of it), .. and of course I did the toes at the same time. Your car should have a stock oil cooler, there are posts occasionally about leaking oil coolers, read one just a day or so ago in the engines forum with pics.........

[paul84043]

You have the age old question and the answer is, what do you plan on doing with your vehicle?
If you're going to keep it and possibly hand it down to family, then mod it.
If you want to resell it one day, you're either going to have to take a massive loss on your mods, or sell to someone that knows what it is, but the problem there is that most banks and Credit Unions don't care about mods. All they care is what the car books at....

[ModBargains.com]

For the brakes I know you say you're running ducts, but are you using upgraded fluid and new pads? Brake cooling is only going to be minimal to moderate difference if you're using stock equipment or similar. I use Hawk HP + Pads which are aggressive street pads but good for auto-x and track days along with Motul 660 fluid, and after 20 laps I might get slight fade, but nothing extreme (no I'm not running ducting yet). So if you're having a fade issue then you need new pads and fluid as well as stainless lines along with that to keep from your brake fluid boiling.

[motorhead]

Don't rule a Z/28. There are some great deals on them right now.

[JCunningham]

Castrol SRF brake fluid is the best you can get. it has the highest boiling point you can get you need to do a complete flush to use it though but you should be doing that anyway.

[JEBariffic]

>>The CIA know your on to them?
LOL! All this time living in an off grid underground bunker... wasted!

>>good bushings and adjustable sways and work on the things you really need.. new delrin upper a arm bushing, trailing arms and toes.
Killer. Will start researching. Should I put those before coil overs?

>>tracking the car severely limits the life of the oil also and you should run racing oil like driven racing ls30
Great info. Thank you!

>>Lack of confidence in the corners
Yep... Brake peddle dropping to floor at 10A Road Atlanta will do that! :-)

>>if you have a clutch
Got a L99 auto. I'm hoping I'm not going to run into tranny issues as well... I love paddles shifting when on track... appreciate any thoughts there.

>>Have you changed brake pads
>>but are you using upgraded fluid and new pads?
>>DO you bleed things?
Yes. I change out front pads before event to Carbotech. I've been keeping Hawk street perf on back thinking back doesn't really get the work, but will try Carobotech on those as well next time. I met a driver at track this past weekend who still runs stock calipers on his SS (with ducts), but I'm sticking with the plan to go 6 piston up front.

Bleeding brakes. Using Motul 600

>>Your car should have a stock oil cooler, there are posts occasionally about leaking oil coolers
No problems there outside of the oil temp gauge being pegged

>>what do you plan on doing with your vehicle?
Yep.. thats in essence what I'm struggling with. I've burned thru a lot of cars in my 45 years, but I'm totally fine (excited, actually) with keeping this one as long as the upgrades pay off. I'd like to think I could hand it over to my daughter, but try as I might, at 9YO she shows no signs of taking interest. :-)

>>stainless lines along with that to keep from your brake fluid boiling.
Theres a piece I'm missing. Added to list. Thank you!

>>Don't rule a Z/28
I hear ya, and I'd love to. But happy wife... :-) I actually love the convert as much as she does.

>>Castrol SRF brake fluid is the best you can get.
I'll give it a go. Thanks!

[vroomapunk]

Aftermarket often, if not always outperforms factory on a ton of aspects, its all about how much you want to spend.

GM is interested in profit, you are interested in performance, so there are always gains to be had with aftermarket mods.

[christianchevell]

while coil overs are nice you may want to think of other things first as the costs of say doing the sways ,new toes and trailing arms, and upper A arms could be less and have a much more dramatic effect than just shock dampening. The FE4 suspension differences include moving the sway bar end links in the rear to out side the shocks improving it and may be something very helpful to your car as others have upgraded.
I wonder if your gauge or sensor also may have problems with your oil temp pegging, and no High oil temp is not good..... And I was right your in a automatic so you like playing with the flippers eh? You should try other things to cool the engine compartment down also such as venting and removal of the engine cover and removing the middle section of the firewall seal for the engine compartment by using a xacto knife. Improving other cooling for the trans, and engine area and rear differential are things I would think about also. The better handling the car is the less likely you are to over use the brakes the better and cooler it runs the better the longevity of all fluids. In a manual you could negate braking with engine braking downshifting and you may be trying to do the same.... Someday maybe you will be more into the performance modding of the engine but that's a whole other expensive can of worms. A tune would greatly affect the performance of your cars trans also and
I can say having owned a l99 its the only way I would have kept it as it really needed it big time compared to even a cheap old th350 with a shift kit.

If your going to be a tracker a ZL1 of course with more power better handling and all would be a better route and you would love the differences and its ability to be programmed for its magnetoreological shocks. Its up to you what you want to do as mods are addicting. And they can cause a cascade of wanting...lol And well there are a lot of good zl1s out there now for 40k.... Cheap. Its all in what you want.
http://bmrsuspension.com/?page=produ...171&superpro=0