1LE Maiden Track Voyage - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Orange Crush 1LE · 07-24-2013, 12:11 AM

If any of you are thinking about tracking your 1LE and haven't yet, just do it! This car absolutely defies it's weight and horsepower, you would swear it was a super-sized Miata with titanium balls the way it stays planted around the track! So easy to drive at it's limits, very predictable, inspiring confidence.

I took it for a track weekend at Thunderhill Raceway in NorCal. The car was barely broken in, no plates yet! Prior to tracking it, I had a track alignment done with -2.0 degrees front camber, -1.1 rear, and a high temp brake fluid flush. Other than that, this 1LE is bone stock (for now

).

Although I had a little experience tracking and took the Ron Fellows ZR1 school, this was the first time I had tracked the 1LE, and also first time at Thunderhill. So I was a little anxious, wondering how hard I should push it. Once I learned the track, I felt immediately comfortable carving the corners. A friend of mine came with me that is an instructor. After riding with him and then him riding with me and helping me figure out the line, we both went solo. I started in the intermediate group, and by the end of the first day moved into the advanced group. There were several Boss 302 Mustangs, some with R compound tires and slicks. Other than the one in the third photo, I was able to pass them. That black Laguna Seca was wicked fast. He was also pulling away on the straights, clearly modified. I have a plan on how to even the playing field, but more on that later in another thread. But even stock, I'm telling you, this 1LE can hang with some pretty fast cars.

Once in the advanced group, the speeds of the cars were quite a bit higher but this Camaro held its own. I passed a GT40, a number of Porsches, and a few cars on slicks. These Goodyears stick like glue, I can only imagine what this will be like when I get some R compound tires. The last picture is the Cyclone, which is Thunderhill's version of Laguna Seca's corkscrew. Most of the faster cars were fairly even, with the exception of that yellow beast closing on me fast in the last picture. That's a Ferrari 458 Challenge running slicks. Far from street legal and brutally fast. There was also a brand new Z06/Z07 with Michelin Pilot Sport Cups, he and the Ferrari were in a league of their own. I was impressed with how the showroom stock Corvette with lesser tires could stay with the race-prepped Ferrari on slicks! I'd wave them by, then enjoy trying to keep up for the 30 seconds or so that they were in my sight, LOL.

The weekend was eventful, including an S2000 that spun right in front of a new Audi TT RS. They crashed hard and came off the track on tow trucks. Luckily no one was hurt. The Audi owner had purchased track day insurance, thank goodness. Something I plan on looking into as well.

If you look at the first picture, you can see that I'm bracing myself in the corners with my arm because the stock seats are not up to the task of hard cornering. My friend was giving me a hard time, because I was often driving 1-handed due to this. I didn't even realize it. The stock seats are very comfortable around town, but I think Chevy was wise by offering Recaros in 2014 models for such a track-focused model. I will be upgrading my seats soon.

Although it's stout and nicely geared with the 3.91 rear end, many of the cars I ran with were modified and would pull away from me in the straights. I think I'd like to give it a HP bump. Other than that, this thing is just a beast on the track. The 1LE is the bargain of the century, I still cannot believe that you can have this much fun and get slot-car performance for a $3500 adder. I will be tracking it 4 more times before I return to Ron Fellows school for Level 2 in October.

t&t moyer · 07-24-2013, 12:24 AM

One word, AWESOME!!!

ZWA SS · 07-24-2013, 12:29 AM

Very nice.
I got to ride in a friends 1LE at Hallet. AMAZING!! Those tires stick!

2010 SSRS · 07-24-2013, 12:30 AM

I love it

Arodr395 · 07-24-2013, 01:13 AM

What tire size do you have on the rear?

Orange Crush 1LE · 07-24-2013, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arodr395

What tire size do you have on the rear?

The stock 285/35-20's all the way around. This cures the Camaro's understeer (along with the 1LE's suspension tweaks), handling is very neutral.

Casperadub70 · 07-24-2013, 01:49 AM

Amazing. I cant wait to get mine

5.3Avalanche · 07-24-2013, 05:35 AM

Nice write up. Sounds like you had a great time and it made me even more pumped to get mine!

flyinlow · 07-24-2013, 08:13 AM

Do yourself a favor and buy a CG Lock for doing track days. It will cinch the belt down and help hold you in the seat

http://www.cg-lock.com/

PYROLYSIS · 07-24-2013, 08:24 AM

Those are awesome pics. I can even imagine driving on a track with that kind of elevation change, it must be a blast. Glad to see you held your own and passed some quick cars.

Orange Crush 1LE · 07-24-2013, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyinlow

Do yourself a favor and buy a CG Lock for doing track days. It will cinch the belt down and help hold you in the seat

http://www.cg-lock.com/

Yes my friend that joined me at the track uses one, he also has a pad that he wedges between his side and the center console. Do you find the CG Lock is enough to keep you planted in the seat?

I'm thinking I might also want to go up one level and get seats, as I see R compound tires in my future.

DRAIL'D · 07-24-2013, 11:45 AM

That's awesome! Wish we had a track like that here in Mississippi!

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2

Fraxum · 07-24-2013, 12:19 PM

Nice write up! This may inspire me to take a class to learn track basics.

I did a NJ Motorsports track day with my old suspension modded SS and my instructor, when she was driving, was running down all the beginners cars (Vettes, Mustangs, BMWs, Porsches, etc) except for one instructor driven yellow C6 'Vette with my Camaro. She was floored by the stability of the car, the way she could use the curbs, and the good brakes. But she said it was very much a tank. She raced Miata's.

It took me all day, but by the end she said I was about ready for the Intermediate group. I think more individual instruction will help. Even with the "slow" LS3 it is easy to get into trouble.

flyinlow · 07-24-2013, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orange Crush 1LE

Yes my friend that joined me at the track uses one, he also has a pad that he wedges between his side and the center console. Do you find the CG Lock is enough to keep you planted in the seat?

I'm thinking I might also want to go up one level and get seats, as I see R compound tires in my future.

It works pretty well, not as good as a race harness and high bolsters, but then there's a trade off with those seats as well as far as comfort

07-24-2013, 12:11 AM	#1
Orange Crush 1LE Drives: 2022 SS 1LE Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,086	1LE Maiden Track Voyage If any of you are thinking about tracking your 1LE and haven't yet, just do it! This car absolutely defies it's weight and horsepower, you would swear it was a super-sized Miata with titanium balls the way it stays planted around the track! So easy to drive at it's limits, very predictable, inspiring confidence. I took it for a track weekend at Thunderhill Raceway in NorCal. The car was barely broken in, no plates yet! Prior to tracking it, I had a track alignment done with -2.0 degrees front camber, -1.1 rear, and a high temp brake fluid flush. Other than that, this 1LE is bone stock (for now ). Although I had a little experience tracking and took the Ron Fellows ZR1 school, this was the first time I had tracked the 1LE, and also first time at Thunderhill. So I was a little anxious, wondering how hard I should push it. Once I learned the track, I felt immediately comfortable carving the corners. A friend of mine came with me that is an instructor. After riding with him and then him riding with me and helping me figure out the line, we both went solo. I started in the intermediate group, and by the end of the first day moved into the advanced group. There were several Boss 302 Mustangs, some with R compound tires and slicks. Other than the one in the third photo, I was able to pass them. That black Laguna Seca was wicked fast. He was also pulling away on the straights, clearly modified. I have a plan on how to even the playing field, but more on that later in another thread. But even stock, I'm telling you, this 1LE can hang with some pretty fast cars. Once in the advanced group, the speeds of the cars were quite a bit higher but this Camaro held its own. I passed a GT40, a number of Porsches, and a few cars on slicks. These Goodyears stick like glue, I can only imagine what this will be like when I get some R compound tires. The last picture is the Cyclone, which is Thunderhill's version of Laguna Seca's corkscrew. Most of the faster cars were fairly even, with the exception of that yellow beast closing on me fast in the last picture. That's a Ferrari 458 Challenge running slicks. Far from street legal and brutally fast. There was also a brand new Z06/Z07 with Michelin Pilot Sport Cups, he and the Ferrari were in a league of their own. I was impressed with how the showroom stock Corvette with lesser tires could stay with the race-prepped Ferrari on slicks! I'd wave them by, then enjoy trying to keep up for the 30 seconds or so that they were in my sight, LOL. The weekend was eventful, including an S2000 that spun right in front of a new Audi TT RS. They crashed hard and came off the track on tow trucks. Luckily no one was hurt. The Audi owner had purchased track day insurance, thank goodness. Something I plan on looking into as well. If you look at the first picture, you can see that I'm bracing myself in the corners with my arm because the stock seats are not up to the task of hard cornering. My friend was giving me a hard time, because I was often driving 1-handed due to this. I didn't even realize it. The stock seats are very comfortable around town, but I think Chevy was wise by offering Recaros in 2014 models for such a track-focused model. I will be upgrading my seats soon. Although it's stout and nicely geared with the 3.91 rear end, many of the cars I ran with were modified and would pull away from me in the straights. I think I'd like to give it a HP bump. Other than that, this thing is just a beast on the track. The 1LE is the bargain of the century, I still cannot believe that you can have this much fun and get slot-car performance for a $3500 adder. I will be tracking it 4 more times before I return to Ron Fellows school for Level 2 in October. Attached Images __________________ Sold but not forgotten! Pedders Supercar Coilovers, 32mm rear sway bar,bushings; APR wing and splitter Forged 416 road course stroker. 514 RWHP, 497 RW Ft-Lb 1 Camaro, 75 Vipers: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=393697 Buttonwillow Raceway: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=389086 Last edited by Orange Crush 1LE; 07-24-2013 at 01:41 AM.

07-24-2013, 12:24 AM	#2
t&t moyer It's all hers. Drives: 2015 ZL1 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Djibouti - Horn of Africa / Wellsville NY Posts: 719	One word, AWESOME!!! __________________ #846

07-24-2013, 12:29 AM	#3
ZWA SS BowtieBelle's SS Drives: 2010 Camaro SS Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Perry, ok Posts: 1,074	Very nice. I got to ride in a friends 1LE at Hallet. AMAZING!! Those tires stick! __________________ My Z/SS http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286858 .

07-24-2013, 12:30 AM	#4
2010 SSRS Drives: 3 V8 Camaros Join Date: May 2009 Location: The Ocean State Posts: 111,187 View My Garage	I love it __________________ Jannetty Racing JRE Street Package

07-24-2013, 01:49 AM	#7
Casperadub70 Drives: 2014 1LE Camaro, 95 Z28 Camaro Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: America Posts: 940	Amazing. I cant wait to get mine __________________ 2014 1LE 2SS Camaro Recaro seats, Custom Cam, Kooks LT headers, CAI intake, Z/28 Spoiler, Z/28 Belly Pan, Z/28 Brake Air Ducts, Stainless Steel breaklines, BMR Toe Rods and Trailing Arms resulting in 482.49 RWHP

07-24-2013, 01:13 AM	#5
Arodr395 Drives: 2014 Black Camaro 2SS/RS 1LE Join Date: May 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 406	What tire size do you have on the rear?

07-24-2013, 05:35 AM	#8
5.3Avalanche Drives: '08 Silverado, '99 T/A WS6 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Ontario Posts: 63	Nice write up. Sounds like you had a great time and it made me even more pumped to get mine! __________________ '08 Silverado \| GMPP Exhaust \| Z60 Suspension '99 Trans AM \| Magnaflow Exhaust \| WS6 Performance Package

07-24-2013, 08:13 AM	#9
flyinlow Drives: 2017 Camaro ZL1 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Savage, MN Posts: 568	Do yourself a favor and buy a CG Lock for doing track days. It will cinch the belt down and help hold you in the seat http://www.cg-lock.com/

07-24-2013, 08:24 AM	#10
PYROLYSIS Remember the Charleston 9 Drives: 2004 KME PREDATOR, 2014 2SS/RS/1LE Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Summerv1LE SC Posts: 5,381 View My Garage	Those are awesome pics. I can even imagine driving on a track with that kind of elevation change, it must be a blast. Glad to see you held your own and passed some quick cars. __________________ BRING BACK THE B4C POLICE CAMARO! 2002 V-6 5 speed rally red (current camaro) Also driven:1992 Z-28 305 auto Red w/ black stripes (anniversary), 2001 V-6 auto light pewter metallic,1991 RS V-6 auto Black

07-24-2013, 11:45 AM	#12
DRAIL'D Drives: 2013 Camaro SS 1LE Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Byram,MS Posts: 39	That's awesome! Wish we had a track like that here in Mississippi! Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2

07-24-2013, 12:19 PM	#13
Fraxum Drives: a M6 LT1 ordered From Becky!!! Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NJ Posts: 7,520	Nice write up! This may inspire me to take a class to learn track basics. I did a NJ Motorsports track day with my old suspension modded SS and my instructor, when she was driving, was running down all the beginners cars (Vettes, Mustangs, BMWs, Porsches, etc) except for one instructor driven yellow C6 'Vette with my Camaro. She was floored by the stability of the car, the way she could use the curbs, and the good brakes. But she said it was very much a tank. She raced Miata's. It took me all day, but by the end she said I was about ready for the Intermediate group. I think more individual instruction will help. Even with the "slow" LS3 it is easy to get into trouble. __________________ "Democracy Dies in Darkness" My LT1 Keeper ..... ..... My Car Blog CarPlayList, a free App to build USB and Android Music drives.