[AZ_1LE]

Originally Posted by glamcem

I really like the 1LE though since it's the best performance bargain under $70k (above C7 GS and ZL1 1LE are the best bargains IMP) , only track ready car along with the ones mentioned about..also considering the fact even the C7 GS with Z07 package (near $80k car) doesn't come with hud and some other goodies that SS 1LEs have for much less...

I still miss the lightweight-ness and raw feel of my C5Z06 though even with the hiccups that I had with that car (electrical issues, broken valve spring, clutch feel under some heat..etc) I think I liked the feel of the C5 Z06 even more than the brand new '13 C6 GS that I owned interestingly .. as you mentioned with some investment, effort and with good suspension such as Penskes maybe, BBK, roll bar, race seats/steering wheel, cooling mods and good set of wheels/tires they have potential to become a below 2900lbs 400 whp track weapon which I never experienced before.
Here's a good example of that I think


I am not worried about the streetability as I don't DD my Camaro as much anyways . When I do, however, it's really nice I have to tell that When I drive in touring mode with the new street setup I have (19" Apex and el-chepo Kumho tires) it does have a smooth ride and good technology goodies for comfort ..probably the best of the sports cars I had , it's only one rare occasions though. Commute with Camaro here where I live is not that fun with traffic, rain and people only drive 35 mph in 45 mph speed zone here is very common :/

When I was in Florida with a lot of open, 4 lane highway roads it was more fun to drive a V8 of course In tight twisty roads here in PNW and specifically where I live Miata is so much more fun to drive especially when top is down ..

I miss the Miata too but not the lack of its power :/ In short both Corvette and/or Miata options become a bit more "project" ..However, if I ever change the suspension and supporting mods of the ZL1 1LE, this car also becomes another project ..only way to save all those efforts is either stick with the OEM setup and maybe some slight mods (DSC, 18" wheels, race seat, lightweight flywheel maybe ..etc) After all, ZL1 1LE's extra hp, aero, bigger brakes/rotor, super sticky and wider tires/wheel combo makes up a 3 second of a difference at MRLS (both driven with Randy Pobst) so it's hard to guesstimate how much of that difference come from the $7k suspension if I were to go that route.. in other words, would it be worth all the hassle and investment to gain say maybe 1-1.5 second at the road course or if it would make more sense to weigh other alternatives .. Oh btw, that's assuming GM or aftermarket offers a reflash or tune for fault codes with MRC cars ..unfortunately, base model cars such as Gen 6 Camaro ss (w/o MRC) or C7 Z51 w/o MRC wins in that department..

X25 had some LG coilovers and he's getting Penskes now, hassle free changing of the track suspension is something I have been missing for a while

In short, there are so many other ways of having fun at the track days and I really like little bit of everything and believe there's nothing wrong with little experiment here and there without breaking the bank, that I think is my problem

I'm sort of with you on some of your points. The SS 1LE has such a FUN, user friendly, potent setup that I really don't see the point in upgrading it other than dedicated track weekend items such as wheel/tires and brake pads. I love the fact, too, that it's a comfortable ride home after all that fun on track. If you are aiming at entering a certain class (ST2/TT2, etc) and want to turn it into a dedicated track car, that's a whole other ball game, but for occasional weekend track monster, you're going to really have a lot of fun and do really well.

[TrackClub]

AZ - agree completely regarding a fantastic dual purpose package. And let's not forget, if more pace is "required", ZL1 is also available as a much faster track weapon - still at a very reasonable price vs other choices.

Cem, interesting you'd mention the Laguna lap delta. Nobody know what component is responsible for what increase in pace singularly vs as a whole well calibrated package.

The only thing I know for sure, is that good tires are responsible for the biggest chunk. Slicks on our cars stock, shave off 4 seconds at WGI which is huge. It is the most reliable, the cheapest single mod one can do. And what makes it even better is that they are consumables too!

Pure track cars are fun though, but I'd never start with a 3750lb platform and/or a new car. That would be the most expensive and most challenging starting points possible IMO.

[glamcem]

Originally Posted by AZ_1LE

I'm sort of with you on some of your points. The SS 1LE has such a FUN, user friendly, potent setup that I really don't see the point in upgrading it other than dedicated track weekend items such as wheel/tires and brake pads. I love the fact, too, that it's a comfortable ride home after all that fun on track. If you are aiming at entering a certain class (ST2/TT2, etc) and want to turn it into a dedicated track car, that's a whole other ball game, but for occasional weekend track monster, you're going to really have a lot of fun and do really well.

I am not currently looking to compete in any class (time trials ..etc) but I don't mind having a dedicated track car as my car has been used at the track (or driving to and coming back from) 90% of the time. When I drive it on the street, it's so much fun to hAve all the technology and most importantly track warranty !

Originally Posted by TrackClub

AZ - agree completely regarding a fantastic dual purpose package. And let's not forget, if more pace is "required", ZL1 is also available as a much faster track weapon - still at a very reasonable price vs other choices.

Cem, interesting you'd mention the Laguna lap delta. Nobody know what component is responsible for what increase in pace singularly vs as a whole well calibrated package.

The only thing I know for sure, is that good tires are responsible for the biggest chunk. Slicks on our cars stock, shave off 4 seconds at WGI which is huge. It is the most reliable, the cheapest single mod one can do. And what makes it even better is that they are consumables too!

Pure track cars are fun though, but I'd never start with a 3750lb platform and/or a new car. That would be the most expensive and most challenging starting points possible IMO.

Exactly for full a blown track car lighter platform makes sense not that because 1LE is a lesser car by any means

[TrackClub]

Yep Cem - and hence I am driving and tracking one lol

[7stringtheory]

This might be a really stupid idea but would it be possible to fabricate some kind of ducting that seals up against the hood vents and delivers additional cooling to the brakes? Would that even be useful if it was possible?

[7stringtheory]

Or the most gangster solution would be to borrow from the old school drag racer guys and reroute the A/C vents to the brakes

[Tachitup]

Originally Posted by TrackClub

I will PM ya re track days. Re: brakes I take my comment back as I don't know what you've got on your 2SS.

I just noticed that you two guys are from GTA. PM me when you next head to TMP > I could learn something here ..

[TrackClub]

Originally Posted by Tachitup

I just noticed that you two guys are from GTA. PM me when you next head to TMP > I could learn something here ..

Sure thing!

[baron95]

Hi everyone just bought my '18 1LE last week (my first Camaro), about to get ready for track season.

A few questions:

1 - Has anyone tried running track pads in front (like XP12 that I have on hand) and factory rear pads? Reason I ask is that I have an extra set of rear OEM pads from my previous car (C7 Z51) on hand, and wanted to run both OEM rear sets down before buying track pads for rear).

2 - Has anyone run brake temperature paint on the rotors or temp strips on the caliper and can tell me what temperature the fronts and rears reached at an advanced/instructor HPDE pace with OEM tires?

I'm still a month away from any of the Northeast tracks opening, but want to avoid as much trial and error as possible and land at a good setup.

In general, I care more about making stuff (tires, pads) last longer on track then having the fastest lap times possible. I also would rather change pads more often to avoid having to change rotors.

Thank you for any info.

[X25]

Originally Posted by baron95

Hi everyone just bought my '18 1LE last week (my first Camaro), about to get ready for track season.

A few questions:

1 - Has anyone tried running track pads in front (like XP12 that I have on hand) and factory rear pads? Reason I ask is that I have an extra set of rear OEM pads from my previous car (C7 Z51) on hand, and wanted to run both OEM rear sets down before buying track pads for rear).

2 - Has anyone run brake temperature paint on the rotors or temp strips on the caliper and can tell me what temperature the fronts and rears reached at an advanced/instructor HPDE pace with OEM tires?

I'm still a month away from any of the Northeast tracks opening, but want to avoid as uch trial and error as possible and land at a good setup.

In general, I care more about making stuff (tires, pads) last longer on track then having the fastest lap times possible. I also would rather change pads more often to avoid having to change rotors.

Thank you for any info.

My 2 cents:
Running pads with different types of pads that have vastly different operating temp ranges could be hazardous. As the temps climb, the rears will likely behave differently (lose bite faster, wear much faster, etc.).

The rear pads are what, $200? Why try to save that considering all the other expenses you do to prep a car?

[baron95]

Originally Posted by X25

The rear pads are what, $200? Why try to save that considering all the other expenses you do to prep a car?

Thanks for the response. To answer your questions:

1 - Well $400, since I have 2 sets (the ones on the car, plus the identical ones that came with my Z51).

2 - From reading the forum, it is clear that the front calipers reach much higher temperatures than the rears (to the point of changing the paint color on the front calipers). To me, that is a clear indication that you need higher temp pads in the front than in the rear.

3 - I invariably end up running different compounds front an rear. For example on the C7 Z51 I ran XP12 front/XP10 rear, as well as stock rotors rear and aftermarket rotors front. There is nothing magical about having the same compound front and rear - it would be a rare car that would have the exact same brake operating temp front an rear.

4 - That is why I'm also asking if anyone has run temp strips or paint on track front/rear. I'll be running paint on rotors and strips on caliper as I do in every car that I try to set up. Was just trying to learn from prior experiences to save time and dead ends.

[X25]

That example of different pads, "XP12 front/XP10" is not as different as you'd think. They have very similar temp ranges, and they are both race pads from the same company. People do that all the time, and it's a great tool to adjust F/R balance since our cars don't have a valve to change brake proportions. ST47/45 to increase front bias or ST43/45 to increase rear bias are also popular examples.

Your proposed setup, though, is mixing up a street pad with a race pad, which is not similar to what you described above.

glamcem has used temp strips on the calipers. I don't know what numbers he got out of them, but I've seen his calipers in person after a session at ORP, and the rears were not that 'under-used'.

Rear ST43s are just $199; I don't think it's worth it : )

[seanblurr]

If you want some G-Loc R16’s I have some brand new ones I’ll sell ya cheap. The they don’t fit on my new car.

[TrackClub]

Originally Posted by baron95

Thanks for the response. To answer your questions:

1 - Well $400, since I have 2 sets (the ones on the car, plus the identical ones that came with my Z51).

2 - From reading the forum, it is clear that the front calipers reach much higher temperatures than the rears (to the point of changing the paint color on the front calipers). To me, that is a clear indication that you need higher temp pads in the front than in the rear.

3 - I invariably end up running different compounds front an rear. For example on the C7 Z51 I ran XP12 front/XP10 rear, as well as stock rotors rear and aftermarket rotors front. There is nothing magical about having the same compound front and rear - it would be a rare car that would have the exact same brake operating temp front an rear.

4 - That is why I'm also asking if anyone has run temp strips or paint on track front/rear. I'll be running paint on rotors and strips on caliper as I do in every car that I try to set up. Was just trying to learn from prior experiences to save time and dead ends.

The car's braking system has been designed to run the same pads F and R. There is no good reason to change the brake bias forward unless the car was unstable under braking or displayed loose tendencies under trail braking which 1le does NOT. To the contrary is it very stable. Absolutely no reason to make it tighter by moving the torque values forward.

Based on pad wear F and R they seem to be doing equal amount of work (unlike Vette brakes) and the car is superbly balance right from a factory. I know many Vette owners run different torque F and R (And so did i) but it is neither recommended nor necessary on the 1le.

Folks ran very high rotor temps when going with higher torque pads NOT with stock Ferodos - yet the latter work great at a vast variety of tracks. After 15 days worth of hard runs at 5 venues my calipers are NOT discolored, I have not had any offs due to not being able to stop the car. Nobody rear ended me because i brake early (because i don't). And not a lot of folks passed me either.

So if longevity of the overall system is a priority for you (as it is for me) run stock pads. They work well, stop the car just fine and are easy to modulate yet don't put out as much heat out as high torque pads and are gentle on rotors. I run instructor/solo groups up to 45 min sessions and I do NOT run cool down laps during any of my sessions (unlike some folks who run high torque pads). And I have never experienced fade on stock pads.

So, save your money and save your calipers and just reuse your Vette rear pads when the current ones wear out and simply stay with the same pad F and R. It is the most economical way which retains fantastic balance of the car.

Ps you will melt xp12 in half the time vs stockers. They have the least longevity of any Carbotech pad as confirmed by the company itself especially on a heavy car like our 1le.