Someone want to explain to me...

[KILLER74Z28]

I'm throwing out the worrying about replacing breaks and tires.

If you buy the Z/28 and drive it as a daily driver and not "Track" it, parts last longer.

[KILLER74Z28]

Originally Posted by JusticePete

Mike,

Did you get to ride over any rough spots while you were at Milford?

I only spent about 5 minutes on my glorious hot lap and the only rough spots we encountered were the "Toilet-bowl" (the 37 degree bank at the start of the lap) and the rumble strips in the corners.

I'm hoping to be invited back to drive a full production Z/28 in the near future. That way I'll be able to give a full ride review.

And being a bigger guy I was very impressed on how comfortable the Recaro seats are.

[OldScoolCamaro]

Originally Posted by KILLER74Z28

I only spent about 5 minutes on my glorious hot lap and the only rough spots we encountered were the "Toilet-bowl" (the 37 degree bank at the start of the lap) and the rumble strips in the corners.

I'm hoping to be invited back to drive a full production Z/28 in the near future. That way I'll be able to give a full ride review.

And being a bigger guy I was very impressed on how comfortable the Recaro seats are.

...touche'....duly noted.

[King T]

Originally Posted by Zfatuated

Tires are only suitable for +40f use. And you already know they cost $550'ish each. With no burnouts or super aggressive street driving, the Trofeo's will last 5000-8000 street miles. Or approx 4-5 track days depending upon driver's driving style.

Agreed.

Designed for racetrack driving on dry asphalt.

Developed to provide even greater performance - on the occasion of Track Days - when fitted to the most powerful vehicles such as Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, Lamborghini, including the MY2012.

With P ZERO™ TROFEO R you can fully appreciate the performance of extreme vehicles in complete safety, especially on the track.

In extreme conditions, typical of racetrack driving, it reacts with precision to commands. On dry asphalt, even in the most demanding sessions it ensures high levels of grip and constant trajectories.
P ZERO™ TROFEO R is not recommended for use in very wet track conditions.

Specific for racetrack driving, it is approved for road use, enabling travel to the track. In the event of very wet asphalt, with the risk of aquaplaning, prudent driving at reduced speed is recommended.

P ZERO™ TROFEO R has brand new HAOF (highly aromatic oil free) compounds and a redesigned tread pattern that have produced extraordinary results: on the one hand, a notable improvement in stability and, above all lateral grip in the dry, on the other hand, a notable reduction in wear.

Treadwear is 60

[Zfatuated]

Great find on the warning sticker graphic! I've been tracking on Trofeo since they were released in the US in summer of 2010. I then acquired several sets of the first production Trofeo "R'"s in summer of last year ('12). Been through 9 sets (on track) so far in two different sizes. Got them figured out....lol. It's a very special tire with unique characteristics and requires proper care and feeding vs any other DOT tire out there.

Originally Posted by King T

Agreed.

[Zfatuated]

Here's what they look like after track runs...lol

[brt3]

Originally Posted by JusticePete

The Z/28 should ride quite well with the exotic DSSV struts. The Z/28 TEAM tuned the damping for low speed circuit to be more comfortable than you would expect...

The Trofeo tires can be driven on the street within certain parameters, but will not last long... My guess is at race speeds the best you'll get out of a set of Trofoe tires is 75 laps.

Nice points, all. Here's my thinking on a couple of the areas that have been brought up.

1. I've spent four entire days driving the Ring during private track events -- two this year and two last year. Last year I got to drive the C63 AMG Black Series Coupe. It had the Track Package with Dunlop SportMaxx tires that also have a 60 wear-rating. The temps were around 74, and I drove 550 miles over those two days. By the end of the second day the tires were just starting to show a very thin white line around the outside corner. I would say that the tires started to noticeably fall off by the 375 to 400 mile marker. Up to that point I could catch SLSs in the corners; after that point I had to take the giant "S" off of my chest...

I think the Z/28 and C63 Black Series are very comparable cars -- roughly the same weight, hairy V8 engines, mild aero and massive sticky tires. With the Z/28 having wider tires to carry the loads, I'd suggest that 400 miles is the max you'll get on the Z/28 tires if you're driving near the limit. So, I'm thinking that translates to something like 100 laps at Road America?

2. Suspension compliance: I realize the Black Series doesn't utilize Multimatic shocks, but it was tuned within an inch of its life on the Nordschleife. I found this car to be surprisingly comfortable on the street with a few exceptions. On rough roads (think mild washboard) at slow speeds, the car was uncomfortably rough. However, if you crossed the same section at double the speed, the suspension soaked up the bumps quite nicely. Even with the Multimatics, I suspect the Z/28 suspension will be tuned primarily for how it reacts on track at speed.

3. I drive my current track day car to events. I have two sets of wheels/tires, one for street and another for track driving. If I'm driving to a nearby event, I leave the track set on. If I'm driving more than 100 miles or so, I try to switch out for the streets and switch tires at the event.

BTW, I currently use tires with the 60 wear-rating, so I suspect I'll take the same approach with the Z/28. I'll probably rip out the rear seat and construct a rear package shelf to better accommodate things like the extra wheel/tire set, which should make this a lot easier on the car...

[brt3]

Originally Posted by OldScoolCamaro

...thanks for reminding me, the front splitter is a parking barrier potential nightmare for the ride....

Also, kudos to Team Z/28 for choosing to make these out of black plastic. Ask anyone with the trendy Carbon Fiber bits on the front of their cars about chipping and wear on these expensive parts!

[brt3]

Originally Posted by Mikamaro

That comes with it standard.
The Option packages ADDs: A/C - Radio - 5 speakers (total of 6)(unconfirmed)

I was a bit bummed when I read that in the recent announcements. I wouldn't want A/C -- except that I live in Texas, and the drives to most of the tracks I frequent are over 2 hours. Since it tends to go over 100 degrees here with some regularity, I'm afraid I'm going to have to wuss out on this one and click YES on the A/C option. But, I really don't want the extra speakers. I really hope they allow folks to select EITHER option when ordering this car, as I don't even want the radio...

Hey, one more thing. If GM guys are following this, it might be nice if you'd offer a factory designed roll-bar kit? Or is that wishful thinking in our current legal environment?

[brt3]

Originally Posted by OldScoolCamaro

...thanks for reminding me, the front splitter is a parking barrier potential nightmare for the ride....

I think it might be a good idea to order an extra splitter to keep on hand, for the inevitable destructive event. Anyone know how these are attached to the car? I'm guessing adhesive, but I have zero Camaro-specific experience in this area...

[Mikamaro]

Originally Posted by brt3

I was a bit bummed when I read that in the recent announcements. I wouldn't want A/C -- except that I live in Texas, and the drives to most of the tracks I frequent are over 2 hours. Since it tends to go over 100 degrees here with some regularity, I'm afraid I'm going to have to wuss out on this one and click YES on the A/C option. But, I really don't want the extra speakers. I really hope they allow folks to select EITHER option when ordering this car, as I don't even want the radio...

Hey, one more thing. If GM guys are following this, it might be nice if you'd offer a factory designed roll-bar kit? Or is that wishful thinking in our current legal environment?

That would be a great option: OEM Roll bar Cage: Check.

brt3 it seems their are new revies do you mind updating your sticky please?