Taking my 2011 V6 to the track

[rocknroll_jeph]

Hello, I am looking for some advice. First off, I am the proud owner of a 2011 V6 automatic. Its the only option for a legal import in the country, and I really don't mind that I don't have a V8 or manual transmission in this country.

Anyway, I am going to a race day next week where there will be 3 cars at a time racing head to head on a track, it will be a round robin or tiered event with multiple sessions.

I have done track days and autocross, but this will be my first experience with this kind of racing. I would like to hear any advice that would be beneficial for my situation. My car came with a K&N air filter and Borla exhaust. Wheels and tires are stock but I have installed BC adjustable coil over suspension, light tune and a throttle controller as well as stainless brake lines, drilled and slotted disks, DOT 4 brake fluid and EBC red-stuff pads.

What kind of settings are recommended for tire pressure, stiffness settings, ride height or anything else I could do to prepare for this event? Are racing seats easy to install? The Camaro seats are quite wide for me and I would like the car to lose some weight before the event too. Anything else I can take off? Back seat for sure, spare tire and trunk mat are going out as well.

If anyone has similar experiences I would also like to hear. It is bit intimidating for me because I'll be in the B class of cars my first time out. I know there is no way that I will win because it is based on engine displacement from 3000CC to 460HP (B Class) so I'm defiantly punching above my weight with my heavy Camaro. I think most cars in my class will be Audis, Porsches and BMWs. I'm just going out to have fun anyway! Thanks for reading and I hope to hear some great stories with some helpful/ useful advice!

[GretchenGotGrowl]

You can remove some more weight with passenger seat as well. I assume when you remove the spare you'll remove the jack as well. If you can get a light-weight battery (Braille) that will be another nice reduction. The rest is pretty small potatoes (engine cover, fuse-box cover, etc...).

Good luck!

[rocknroll_jeph]

Originally Posted by GretchenGotGrowl

You can remove some more weight with passenger seat as well. I assume when you remove the spare you'll remove the jack as well. If you can get a light-weight battery (Braille) that will be another nice reduction. The rest is pretty small potatoes (engine cover, fuse-box cover, etc...).

Good luck!

Thanks! I have already taken off the engine covers. I'll see about other ways to add lightness too.

I will also be cleaning the air filter and emptying the catch can.

Does anyone know a ideal tire pressure for a warm 19C/ 68F spring day. Last track day (similar temps) I had a higher tire pressure and didn't experience much slippage, but didn't change the pressure during the 2 days so I have no comparison.

[crc91]

Have you thought about getting some dedicated track tires and possibly some lighter rims?

[rocknroll_jeph]

Originally Posted by crc91

Have you thought about getting some dedicated track tires and possibly some lighter rims?

I have asked around for rims, but they are too expensive here. Most are over $1000 per rim. I actually like the stock tires too. In the winter I experience a lot of slippage but now that the weather has warmed up the are quite good. My last track day went well with them. Also, imported tires are very pricy too, and I don't trust Chinese made performance tires. I bought a set once and they had a lot of problems. So yes, I do want rims and tires, but I just can't afford them

[crc91]

Idk how much shipping would be or if there are performance shops over there that can get you some but the forgestar rims are custom made, light, strong and pretty affordable. I know what you mean I've been shopping around for rims and tires for a while now. The best/ most popular usually just costs more. Forgestar rims are aurally some where 290-390 a wheel, which seems to be the best fitting and lightest option. Those stock RS wheels are so heavy. You'd probably she'd 50 or so pounds of rotating mass by going with forgestar and some affordable but grippy summer tires. Look at tire rack they review hundreds of tires all with the same test. Car and driver does so too.

[crc91]

Also OP there is a pretty nice rear seat delete kit on rear seat delete.com for about 300 and looks good suppose to shed 30 lbs. I'm gunna pop in that soon. Also you can do a few power adder mods such as headers, ported intake manifold, manifold spacer, or if you can save money down the road maybe some form of force induction. Which is the best bang for your buck and you'll feel te biggest difference. But headers and the above mentioned bolt ons would make your LLT feel more peppy. Also the vitesse throttle controller (VTC) is a simple mod for less that 200 bucks. Doesn't add power but makes the car respond better. And paired with a ported throttle body it really does wonders in responsiveness.

[rocknroll_jeph]

Originally Posted by crc91

Also OP there is a pretty nice rear seat delete kit on rear seat delete.com for about 300 and looks good suppose to shed 30 lbs. I'm gunna pop in that soon. Also you can do a few power adder mods such as headers, ported intake manifold, manifold spacer, or if you can save money down the road maybe some form of force induction. Which is the best bang for your buck and you'll feel te biggest difference. But headers and the above mentioned bolt ons would make your LLT feel more peppy. Also the vitesse throttle controller (VTC) is a simple mod for less that 200 bucks. Doesn't add power but makes the car respond better. And paired with a ported throttle body it really does wonders in responsiveness.

Great advice. I already have a VTC and love it. Now after reading that my "want" list is getting longer. It is just too bad parts are hard to come by and expensive when imported.

My next planned mod is a ported intake, and I have heard both good and bad things about a manifold spacer so I am still undecided. So many mods, so little money...

[crc91]

You have a LLT, with the aluminum intake manifold. It heatsoakes pretty badly. I believe you can swap it out to a LFX composite manifold
And it would eliminate heat soak compared to aluminum. The spacers are pretty cheap I believe. What have you heard bad about them? Headers would probably do you the most good. One way to get these thigs for cheap is to go on the member classified section, and see what you can pick up. What type of import process are you looking at?

[rocknroll_jeph]

Originally Posted by crc91

You have a LLT, with the aluminum intake manifold. It heatsoakes pretty badly. I believe you can swap it out to a LFX composite manifold
And it would eliminate heat soak compared to aluminum. The spacers are pretty cheap I believe. What have you heard bad about them? Headers would probably do you the most good. One way to get these thigs for cheap is to go on the member classified section, and see what you can pick up. What type of import process are you looking at?

From my random internet research I just saw a lot of people saying that spacers don't do anything other than look neat in the engine bay. I almost bought some a while ago but got the Vitesse throttle control instead. As for spacers, do you know a brand that works well with the LLT? I usually buy my parts when I am back in the states and just take them back in my suitcase with me, so headers probably wouldn't fit. Is the LFX manifold a direct replacement to fit on my motor? I'm pretty interested in these small DIY mods!

[crc91]

I believe it might be. I'll try and find out for you. I believe a lot of LLT folks run the iceolator I think Mace makes some too. The taller the spacer the better for low end torque. And headers might not fit in your suitcase but I'd look into bringing them to the airport and getting it shipped with your luggage.

[rocknroll_jeph]

Originally Posted by crc91

I believe it might be. I'll try and find out for you. I believe a lot of LLT folks run the iceolator I think Mace makes some too. The taller the spacer the better for low end torque. And headers might not fit in your suitcase but I'd look into bringing them to the airport and getting it shipped with your luggage.

Thanks for the advise! My race is this Thursday so it should be a good base line test before I put more money into my car. Please let me know what you find out about, as I have not been able to access any of that. Sadly the internet doesn't always work well for me and I can't always see what it out there. Camaro5 takes about 5 minutes just to load a page on a good day...

Usually my suitcases are filled up with my wife's shoes and hand bags when I come back to China... so I could spring for the $150 to ship another piece of luggage, I deserve it!

[crc91]

There you go! For every mod you get yourself get your wife a bag and a pair of shoes and you'll be set! Also what I found out about the manifold for you, is Jason who runs the company jacfab on here makes something. It's called the adaptolator which works as both a spacer and a adaptor to run the LFX manifold.

[rocknroll_jeph]

Well my track day was very fun. And my wife is less and less against me modding my car. She even said yes to a set of Brembos... so if anyone has some for sale, I'll be interested soon. The track day organization wasn't too good, but I got 2 good practice sessions and 20 minutes for time attack. The tires didn't feel as grippy as my last session, I took out some pressure because the weather was warmer and I think I was pushing harder this time too. Just before my time attack ended I got some messages about stabilitrack, the engine light came on and the differential pressure gauge went dark. It went into limp mode back to the pits, I let it cool, checked the fluids scanned and researched then cleared the codes, restarted the car and it was back to normal, unfortunately my group's session had ended by then. I am a teacher and took the day off to go to the track. One of my student's father is a professional touring car driver and he was there at the track too. I was fortunate enough and had the pleasure of riding in my car with a pro touring car driver during one of the practice sessions. He a good guy, even if he does drive for the Ford team! I am amazed how fast it is in his hands, he was extremely consistent in my car from his first lap on. Each one of his laps only was about .5 seconds off. My best time was about 2 seconds behind his, so I feel pretty good about my performance, also he seriously thrashed my car around the track, I care too much to drive it as hard as he did. I am really please to see that my lowly base Camaro has what it takes in those circumstances and still perform like normal on my daily commute. Anyway, he also gave me some tips on how to adjust the car's settings and where a good line is to take.

At the event there was a good mix of cars there, from full on race prepped GT Porsches, to some random family cars. I've attached some pictures, I hope you all enjoy, and thanks for all the help. In my class I can in the middle, most were turbo VWs, nothing too interesting to look at but fun to watch. I brake and corner much better than they do, but with their lightweight they were quicker out of the corners. Other than that the Audi TTs always under steered, the rick kids in their expensive toys with little skills went off the track and I was the only American there and other than a race prepped Ford Focus I was driving the only other car from the US.

A few weeks ago I had my first track day in China and yesterday was my first racing experience. I hope to keep this up, because racing is more exciting than anything else that I have done so far!

Now I just need a race seat, slimmer helmet, harness, bigger brakes, lighter wheels, stickier tires and a job that pays more!