skills316

Ok...I leared something from almost every post. Thanks. A few more details. I Had the V to 2 track days and a few "autocrosses". Autocrosses is in quotes be cause they were on an airport and hardly qualify as an auto-x(120mph). I am just looking to make my car a little better than it is, not building a racecar.(still good stuff mitchntx) I'm thinking H&Rs next with hotchkis sways. Those adjustable end links look easy to build...anyone try that yet? Thanks

liqidvenom

iTrader: (2)

you arent the only Engineer here. I am both a ME and a Powertrain Engineer for the auto industry. I dont see the need for you to write all that since what he said isnt too far from the truth.

The cts-v in its stock dealer form with its OEM rubber is very capable on a race track. More so then what most people can get out of it. I would upgrade the brake fluid and pads and try to come close to the times set for vehicles on the track you are running.

Getting sticky rubber, and adding more power is only covering up any issues you might have on the track and that isnt helping you. Drive the wheels off the car, see what pace you can keep and then try and get better. the street tires would be alot more forgiving to someone learning the limits of the car.

my .02

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

And I expected nothing less. It was obvious to this reader your experience level was minimal.

Folks who have been doing this a while come to realize that the more they learn, the more they don't know.
Consequently, they absorb what other have to say and learn from it, not feel compelled to defend what they say.

I cherish the opportunity to tuck in behind a driver who has caught me and figure where he's faster and why. It makes me a better driver.


You spent 4 years in a classroom becoming an engineer. That's fantastic. That piece of paper probably looks great hanging on your cube wall.

I've spent 12 years learning how to build, tune and drive. Pictures of my podium finishes look great on my cube wall.


Like said above ... the V in OEM trim is more car than most can utilize, me included.

There is no need at all to begin adding sways, springs, shifters, power ... at OEM curb weight cause you'll never get the max out of those parts.

Now, shed a thousand pounds, then those parts will come to life.

Till then, shut up and drive!

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

Stop spending money of mods and spend it on seat time.

Dollar for dollar, the driver is the cheapest mod in the world to lowering lap times.

skills316

curious if anyone else has anything worth reading to add? mitchntx has good stuff...just doesnt apply to a track day guy like me. I do love that **** though. Anyone want to start an F1 team? I think if we cut off 5 cylinders were in. seriously....whats a good hook up for wheels? i've got 265/40-18R's tires with nothing to put them on. HELP.

liqidvenom

iTrader: (2)

this is the best thing to gain from this whole thread. in a car as fat as ours, this is the main key for getting alot out of it. i am sure most of the road racers on here would agree.

tweeter81

Agreed, and good points by all. I still disagree on some of the things that were said, but will let it go and chalk it up to people having different experiences.

Now can we all hug and make up!

tweeter81

Back on topic. I think that the Team Dynamic Pro 1.2 wheels (18"x9") are the best option for CTS-V track wheels. They are really light, 0.5" wider than stock, and are pretty reasonably priced when it comes down to it.

AAIIIC

iTrader: (19)

I'm confused - which are you doing? The thread title and your initial post were about road racing, now you say you're a track day guy.

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

Why do you keep suggesting this poor guy continue to spend money on a track day car? Just stop. Let him catch up to the car.

I'm not here to be friends or "make-up". That's why geeks invented Facebook.

This is LS1Tech ... with emphasis on "Tech". So bring some and we'll get along fine.


Road Racing, Track day ... I've even seen Street Racing ... used interchangeably. There are a few of us that "road race" so I typically default to "track day".

tweeter81

I've tried to be civil but you keep posting inflammatory comments.

You have a lot of "road racing" tech knowledge, that's cool...but you obviously are quite deficient in the READING COMPREHENSION area. Do you read any of the OP's posts before blasting all of mine?

Here, I will make this easy for you: This is what skills316 posted, verbatim, in post #25, "seriously....whats a good hook up for wheels? i've got 265/40-18R's tires with nothing to put them on. HELP." I simply responded to that question. I'm not here to judge and tell somebody they shouldn't spend money on track mods, if he has the cash and wants to do that then that is his decision, I was simply giving some info. My God man, this isn't that complicated, but you are sure making it so.

Furthermore, skills316 also said this on earlier in post #21, "I am just looking to make my car a little better than it is, not building a racecar.(still good stuff mitchntx) I'm thinking H&Rs next with hotchkis sways."

So, after all of this, it seems to me like I am the only one who has posted in this thread that actually read and understood what the OP was asking.

Please, mitchntx, continue to dig yourself a deeper hole, you are just making it clear that maybe you need to quit spending time racing and building cars and go back to the classroom for 4 years so you might actually work on obtaining a reading comprehension level that is consistent with what an adult should have. It's just funny, when I read the majority of your posts, it seems like you are posting in the wrong thread, that is how far from appropriate to this conversation that your posts are.

For the record, because it seems that other people are having difficulty with this as well. When the original poster said "Road Racing", and then I read his post and saw his mod list, it was clear to me that he wasn't talking about wheel-to-wheel racing or competition. He was obviously someone like myself who does (or wants to do more) HPDEs and open track days from time to time. Also, he has confirmed this in several posts since then, so let's all move from the the "lingo" miscommunication and give the poor guy the info he is asking for, and he can decide if he wants to spend his money on mods, we don't need to do that for him.

On a side note: I do agree that it is good to run the car hard (maybe a couple of track days) after you do each mod, so you can determine what it improved or didn't improve. Then, when know how the car will react and feel, you can move onto additional mods that make your experience even more enjoyable. And TRACK TIME is the key, more than anything else, but it doesn't hurt to continuously improve your car along the way either.

lubelizard

iTrader: (5)

This thread is now a train wreck. Take it to PM.

07CTS-V

iTrader: (6)

I think almost everyone else realized he was talking about HPDE.

As to which wheels, I believe AAIIIC runs the team dynamics 1.2's on the track. He can probably tell you how much better they feel than the stockers. Plus, they are 1/2" wider and will fit your 265's perfectly. There aren't too many wheels out there for the V without swapping hubs out to 5 lugs. I'm sure that by the time you're done researching them you'll find there are only about 2-3 reasonably priced alternatives.

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

But it does apply and has become twisted in this thread.

Like I said, your car, as it sits in all its OEM glory, is a very capable car. So capable, in fact, that very few drivers can wring every last ounce of performance out of it.

When you begin modifying it with sway bars, springs and tires, everything changes ... and most of the time, not for the better. Handling issues are masked, stronger components break weaker ones and/or you just plane don't get a "SOTP feel" for what the car is SUPPOSED to feel like.

No offense intended, but some one who only has a couple weekends under their belt on a track is far from able to begin dissecting handling issues and the fixes to address those teaks. And what components works for Driver A, rarely work for Driver B.

I see newbie after newbie come to a track day with a laundry list of modifications, both suspension and power, and the car is a nightmare to drive.

The student will burn up a set of brakes or a set of tires or both in a single day and all of a sudden, they have the mind-set that this is normal.

And that's just not the case. If you are burning up consumables, you have issues with the car or driving the car.

I don't want you to fall into this category.

That is why its best to hit the track with a bone stock car. The reason is you learn more about car control and handling diagnosis in that environment. Its no different than taking a baseline dyno to see what helps power and what doesn't.

In many cases, just throwing suspension parts at a car will hurt your lap times.

Now, all that is based upon your actually wanting to learn car control skills, how be a better driver and learn how to realize handling issues, diagnose the cause and know how to properly fix them.

Some folks just want to hit the track occasionally and not worry about it too much. Nothing wrong with that. I just didn't get that vibe from your other posts.

whisler151

siggyfreud

iTrader: (1)

Or to summarize . . .

Get skilled enough on the track that the car, in OEM form, is holding you back. Only then bother to spend money on making it better.


Your level of driving performance:
---------------

Your car's level in OEM form:
---------------------------

Your car's level in after-market form:
-------------------------------------

Making your car handle better doesn't make you any better of a driver. All it does is lighten your wallet. And not enough to give you any noticeable performance gain from weight reduction .

liqidvenom

iTrader: (2)

this thread is falling apart quickly. and i really dont see what all the need is for in people taking shots at each other like we are little children.

How about the OP say what times he is running at x track. what issues he is having and what he is thinking he needs to mod to fix the certain problem he has. and then you guys take it from there.

whisler151

I believe that's the first mature comment I've ever seen you post.

liqidvenom

iTrader: (2)

and being an adult you take a shot at me and quote a post where i say people should not take shots at people.

good job, thanks for your positive input into this thread.

whisler151

Sorry, I meant to say 'Congrats" at the end. It was meant as positive reinforcement.