How to build a high rpm 400hp lt1 road racer??
08-01-2018, 04:27 PM
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How to build a high rpm 400hp lt1 road racer?? So im looking for a budget way to build annlt1 for road racing shooting for around 350 to 400 whp more then likely na because budget build and possibly even some pointers for a handling build because i want this to be a safe enough for the street but strong enough for the road courses i also would like to be able to keeo high rpm in the corners so any tips on the perfect build would be grear id like to keep stock heads but port them for a possible COMP cam or a lunati cam any help would be appreciated. To start right now i have a 94 lt1 formula firebird i plan on getting the level one handling package from bmr to start for suspension i think itll be a pretty decent start ether umi or bmr look promising any suggestions ill definitely take but what about a high rpm build for keeping up the rpms in the corner who know i might also want to slide the car a bit. Let me know you opinions on a budget build for me. How would you do it and what would you probably sacrafice to do it. I guess my budget is around $2500 i wouldnt really want to go any further but i could if i needed for the rilable build i pretty much am going to buy obviously all new parts. Lets say the budgets for the susoension and the actual drivetrain are different budgets being drivetrain at 2500 the suspension i pretty much already know what i want but like i said im open to suggestions.
08-01-2018, 04:47 PM
#2
350 RWHP is not hard at all with a head & cam package....400 RWHP more doable with a 383 & H/C
If you do the work yourself $2500 would cover the 350ish RWHP. Contact Lloyd Elliott for a H/C package. You will need a PCM tune ($150-$350), possible larger injectors (30 lb) and a bigger fuel pump (255 LH) Along with gaskets and headers you will likely go over the $2500 some
A M6 car would be better for auto x than a A4. With a M6 typically 4:10's are preferred but if auto x is the primary goal some like the 3:73 with the T56 better
Suspension, tires AND excellent brakes are important for auto x...that budget can blow through another $2500 very fast
If you do the work yourself $2500 would cover the 350ish RWHP. Contact Lloyd Elliott for a H/C package. You will need a PCM tune ($150-$350), possible larger injectors (30 lb) and a bigger fuel pump (255 LH) Along with gaskets and headers you will likely go over the $2500 some
A M6 car would be better for auto x than a A4. With a M6 typically 4:10's are preferred but if auto x is the primary goal some like the 3:73 with the T56 better
Suspension, tires AND excellent brakes are important for auto x...that budget can blow through another $2500 very fast
08-01-2018, 04:57 PM
#3
Back around 2000 I had a third gen camaro that was pretty stout naturally aspirated. It was an old school sbc with a tpis mini ram intake which the lt1 intake appears to be designed after. Here’s the setup I had and it made over 400rwhp. The original setup made 447rwhp and turned 7800 rpm. Made 479tq . It would spin 555r’s at 45-50mph in second gear
Gm performance parts fast burn heads unported
tpis mini ram ported
58mm throttle body
383 stoker. Cheap eagle crank and I beam rods, 6” rods. Je light
I recommend going with stronger.
Comp cams 306 hydraulic cam but I used solid roller lifters. Yes, solid roller lifters set at .008 lash on exhaust and .006 on intake. Get the best beehive springs and retainers you can afford. It only turned 6000rpm with the hydraulic lifters and it would turn 7800 with the solid. Compression was about 11.8 to 1. Quench (important) was .038. Windage tray, ported oil pump and the pickup was a replacemt bottom half of the pump with a screen and a spacer on the pump. Canton oil pan.
full length 1 5/8 cheapie headers
3.73 gears
2800 stall
ran 11.47 at 122mph spinning. On 555r
full interior. Still had ac. Was my daily driver and it got 18-19mpg. Ran on 93 premium. Max timing I think was 30-32 degrees.
Gm performance parts fast burn heads unported
tpis mini ram ported
58mm throttle body
383 stoker. Cheap eagle crank and I beam rods, 6” rods. Je light
I recommend going with stronger.
Comp cams 306 hydraulic cam but I used solid roller lifters. Yes, solid roller lifters set at .008 lash on exhaust and .006 on intake. Get the best beehive springs and retainers you can afford. It only turned 6000rpm with the hydraulic lifters and it would turn 7800 with the solid. Compression was about 11.8 to 1. Quench (important) was .038. Windage tray, ported oil pump and the pickup was a replacemt bottom half of the pump with a screen and a spacer on the pump. Canton oil pan.
full length 1 5/8 cheapie headers
3.73 gears
2800 stall
ran 11.47 at 122mph spinning. On 555r
full interior. Still had ac. Was my daily driver and it got 18-19mpg. Ran on 93 premium. Max timing I think was 30-32 degrees.
08-01-2018, 05:18 PM
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Thanks for the great input!!! Kfxguy that sounds like a really great huild love that you still have the soecs and the parts you used for the job amd the lt1 was the last of the old school small blocks so im pretty sure a huild on a 3rd gen would be much closer to it then one of the ls builds. I like the idea of a c306 cam its not too wild its a bit mild which is great i plan on building a seperate motor then whats in the car now still go eith an original lt1 but building this out of the car seems a bit on the smarter side while i get used to tracking the car now i do plab on dropping the a4 and grabbing an m6 thanks for your input also ****** you know your **** too and i would contact them but before i do so i wouldnt mind hearong some of the other members let me know what they went with. I dont mind heing at 350 whp that seems like a very doable goal and i already habe a pcm tuning program called lt1 edit in my opinion its the best you can get for $250. Im not sure if id really want to go with a 383 but if the money is right i definotely wouldnt mind going that far and 7800 rpm i know would require me to chanfe to an ls1 or a fast pcm i think ill stick a little bit lower say maybe 6500 rpm range would be perfect irs a bit more then stock but being able to hold it up there i guess the 3.73 gears in a m6 would do me best. I like i saod would like to stick with the stock heads just port match them to the numbers of a good cam my favorite cam is ovviously the 2 biggest cams lunati has to offer 😂 and they arent badly priced ether. But say i stay with stock head and port them a 58mm tb a better flowing intake manifold those are two parts i can already get stsrted on getting now whats left is the right numbers for the valve train ill probably go with 1.6 roller rockers better then the 1.5 stocks what cam goes really well with the stock heads if they are port matched and bigger injectors is another great add to the list also the higher output fuel oump is another great add to the list. I like how this is going so far. I would also like to say im not trying to be the fastest out there im really just trying to have fun. Have the most reliablity because obviously no one wants to break down while getting some track time. I definitely will be stripping some weight i actually have a write up from here that tells you in great detail what should be removed to do so.
08-01-2018, 05:21 PM
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So far what i already have So here is the list of parts i already have but i might change a few things up i habe 1 3/4 pacesetter headers to 3in collector 3 inch y pipe to a 3 inch qtp cutout with stock catback no caty k&n air induction system and lt1 edit i have deleted the rear o2s deleted traction control and always have my car in high performance mode which is alright. Murders gas but its alright. I have done nothing else just yet to this fbody.
08-01-2018, 05:54 PM
#6
if you intend on spinning this motor to 6500 rpm...it better not be a 100k+ mi stock short block. Rod bolts will give up and old bearings won't last long
You can have a cam that does not need to spin that high to make power. I had a VERY small 214/220 custom grind cam in a stock bottom end with mildly ported heads with shorty headers on a 91 octane tune and it made 350 RWHP/351 RWTQ....so you don't need, or want, a BIG cam.
You are all over the place on parts. Power is made from the heads & cam + tune for that set up PLUS ALL THE SUPPORTING MODS to take advantage of the head & cam package.
Lloyd will port your stock heads and grind a custom cam suited for your goals. Better than a off the shelf cam
rear gear ratio will depend on your rear tire size and what auto x track you frequent. 3:73 may allow you to stay in a lower gear longer than with 4:10
A stock 48mm TB will EASILY support 350-400 hp motors. If you want a larger TB have the stock one bored to 52...it will be WAY more plug & play in getting idle right than a aftermarket TB...but still may need some "adjustment" (IAC hole slightly larger) but you will need scan software to read IAC counts to determine if that is necessary
If you feel you have the knowledge to tune the car with your software, great....but if you don't I suggest you leave that up to a pro
Changing a A4 to a T56...doable but that can easily cost more than $2500 just for that swap. Find a donor F-body M6 car to harvest all the stuff. You will likely need to drop another $1500 getting that tranny rebuilt. Most 20+ year old T56 were not driven by your Grandmother so it will likely need some form of attention
You can have a cam that does not need to spin that high to make power. I had a VERY small 214/220 custom grind cam in a stock bottom end with mildly ported heads with shorty headers on a 91 octane tune and it made 350 RWHP/351 RWTQ....so you don't need, or want, a BIG cam.
You are all over the place on parts. Power is made from the heads & cam + tune for that set up PLUS ALL THE SUPPORTING MODS to take advantage of the head & cam package.
Lloyd will port your stock heads and grind a custom cam suited for your goals. Better than a off the shelf cam
rear gear ratio will depend on your rear tire size and what auto x track you frequent. 3:73 may allow you to stay in a lower gear longer than with 4:10
A stock 48mm TB will EASILY support 350-400 hp motors. If you want a larger TB have the stock one bored to 52...it will be WAY more plug & play in getting idle right than a aftermarket TB...but still may need some "adjustment" (IAC hole slightly larger) but you will need scan software to read IAC counts to determine if that is necessary
If you feel you have the knowledge to tune the car with your software, great....but if you don't I suggest you leave that up to a pro
Changing a A4 to a T56...doable but that can easily cost more than $2500 just for that swap. Find a donor F-body M6 car to harvest all the stuff. You will likely need to drop another $1500 getting that tranny rebuilt. Most 20+ year old T56 were not driven by your Grandmother so it will likely need some form of attention
08-01-2018, 06:11 PM
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Thanks ******!! Ok so LLOYD would port and patch the heads with a custom cam that sounds pretty good wasnt sure where there price range was at but its probably close to an off the shelf price. I dont neccisarily need to go with a BIG cam just love the lopey sound of one but for performance i would stick with a mild cam. I wont completely tune on my own like i saod after i adjust and add piwer i would get a dyno tune and probably from there i would have them help me out and set up different tunes for street vs track and i was planning on eventually going to sebring and doing their road course im not really interested in autoX though i know they probably have more events i would just like to go to homestead west palm and sebring for track days once in a while they each have mildly sized road course tracks stretching just over a mile to 2 miles so each run would be fun and great for lap times. I plan on buying supoorting mods obviously i dont plan on tuning on my own once i have done the mods. Im just at a decent starting point and i have long tunes not shortys the exhaust i have planned is already pretty decent except the fact i had to go get ball flanges for my exhaust to do this custom setup. I was planning on getting a donor possibly with a blown motor to save me some bucks. They pop up here and there on craigslist and offer up so i check in when i can but before i even go for the m6 swap id like to grab my suspension first. I habe 275 45 r17 on the ws6 wheels i actually prefer this all around it seems pretty decent untill i fet more power i might need more tire but right now this is perfect. I would go with the 3.73 like you said lower gear higher rpm in the corners sounds fantastic usually wont pass 3rd gear on such short tracks but in sebring might hit 4th once in a while on the straight.
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08-01-2018, 06:13 PM
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Currently. Currently my motor has 106k but i had the heads rebuild and new head gasket though it didnt need it had the valve springs redone so far this motor is pretty fresh but i would probably rebuild another lt1 and start from stratch on that motor. The m6 from a donor i would also rebuild as i definitely would not put that into the car knowing its lrobably going to grind more esoecially with my granny shifting *** playing with the gears 😂😂
08-01-2018, 06:18 PM
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When i say $2500 budget thisnis what i mean... When i say 2500 for the budget i just mean for the motor to be build and all the work that can be done by me will be done by me only work i need done i cant do is welding for exhaust flanges and machinist for the heads and intake possibly maybe if i decide to port the tb but i think just upgrading to a 52mm should be quite okug and play but a 58 mm needs some "fine tuning" i think 1500 is pretty much doable for the motor eberything else is on its own budget that im not worried about because i dont mind buying parts slowly to do this build. Suspension is first and i will get the bmr handling level 1 to start off probably within a month or so but the motor being built and dropped that can take me a year or so and i dont mind that i can dealcwith stock for now for the fun bur i know eventually i will want more. Thank you though this was all really helpful for my plans.
08-01-2018, 08:06 PM
#10
Let me give yo some insight and some facts on what your looking at.
I had the same heads and cam on a stock bottom end 350. The car ran a best of 12.003@117mph. Never dynoed it. I’ll be honest I don’t remember the rpm I was turning but knowing me it was probably pretty high. I’m an over revver and I’ll admit it. I shift my stock bottom end ls1 gto at 7000-7100. Guess I like to live dangerously. Next is my buddy had a super clean lt1 Trans am with about 75k miles on it and he had a stock 5.7 bottom end with lt4 heads and the same exact cam I had, the comp 306 hyd roller. His pulled to 7000 for some reason. Now he wasn’t the kind of guy who rags his **** but I drove it a few times and it was a very fun car to drive and I shift it at 7000. 6 speed car. He ran 11.70-11.80 at 118 and it dynoed like 390ish. Full weight car. Nothing removed from it. Basically imagine a immaculate trans am all stock, put heads, cam, gears, headers and exhaust. He drove the car everywhere. So if you go 350 then be expecting 12.00-11.70 at best. Little down on tq compared to the 383 which in my opinion is what you need for what your going to do. Don’t think you need to shift at 7800 like I was, I was just telling you because it would do it. When I dynoed mine it made peak power around 6800 iirc. Understand I did my homework to optimize my valvetrain to be able to withstand 8000rpm if need be. I hit the 7800 limiter EVERY time on the 1-2 shift because this engine revved so freaking fast I could not shift fast enough. Even if I had drag slicks on it. It was easily a high 10 second car on drag tires but I never ran it on anything but 555r’s. We all know those tires are ok but not even close to ideal. I will admit, I made one pass on slicks but the printer at the track ran out of paper. So they wrote my time on a slip. Yea, I don’t count that but it said 10.86 @ 126. I don’t remember why I didn’t run again, I think I got kicked out. That was back around 99-2000 when they didn’t have factory cars running 10’s like they do now and they stuck to the rules. I’d only get to make one pass so I had to make it count. The rest of the passes I’d break the beams and wait. Then take off, run a 13 something at 120 something lol.
Anyways, if I were you I’d build a budget 383 because think about it a 12.0 car ain’t that competitive anymore. Most stock mustangs and Camaro’s run right around that. Couple bolt ons and they will walk you. I wouldn’t run the **** out a stock bottom end anyways.
I had the same heads and cam on a stock bottom end 350. The car ran a best of 12.003@117mph. Never dynoed it. I’ll be honest I don’t remember the rpm I was turning but knowing me it was probably pretty high. I’m an over revver and I’ll admit it. I shift my stock bottom end ls1 gto at 7000-7100. Guess I like to live dangerously. Next is my buddy had a super clean lt1 Trans am with about 75k miles on it and he had a stock 5.7 bottom end with lt4 heads and the same exact cam I had, the comp 306 hyd roller. His pulled to 7000 for some reason. Now he wasn’t the kind of guy who rags his **** but I drove it a few times and it was a very fun car to drive and I shift it at 7000. 6 speed car. He ran 11.70-11.80 at 118 and it dynoed like 390ish. Full weight car. Nothing removed from it. Basically imagine a immaculate trans am all stock, put heads, cam, gears, headers and exhaust. He drove the car everywhere. So if you go 350 then be expecting 12.00-11.70 at best. Little down on tq compared to the 383 which in my opinion is what you need for what your going to do. Don’t think you need to shift at 7800 like I was, I was just telling you because it would do it. When I dynoed mine it made peak power around 6800 iirc. Understand I did my homework to optimize my valvetrain to be able to withstand 8000rpm if need be. I hit the 7800 limiter EVERY time on the 1-2 shift because this engine revved so freaking fast I could not shift fast enough. Even if I had drag slicks on it. It was easily a high 10 second car on drag tires but I never ran it on anything but 555r’s. We all know those tires are ok but not even close to ideal. I will admit, I made one pass on slicks but the printer at the track ran out of paper. So they wrote my time on a slip. Yea, I don’t count that but it said 10.86 @ 126. I don’t remember why I didn’t run again, I think I got kicked out. That was back around 99-2000 when they didn’t have factory cars running 10’s like they do now and they stuck to the rules. I’d only get to make one pass so I had to make it count. The rest of the passes I’d break the beams and wait. Then take off, run a 13 something at 120 something lol.
Anyways, if I were you I’d build a budget 383 because think about it a 12.0 car ain’t that competitive anymore. Most stock mustangs and Camaro’s run right around that. Couple bolt ons and they will walk you. I wouldn’t run the **** out a stock bottom end anyways.
08-01-2018, 08:19 PM
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Appreciate the input!! I really appreciate the information but im not building a drag car im building a road course car theres a huge difference in the kind of build it takes to make a car go fast in a straight line im also not trying to be the fastest like i said but im interested in your friends car build i like that idea. Im looking for something i can take to the track and make lap times not quarter mile times i know it takes alot of skill to do ether type of racing im also not trying to rip my rear end out from slick tires id rather my rear takes a beating trying not to wheel hop around corners with an adjustable panhard bar and adjustable lower control arms though irespect your build i think its insane that back then you had an fbody doing high 10s esoecially since back then no kne though you could achieve that with a stock bottom end. But again im trying to keep my revs high and happy i dont really need the 7800 especially since im still basically a beginner maybe one day ill build i high revving car but ****** had a great idea with the 3.73 gears on an m6 with a small cam and i like the idea of lt4 intake and heads being put on my car bump up the ratios a bit that with a nice small cam and i could definitelly get some hp #s 300 whp to 350whp mayne even 400whp which is my mark i still want the car to be streetable beatable for the track too i will probably contact LLOYD and see what they could offer me for ported intake heads and a custom grind cam and compare to a on the shelf cam thats got good reviews ive hear alot of people using the c306 so i might lookinto that more. I have plenty of time to think of the build and save for parts as i go.
08-01-2018, 08:23 PM
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I only want to be faster then those damn subarus 😂😂😂 I technically feel i could actually destroy my buddies subaru wrx 2016 as is stock with my exhaust a little tune and the cai hes definitely not able to top out like i am and if hes ever daring enough i want to bring him to a track and race him show him how a real race is because he thinks hes bad with his wrx and dont get me wrong they can be nice but im all about my pontiac taking him down every chamce i get 😂 atleast i actually work on my car i dont pay others to do the work unless i cant do it. Show the awd guys that we can easily tune our cars both for the street and the tracks and still beat them every time with our v8 power 😂
08-01-2018, 09:04 PM
#13
I don’t think you understood my post and info I gave you. I included 1/4 mike times and Dyno numbers because that is measurable info and it give a cold hard comparison between the capability of the 350 vs 383. I know your not building a drag car, your doing something that’s even more demanding on the power range of the engine. The 383 is no doubt going to do much better that the 350. Much. It’s got more tq for pulling out of the corner and will pull the extra rpm should you find yourself not quite at the point where you are ready to let off but you definitely don’t want to shift. I know exactly what your looking for and if I were doing whatvtoie doing, this combo I had would work very very well in that situation. I didn’t build an all our drag engine. It was a daily driven street brawler that worked well in any situation. That’s how I am, I like my cake and eat it too. But honestly I’m wasting my time because it sounds like your he’ll bent on going as cheap as you can and doungba 350 that you will likely be unhappy with and have to do it over. And I speak from experience. That’s why I can tell you the back to back difference between the two because I had the 350.
Do it once, because we all know that we will want more. Really the only extra expense is the crank and really I’d do crank rods and pistons either way because if your going to abuse it the stock stuff won’t last. Remember I told you my buddy’s car would turn 7000, well keep in mind I mentioned he didn’t dog his stuff. And he didn’t, I rarely saw him get on it for fear of scattering it with the stock bottom end. At the end of the day it’s your choice and it’s your money and I can’t spend it for you but I can just give you facts that I know to try and persuade you to do it the right way. Are you in a hurry? I’d build the motor on at stand and keep driving the car. That’s what I did. Then when the short block was built I pulled the motor and pulled the heads and ca and put them on the 383. That 383 is still alive today because I built it with a forged crank, h beans and forged pistons. Took me a year to buy the parts and build it but put up with my very abusive right foot.
Do it once, because we all know that we will want more. Really the only extra expense is the crank and really I’d do crank rods and pistons either way because if your going to abuse it the stock stuff won’t last. Remember I told you my buddy’s car would turn 7000, well keep in mind I mentioned he didn’t dog his stuff. And he didn’t, I rarely saw him get on it for fear of scattering it with the stock bottom end. At the end of the day it’s your choice and it’s your money and I can’t spend it for you but I can just give you facts that I know to try and persuade you to do it the right way. Are you in a hurry? I’d build the motor on at stand and keep driving the car. That’s what I did. Then when the short block was built I pulled the motor and pulled the heads and ca and put them on the 383. That 383 is still alive today because I built it with a forged crank, h beans and forged pistons. Took me a year to buy the parts and build it but put up with my very abusive right foot.
08-01-2018, 09:06 PM
#14
I technically feel i could actually destroy my buddies subaru wrx 2016 as is stock with my exhaust a little tune and the cai hes definitely not able to top out like i am and if hes ever daring enough i want to bring him to a track and race him show him how a real race is because he thinks hes bad with his wrx and dont get me wrong they can be nice but im all about my pontiac taking him down every chamce i get 😂 atleast i actually work on my car i dont pay others to do the work unless i cant do it. Show the awd guys that we can easily tune our cars both for the street and the tracks and still beat them every time with our v8 power 😂
08-01-2018, 09:10 PM
#15
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383 in mind Ive always kept the 383 build in mind and i knowneagle sells alot of the things i need for cheap but im not completely cheap side i even said i planned on keeping the motor in it now and having a seperate motor to build while i play with my car as is that way i can gwt a better feel for the car stock as it is with slight power and torque added nothing more then abusing the stock motor and then throwing in a built motor even if i go 383 i dont need to go big cam i can still use a mild cam and make close to 500 crank hp i know that. So ill definitely keep it in mind. You do it right the first time youll never be sorry.
08-01-2018, 09:24 PM
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23 i am sorta young but im not offended at all most people my age still cant change a tire 😂😂 or rebuild a motor or swap one for that matter. I habe enough mechanical experience to be able to do everyrhing on my own i just cant weld never tried nor had a tig welder also i cant machine anything because no experience with poeting or anything of that matter ether. Trust me im a shity mechanic but i do everything and have learned everything on my own. I have no regrets in saying that ether i just do what i can if i mess up i start over again isnt that the way of life.
08-02-2018, 10:56 AM
#17
I think we need to pump the brakes in this thread for a second...I didn't read every post so apologize if this is already covered...but you want a build a road racer (which is awesome BTW) but I first want to ask what is your road racing experience so far?
I do track days in my C5Z, it's a blast but I wanted to ask about your experience because many people new to road racing end up spending money in the wrong places. It's very very different than drag racing which most people focus on on this site. Also, if you're new to it, I'd suggest spending money on training or some sort of side by side track day coaching before making the car faster.
Beyond that, first things first is swap over to a manual. Tracking an auto isn't going to work out so well. You're gonna want to get real familiar with heel/toe downshifting with a manual. I'd focus on good brakes to start (by good brakes I don't mean fancy rotors and pads, LS1 front brake upgrade with the right pads and fluid at a bear minimum preferably something better). LT1 brakes are pathetic and when racing the last thing you want to do is have braking issues and end up messing your car up or worst yet hurting yourself or others. After that I'd focus on suspension (shocks, sways, etc.), cooling, tires, safety, etc. I recommended running good street tires before diving into R compounds, R compounds are less forgiving so will throw you in a spin unannounced. Also want to keep a close eye on cooling, make sure you've got fresh fluids.
I'm not a seasoned road racer by any means but I've learned a lot from track days and talking to others more experienced than I. My only regret was not getting into it with a slower car first, a 500hp car like mine makes it more challenging to really refine skills, get the perfect line versus running something with say 300hp. That's why I'd keep the motor alone for now and just get your feet wet. And road racing is so different than drag racing, no need to shift to redline every shift if you're just doing track days unless you wanna overheat the hell out of the car.
My apologies if you're an experienced road racer, all of the above if assuming you being new to it. The above is by no means an exhaustive list but something to kind of point you in the right direction and prevent you from killing yourself or others. **** can get crazy when you're doing 140 mph and need to slam on the brakes and downshift to hit the next turn and there are cars all around you. That's when you hope everyone else on the track has adequate brakes, experience, looked their car over before running etc. and are glad you purchased the optional track day insurance in case something happens.
I do track days in my C5Z, it's a blast but I wanted to ask about your experience because many people new to road racing end up spending money in the wrong places. It's very very different than drag racing which most people focus on on this site. Also, if you're new to it, I'd suggest spending money on training or some sort of side by side track day coaching before making the car faster.
Beyond that, first things first is swap over to a manual. Tracking an auto isn't going to work out so well. You're gonna want to get real familiar with heel/toe downshifting with a manual. I'd focus on good brakes to start (by good brakes I don't mean fancy rotors and pads, LS1 front brake upgrade with the right pads and fluid at a bear minimum preferably something better). LT1 brakes are pathetic and when racing the last thing you want to do is have braking issues and end up messing your car up or worst yet hurting yourself or others. After that I'd focus on suspension (shocks, sways, etc.), cooling, tires, safety, etc. I recommended running good street tires before diving into R compounds, R compounds are less forgiving so will throw you in a spin unannounced. Also want to keep a close eye on cooling, make sure you've got fresh fluids.
I'm not a seasoned road racer by any means but I've learned a lot from track days and talking to others more experienced than I. My only regret was not getting into it with a slower car first, a 500hp car like mine makes it more challenging to really refine skills, get the perfect line versus running something with say 300hp. That's why I'd keep the motor alone for now and just get your feet wet. And road racing is so different than drag racing, no need to shift to redline every shift if you're just doing track days unless you wanna overheat the hell out of the car.
My apologies if you're an experienced road racer, all of the above if assuming you being new to it. The above is by no means an exhaustive list but something to kind of point you in the right direction and prevent you from killing yourself or others. **** can get crazy when you're doing 140 mph and need to slam on the brakes and downshift to hit the next turn and there are cars all around you. That's when you hope everyone else on the track has adequate brakes, experience, looked their car over before running etc. and are glad you purchased the optional track day insurance in case something happens.
Last edited by StealthFormula; 08-02-2018 at 11:08 AM.
08-02-2018, 12:03 PM
#18
I think we need to pump the brakes in this thread for a second...I didn't read every post so apologize if this is already covered...but you want a build a road racer (which is awesome BTW) but I first want to ask what is your road racing experience so far?
I do track days in my C5Z, it's a blast but I wanted to ask about your experience because many people new to road racing end up spending money in the wrong places. It's very very different than drag racing which most people focus on on this site. Also, if you're new to it, I'd suggest spending money on training or some sort of side by side track day coaching before making the car faster.
Beyond that, first things first is swap over to a manual. Tracking an auto isn't going to work out so well. You're gonna want to get real familiar with heel/toe downshifting with a manual. I'd focus on good brakes to start (by good brakes I don't mean fancy rotors and pads, LS1 front brake upgrade with the right pads and fluid at a bear minimum preferably something better). LT1 brakes are pathetic and when racing the last thing you want to do is have braking issues and end up messing your car up or worst yet hurting yourself or others. After that I'd focus on suspension (shocks, sways, etc.), cooling, tires, safety, etc. I recommended running good street tires before diving into R compounds, R compounds are less forgiving so will throw you in a spin unannounced. Also want to keep a close eye on cooling, make sure you've got fresh fluids.
I'm not a seasoned road racer by any means but I've learned a lot from track days and talking to others more experienced than I. My only regret was not getting into it with a slower car first, a 500hp car like mine makes it more challenging to really refine skills, get the perfect line versus running something with say 300hp. That's why I'd keep the motor alone for now and just get your feet wet. And road racing is so different than drag racing, no need to shift to redline every shift if you're just doing track days unless you wanna overheat the hell out of the car.
My apologies if you're an experienced road racer, all of the above if assuming you being new to it. The above is by no means an exhaustive list but something to kind of point you in the right direction and prevent you from killing yourself or others. **** can get crazy when you're doing 140 mph and need to slam on the brakes and downshift to hit the next turn and there are cars all around you. That's when you hope everyone else on the track has adequate brakes, experience, looked their car over before running etc. and are glad you purchased the optional track day insurance in case something happens.
I do track days in my C5Z, it's a blast but I wanted to ask about your experience because many people new to road racing end up spending money in the wrong places. It's very very different than drag racing which most people focus on on this site. Also, if you're new to it, I'd suggest spending money on training or some sort of side by side track day coaching before making the car faster.
Beyond that, first things first is swap over to a manual. Tracking an auto isn't going to work out so well. You're gonna want to get real familiar with heel/toe downshifting with a manual. I'd focus on good brakes to start (by good brakes I don't mean fancy rotors and pads, LS1 front brake upgrade with the right pads and fluid at a bear minimum preferably something better). LT1 brakes are pathetic and when racing the last thing you want to do is have braking issues and end up messing your car up or worst yet hurting yourself or others. After that I'd focus on suspension (shocks, sways, etc.), cooling, tires, safety, etc. I recommended running good street tires before diving into R compounds, R compounds are less forgiving so will throw you in a spin unannounced. Also want to keep a close eye on cooling, make sure you've got fresh fluids.
I'm not a seasoned road racer by any means but I've learned a lot from track days and talking to others more experienced than I. My only regret was not getting into it with a slower car first, a 500hp car like mine makes it more challenging to really refine skills, get the perfect line versus running something with say 300hp. That's why I'd keep the motor alone for now and just get your feet wet. And road racing is so different than drag racing, no need to shift to redline every shift if you're just doing track days unless you wanna overheat the hell out of the car.
My apologies if you're an experienced road racer, all of the above if assuming you being new to it. The above is by no means an exhaustive list but something to kind of point you in the right direction and prevent you from killing yourself or others. **** can get crazy when you're doing 140 mph and need to slam on the brakes and downshift to hit the next turn and there are cars all around you. That's when you hope everyone else on the track has adequate brakes, experience, looked their car over before running etc. and are glad you purchased the optional track day insurance in case something happens.
excellent advice. Or maybe put the money and current car towards another car that would be better suited to track duty.
08-02-2018, 01:45 PM
#19
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I think we need to pump the brakes in this thread for a second...I didn't read every post so apologize if this is already covered...but you want a build a road racer (which is awesome BTW) but I first want to ask what is your road racing experience so far?
I do track days in my C5Z, it's a blast but I wanted to ask about your experience because many people new to road racing end up spending money in the wrong places. It's very very different than drag racing which most people focus on on this site. Also, if you're new to it, I'd suggest spending money on training or some sort of side by side track day coaching before making the car faster.
Beyond that, first things first is swap over to a manual. Tracking an auto isn't going to work out so well. You're gonna want to get real familiar with heel/toe downshifting with a manual. I'd focus on good brakes to start (by good brakes I don't mean fancy rotors and pads, LS1 front brake upgrade with the right pads and fluid at a bear minimum preferably something better). LT1 brakes are pathetic and when racing the last thing you want to do is have braking issues and end up messing your car up or worst yet hurting yourself or others. After that I'd focus on suspension (shocks, sways, etc.), cooling, tires, safety, etc. I recommended running good street tires before diving into R compounds, R compounds are less forgiving so will throw you in a spin unannounced. Also want to keep a close eye on cooling, make sure you've got fresh fluids.
I'm not a seasoned road racer by any means but I've learned a lot from track days and talking to others more experienced than I. My only regret was not getting into it with a slower car first, a 500hp car like mine makes it more challenging to really refine skills, get the perfect line versus running something with say 300hp. That's why I'd keep the motor alone for now and just get your feet wet. And road racing is so different than drag racing, no need to shift to redline every shift if you're just doing track days unless you wanna overheat the hell out of the car.
My apologies if you're an experienced road racer, all of the above if assuming you being new to it. The above is by no means an exhaustive list but something to kind of point you in the right direction and prevent you from killing yourself or others. **** can get crazy when you're doing 140 mph and need to slam on the brakes and downshift to hit the next turn and there are cars all around you. That's when you hope everyone else on the track has adequate brakes, experience, looked their car over before running etc. and are glad you purchased the optional track day insurance in case something happens.
I do track days in my C5Z, it's a blast but I wanted to ask about your experience because many people new to road racing end up spending money in the wrong places. It's very very different than drag racing which most people focus on on this site. Also, if you're new to it, I'd suggest spending money on training or some sort of side by side track day coaching before making the car faster.
Beyond that, first things first is swap over to a manual. Tracking an auto isn't going to work out so well. You're gonna want to get real familiar with heel/toe downshifting with a manual. I'd focus on good brakes to start (by good brakes I don't mean fancy rotors and pads, LS1 front brake upgrade with the right pads and fluid at a bear minimum preferably something better). LT1 brakes are pathetic and when racing the last thing you want to do is have braking issues and end up messing your car up or worst yet hurting yourself or others. After that I'd focus on suspension (shocks, sways, etc.), cooling, tires, safety, etc. I recommended running good street tires before diving into R compounds, R compounds are less forgiving so will throw you in a spin unannounced. Also want to keep a close eye on cooling, make sure you've got fresh fluids.
I'm not a seasoned road racer by any means but I've learned a lot from track days and talking to others more experienced than I. My only regret was not getting into it with a slower car first, a 500hp car like mine makes it more challenging to really refine skills, get the perfect line versus running something with say 300hp. That's why I'd keep the motor alone for now and just get your feet wet. And road racing is so different than drag racing, no need to shift to redline every shift if you're just doing track days unless you wanna overheat the hell out of the car.
My apologies if you're an experienced road racer, all of the above if assuming you being new to it. The above is by no means an exhaustive list but something to kind of point you in the right direction and prevent you from killing yourself or others. **** can get crazy when you're doing 140 mph and need to slam on the brakes and downshift to hit the next turn and there are cars all around you. That's when you hope everyone else on the track has adequate brakes, experience, looked their car over before running etc. and are glad you purchased the optional track day insurance in case something happens.
08-02-2018, 02:53 PM
#20
Cool man, good luck and have fun. Track days are a blast. I would advice against the drilled and slotted rotors, those babies are prone to crack with the heat and stress placed on them when racing. A blank rotor is going to best your best bet and probably cheaper too.
I'm not much of a reader myself but if you like to read I recommend this book, it will make you a better and safer driver. If you're cheap like me you could snag a used one on ebay for a few bucks:
I'm not much of a reader myself but if you like to read I recommend this book, it will make you a better and safer driver. If you're cheap like me you could snag a used one on ebay for a few bucks:
