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I recently ran my firebird at Barber MSP, and it got me thinking. How much would it take to match the Z28 time?
The car has koni SA shocks and strano springs from 2009. My first question is what control arms to run? I ran 275 slicks previously, but they tore the front rubber control arm bushings, and caused significant pad knockback due to wheel bearing flex. To top it off, the most camber I could get was -1* resulting in pretty uneven tire wear. Ever since then I've run mild street tires on track, and the car is a blast.
Pirelli sells the trofeo R in a 295/30-R18 that fits my 18x10.5 wheels perfectly. How close do you think I could get to the Z28's time on the same tires?
Here is a lap of Barber last weekend on some 6 year old P-zero Nero 285/35-R18 all season tires. Originally 400 TW but probably more like 800 due to their age.
Skip to 2:22 for the good stuff. My best time was a 1:49.2. Randy Pobst ran a 1:36.29 in the Z28, 1:36.34 in a 911 turbo, and 1:36.45 in a nismo GTR.
I have two. The first for random trackday videos, and the 2nd is more for edited stuff, like the upcoming comparison between my C5 z06, the bird, and the mustang at Barber. Here is the second.
While you will eventually need more power, based on the first video you desperately need better rubber more than anything. Car looked like it wanted to go sideways on on every light sweeping turn. After tires maybe a watts link then some adjustable A-Arms to dial in some more camber. That should net you 5-10 seconds at least.
While you will eventually need more power, based on the first video you desperately need better rubber more than anything. Car looked like it wanted to go sideways on on every light sweeping turn. After tires maybe a watts link then some adjustable A-Arms to dial in some more camber. That should net you 5-10 seconds at least.
^^^This (something even stickier than the Trofeo Rs, even though I understand you wanting to keep that part even for the comparison).
And, of course, the 5th gen Z28's engine with a small, lightweight, multi-disk clutch/flywheel set up, and weight reduced to under 3000 lbs. 'wet', before driver.
If you were to do either a dulaney bracket/c5 Skf tracker hubs or a Hoosier PE hub setup and it'll get rid of the pad knock back and allow you to run the slicks without the dangerous side effects.
That's a lot of time you gotta make up there. Coming from the platform of a 4th gen f-body is going to be very tough to beat that Z28's time. A lot of mods, weight reduction, engine upgrades, and tires might get you close I'd say. However the amount of money and time generated in upgrading your car just so you can match the Z28's time is going to take quite a lot...
Looks like a heck of a time out there tho! Sure would love to try it someday
If you were to do either a dulaney bracket/c5 Skf tracker hubs or a Hoosier PE hub setup and it'll get rid of the pad knock back and allow you to run the slicks without the dangerous side effects.
more info on that hood, door panels, and canards please
I'll be doing a full video on the aero project soon on my other channel, but here is a sort of teaser for the upcoming lap time comparison video.
Also the car has an undertray that you can't see to clean up the air under the front end.
If you were to do either a dulaney bracket/c5 Skf tracker hubs or a Hoosier PE hub setup and it'll get rid of the pad knock back and allow you to run the slicks without the dangerous side effects.
Do you have a link with info on those? I gave up after I swapped to new timken wheel bearings, and the problem only got worse. Pumping the brake at the end of each straight got old fast.
Do you have a link with info on those? I gave up after I swapped to new timken wheel bearings, and the problem only got worse. Pumping the brake at the end of each straight got old fast.
Daily driver is correct. Hoosier PE stuff is sold through strano( a sponsor here) as well as directly through them. The c5/c6 xtracker Skf hubs can be obtained from many vendors including Hoosier PE which is where I bought mine, but you'll need to purchase the conversion brackets from Jim Dulaney over on ffrax.
They look like this. The part with the silver Allen bolts is the adapter and the black part is the Skf hub.
Is that your car above with the KW coil overs on it?
If so, HOW do you like them?
It is my car with KW's. Haha. Idk, they look nice but I've yet to drive the car with them. They were expensive, so they better be good. I will most likely put stiffer springs on it once I get it dialed in. The spring rates seem soft IMO. But we'll find out sooner than later.
It is my car with KW's. Haha. Idk, they look nice but I've yet to drive the car with them. They were expensive, so they better be good. I will most likely put stiffer springs on it once I get it dialed in. The spring rates seem soft IMO. But we'll find out sooner than later.
Any idea how much that changes the front wheel offset? (the new wheel bearings, not the KW's)
Last edited by Phoenix64; Apr 23, 2016 at 12:51 PM.
Retains ABS with no difference in factory offset as it states in their product description.
For those who didn't know, Afco based 4th gen road/track shocks, tuned by HoosierPE on their Pronello dyno. Easily outperforms the Koni/Strano package IMO, however they are pricier as well. You get what you pay for... http://shop.hoosierpe.com/4th-Gen-Fb...-Shock-Kit.htm
For those who didn't know, Afco based 4th gen road/track shocks, tuned by HoosierPE on their Pronello dyno. Easily outperforms the Koni/Strano package IMO, however they are pricier as well. You get what you pay for... http://shop.hoosierpe.com/4th-Gen-Fb...-Shock-Kit.htm
More than the soon to be released, Afco based UMI/Strano set up also, but, these ARE double adjustable from the get go.
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Project Z28 Killer. 
