Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryephile
So how did the car do? Running back-to-back and then 40 minute breathers, the car went through a LOT of fuel this weekend. Not a single hiccup though, the car ran flawlessly.
The ZL1 brakes are thermal overkill. The stock HP1000 pads however have a long and squishy pedal feel. The front calipers only registered the lowest box of 250 deg F on my caliper temp stickers. What I think I've learned here is, the SS 1LE brakes are perfectly fine as long as the pads have a thermal insulation layer, like stock. That means the SS 1LE brakes + titanium shims + track pad of choice = perfect.
Speaking of thermal, this was a HOT weekend. Air temps about 90F, and intake temps in the 120's. The car was noticeably down on power. Another problem was the track (Grattan) was green, greasy, and dirty. Saturday morning in particular meant everyone was way off the pace. It appears the track crew blew off the surface Saturday night, because from the first session today the track was much grippier.
The anti-roll bars worked great. The balance was spot-on perfect. The car will understeer if you make it, and oversteer if you make it. Drive it clean and it's neutral. This is with the Hotchkis front in the middle holes and the BMR rear in the middle holes. If you need more dynamic wheel rate, I highly recommend this combo.
I managed to crush my personal best using the Supercar 3R's, stiffer anti-roll-bars, ZL1 brakes, and Track mode "off-off"; a 1:24.59. It's not 100% roses though. The Supercar 3R's aren't magical. They lose a bunch of steering feel and have that sort of stick-through-porridge feel that Hoosier R7's do, but don't really feel any grippier than the Supercar 3's. My datalogs do show a bit more lateral G, but not much. I think the take-away here is the Supercar 3's are better than we're giving them credit for, and the 3R's aren't the final word in any way. The 3R's do maintain the same really wide window of communication at the limit, including the tire squealing, and in those regards they're definitely not Hoosier-esque. In the end I'm not sure I recommend the 3R's, and that's before I even take a look at their wear-rate. Sure I was able to go quicker, but it took a much more aggressive but precise style to coax the time out of them, whereas the 3's are overall more enjoyable. I'll have to think about this more.
I'll post my PDR data tomorrow.
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For point of reference, I was at the same event as Ryephile, in my SS 1LE that is completely stock. Brake fluid was switched to Castrol SRF and I had the SS track deflectors installed. Zero issues with the brakes and I was definitely giving them a workout going into turn 1 and turn 10, and pretty well into them turn 2 and turn 5. Stock brake pads do just fine, but I can see where an aftermarket pad would help - the stock pads lack some initial bite; they are a bit non-confident-inspiring when you initially really start loading them up, but they do come in and lock the car down. Eventually I either 1. got used to them or they bed in better because this notion stopped and the brakes felt more consistent from initial apply to release in later sessions. My gut feeling is that I didn't bed in the pads well enough before the track day.
Looking at Ryephile's brakes after a few sessions, you could tell that heat was not an issue with them. Rotors looked like they just had street miles on them, lol.
The only issue I had with my car is that my front sway bar link lower nuts came loose. The passenger side was just flopping around. The driver side was just a tad loose. Mind that I did check them before the track day to make sure they were tight. I never had this happen with my SS at Grattan, but that car's nuts were tightened down with Loc-Tite applied (I had the FE4 front sway bar on the car).
Ryephile knows Grattan WELL. Great driver and he helped me with a few pointers that netted me a second on my lap time. I still have some work to do, though, as I am a bit off what this car can do.
One thing is solidified with me though: The SS 1LE is hands down one of the very best performance cars and performance car bargains you can buy. On a track like Grattan and on a day like this past weekend (sunny, no clouds, 90F+), really trying to push the car lap after lap... man, great car. GREAT car...