[Fastnuffzl1]

I have a ‘18 ZL1 A10. I currently just do autox, but have been wanting to get into hpde. I plan on keeping the mag ride and 20s. What are some things I should upgrade for better track performance?

[Mark R]

BMR cradle lockout kit and all their suspension goodies would be my first mods.

[SFV1LE]

Originally Posted by Mark R

BMR cradle lockout kit and all their suspension goodies would be my first mods.

On my ZLE I have all the BMR rear suspension stuff and I've tracked my car a lot over the last 4 years and it's good. But IMHO for anything that both BMR and SPL have, get the SPL parts. I would have gone SPL if I had known about SPL before I ordered BMR.

SPL are lighter and better quality, and easier to adjust with no f-ing "jam nuts". The SPL stuff is more expensive, but worth it IMO.

Also, for your non-1LE ZL1, get the Vorshlag camber/caster plates:
https://vorshlag-store.com/collectio...ilover-perches

I would do these first--unfortunately no Vorshlag camber/caster plates for ZLE.

[Jeauxy]

Originally Posted by SFV1LE

On my ZLE I have all the BMR rear suspension stuff and I've tracked my car a lot over the last 4 years and it's good. But IMHO for anything that both BMR and SPL have, get the SPL parts. I would have gone SPL if I had known about SPL before I ordered BMR.

SPL are lighter and better quality, and easier to adjust with no f-ing "jam nuts". The SPL stuff is more expensive, but worth it IMO.

Also, for your non-1LE ZL1, get the Vorshlag camber/caster plates:
https://vorshlag-store.com/collectio...ilover-perches

I would do these first--unfortunately no Vorshlag camber/caster plates for ZLE.

Apologies OP, not trying to thread jack, but wanted to ask you SLV1LE… Would you mind listing what those goodies are in the back exactly. Currently looking into ZLE rear stuff as well and am getting confused what’s compatible with the 1LE and what’s not and what’s even needed. Thanks in advance for your help!

OP, definitely concur with starting on the rear suspension of yours!

[khcoaching]

If it is your first time tracking a car, really the only thing you'll need is good brake fluid and a mild alignment. From there, you can go to better front brake pads and a more aggressive alignment with rear toe arms. Stock the car does very well and even the stock 3S tires are pretty good.

Ken

[RamAir02]

The only MUST is upgrade the brake fluid, as kh noted. I prefer Castrol SRF.

Nice-to-haves from there, I, again, agree with kh. Track alignment, potentially upgrade tires to SC3R (about a second or so faster per lap) and rear toe arms with eccentric lockout -- this will help prevent the rear from stepping out of alignment.

Check torque of wheels on morning before first session. 140 lb-ft. Check brake pad life throughout the day/weekend. I always bring a backup set of pads with me. They're easy enough to swap at the track if need be. Check for inner cording of front tires throughout the day/weekend -- they may look perfectly fine on the outside, but ready to pop on inner tread.

Two photos below:
1. Alignment after 6+ track days and stock rear toe arms. You can see my alignment was actually pretty decent, except the rear toe was pretty far out of spec. I have SPL toe arms which I'll install for next season to address this issue.
2. Inner front left cording. These are SC3R tires, so a good bit less life than the SC3. It's hard to see inner cording when on the car, so it's a good idea to check the front tires at steering left lock and steering right lock after track sessions.

[NG329]

As an experienced track rat, here is my input.

Don't do anything until you get a handful of days under your belt and you become comfortable with your current setup.

There are many modding philosophies but my two favorites are:
1) Modding for a particular Track
2) Modding for a particular Tire

As was already mentioned, change the brake fluid. I also use Castrol SRF and it's been fantastic.

Choose a tire and stick with it. I would go with a good street compound like the Supercar 3. You can get to Advanced group with that tire and run a great pace.

---knock out a few track days and really pay attention to the car--
How is it on corner entry? Understeer or oversteer?
Stable mid corner? Hard to hold a line?
How is the corner exit? Understeer or oversteer?

If your laptimes aren't in the top 10% then chances are it's driver mod. Don't touch the car.

If you're at the front of the pack and running advanced times then feel free to tweak. GMs track guide is actually pretty good when it comes to suggestions on dialing in/out understeer/oversteer. It really comes down to personal preference. The only way to get the car to behave how you like it is to know what you actually like and that comes with seat time.

Track is not Autocross. Forget everything you have learned and go in with a humble and Novice mindset.

Me personally, I like a very rigid setup. Some guys like "loosey goosey". BMR will make things very stiff. The tradeoff for stiffness is increased tire wear. You will have to weigh things carefully.

As an over generalization I would say to use this as a guide.

1) Pick one track and stick with it for a while
2) Brake Fluid
3) Choose a Tire (Watch your pressures)
4) Track Camber
5) Suspension: Dial in understeer/oversteer (sway bar settings; linkages; braces; etc.)

Lastly, don't be so quick to throw on R compound. After spending weeks of sliding around on Hankook Evo2s and learning how my car feels on the limit, when I finally threw on Race Compound I went straight to the front of the pack. I have not been passed at my last two events.

Just some food for thought. Do what you will with it.

At the end of the day, if we're all being honest here, the main thing is to just get out there. The car is already enough the way it sits.

[clg82]

Originally Posted by NG329

As an experienced track rat, here is my input.

Don't do anything until you get a handful of days under your belt and you become comfortable with your current setup.

There are many modding philosophies but my two favorites are:
1) Modding for a particular Track
2) Modding for a particular Tire

As was already mentioned, change the brake fluid. I also use Castrol SRF and it's been fantastic.

Choose a tire and stick with it. I would go with a good street compound like the Supercar 3. You can get to Advanced group with that tire and run a great pace.

---knock out a few track days and really pay attention to the car--
How is it on corner entry? Understeer or oversteer?
Stable mid corner? Hard to hold a line?
How is the corner exit? Understeer or oversteer?

If your laptimes aren't in the top 10% then chances are it's driver mod. Don't touch the car.

If you're at the front of the pack and running advanced times then feel free to tweak. GMs track guide is actually pretty good when it comes to suggestions on dialing in/out understeer/oversteer. It really comes down to personal preference. The only way to get the car to behave how you like it is to know what you actually like and that comes with seat time.

Track is not Autocross. Forget everything you have learned and go in with a humble and Novice mindset.

Me personally, I like a very rigid setup. Some guys like "loosey goosey". BMR will make things very stiff. The tradeoff for stiffness is increased tire wear. You will have to weigh things carefully.

As an over generalization I would say to use this as a guide.

1) Pick one track and stick with it for a while
2) Brake Fluid
3) Choose a Tire (Watch your pressures)
4) Track Camber
5) Suspension: Dial in understeer/oversteer (sway bar settings; linkages; braces; etc.)

Lastly, don't be so quick to throw on R compound. After spending weeks of sliding around on Hankook Evo2s and learning how my car feels on the limit, when I finally threw on Race Compound I went straight to the front of the pack. I have not been passed at my last two events.

Just some food for thought. Do what you will with it.

At the end of the day, if we're all being honest here, the main thing is to just get out there. The car is already enough the way it sits.

All great points NG, but for the OP, how hard is it to change out the brake fluid?

[RamAir02]

Originally Posted by clg82

All great points NG, but for the OP, how hard is it to change out the brake fluid?

With a Motive Power Bleeder or similar, it's quite straightforward. There are more specific steps, but high level, remove fluid from reservoir, pressurize the system with new brake fluid in the Motive, bleed inner & outer nipples on each caliper until new fluid comes through. If you have a basic mechanic's tool set or even a set of wrenches, the power bleeder, jack/jack stands and have some basic experience working on cars, it's fairly low on the difficulty scale.

Or you can just pay a shop to do it. Even the little speed shops at the track are an option -- they spend most of their time mounting new tires, installing new brake pads and flushing brake fluid.