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Old 07-02-2019, 02:35 PM   #1
Homeless Junkie
 
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Maintenance schedule for track days

Apologies if this is covered elsewhere. Please provide a link if there’s one out there.

I didn’t exactly buy my Camaro for the track back in August therefore I wasn’t sure the 1 LE was for me. After this weekend I’m sure! So at this point I’m hooked! Taking Performance Driving 3 next Thursday, I’ve Scheduled a weekend in August with a friend. I’m always looking to head down to Laguna Seca for the first time. I even taught about joining the club, which I’m not remotely ready for, at Somona.

My question is with all these track days what kind of maintenance schedule should be doing? I take my car to a trusted Chevy performance mechanic and get an oil change after every track day. I replaced the brake fluid as well. I thought it was air bubbles but the softness didn’t go away til after I put new brake fluid in. I would imagine ELSd change is next? I wonder about pads. Any thoughts?
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Old 07-02-2019, 02:58 PM   #2
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Its all in the manual.

Off the top of my head, oil changes aren't necessary after every track day. Its not going to hurt anything but I don't recall tracking the car really moving the oil life counter all that much.

Personally I do the oil between 3 and 4k miles. Track or no track days.

I think the interval is 15 track hours for the transmission and annually for Dot 4 brake fluid bleed although it doesn't specifically say that as I recall. Based on a recommendation here I did a flush with SRF Dot 4 then will bleed annually.

The differential was to be done at 500 miles if you intended to track the car I believe the manual says. Ive done the differential fluid at the same interval with the transmission and at 500 miles per the manual.

It cost me just under 600 dollars for oil, trans, differential, fluid changes and a brake fluid flush at my dealer with SRF Dot 4 fluid.

Google the performance supplement and the owners manual and its all in there.

Id be interested in what other guys are doing especially some of the die hard track guys.

Last edited by Snakebt6; 07-02-2019 at 03:26 PM.
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Old 07-02-2019, 04:52 PM   #3
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Thanks Snake bite! I got the manual.
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Old 07-02-2019, 05:19 PM   #4
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i dont track my car much maybe 1 auto x every month or so and 1 or 2 big track days a year but since ive had it ive had about 2 oil changes a year, one rear diff fluid flush, brake pads and fluid twice , tires twice and other than that just fill her up with expensive ass california gold 91 octane gasoline lol
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Old 07-02-2019, 06:02 PM   #5
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I did:

1st oil change at 500 miles
2nd oil change and rear diff at 1500
3rd oil change to 5w40 and dot 4 brake fluid at about 3600, before my 1st track day

And I've ran another 6 track days since then. Oil life monitor still shows 80%+. Will probably do oil, brake fluid and transmission before next track day.

One note about Laguna Seca, even stock I don't think these cars will pass the sound booth. You either need Laguna pipes or ease up on the throttle between turns 5 and 6
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Old 07-02-2019, 09:28 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by kropscamaro16 View Post
i dont track my car much maybe 1 auto x every month or so and 1 or 2 big track days a year but since ive had it ive had about 2 oil changes a year, one rear diff fluid flush, brake pads and fluid twice , tires twice and other than that just fill her up with expensive ass california gold 91 octane gasoline lol
100 octane but it’ll cost ya!
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Old 07-03-2019, 10:25 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by Homeless Junkie View Post
100 octane but it’ll cost ya!

lol holy shit almost $10 a gallon
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Old 07-03-2019, 10:37 AM   #8
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100 octane but it’ll cost ya!
What is the price difference between 96 and 100?
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Old 07-03-2019, 11:13 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Laststandard View Post
I did:
And I've ran another 6 track days since then. Oil life monitor still shows 80%+. Will probably do oil, brake fluid and transmission before next track day.
Pg. 15 of the 2017 performance supplement. Note this part was removed from the 2018+ version but the oil life monitor could have been recalibrated for 2018+ cars to better account for track usage:

During track usage, do not follow the Engine Oil Life System status. Change the engine oil after four hours of accumulative track usage. If 15W-50 oil is used, it must be changed back to the engine oil listed in the “Engine Oil” section of the owner’s manual.

Last edited by cdrptrks; 07-18-2019 at 10:27 PM.
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Old 07-03-2019, 11:31 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Snakebt6 View Post
I don't recall tracking the car really moving the oil life counter all that much.

I think the interval is 15 track hours for the transmission and annually for Dot 4 brake fluid bleed although it doesn't specifically say that as I recall. Based on a recommendation here I did a flush with SRF Dot 4 then will bleed annually.

The differential was to be done at 500 miles if you intended to track the car I believe the manual says. Ive done the differential fluid at the same interval with the transmission and at 500 miles per the manual.
15 track hours is for the ZL1 automatic transmission fluid per pg. 15 of the 2017 performance supplement but the 2018 version specifies a 15 hour track time interval for auto and manual transmission fluid for all variants.

UPDATE: Ignore this part:
Quote:
I don't see any specific recommendations for other autos except changing ATF and transmission filter every 45k miles and the manual transmission fluid should be changed every 45k miles both per the severe service Maintenance schedule on pg. 341.
Do you have a page number reference for the 500 mile fluid changes? I searched the manual and performance supplement but didn't find them.
UPDATE: Chevrolet Camaro Track Preparation Guide recommends the first oil change at 500 miles but no mention of changing any other fluids at that point.

I would change DOT4 brake fluid at least yearly since the boiling point decreases over time although I have read that Castrol SRF lasts longer than that because of a very high wet boiling point.

Manual pg. 205:
Brake Fluid
For track events or competitive
driving, it is recommended that the
brake fluid be replaced with a high
performance brake fluid that has a
dry boiling point greater than 279 °C
(534 °F). After conversion to the
high performance brake fluid, follow
the brake fluid service
recommendations outlined by the
fluid manufacturer. Do not use
silicone or DOT-5 brake fluids.

Pg. 206-208 has more details for the SS only with diagrams and install instructions for these parts:

Front Tire Deflectors, Lower
Control Arm Deflectors, and
Disc Splash Shields (SS Only)
Before any racing event, remove the
tire deflectors in the front of the
vehicle, and replace the original
deflector and splash shield with the
tall deflector and small splash
shield.
Caution
Race track driving with the
original front disc brake splash
shield and front tire deflector may
result in brake pedal fade due to
high rotor temperatures.

The SS 1LE is exempt from this section but the tall deflector and splash shield kit can be ordered for under $20 (GM part number 84145204). I run the tall deflectors on my SS 1LE for added peace of mind with the stock rotor splash shields. The tall deflectors scrape on steep road transitions when driving on the street but it doesn't damage them significantly since they are flexible plastic.

Last edited by cdrptrks; 07-18-2019 at 10:37 PM.
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Old 07-03-2019, 11:41 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cdrptrks View Post
Pg. 15 of the performance supplement:

During track usage, do not follow the Engine Oil Life System status. Change the engine oil after four hours of accumulative track usage. If 15W-50 oil is used, it must be changed back to the engine oil listed in the “Engine Oil” section of the owner’s manual.
Guess I should pay attention to the manual.. sounds like I'm due for an oil change
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Old 07-03-2019, 11:50 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Homeless Junkie View Post
Apologies if this is covered elsewhere. Please provide a link if there’s one out there.

I didn’t exactly buy my Camaro for the track back in August therefore I wasn’t sure the 1 LE was for me. After this weekend I’m sure! So at this point I’m hooked! Taking Performance Driving 3 next Thursday, I’ve Scheduled a weekend in August with a friend. I’m always looking to head down to Laguna Seca for the first time. I even taught about joining the club, which I’m not remotely ready for, at Somona.

My question is with all these track days what kind of maintenance schedule should be doing? I take my car to a trusted Chevy performance mechanic and get an oil change after every track day. I replaced the brake fluid as well. I thought it was air bubbles but the softness didn’t go away til after I put new brake fluid in. I would imagine ELSd change is next? I wonder about pads. Any thoughts?
I probably track my car more than the average Joe (should get 10+ events in this year). As you can see with the replies, strategies and interpretation of the manual vary, but here's what I did:

500 miles - engine oil, brake fluid to Castrol SRF
1500 miles - engine oil, rear diff
6 track days in between 1500 and 4000 miles
4000 miles - engine oil, rear diff, transmission fluid, bleed 1 bottle Castrol SRF

I changed the transmission fluid because the 1-2 shift became a little rough. I went with Royal Purple Synchromax and the shifts have greatly improved. Here's my maintenance plan going forward:
  • Engine oil: every 5-6 track days
  • Rear diff: Every 10-12 track days
  • Transmission: every 2-3 years
  • Brake fluid: bleed 1 bottle per year

When you track these cars frequently, the killer seems to become tires
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Old 07-03-2019, 12:05 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Laststandard View Post
Guess I should pay attention to the manual.. sounds like I'm due for an oil change
The necessary track day prep info is scattered around too much...easy to miss things. And I haven't read the whole manual so there could be stuff hiding in there that I am still unaware of!

Here is a good discussion on where to order 0W-40 track oil from the ZL1 form if you are doing the oil change yourself: https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=550801
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Old 07-03-2019, 01:32 PM   #14
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I use the Valvoline 5w-40 Dexos 2, can usually find it at Walmart around here. I do all the maintenance stuff myself..
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