[Bow Tie Fanatic]

Originally Posted by Stephen12ZL1

wow...that is pretty cool with the sensor. I do believe newer Cup 2s have a "better" compound than the same tires from a year or two ago. I have no data to back up that statement. The "R" variant is obviously more track appropriate but is available only in limited sizes.

Yeah I believe you are correct. I think I saw one of the GT500 roll-out videos that it was a new more aggressive compound Cup2.

[viurniel]

A few street roll-races in Miami between a 670 WHP ZL1 and the GT500 had the ZL1 pulling at least a whole car ahead.

[Stephen12ZL1]

most GT500s trap speed for 1/4 mile around 132mph...Chevy claims 124mph trap for a stock ZL1 A10. My car with a few bolt ons and no tune has trapped 129.2mph. With E85, I should be close to the GT500 trap.

[Xlr8ion]

GT500 is really a car that's half way between a ZL1 1LE and the ZR1 Corvette.Meaning ZR1 drag speeds and ZL1 lap times.

[ZRacerLE]

Originally Posted by Xlr8ion

GT500 is really a car that's half way between a ZL1 1LE and the ZR1 Corvette.Meaning ZR1 drag speeds and ZL1 lap times.

Exactly

[waterman]

Originally Posted by Xlr8ion

GT500 is really a car that's half way between a ZL1 1LE and the ZR1 Corvette.Meaning ZR1 drag speeds and ZL1 lap times.

GT500 won't touch ZR1 in either.

[maddad50]

Kramar.

Three day old tires are brand new. Did you get the tire mold release out? How many miles were on the tires? My car was useless for 500 miles.

Also 69 degrees is awfully cold in my opinion. Another ten degrees and you’d have gone faster.

Amazing driving. Thank you for posting.

[esm]

Originally Posted by Stephen12ZL1

most GT500s trap speed for 1/4 mile around 132mph...Chevy claims 124mph trap for a stock ZL1 A10. My car with a few bolt ons and no tune has trapped 129.2mph. With E85, I should be close to the GT500 trap.

What bolt ons do you have?

[TheRealJA105]

Originally Posted by maddad50

Kramar.

Three day old tires are brand new. Did you get the tire mold release out? How many miles were on the tires? My car was useless for 500 miles.

Also 69 degrees is awfully cold in my opinion. Another ten degrees and you’d have gone faster.

Amazing driving. Thank you for posting.

By the 3rd session he referenced the mold release compound is long gone.

Idk how you think a 79 degree day is ideal for tracking??? 10 degrees less would be faster. A sunny day in the 50s is about perfect for lap times as the sun heats the track surface up plenty and the cool air allows the engine to make more power and remain cool longer.

[Rodan]

Well, he also thinks tires used for three track days are "brand new"...

[TheRealJA105]

Originally Posted by Rodan

Well, he also thinks tires used for three track days are "brand new"...

Yeah, I was unsure if Kramar actually meant 4 days as track days or literally 4 days old? I don't think 3Rs would last that long at his pace, but idk?

[RUQWIKR]

Originally Posted by TheRealJA105

By the 3rd session he referenced the mold release compound is long gone.

Idk how you think a 79 degree day is ideal for tracking??? 10 degrees less would be faster. A sunny day in the 50s is about perfect for lap times as the sun heats the track surface up plenty and the cool air allows the engine to make more power and remain cool longer.

Depends on track temp. This weekend, I ran in great air conditions but too cool of a track. Low sun angle and low sun time during this part of the year means the track never warms up. Saw highs 56-64F, but with overnight lows in the 20’s , the track never got above 55F. Yes, I made more power, but couldn’t get the mechanical grip like I did some cool summer mornings where track temp from latent heat was warmer than ambient. Give me a Summer / early Fall cold front bringing in cool, dense & dry air with high barometer after days of hot weather where the ground and track have good residual heat.

[Rodan]

Originally Posted by TheRealJA105

Yeah, I was unsure if Kramar actually meant 4 days as track days or literally 4 days old?

I've never heard anyone refer to the age of track tires as their literal age. The track use is always the metric.

In the OPs case, I took it to mean the tires were pretty shagged.

[HemiDave]

Originally Posted by kramard

We've had a number of threads on some of the ZL1 facebook groups about the potential lap times of the GT500 and ZL1 1LE. Wanted to share my experience and thoughts on the topic:

Motor Trend, VIR Full (Randy Probst Driving):

• C8: 2:00.96 - Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
• GT500: 1:59.68 - Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
• GT500 (CF Package): 1:56.30 - Michelin Cup2

NASA Oktoberfest, VIR Full (Kramar Driving)

• 100% Stock ZL1 1LE - 1:58.7 (4 day old SuperCar 3R; 3rd session of the day; 69 degrees ambient air temp; no sun)
• ZL1 1LE Theoretical Best: 1:57.7 (if I put my best 3 sectors together)

Thoughts:
Gt500 - I can't believe the jump from the CF and non CF version. I suspect the Cup2s are a special compound / tire specific for the GT500. I'll know more once I see a head to head video and can look at the corner speeds. Off the shelf Cup2s appear slower than the SuperCar 3R; or at least the ZL1 1LE hasn't responded well to them at VIR (another driver; 2:02 vs a high 1:59)

ZL1 1LE - I've spent hours pouring over data from VIR. I caught a flag out of oak tree that ruined a predicted 1:57.x run. Data suggests a 1:56 is possible, but at my skill level I don't believe I can get there in real life. I'm moslty on my limit in this lap. IMO most of my available time is in the uphill esses where it appears there's a second or so on the table from 6 - 10. On my 1:57 attempt I entered at 144.5 (!!) and attacked 9 at 129 (!!) so I clearly undrove in my 1:58.

Obviously, a pro driver or some additional tweaking of suspension could change how the car handles. I like a lot of understeer at the limit which is really hurting my ability to attack 9; my specs are -2.4 all round; front ride height all the way up and rear bar neutral.

Conclusion: ZL1 1LE is every bit the car the GT500 is on track. GT500 my have a slight advantage on power tracks (VIR); but the weight will always cause it to burden some sort of a penalty. I would choose the zl1 1le every time between ADM, MSRP and the increased cost of consumables. I think all of these cars are amazing and I'm sure the GT500 is a pleasure to drive on and off the track; the zle 1le just has a better value.

Posted this before, but for reference here is my 1:58; hot lap starts at 3:50. Excuse the claim - this has been a 3 year project to break 2-min at VIR with 100s of hours in the sim and pouring over data. This was my 4th visit to VIR in real life with only one other visit in the ZL1 1LE previous to this attempt.

Well you have to give yourself credit for running a 157:04 at VIR with a Bone Stock Manual, with the stock SuperCar 3R's.

Just proves the "lightning lap" crew at Car and Driver left laughable time on the table.

https://youtu.be/qZ2468cUr5U