Finally took the C5 to the track - pics

[2MCHPWR]

Finally got the car on the track; had to wait until the power
steering and oil coolers were installed, and got the car aligned. I only had the
street tires for this day. They are stock sized z06 goodyear supercar F1's
runflats; not the best track tire at all. Their age is unknown because I got
them off craigslist. Damn, I don't even think I got them balanced yet

It rained earlier in the day so there was some standing water.
I shared the track with a few Ferraris; click here for pics
of them.

There was a vibration at WOT from the shifter and floorboards;
not sure what it is yet. I'm thinking clutch/pressure plate/flywheel might be out of balance, or the driveshaft bushings/bearings are bad.

Oil got to 253 degrees which isn't bad. Water hit 228;
stock radiator must be in good condition. Was out there for 30 minutes. 35 psi
front Goodyears (265-40-17) and 30 psi's in the rear (295-40-18) were the cold
pressures.

The car felt great. It was very balanced and predictable. It
got loose a couple of times. Hey, what do you expect with a wet track, run-flat
tires of unknown age and a loose nut behind the wheel. I think my best time was 2:54 which is good considering that its my first
time out with it on street tires. I'll put on the sticky toyo r888's next time
and try to get some 2:4x's next time. Some of the Ferrari's here today
didn't go that quick but some did. A Radical SR5 went 2:25 today and a Radical
SR8 went 2:21.

How's it compare to my old RX7? I'm not
sure which I ultimately like better, but this C5 is less twichy and easier to
drive due to its longer wheelbase and softer suspension. I like that (yes I'm
getting old).




This is the start/finish line area:


Looking down track from the Courasel:


The Mushroom on the South Side:



Matt - this is my favorite shot (he took the pics):


The rest of the pics are here:
http://www.ponycars.net/maidenvoyage.htm

[baddest434]

very nice! good luck with the new car. that mazda was sweet.

[sweetbmxrider]

that looks like alot of funnn!

[2MCHPWR]

here's some pics of the new wheels and tires. was doing some laps on the "south" course yesterday:

http://www.ponycars.net/south0609.htm

[sab123]

Originally Posted by 2MCHPWR

There was a vibration at WOT from the shifter and floorboards;
not sure what it is yet. I'm thinking clutch/pressure plate/flywheel might be out of balance, or the driveshaft bushings/bearings are bad.

I've heard that Corvettes have the rubber flex couplers instead of U-joints on the driveshaft, and these get worn out. My Volvo had this kind of front driveshaft too, these flex couplers wear a lot and make all kinds of interesting vibrations and sounds.

[2MCHPWR]

yeah thanks dude. i heard that too. I bought a pair of those rubber doo hickeys last week. The installation is a pain because the rear and tranny have to be dropped as well. with all those labor charges, I think i'm gonna save up for clutch, PP and FW because i'm right there. slave and master too. maybe rebuild tranny? it has a leak where it meets the diff.

[slowtealz28]

Nice car, I have a set of Hoosier R0S03's that I am selling for $150. They still have about 2/32" of tread, and I would bet you could get at least 2-3 track days out of them. Let me know.

[Jam]

wow looks like fun.

[2MCHPWR]

Originally Posted by sab123

I've heard that Corvettes have the rubber flex couplers instead of U-joints on the driveshaft, and these get worn out. My Volvo had this kind of front driveshaft too, these flex couplers wear a lot and make all kinds of interesting vibrations and sounds.

like this? these were mine:





A few of the bolts that attach them were sheared off and flopping around inside the torque tube and knocked off the weights on the driveshaft.

Here's a vid of me doing the North course. Its about 1:34 for the lap:

right click and save as

[Blacdout96]

Holy ****!!!!