Our 2003 Corvette Z06: From Rush Hour to Race Track
Thank you for your interest in our 2003 Corvette Z06 project
vehicle. This page outlines the various changes we made and why we made
them. Our goal for this car was to make a very comfortable daily
driveable Z06 while retaining and enhancing the incredible performance
that you get from the car right off the showroom floor.
Brakes
The following brake components were used to drastically improve the
car's braking performance. These components not only help the car brake
harder and faster, but they also help prevent overheating, which means
the brakes continue to perform even after hard use.
- Baer Eradispeed Rotors (donated by Baer)
- Carbotech Panther XP9 racing pads (donated by Carbotech)
- ATE Super Blue DOT4 Brake Fluid
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| Intake and Exhaust |
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By freeing up exhaust restriction and equalizing exhaust flow, the engine can breathe more efficiently and generate more power.
- Donaldson Blackwing High Flow Air Filter
- TPIS Long Tube Headers
- Random Technology High-flow Catalytic Converters and X-pipe (donated by Random Technology)
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Suspension and Handling
 Lowering
the car and improving traction provided the needed handling
characteristics to tackle the race track efficiently. By keeping a set
of tires for off-track use, driving comfort is also taken into
consideration.
- Bridgestone S-03 (for the street and show)
- Toyo Proxes RA1 (for the track)
- Lowered about 1"
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Protection
The use of synthetic fluids and heat-blocking
materials help to prevent long-term wear and tear on the drivetrain and
other components of the car.
- Synthetic transmission and gear fluid
- Koolmat Heatmaster Tunnel Heat Shield (donated by Koolmat)
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Full data acquisition
Keeping
track of the car's performance during runs helps to pinpoint areas
where performance can be improved. It also generates some pretty cool
videos! |
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Safety
Driver safety is of the utmost importance, the following components
help improve the Corvette's already impressive safety features. These
improvements were made with track-use in mind.
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Comfort and Convenience
As
stated earlier, the goal of this project was to create a car that could
be used both as a competent track performer as well as a comfortable
daily driver. And it had to look and sound good too!
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- Millennium Yellow/Black suede and leather seats with embroidered Z06 logo
- Z06 seats converted to sport seats
- Heated seats
- Door pulls
- Console lid cover with embroidered Z06 logo
- Steering wheel
- Parking brake handle and boot
- Shift knob and boot
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Appearance and Protection
This had to be more than just a great-performing car, it was built to
be shown off! Towards that end, the exterior received a full treatment
to match the unique and exciting performance.
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Pictures
Pictures of the car's highlights
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- After a full Zaino treatment, notice the deep gloss
large: 1600x1200 (626 kb) / medium: 800x600 (183 kb)
- Here's the engine bay, viewed from above
large: 1600x1200 (280 kb) / medium: 800x600 (98 kb)
- The interior, including LCD monitor and new head unit
large: 1280x960 (171 kb) / medium: 800x600 (68 kb)
- An exterior shot, featuring the new wheels
large: 1600x1200 (426 kb) / medium: 800x600 (138 kb)
- Closeup of the StonGard paint protection on the front of the car
large: 1600x1200 (361 kb) / medium: 800x600 (111 kb)
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Our Z06 keeps some high-profile company
- Back to back with a Ferrari
large: 1600x1200 (296 kb) / medium: 800x600 (93 kb)
- Hanging out with more Ferraris and another C5
large: 1600x1200 (317 kb) / medium: 800x600 (71 kb)
- Famous race driver Andy Pilgrim enjoys the comforts of our Z06. More information on Andy Pilgrim can be found here
large: 1600x1200 (244 kb) / medium: 800x600 (105 kb)
A few track pictures from March, 2003 @ VIR
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Videos
Below are links to real on-track videos taken using
our four camera system and Datacam2. Please note that the videos
displayed were filmed during our extensive testing with various camera
locations and do not depict the final camera locations that we settled
upon for the four cameras recently.
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Video 3 - February , 2003 - on the street - a test of our permanently mounted cameras (street):
Click here (Windows Media format; 8.5MB)
Video 4 - March, 2003 - VIR Full Course in Danville, VA (road course):
Click here (Windows Media format; 14MB)
Video 5 - April, 2003 - Fayetteville Motorsports Park in Fayetteville, NC (drag strip):
Click here (Windows Media format; 5MB)
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The full press release can be found here (pdf document, 80 kb).
Here are some performance numbers:
- Dyno results showing before (with Blackwing and Stinger) and after (with headers, cats, and X-pipe): 383RWHP/370RWTQ
- Dyno results showing before (Blackwing, headers, cats, X-pipe, Stinger) and after (back to stock exhaust, but added new camshaft): 404RWHP/380RWTQ
- Current best timeslip: 12.31 @ 116.0 MPH (click here for a timeslip)
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If you would like further information on this vehicle, please e-mail us at [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in our project vehicle. As you can tell, we've worked very hard on this car, and are very proud of how nicely it came out.
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The following brake components were used to drastically improve the
car's braking performance. These components not only help the car brake
harder and faster, but they also help prevent overheating, which means
the brakes continue to perform even after hard use.
Lowering
the car and improving traction provided the needed handling
characteristics to tackle the race track efficiently. By keeping a set
of tires for off-track use, driving comfort is also taken into
consideration.
