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The belt line is really high on these cars and you cannot exit with a helmet on and doors closed. Do me a favor and remove the rear seat and get yourself an exit plan through the trunk and practice it.
Do you really need an LT4? The SS w/1LE is extremely fun, lighter weight, sucks less fuel, simple plumbing (no blower/charged air cooler), reliable Powertrain and can be driven smoother.
If you want the big dog for the track, then just buy the ZL1/1LE as they hold their value much better. Find one with PDR since it actually works well.
I recently sold my ‘20 ZL1/1LE with M/T, it never did anything visually for me but they are great cars. I have kept my ‘11ZR1 (LS9) and ‘14 no AC Z/28 (LS7).
You can PM me any questions as I am in the GM/Ford circle, and vintage iron racing for 40 years and still have my Shelby mustang racer.
Many guys run the the ZL1 hard and they are reliable. And the owners are nice people not snobs. You will enjoy it.
Google: LT4 oil pump issue. No big deal
Last edited by Igooz; 02-18-2024 at 07:17 PM.
Reason: Typo
The belt line is really high on these cars and you cannot exit with a helmet on and doors closed. Do me a favor and remove the rear seat and get yourself an exit plan through the trunk and practice it.
Do you really need an LT4? The SS w/1LE is extremely fun, lighter weight, sucks less fuel, simple plumbing (no blower/charged air cooler), reliable Powertrain and can be driven smoother.
If you want the big dog for the track, then just buy the ZL1/1LE as they hold their value much better. Find one with PDR since it actually works well.
I recently sold my ‘20 ZL1/1LE with M/T, it never did anything visually for me but they are great cars. I have kept my ‘11ZR1 (LS9) and ‘14 no AC Z/28 (LS7).
You can PM me any questions as I am in the GM/Ford circle, and vintage iron racing for 40 years and still have my Shelby mustang racer.
Many guys run the the ZL1 hard and they are reliable. And the owners are nice people not snobs. You will enjoy it.
Google: LT4 oil pump issue. No big deal
That's a great post - and I really was wanting to say do the SS as well.
Cool side note - Just worked with a guy in Chicagoland who is going to race an SS 1LE in NASA American Iron. I am no expert on rules or classing or etc - but I'd bet that chassis will either take over or get detuned/ballasted out of competition. I'm not even good and I can tell.
I had both a regular ZL1, and a ZL1 1LE. The 1LE is way too rough for street usage, think headache delivered to your cranium via spool valve. They don't have cooling issues on track, but I had a bunch of suspension and electronic issues with both of mine. Oh, and they are big fat heavy lard asses that will absolutely murder brakes and tires. Goodyear 3Rs lasted barely longer than one day, front brake pads 2 days at COTA. Visibility also is terrible, I had my head out the window like a dog looking for the apex. Anyway, learn from me and don't do it.
What impressed me with the ZLE was that it was track capable out of the box. It was fast, made the right moves, cooling and even the stock brakes were up to the task. Brake pads don’t last long, but stock pads are relatively cheap. My rotors still looked like new after running Road Atlanta, VIR, and a few days at Roebling. I did replace the pads, but replaced with stock pads after seeing how good the rotors looked. As mentioned above the ride on the street could be brutal, and the Goodyear 3Rs were scary until good and warm, which rarely happened on the road. It got annoying having to refuel after every session, and I averaged 3.4 mpg at VIR. I did have issues with the rear alignment shifting when curb hopping on track. There are aftermarket fixes for that. Ultimately, I sold it because I couldn’t get past the size and weight, and got a GT4 which better suited my driving style and interests. It was on its third set of tires, with only 2500 miles on the clock, including 1500 gentle break-in miles. I was never really a muscle car guy, having cultivated my early driving experience in a ‘75 Rabbit.
In hindsight, I think the SS 1LE is the sweet spot in the lineup. I drove a friend’s car and was really impressed with how well it drove on the street, yet it is as fast as a GT4 on track at a fraction of the price. It felt much lighter on its feet than the ZLE. They are becoming really popular at the track, and have become the new E36 BMW as the affordable track car of choice.
Whelp. Deposit has been put down. Inspection/alignment tomorrow. Will update once the deal is closed to bring closure to this thread :-). Shopping tires/wheels/brake pads now. Hope an endurance option for each will help me get a couple weekends before replacement.....
Whelp. Deposit has been put down. Inspection/alignment tomorrow. Will update once the deal is closed to bring closure to this thread :-). Shopping tires/wheels/brake pads now. Hope an endurance option for each will help me get a couple weekends before replacement.....
Consumables are definitely a problem. I did about 10 full track days and went through two sets of tires and pads.
that’s actually not too bad. I had a Vioer ACR and the front tires lasted, wait for it, two RUNS. Yeah that’s right, you’d need 6 sets of fronts to get thru a 3 day event (plus the set on the car). Oh and 2 sets of rears. But it was the DE champion for sure.
Website's down! Can you shoot me an email with Hawk DTC-60 front and rear pads for a regular ZL1 (non-1LE)? Or a PM would work sir,
bavariane39 at gmail
Thanks for your support!
Drew
Nvm, sites up today and pads are ordered! Along with Apex wheels, AR1 tires, rotors, and fluids. Track day to chase down some PCA guys in 3 weeks at Barber. Wish me luck sorting her out :-)
After your shakedown events, you will probably want to look at some upgraded suspension links, especially for rear toe links. Eliminates having to use the factory TTY bolts that require replacement every time you make an adjustment, and don’t hold even when properly torqued. These are the ones I was planning to put on my ZLE before I sold it.
Nvm, sites up today and pads are ordered! Along with Apex wheels, AR1 tires, rotors, and fluids. Track day to chase down some PCA guys in 3 weeks at Barber. Wish me luck sorting her out :-)
I like your style.
The 6th Gen is certainly a testamant to what an unencumbered GM can do. You should have lots of fun.
Sorry, I'm late to this thread, I'm not on RL that much. I have a ton of seat time in 6th gen 1LE's. I sold my SS 1LE to buy my race car a couple years ago but thankfully I still have a ZL1 1LE in the family. The ZLE is just insane for a stock vehicle. I've been very happy running DTC 70's from KNS, they last much longer than you'd expect and aren't terrible around town... the ZLE's ride is much worse around town than the brake noise!.
Also, I have Apex ARC 8's in stock sizes and run Falken 660's in 305/315. The Falken's are a touch slower than the OEM Goodyear 3R's but wear MUCH better (even across the front axle) and are still insane fast (1:34's on Mid Ohio Club). The OE Goodyear 3R's are an insane tire, just unfortunately you'll always cord the inside edge.
FYI- I change the diff fluid with every engine oil change (car sees very little street use), the ZLE works the rear pretty hard. Don't be alarmed if its pretty nasty during the first change.
Sorry, I'm late to this thread, I'm not on RL that much. I have a ton of seat time in 6th gen 1LE's. I sold my SS 1LE to buy my race car a couple years ago but thankfully I still have a ZL1 1LE in the family. The ZLE is just insane for a stock vehicle. I've been very happy running DTC 70's from KNS, they last much longer than you'd expect and aren't terrible around town... the ZLE's ride is much worse around town than the brake noise!.
Also, I have Apex ARC 8's in stock sizes and run Falken 660's in 305/315. The Falken's are a touch slower than the OEM Goodyear 3R's but wear MUCH better (even across the front axle) and are still insane fast (1:34's on Mid Ohio Club). The OE Goodyear 3R's are an insane tire, just unfortunately you'll always cord the inside edge.
FYI- I change the diff fluid with every engine oil change (car sees very little street use), the ZLE works the rear pretty hard. Don't be alarmed if its pretty nasty during the first change.
Enjoy!
Thanks for weighing in! How many days are you able to get out of the 660s? Do you know your alignment setup? Any toe arms or suspension parts you have needed?
02-18-2024, 07:11 PM
