I am glad you are OK! On my C4, a power steering hose blew and I had a fire. Thankfully, I have a halon fire extinguisher on board (no clean up like dry chemical).

One to change the light bulb and to post that the light bulb has been
changed.

14 to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light
bulb could have been changed differently.

Seven to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs.

27 to point out spelling/grammar errors in posts about changing light bulbs.

53 to flame the spell checkers.

41 to correct spelling/grammar flames.

Six to argue over whether it's "lightbulb" or "light bulb"...another six to
condemn those six as anal-retentive.

Two industry professionals to inform the group that the proper term is "lamp".

15 know-it-alls who claim they were in the industry, and that "light bulb"
is perfectly correct.

156 to e-mail the participant's ISPs complaining that they are in violation
of their "acceptable use policy".

109 to post that this group is not about light bulbs and to please take this
discussion to a light bulb group

203 to demand that cross posting to hardware forum, off-topic forum, and
light bulb group about changing light bulbs should be stopped.

111 to defend the posting to this group saying that we all use light bulbs
and therefore the posts are relevant to this group.

306 to debate which method of changing light bulbs is superior, where to buy
the best light bulbs, what brand of light bulbs work best for this
technique, and what brands are faulty.

27 to post URL's where one can see examples of different light bulbs.

14 to post that the URL's were posted incorrectly and then post the
corrected URL's.

Three to post about links they found from the URL's that are relevant to this
group which makes light bulbs relevant to this group.

33 to link all posts to date, quote them in their entirety including all
headers and signatures, and add "Me too".

12 to post to the group that they will no longer post because they cannot
handle the light bulb controversy.

19 to quote the "Me toos" to say "Me three".

Four to suggest that posters request the light bulb FAQ.

44 to ask what is a "FAQ".

Four to say, "Didn't we go through this already a short time ago?"

143 to say, "Do a Google search on light bulbs before posting questions about
light bulbs."

One forum lurker to respond to the original post six months from now and start
it all over again...

Quote:

Certainly not me! What is the point of having a car like this if you don't play with it? I hate the crashes, I want to watch racing, not clean up crews.

New England Patriots Cheerleaders:
Alyssa (who is a Mechanical engineer as well)

[IMG]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/gshoffman/ImgDyncfm.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/gshoffman/alyssa-2.jpg[/IMG]

Quinn Kingston
[IMG]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/gshoffman/q2.jpg[/IMG]
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True, but I am speaking about replacing the 3 padlets with one big pad. Several companies are now selling this, it theis is when you need the stagger bores, not with the padlets.

How do I love thee? let me count the ways:
Thin, expensive padlets that taper in 2 axes, and are gone in one track day.

Very heavy, but flexy caliper

Steel pins that seize into their raw aluminum bores. Apparently, no one at PBR knew/cared that plated steel on raw aluminum makes a great battery with salt water.

Powder coating that flakes off

Single pads are available, but very expensive ($700 per car set), and without a stagger bore caliper, taper.

Left side only, very heavy, holey OE rotors with holes that propagate cracks.

I can continue...

The C6Z calipers are terrible for about a half dozen reasons. Honestly, if my truck was not a lease, I would change out the slide rail calipers. I might see if I can get the Brembo in my truck.

Slide rail calipers suck, period. Are they good enough for a street car, sure, but it is very easy to get spoiled once you drive something like the Willwood kit. The SL6 is available in so many piston sizes, it is easy for them to balance a system. In addition, you can go wil slightly more piston area, because the slide rail calipers flex so much, the net volume is the same.

I say new in quotes because I bought this AIM MXL Pro 05 3 years ago for the GT1 car, but now it is working in my '06 ZO6. It interrogates the OBD port and provides the following data:

SPEED
Accelerometer
Pedal position sensor
Throttle position sensor
Engine temperature
Air Temperature
Fuel Level
Used fuel
Oil pressure
Front Left wheel speed
Front Rear wheel speed
Rear left wheel speed
Rear right wheel speed
Steering angle
Yaw rate
[IMG]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/gshoffman/P8130011.jpg[/IMG]

Already I got some interesting data. I did a straight line run with it and even with wheelspin, the throttle and pedal positions were line to line. Also, the intake air temp was about 150F idling while I was programming it and when when I started driving it went down to 86F in about a minute. It was also neat to see that I shifted at 7086 RPM! With the steering angle sensor and yaw rate sensor, I will be able to quantify "turn in", and with the 4 wheel speed sensors correct brake bias will not be a matter of opinion or feel. It will be interesting as I get some time on it and I look forward to using it as a development tool.

For sure, I really think Penskes are the best. We are going to dyno his F55 electric shocks just for grins. The new AP Radi-cal DTM calipers on my car were just stellar. I felt like Zeus, my wife came and said that the technical superiority of my car is unfair to the other cars. Yea, like the 2 Lambo's, RSR and GT3 Cup Porsches and other C5, C6, and C6Z's are so cheap and slow Honey.

Bert Schmitz took this Thursday at NHMS. The track is very rough in the transitions on and off the NASCAR oval and has alot of elevation change. I had alot of fun that day as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCUFjrQIIKQ

I sell both a mount that mounts to the front of the seat and the Amerex Halon (or Halotron) fire extinguisher that mounts to it with an all steel quick release. The mount is $75 and the Halon is about $175. On my C4, I had a P/S hose blow at Loudon and because I had the Halon (which is a colorless, oderless, zero residue gas) I put the fire out and limited the damage to the hose and 4 plug wires. I now carry one in My C6Z and truck as well.

Besides the fact that god obviously did not want to recall this gentleman yet, I think the real point is not just the single versus dual issue since in reality the Corvette is a dual, just inline. The point is he had not rebuilt the one he had and it failed from neglect. There was a moron on CF that was plugging Brembo to the point that he said Brembo's are so good they never need rebuilds! BTW, now you guys know why I have the big AP calipers. I routinely go at least 20-30 MPH faster than this gentleman was going, lap after lap (ask Brian). It basically is a street legal GT-1 car, lap time wise. Guess what? I will periodically rebuild the AP's too. I flush the brake and clutch fluids about 4x per year.

It must be like rebuilding P-47's, P-51's, and Me-109's!

McLaren Mark 8, nice! I would imagine that any obsolete parts are expensive.

Quote:

Really? I thought you could just go to your local Toyota dealer to get parts for the ex AAR #98 Toyota GTP car. Same price as Corolla parts right?

Sorry to hear that. What do you think made it fail? I could see if you zing'ed it, but at only 6700 RPM?

It looks like modern art! Sorry to hear that, what motor is that again?

So Bill, which car is yours?

That was John Buttermore at the June Sprints. He blew his engine.

Just as an FYI, Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart used the bigger version of this caliper at the NASCAR race at Infineon yesterday. They finished first and second. I was just informed that Marcos Ambrose and Jimmy Johnson used them as well so that they were on the first through fourth finishers.

No, I heard (not confirmed) that he had a stroke, before the crash.

It will really suck to have the Country's newest RR track 40 minutes from here.

Quote:

Here is my take on it, and sorry if I am too frank here.
I have owned a C3, C4, 2 C5's and now a C6ZO6. When I bought the 97, I had my modded 89 as well for a month or so. I had indended to perhaps sell the C5 to make a couple of bucks, but in going back to back, the C4 was just not there. The frame flex on a C4 is so horrible I hated to even drive it with the top off it shook so much. As far as motor goes, I was very dissapointed in the 97, for sure the L98 had more down low, but with a 4500 rev limit, I hated the L98. The C4 suspension, especially in the rear, is horrible, nothing positive can be said for it. I sold the 97 and really liked the 2000 FRC which was quicker and lean but I totalled it at Loudon in turn 3. Now with the C6Z, I do quicker lap times than any C4 I have ever seen, including a C4 GT-1 car I know, and get 29 MPG on the highway. No question, the C6Z is a sports car by anyone's standards, don't kid yourself.

Well, a couple of things, or more! Yes, I agree technically that a leaf should be can be as good, but with a C4 you have:
1) No front height adjuster on the OE leaf and it is a high friction setup anyway.
2) The newest one is 13 years old so if OE, it is time for shocks and springs anyway.
3) Tires have changed alot, so new spring and damper rates are probably in order.

S0, for $1699, you get a big upgrade that will dramatically update a 20 year old car. That price includes the proper clevis mounts and the new CNC lower rear mount that nobody else has (available separately). Those cantilevered pins can and do bend even without coilovers. I think it is a pretty damn good deal for the money.

The big block made more power than the Lotus, and the new LS series all smoke the LT-5. Seems like they know very well how to make a motor. At a dyno day a couple of years ago, a stone stock LS7 made about 120 RWHP more than a chipped LT-5. Even back then, the LS6 454 crate motor made about 90 more HP than the LT5 and did not weigh any more. I just think Dave McClellan had a 4 cam and bad hair fetish.

That is what they should of offered in leiu of the LT-5. An aluminum Rat weighs less and the power is essentially unlimited. I like my 427!!

Here are a couple of pad pics:
Left to right, AP, PFC zR33, Wilwood SL6R (both are used, so they have had a couple of mm's less than new)
[IMG]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/gshoffman/Brakes/DSC_0136.jpg[/IMG]
Same order, top to bottom
[IMG]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/gshoffman/Brakes/DSC_0138.jpg[/IMG]

Yes!

A "double" means that the compression and rebound are independently adjustable. Yes, you get rid of the leaf springs and your ride height and street ride is whatever you wish it to be, and the tool to do that is included!

These yes, when you factor in the price point. I would not pretend to tell you that they are as good as my 8700 Penske 3 way's. But they are pretty good, better than most other adjustables on the market. They are mechanically mounted as good as the high end Penskes, they have my clevis mounts, my new lower rear mount, and have Acme threads on the aluminum bodies. I insisted that each and every one be dyno tested, UPSIDE down! Why upside down? These are a twin tube bypass shock and I found that they were not bleeding all the air out when we dyno'ed some samples. If they are not bled as well as a brake, they will cavitate, and really suck upside down (literally). This way, with the knob set in the middle of the range, it is obvious on the dyno if they are good or not. They come with first class Hyperco springs and you can get whatever rate you wish. For a daily driver that does track day duty, this is an excellent setup for $1699 complete with all the mounts.

No, it is a full car set, 4.

Vansteel is now selling a new kit for C4's, and soon, a similar version for C5's and C6's. We (Hardbar) designed the upper clevis, and the lower rear C4 mount and did dyno development on the shocks. Best bang for the buck you can get either in a single or double adjustable. They are 100% each dyno tested, and are 100% made in USA and cost less than the competition.
http://www.vansteel.com/index.cfm?fus ... ProductList&SubGroup=1906
[IMG]http://www.vansteel.com/_custom/partimages/CO-C4-DA-2-400%20copy1.jpg[/IMG]

My wife bought us this small Canon for Christmas and I used it at Loudon a couple of weeks ago. It was perfect, and the SD RAM chip is so much better than tapes or hard drives, no skipping, and much easier downloads. It uses about 2 Gb per hour.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.j ... =product&id=1218065984526

This is much reduced resolution version, and I am taking it very easy on Erica Newhall whothere was filming a TV show called "Discover New Hampshire".

http://s67.photobucket.com/albums/h28 ... iew¤t=SCDAshort.flv

Exactly, very easy to do with a Dremel tool on stock C4 brakes. On my C4, I added 2-3 thin (.003 inch) SS shims between the pads and the pistons. It helped to keep the fluid cooler.

Q=KAdT where:

Q= conductive heat flow
K= thermal conductivity of the material
A= cross sectional area
dT= difference in temperature hot to cold

So, if you reduce the area and use a low "K" material you reduce brake fluid temperature.

Loks like a really nice setup!

Nah, I was really taking it easy in that because I had Erica Newhall in the car.

Actually, that would help as long as it was in the part of the piston that is external to the caliper seals

All day long...
500 HP...
Lots of grip...

Quote:
Minimize the contact area, minimize the heat transfer path.

Most of the guys I have spoken to seem to think this is normal for Hoosiers! I put the stripes on the inside because I did not think this would be so relevant, but for sure, they will be on the outside from here on.

The point is, carbon is an excellent thermal conductor, and even in a carbon-carbon matrix, the material properties do not offer any advantage. A ceramic perhaps, if you can get the seals to work, would be worth some thought, but Ti is so good in this application and really, so is SS.

No, they are black anodized.

This is amazing to me, check out my R6's in these pics or more specifically, the red stripes on the tire and wheel. They were mounted without soapy water by a shop that does alot of circle track tires. They were brand new and you can see that the RF tire rotated in the braking direction (asuming that it did not rotate fully multiple times. This may or may not be a valid assumption???). I marked them with a paint stick to see if the rotate and they certainly did! This is after 6 sessions at NHMS with me and Roy Benedetti driving.
RF tire and wheel:
[IMG]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/gshoffman/Brakes/DSC_0129.jpg[/IMG]

Now here is the LR and it has rotated in the torque direction (again, same assumption):
[IMG]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/gshoffman/Brakes/DSC_0130.jpg[/IMG]

Comments, questions, or sarcastic remarks?

I think the only concessions they made to cost on this was to invest in a forging tool and use stainless steel instead of titanium for the pistons. The internal crossover is mainly a reliability and durability feature.
Here is a detail pic of the "castleated" thin wall stainless steel pistons, and the SS pad abutments. The pistons are cut this way to reduce heat transfer into the fluid.
[IMG]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h287/gshoffman/Brakes/DSC_0132.jpg[/IMG]

They also make brakes for Tony Stewart, he won the Glen with a bigger version of this. The price is TBD, but less than that. Since I am waiting on the pads, I keep inspecting it and noticing clever things. Most 4 or 6 piston calipers have a balance tube on the bottom and 2 bleeder screws. This caliper does not have the tube, it is all internal and has only one bleeder screw.

here is a comparison of the pads.
L to R, Brembo, AP 7778 for this caliper, Stoptech ST-60

It takes air and routes it over the top of the caliper in a sealed duct, 1/2 of which is the caliper itself, helping cool the center of the caliper. Then it blows down between the outer pistons, cooling them and then exiting on to the outer rotor face. The outer face of the rotor gets very little air as compared to the inner face and center. This helps that issue. Structurally, it is brilliant since the air bridge is not only cooling, it is a very wide stiffener as well. Caliper stiffness is not just about spreading due to the piston force. There is a lot of dynamic deflection in a caliper where the outer side of the caliper is trying to go with the rotor rotation causing a shearing action. The Radi-cal has the wide air bridge half plus the diagonal stiffeners and outer ring that makes this the stiffest caliper possible. This is much more than a trick caliper, it is a system solution that optimizes the entire braking system.