Hi all.....

Have had my Z for a month now and am loving the "getting to know you" phase!

I was at a stoplight next to a late-model Z28 who made it obvious that he wanted a race when the green hit. I knew I had to be ginger on the gas at first in order to keep the wheels from breaking loose too much, but even in second gear with the clutch totally out, the wheels lost traction big time and I had to let off the gas for a second to keep the back end from getting sideways and crashing into him.

I mean I know I would have beat him by a good margin if I could have kept traction, but........I guess that's my question: is it a matter of the tires or is the wheel-spin just something I have to learn to get used to with the clutch and gas?

Another thing......I have the stock tires on it and they have good tread still, but when they cut loose at a stoplight, there is no typical burnout noise (loud squeal) at all. Just quiet spinning. I used to own a Mustang GT and it would wake the neighbors with a loudass burnout.

Thanks for reading all this...........

 

First off, what kind of temperatures are you running into? The stock SUMMER performance tires' traction gets increasingly bad when it gets below 60 degrees.

They are like glue on a 90 degree day but I had a few 30 degree mornings before I switched to my winter setup - wheel spin like you would not believe with just light tip in of the gas. I could be going down the road at 40mph in 2nd gear, the second I go WOT, I just slide sideways... yuck.

The other answer for more traction is grippier tires and wider contact patch (ie: 275mm width rears instead of 245mm rears)

 

Well, I did consider that outside temp might be involved with the wheelspin, but didn't think it could affect it THAT much. Maybe so, though. It's been average of about 38 degrees for daytime highs lately, so I have never even had a warm day to compare it to.

I know what you mean about the scary second gear scenario: Drop it into second and give her the gas and that back end gets squirrely real fast. Thanks for responding.

 

wider stickier tires
suspension
LSD

those are the things you need for more traction in total

but yeah the proper tire choice for the conditions is your biggest factor

 

If you have TCS, turn it off when you're about race.......that will give you true posi.......with it on , only one wheel will spin.

 

Thanks guys.

What is LSD?

I'll probably be ready for new tires come summer.....what do y'all recommend? What 's the best bang for the buck in the tire department? I saw that discounttiresdirect.com had Nitto's for dirt cheap. Are they crap tires? Thanks again.....

 

first off why in the world would you want to race in 30 degree weather? and with stock tires at 50 degrees these tires break loose. think about it this way. in the summer they are soft, as it gets colder Like plastic or rubber, it makes the compound harder. which in turn makes a rubbery like surface turn into a hard plastic like surface and though you can still move you will have a lot of wheel spin and won't be able to take turns as hard.

but even in the summer the stock wheels kinda suck. so yah wider rear wheels and rubber to handle them is the best bet. but only good for summer.

 

Hahaha....why race in 30-degree weather?

Because I'm excited as hell about owning a Z!! LOL The temperature was the last thing on my mind when that Camaro revved it up next to me. Thanks for the good ideas......

 

Limited Slip Differential. It's standard on all but the base model I believe.

I have Nittos and they're OK. No real complaints and overall I do like them. I have these:

Front
Back

 

Thanks, Maxim.......couldn't see the pics of the tires, but appreciate the comment. As fast as I'll probably go through rear tires, I can't see spending $250 a pop. And the fronts? With the friggin feathering on my '03, they won't last anyway.

 

when I said LSD, I meant get a better one than the stock factory one - it isn't super great, but aftermarket ones will make clunking noises - so that's the livability price you pay

lot of people use the Toyo T1S tires - not that expensive and fairly decent for the money.

The sidewalls aren't stiff enough for some though. Meaning they're more comfortable to drive on than the stock bridgestones, but at the track or for racing, they aren't as predictable or precise as tires with stiffer sidewalls

 

Thanks, I'll check out the Toyo's too. Is discounttiresdirect.com a good place to buy from? I see they've got free shipping, which counts for a lot. How much does it cost to get four tires mounted, balanced, and installed at the average tire place?

 

Get some wide rims and rubber like mine Helps a lot in traction

 

Who told you that??? The TCS will pull throttle when it detects wheelspin. It has nothing to do with the rear differential.

 

TCS and VDC only come into play once you have lost traction or right on the threshold of losing it. They don't give you traction, they slow you down or try to keep you from spinning

 

I think you are thinking of the Mechanical LSD. TCS doesn't control the rear differential. TCS controls throttle input, transmission gearing on the 5AT and brakes. TCS does control a Brake LSD that will apply brake pressure to the tire if it breaks loose. The Brake LSD works also works with the Mechanical LSD and can't be turned off by the VDC/TCS switch, it is always on.

TCS won't increase the maximum traction of your car but it will keep you from losing traction. The downside is that when it kicks in the process might not be the best option for performance driving.

 

the TCS is designed to help the wheels from spinning by controlling the engine torque.......Hence "Traction Control System".......The VDC controls the braking system and the engine's output.........When the VDC engages, you can punch the Gas , and nothing.....When the TCS is disengaged, you punch the gas and you will understand G-force just a tad better.....

 

You can turn them on and off........You decide whether or not they will come into play......By the way, what do you think TRACTION is? Spinning is the opposite of traction.....Physics 101

 

TCS won't increase the maximum traction of your car but it will keep you from losing traction. The downside is that when it kicks in the process might not be the best option for performance driving. [/B][/QUOTE]


This statement above is right , and I was wrong about keeping one from spinning.........But the VDC is the partner with the LSD, not the TCS and LSD........

This is gonna be a long night......:-(

 

TCS is part of the VDC system. You can have TCS without VDC but you can't have VDC without TCS. Sort of weird. VDC is a stage build up from TCS. Stage 1 is ABS. Stage 2 is ABS+TCS. Stage 3 is ABS+TCS+VDC. Each successive stage has to include the previous stage.