What do we have in store for 2009?

• Upgrade to WordPress 2.7 – Complete
• Upgrade to new hosting provider – Complete
• Upgrade of Event System -Complete
• Formating of the new Event System – Complete

We also plan to offer all VCC interested club members with the following benefits:

• Their own <your_name>@velocitycorvette.com email address
• Access to the Velocity Corvettte.com web site to post any stories they find of interest
• Access to the event system to post any events they find of interest.
• A full event calendar and a new meeting place.

Happy New Year!
Mike

The changes to the club reflect the reformation that occurred after the selling of the associated Corvette Service business in late March 2008.

The Velocity Corvette Club is a free club located on the Westside of Houston providing a convenient alternative to the residents of the Memorial, Katy, and Sugar Land areas.

If you are a late model Corvette owner and are looking for a group of young action oriented individuals we are the Corvette club for you.

• Scott Allen  - 2007 Victory Red Coupe
• Tim Boerema – 2002 Millenium Yellow Coupe

New Members:  May 2008

Choosing the right shop to service your car can be a difficult decision. Finding an honest and experienced technician that is also certified to work on your early or late model Corvette is even harder.

Most people just go to the dealership because the risk involved with choosing the wrong mechanic can lead to additional problems and even larger repair bills.

Although the dealership is usually the most expensive option, the most costly repair is the one that never gets fixed, and is paid for over and over again.  The Corvette owner will get the best results when the shop is chosen based on its specialty. Performance work and tuning work is best done by those who specialize in performance, just as you would not want a performance shop trying to provide basic maintenance, diagnosis, and drivability repair.

Questions to ask when find yourself evaluating who should be servicing your Corvette:
• Does the shop have the equipment required to diagnosis the problem?
• Are their technicians ASE certified and are their certifications kept current?
• Does the shop specialize in Corvettes?
• How long has the shop been open?
• Does the shop have good references?

There are many excellent Corvette service providers in Houston, please consider supporting one of these fine establishments:
• Richey Collision (Collision)
• EnglandGreen (Performance)
• Corvettes of Houston (Maintenance and Diagnosis)
• Mac Haik Chevrolet (Maintenance and Diagnosis)

With two trips to the drag strip complete, I can safely say I am satisfied with the results from the NITTO NT-555R drag radials. VCC-BLU now has the necessary traction both on the street and at the track for the current power level. However, as with most modifications that improve one area the result shows the weaknesses of another. It now seems that the extra traction is just too much for the current clutch to handle, and a replacement will be required to utilize all of the new found traction. 

I knew the clutch would need to be replaced after purchasing the car, I just didn’t think it would be so soon.  I have just fewer than ten passes in VCC-BLU and some patterns are starting to develop.  The most important pattern being that VCC-BLU runs its best ET on the first two runs. After the clutch is heated the result is a consistent decrease of 3-4 tenths of a second in ET.

If you buy a used Z06 please consider using our pre-purchase inspection service to make sure you know exactly what you are getting before you buy. It might just be a clutch going bad or something more serious.  Many components may be functioning but as in my experience dangerously close to breaking. For example, when I was at the tire shop to get the drag radials installed, I noticed the driver’s side axle bolt was at the end of the bolt. A loose locking nut is not something I thought to check during my initial inspection, as it is not normal for those nuts to back off. 

As you can see the devil is in the details, and checking for this specifically is now part of our used car inspection service. I still shutter when I think about what could have happened if I had not decided to replace the tires when I did. 

Track: Lone Star Motorsport Park
Suspension: Stock Z06
60 FT: 2.0209
330 FT: 5.5167
1/8 ET: 8.3551
1/8 MPH: 87.87
1/4 ET: 12.7657
1/4 MPH: 111.97

Track: Houston Raceway Park
Suspension: Pfadt Coil-overs and Sway bars
Settings: (FR=6, FL=6, RR=6, RL=6)
60 FT: 1.970
330 FT: 5.303
1/8 ET: 8.200
1/8 MPH: 86.27
1/4 ET: 12.688
1/4 MPH: 109.67

So we have a new best ET of 12.688 @ 109.67.  The clutch seems to be the major limiting factor, so it is the next modification and will be replaced with a stock Z06 replacement.  Stay tuned.

VCC-BLU will follow the following plan: 

Stage I: Traction 
- Drag Radials
- Breathless Performance Products:  6 SP Custom Shifter

Stage II: Suspension
- Pfadt Coil Overs and Sway Bars
- Lower Car

Stage III: Induction & Ignition
- Callaway Honker Cold Air Induction (CAI)
- Callaway UHC-8 Ignition Wire Set

Stage IV: Cylinder Heads
- GMPP LS6 CNC Ported Cylinder Heads PN#88958665

Stage V: Exhaust
- Dynatech Long Tube Headers
- High Flow Catalytic Converters
- X-Pipe

Stage VI: Cam
- GMPP “Showroom Stock” camshaft, PN 88958606

Even with limited traction, VCC-BLU was able to run a 1/4 mile time of 12.8 seconds. VCC-BLU felt strong at the track, but the car experienced wheel spin during the shifts from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd slowing the car down. Going faster will require more traction, and a good set of drag radials should solve the problem.

To prepare VCC-BLU for maximum 1/4 mile performance, a set of NITTO NT-555R drag radials were selected. There are a number of drag radials on the market, but we decided to give NITTO a chance since they focus on the affordable performance market. This being the BLU’s first set of drag radials, I just hope the tires provide the traction needed.

NITTO does not make the stock Corvette Z06 tire size, so we moved up in width to 305/35/R18 on the stock Z06 wheels. With the wider drag radials we should lower the ET, but how much we will have to wait till track day. If you have run your stock Z06 Corvette with drag radials, post your 1/4 mile times so we can see how VCC-BLU compares.

If you’re interested in joining us at the track please register for one of our VCC Racing Events.

I am now a proud owner of a stock Electron Blue 2002 Z06 Corvette with 31k miles. It was a very tough decision but I felt that going with the C5 Z06 over the new C6 Z06 would provide more beneficial information to VCC.

The car will go by the name “VCC-BLU“. The name was inspired by the character Joseph ‘Blue’ Palasky in the movie Old School, and like the character the car is not perfect by any means. Through its transformation, VCC-BLU will not only exhibit the work of the Velocity Corvette Club, but will be used as a tool to establish a practical baseline for our C5 Corvette customers.

I want to know what parts work best for each application, and what parts do not. Many will say this has already been done, but few have applied an empirical approach to modifying a car, or was willing to share the details.

Performance Baseline Numbers:

Mustang Dyno: Conley’s Performance Plus
Date: March 30, 2007
Time: 2:38PM

Engine Torque: Max 325, Avg 299
Engine Power (HP): Max 336, Avg 267
AFR (Ratio): Max 19.9, Avg 16.9

Track: Lonestar Motorsport Park
Date: April 21, 2007
Time: 4:15 PM
Tires: BFG 295/35ZR18, no tread.

Reaction: .4655
60 FT: 2.1201
330 FT: 5.6226
1/8 ET: 8.4540
1/8 MPH: 88.46
1/4 ET: 12.8480
1/4 MPH: 112.53

Goals:
The approach is simple.

• Use quality products and prove they work.
• Perform all the work in house using both our Corvette Specialists and members interested in getting their hands dirty.

VCC-BLU will be part drag, part road race, but will remain all street. I would like to see the car somewhere in the low 11′s or high 10′s, but no specific horsepower or torque numbers are desired. I feel too much emphasis is on peak numbers and Dyno sheets these days. If you can’t use the power your making then why pay for it? I only desire that all the power is firmly transferred to the ground, reliability is not compromised, and the car is fun to drive.

Your my boy BLU!

Many enthusiasts and professional tuners rave about HPTuner, and we are excited to add this software to the list of the benefits offered to our club members and customers. For those of you not familiar with the HPTuner Suite, this package combines the VCM Editor and the VCM Scanner software for a complete tuning solution.

VCM Editor

VCM Editors Flash utility allows the user to read the VCM/PCM flash memory and save it to a binary file. The Flash utility allows a valid calibration to be written to the VCM/PCM and also incorporates an automatic VCM/PCM recovery capabilities for ultimate protection against any reflashing problems that may be encountered.

VCM Scanner

It allows viewing, charting and logging of diagnostic data in real time via the vehicle OBDII diagnostic data port. It also allows viewing of vehicle Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC’s) and other vehicle information. Built in VCM controls also supported. Command fans, closed loop, gear select, timing, air fuel ratio and more in real time! No editor package can be considered complete without comprehensive scan tool capabilities.

Once the software arrives, we will begin a series of stories focused on Corvette tuning. Tuning will be done on the VCC 2002 Corvette Z06 now named “VCC-BLU”, and will follow our progression from beginner to professional Corvette tuners.

More Information: HPTuners.com