Winter Project Plans: 7 Ways to Prep Your Corvette for the Upcoming Track Season

To help kick the winter blues these are a few projects you can work on while you wait for the 2021 track season to begin.

Winter stinks. For those that live in warm climates, count your blessings. As I write this the wind chill is 7 degrees outside my window. A major snowstorm is expected in the next couple days. The sports cars are tucked away as the long wait until spring continues. The good news is winter is about halfway over. If you are planning on taking your Corvette out to the track this season now is the perfect time to get it ready. If you can’t drive your Corvette, working on it is the next best thing. Winter projects are great ways to pass the cold, dark days.

There are countless projects that you can spend the winter working on. I am going to focus on what folks can do to prepare for putting your car on the racetrack. A Corvette is a great track car out of the box. Yes, the C8 is fantastic on tracks, but there are plenty of examples from the previous generations that can tear up a racetrack. Obviously, specific procedures and options will change from car to car. However, the basic concepts are the same for all. If have never been to the track before, it is best to be sure your car is just in good working order. Learn the car as it sits first, then upgrade later. Once you do start upgrading, it is wise to begin with safety items first. Adding power and other performance upgrades can wait.

Brakes

This is a good place to start or stop as the case may be. Stock brakes on a modern Corvette are fine for the track especially if you are just starting out. The first step here is to make sure everything is in working order. You are going to want to go with fresh brake fluid. I have run Castrol SRF for years and never had an issue. It is pricier than some other options, but this is not where you want to go cheap. The Corvette is fast and heavy and will punish your brakes on the track. Check the pads and rotors as well. Stock pads are fine when starting out, but you may want something with more bite and endurance as you progress. Performance Friction has some excellent compounds. No matter what you choose be sure you have at least half the pad depth left.

Inspect the brake lines as well and if you want upgrading to stainless is not a bad idea. They will protect a bit better from flying track debris. They will also help resist expansion of the brake lines. You can also look to upgrade your rotors. Girodisc is a popular rotor choice. The important thing here is spend time on the brakes. We all tend to get focused on speed and power. However, while the temps outside are cool, make sure your brakes are going to be up to the task come spring.