Here Is What The 2014 Corvette Stingray Track Preparation Guide Entails

Many buyers of the 2014 Corvette Stingray will only drive it on the road, but there are a select group of people who may want to take the car to track day events and race it around a road course. Chevrolet knows this, so they’ve provided a step-by-step guide to preparing your Z51-equipped Corvette for race track duties.

Corvette Blogger spoke to Corvette Product Manager, Harlan Charles, in regards to the Corvette Stingray Track Preparation Guide. He told them following the guidelines provided by Chevrolet will not only ensure your Corvette performs its best, but will prevent you from voiding the car’s factory warranty.

“We want people to enjoy driving their car and if you’re making a car with this level of performance, to be honest, the best way to enjoy it is on the track.” said Charles. “We made the guide so if you keep the car in un-modified condition and then make our recommendations to that, then you’re in good shape”.

Although previous generation Corvettes had recommendations for track driving in the owner’s manual, this is the first time Chevrolet has provided a separate guide specifically for owners who want to take their Corvette out on the racetrack. The guide is only intended for Z51 performance package equipped Corvettes, and does not apply to base models.

The guide is broken down into 5 different sections, with an additional list of recommendations for tending to the car after a track session. The five parts are:

1. Attain the Right Mileage (Break-in Period)

2. Season the Brakes

3. Adjust the Four Corners

4. Check the Fluid Levels

4. Turn Up the Precision

The Corvette Stingray has a suggested 500-mile break in period before you begin spirited driving sessions. However before taking it on the racetrack, Chevrolet suggests you accumulate at least 1,500 miles in the car.

Chevrolet recommends you “burnish” the breaks before using them on the racetrack. This entails performing 25 stops from 60 mph to 30 mph at 0.4 g and 25 stops from 60 mph to 15 mph at 0.8 g. You must then drive 60 mph for 10 miles to cool the brakes off, and brake 25 times from 60 mph to 30 mph at 0.4 g once more. Chevrolet also recommends installing the brake cooling rings that come in a bag with the car, which help cool the brakes and reduce brake fade on the track.

The third step is checking to see if the tires are inflated correctly. Chevrolet recommends all tires be inflated to 26 psi if you are driving on the track with no cargo and one driver. The guide also provides recommendations for adjusting camber, caster and toe-in, though adjusting these settings will not be necessary for the majority of drivers.

You shouldn’t need to be told to check your car’s fluids, but just in case, Chevrolet made it step four. On the track, it is recommended to use Mobil 1TM 15W50 and DOT 4 brake fluid. Of course, you should check fluid levels before and after track sessions. Chevrolet also recommends checking the rear axle fluid for every 24 hours of track driving.

The final step is the most obvious. As you know, the Corvette Stingray has a drive mode selector on the center console, which will be used to select Track mode prior to going out on the racetrack. The car’s Performance Traction Management system will now be on, which incorporates the traction control, Stabilitrack and Selective Ride Control systems. PTM has five different levels, 1 being the easiest to control and 5 being the most challenging.

After pounding the car around the track, Chevrolet says owners should remove the brake cooling discs, return tire pressure, suspension and wheel alignment to factory settings and reattach the front license plate if one is required in your state. They then suggest to drain and replace the oil and brake fluid, as well as the rear axle fluid. The drive mode selector should be taken out of Track mode for street driving as well.

Corvette Blogger went ahead and uploaded the document itself to their website, check it out for yourself right here.