Track day - chasing down a Z06
#1
AudiWorld Senior Member
Thread Starter
Track day - chasing down a Z06
After a 30-year drought, our fine city finally has a road course to call our own (Castrol Raceway). I went to the last HPDE of the season today with my S6 and had a lot of fun, enjoying over 100 minutes of track time. As a sampler, here's a video of me chasing down a C6 Corvette Z06:
I was able to similarly pass a variety of Porsche 911s (including an 'S'), Mustang GTs and a much-modified Evo X. For a big, heavy sedan, the S6 really acquitted itself well. Here are some random observations:
I might think of something else later, but I'm beat. It was 30C and sunny today and I was out for pretty much the hottest part of the day.
I was able to similarly pass a variety of Porsche 911s (including an 'S'), Mustang GTs and a much-modified Evo X. For a big, heavy sedan, the S6 really acquitted itself well. Here are some random observations:
- The Comfort Seats are not really designed for this sort of work. Even with the bolsters fully adjusted, lateral support was so-so.
- The Pirellis are very vocal. In my video, you can hear them squealing almost non-stop. That being said, they do stick well and actually exhibited little wear at the end of it.
- The motor is a giant-killer. Very few cars could outpull me on the straightaways. I kept even with both Z06s out there, gained on several 911s and even a BMW 1M.
- The brakes were wonderful - no fade whatsoever and good modulation. I just wish the pedal was firmer.
- I ran the car with ESP off, mostly because the collision alarm went off every time I followed a car down a straigtaway. Other than that, it didn't appear to interfere with the fun in any meaningful way.
- The S6 is very stable under trail-braking. I could brake deep into a corner without upsetting the chassis.
- As you would expect, the hot tip is to add throttle early, well before the apex. Let the AWD and Sport Diff do the work here.
- Shifting manually didn't work for me, as the box didn't really respond as quickly as I would like. After experimenting, I pretty much left it to shift itself, which it did well (except for not being in the right gear for a few corners).
- After about 15 minutes of hot-lapping, power drops noticeably. I'm not sure whether it's the engine or the transmissions that goes into a safe mode, but when it happens the fun's over.
- The car is thirsty. I blew through two full tanks of gas, getting between 5 and 6 mpg
- I think I was able to blow away a lot of preconceptions about how a big heavy sedan can hustle around a relatively tight track
I might think of something else later, but I'm beat. It was 30C and sunny today and I was out for pretty much the hottest part of the day.
#3
After a 30-year drought, our fine city finally has a road course to call our own (Castrol Raceway). I went to the last HPDE of the season today with my S6 and had a lot of fun, enjoying over 100 minutes of track time. As a sampler, here's a video of me chasing down a C6 Corvette Z06:
Chasing down a Z06
I was able to similarly pass a variety of Porsche 911s (including an 'S'), Mustang GTs and a much-modified Evo X. For a big, heavy sedan, the S6 really acquitted itself well. Here are some random observations:
I might think of something else later, but I'm beat. It was 30C and sunny today and I was out for pretty much the hottest part of the day.
Chasing down a Z06
I was able to similarly pass a variety of Porsche 911s (including an 'S'), Mustang GTs and a much-modified Evo X. For a big, heavy sedan, the S6 really acquitted itself well. Here are some random observations:
- The Comfort Seats are not really designed for this sort of work. Even with the bolsters fully adjusted, lateral support was so-so.
- The Pirellis are very vocal. In my video, you can hear them squealing almost non-stop. That being said, they do stick well and actually exhibited little wear at the end of it.
- The motor is a giant-killer. Very few cars could outpull me on the straightaways. I kept even with both Z06s out there, gained on several 911s and even a BMW 1M.
- The brakes were wonderful - no fade whatsoever and good modulation. I just wish the pedal was firmer.
- I ran the car with ESP off, mostly because the collision alarm went off every time I followed a car down a straigtaway. Other than that, it didn't appear to interfere with the fun in any meaningful way.
- The S6 is very stable under trail-braking. I could brake deep into a corner without upsetting the chassis.
- As you would expect, the hot tip is to add throttle early, well before the apex. Let the AWD and Sport Diff do the work here.
- Shifting manually didn't work for me, as the box didn't really respond as quickly as I would like. After experimenting, I pretty much left it to shift itself, which it did well (except for not being in the right gear for a few corners).
- After about 15 minutes of hot-lapping, power drops noticeably. I'm not sure whether it's the engine or the transmissions that goes into a safe mode, but when it happens the fun's over.
- The car is thirsty. I blew through two full tanks of gas, getting between 5 and 6 mpg
- I think I was able to blow away a lot of preconceptions about how a big heavy sedan can hustle around a relatively tight track
I might think of something else later, but I'm beat. It was 30C and sunny today and I was out for pretty much the hottest part of the day.
Tell me, how was the car in corners? The tire noise is indicative of understeer -- was it manageable? Did you get the tail to ever swing out, even slightly?
#6
AudiWorld Senior Member
Thread Starter
In my video, you can see that I didn't lose much, if anything, on the straights (and this is against an approx. 3,100 lb sports car with 505 hp) and gained a lot of ground at corner entry (under braking) and some at corner exit (using my superior traction). Mind you, I'm not naive enough to suppose that I couldn't go faster than an S6 if I was given the reins of a Z06. Driver experience definitely played a part in this little episode.
I never got the tail to wag, but I was often able to achieve some semblance of a four-wheel drift at the corners seen at 0:38, 0:51 and 1:07 in the video.
Last edited by DeerHunter; 09-14-2013 at 02:52 PM.
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#8
I'm really glad to see someone using this car to it's full potential. I keep seeing people on forums with comments like "why would you want to take a 4000lb+ car on a track?", often as if everyone should have a dedicated track car. The truth is, there are a number of reasons from my POV:
- Learning the limits of the car - the track is the safest place to find the limits
- Even as big as it is, it's still a very capable sport sedan
- Why wouldn't you want to tap into and enjoy all that horsepower that you paid for?
- Modern technology doesn't always make 4300lbs feel like 4300 lbs
- It's just damn fun
I attended the AMG Academy this past weekend and we drove the SLS, C63, SL63, CLS63, and even the new 4 Matic E63 around the track. The E was a hell of a lot fun, especially with its combinatin of power and grip out of the corners. I imagine the S6 would be very similar.
- Learning the limits of the car - the track is the safest place to find the limits
- Even as big as it is, it's still a very capable sport sedan
- Why wouldn't you want to tap into and enjoy all that horsepower that you paid for?
- Modern technology doesn't always make 4300lbs feel like 4300 lbs
- It's just damn fun
I attended the AMG Academy this past weekend and we drove the SLS, C63, SL63, CLS63, and even the new 4 Matic E63 around the track. The E was a hell of a lot fun, especially with its combinatin of power and grip out of the corners. I imagine the S6 would be very similar.
#9
AudiWorld Member
I'm glad your city has a track, but if I were on it in my $80,000 car, I'd wish it were a track that had more run-off areas like Buttonwillow, Thunder Hill, or Portland instead of so many concrete barriers.
I may follow the comment of one of our group who said months ago something like "the S6 is an elegant car and I intend to drive it that way".
I may follow the comment of one of our group who said months ago something like "the S6 is an elegant car and I intend to drive it that way".
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