2013 plans for my ZR-1

[KGV]

This spring I took my ZR-1 out of winter storage and had to take it for its biannual TUV inspection. I normally put four to five thousand kilometres per year on the car, but the previous year I had to use it every day for several months while we searched for a replacement for our daily driver. I logged almost ten thousand km. The inspection found a few minor issues, and one major issue that needed to be addressed.

The issues were:

• rear brakes were within the pass grade, but were at the low end
• small oil leak
• rear tires needed to be replaced

I suspected the tires were going to need replacing at some point, but I thought I could get another season from them. I had been visually checking the tread, but I had not looked at the inside portion of the tire. It was in bad shape.

The rear tires were not available from Goodyear last spring, so I decided to keep it off the road for one season. The Goodyear tires are now available in the USA, but are not sold here in Europe. I was going to buy them via the Tire Rack, but I am now considering buying the tires from Vredestein. They are available in Germany. I can get them for around 1,200 Euros including shipping and tax. I believe the Goodyears would be close to 2,000 once I include shipping and duty.

I have read in various threads on this site that the oil leak may be caused by lose oil pan bolts, so I will try to check this myself. I read that you need to remove a cover as well as a cross brace to get to the bolts at the back of the motor. In regards to brakes, I wanted to upgrade the pads to something better than stock. I am planning a road trip this summer, and it will require some mountain driving. I drove the ZR-1 through Switzerland in 2004, and the main highway on the other side of the San Bernardino tunnel was closed, and we had to use the old road. It is quite steep, and the brakes had quite a bit of fade by the time we were at the bottom of the mountain. I was hoping to get something that could offer less fade. I see that a few people have had good results with Hawk pads, so I may give these try.

My plan for the spring will be:

• new high performance pads, front and rear
• four new tires
• change the brake fluid
• change the clutch fluid
• attempt to tighten the oil pan bolts
• wheel refurbishment

Once all this is done, my wife and I are planning a road trip to Monaco via the Route Napoléon. I have read that this is a scenic drive, and we have not driven south that way, so it should be interesting. On the return to Munich, we are going to drive via the Stelvio Pass. This looks interesting, and I decided to drive it from the Italian side. I figure it would be easier on the brakes driving up all those switchbacks instead of down I believe the descent on the north side is more gradual. The trip planner shows just under 2,000km. It should be fun and I will post some pictures if we go on the trip.

A few questions in regards to my planned maintenance:

• Are the Vredestein 315s made in the EU?
• I would guess that the rear tire wear on the inside of both rear tires indicates an alignment issue. Would this indicate that the toe is way out on the rear? I plan on having a four wheel alignment done.
• Are the Hawk pads better than stock pads?

Thanks,

Ken