“They don’t require a ton of warm-up, and they also don’t seem to require a lot of pedal pressure,” ZentRose says of his brake pads as he moves out to begin his session at Auto Club Speedway. His only modifications to this Corvette Z06 — a car which he purchased with 175,000 miles — are Federal 595RS SS tires and PFC 11 Sprint pads. And boy, do they seem to make track work easy.

ZentRose’s soft, Californian tones don’t suggest he’ll soon be brushing 145 miles an hour along Auto Club Speedway’s banking. His calm voice suggests he should be taking a leisurely cruise along the Pacific Coast Highway, not flirting with the edge of adhesion. But, this cost-effective setup seems to have a tranquilizing effect on him. Perhaps he’s not sweating a repair bill as he only buys cars he can afford to break. Besides, he performs most of the work on his cars himself, so he can breathe easily.

With just a set of magnesium wheels, decent tires, and brake pads, this modest C5 is incredibly quick.

It Looks Easy

He charges along the banking and hairpins in a mellow, measured sort of way. In every braking zone, he seems to engage the tractor beam and drags in the cars ahead. With the assistance of the OEM brake ducts, the Corvette hits 1.2 G regularly. What’s more: he’s able to roll off the middle pedal nicely; his entry speeds are as impressive as his braking distances. Choosing the right pad — one which offers excellent feel and response — has a good deal to do with finding entry speed, after all.

Opting for the PFC 11 Sprint pad sacrifices a little in terms of longevity, but the feel more than makes up for a shorter lifespan. His cool head and confidence in his brakes have him nipping at the heels of some of the more competitive drivers that day. By regularly applying pressure at the corner entry, ZentRose prompts the spin of a hard-charging BMW E46 M3 (4:27).

“That was exciting,” ZentRose says with an icy chuckle.

One Major Flaw

Porsches, BMWs, and even a Corvette Z06 have to give him the point-by at some stage, and we begin to hear a little enthusiasm coming from the typically frosty YouTuber. A sizzling performance like this can melt a little frost off the most reserved types. It’s at this point the mildly modified C5 Z06 appears to be the performance car steal of the decade. That is, until the seatback snaps.

Blurring the line between brave and nutty, he continues to charge at high speeds even after his seat breaks.

It seems that the well-rounded Z06 needs little to become a dominant force on any given track day. A set of well-chosen brake pads and decent tires are a must for just about any car, but this car really requires little else. Perhaps the factory seats replaced with something stronger and more supportive would come in handy, but that’s essentially it.

Is there a better bargain available?