Drove a C5 Z06 Today..

In reply to Armitage:

Khumo XS are the only 'good' street tires that come in big corvette sizes (315/335 combo). Even then it's still not enough grip for autocross. They really need slicks (big money!) to be a competitive car.

They're still a metric butt ton of fun, even on poop tires.

ultraclyde wrote: Never driven it, but a buddy has a C6Z06 that I've ridden in some. It's mind-warpingly fast....as long as the engine stays together. Lots of oiling issues under high G load. Like, he lost a motor on track in a HPDE at Roebling when it was box-stock with 11k on it. GM bought him a new engine, Then that one lost a valve because of shrapnel sucked out of the cats they didn't replace the first time. So they bought him another new engine AND new cats. The C5z would probably be on my short list if someone totalled my Mustang. Go for it.

Really? With a dry sump system it was having oil starvation issues and he blew 2 engines? That blows my mind lol.

Another cheaper option is the 1999 Fixed Roof Coupe (FRC) Corvette. Looks of the C5 Z06 minus the LS6.

Yeah, that's terrifying, even though GM was good on replacements.

Even though I know it's a terrible idea, I keep going back to buying a more "badass" DD and using it dual-duty, something like a base C6 or Coyote Mustang vs having a Miata track car and a DD.

I'm looking to cut the fleet (3 Neons, Foxbody, 79 Corvette restoration) down.

Keep the 79 and finally finish it with my dad. Want to give it to my mother for her 50th Birthday. It's a L-48/Auto, no loss there.

Cut down to the Z06 and another Jeep or F-150 as a DD. I'm tired of paying for multiple cars and having a fleet that needs moved around constantly. At this point, I can afford to have a Z06 as a nice day DD/Track car. I really didn't think it could be a DD before, but after driving it I don't see how it's worse than the ACR with no A/C and Konis turned up to "11".

I drove around my moms old C5 6spd for a few months as a DD when my LT1 trans am got totaled. I was very impressed with how comfortable it was for daily use, cargo space wasn't bad, and got decent MPGs on the highway with the interplanetary travel gear (6th). Was a def upgrade from the Trans Am and going from a ACR to that, you will feel like you are in heaven.

Body control modules on those things can be wonky and cause some things on the car to do funky things. Besides that on that car which had over 200k, the only things my dad and I replaced were the power steering rack and the coolant reservoir. Still had the factory clutch in at 200k .

Armitage wrote:

Kenny_McCormic wrote: It would appear tirerack offers a set of Bridgestones for $774, if $1800 tires are scaring anybody away.

Oh man I just looked at OEM tire size options on Tirerack. Only 2 choices? The tires we collectively care about (Rivals, ZIIs, RE-11a, etc.) aren't even available in stock sizes, much less for larger wheels. I didn't even consider this as a possibility.

Choices appear to open up a tad, especially in the back, if you don't mind the fronts not matching.

You can run the 18" rear wheels all the way around in fact it was recommended in GRM just a couple months back "Cheap Speed"

And the BFG Rivals come in up to a 335 on the 18" rim so you can run anything from 295 to 335 on em

Jaynen wrote: You can run the 18" rear wheels all the way around in fact it was recommended in GRM just a couple months back "Cheap Speed" And the BFG Rivals come in up to a 335 on the 18" rim so you can run anything from 295 to 335 on em

Definitely. The C5z is 53-53.5% front weighted, so more meat on the front is only going to help.

In reply to DirtyBird222:

For the record, I think it's cool your mom DD's a C5 6 spd for over 200K...

Carry on continuing to persuade me to buy a car I don't have room for.

I like the C5/C6 parts. I didn't need a daily driver so I built an aluminum tub, bolted in the complete drivetrain, suspension (converted to coil overs), wheels, tires, brakes, steering from a C5 Z06. I kept the stock wheelbase and track but moved the engine rearward by 23 inches and built a custom fuel tank that bolted into the bottom of the trans tunnel. With me in it it has 54% rear weight. Then I made a simple 23 T bucket inspired body skins for it so that I could register it as a Street Rod. The result is an 1800 lb rocket. It's the best handling car that I've driven. It's street legal and I drive it a lot. I also have a 50's sports car inspired body for it. The bodies can easily be switched.

Oh, come ON!! We gotta have pic's of these!

OK, here are a few pictures. I'm repainting the Speedster body soon. It's going to be deep Candy Apple red over a bronze base with a silver stripe.

I also have included a picture of my self built Cobra. I built the space frame and used C5 suspension, brakes, wheels and tires. It has an LS6 bolted to a Tremec 6 speed connect by drive shaft to the C5 Diff. The body is from Shell Valley.

[URL=http://s1143.photobucket.com/user/jmcbigbelly/media/c5sportrodside.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s1143.photobucket.com/user/jmcbigbelly/media/me.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s1143.photobucket.com/user/jmcbigbelly/media/cobrapassside_zpsa03ee7e0.jpg.html][/URL]

nice jmc!

FAP

jmc14 wrote: OK, here are a few pictures. I'm repainting the Speedster body soon. It's going to be deep Candy Apple red over a bronze base with a silver stripe. I also have included a picture of my self built Cobra. I built the space frame and used C5 suspension, brakes, wheels and tires. It has an LS6 bolted to a Tremec 6 speed connect by drive shaft to the C5 Diff. The body is from Shell Valley. [URL=http://s1143.photobucket.com/user/jmcbigbelly/media/c5sportrodside.jpg.html][/URL] [URL=http://s1143.photobucket.com/user/jmcbigbelly/media/me.jpg.html][/URL] [URL=http://s1143.photobucket.com/user/jmcbigbelly/media/cobrapassside_zpsa03ee7e0.jpg.html][/URL]

We need a magazine article on this . . .

In reply to ZOO:

Seconded.

So I broke down and test drove an '04 Z06 today. Initial thoughts are that it doesn't accelerate as violently as my RX-7. In fact, it feels pretty tame by comparison. However, power comes on much quicker and I know it's the area under the curve that matters anyway.

I was surprised how un-bad the shifter felt. It was solid and precise enough, although the throw was a little long. It does feel larger and heavier in every way when compared to the FD, but also more comfortable. As much as people say the C5 interior isn't great, it still feels miles better than the (even) cheap(er) plastics in the Mazda. The car I test drove had some ~700 treadwear tires on the back so pretty much rocks.

All in all I could see myself enjoying this car but I'm not sure I need one because ounce for ounce the FD offers the same thrills on track/at the AutoX with lower consumable costs (fuel notwithstanding). Maybe it's just that I've been driving my own car so long I'm just comfortable with it. I guess I need more motivation.

tl;dr; C5Z good, but didn't impress enough to want to trade up on the spot.

Trade up from an FD that actually works and you dont have to compare purchase prices because you already own the FD, that is. Context is important on that one!

I just sold my worked over c5. Heads/cam car with z06 suspension, hotchkiss sways and baer big brakes. Owned it for over 2.5 years and just never clicked with it. Previous cars were a turbo sw20 MR2, turbo NA miata, turbo GC impreza. Super fast, highway monster. But I just never felt like I knew what the contact patches were doing. Vague at the limit, with a tendency to skip the rear over northeast choppy pavement. Bought an elise and never looked back.

Vigo wrote: Trade up from an FD that actually works and you dont have to compare purchase prices because you already own the FD, that is. Context is important on that one!

I realize I should not have started my reply off with "So I broke down..." I see how that could be misinterpreted :D

There's one more thing I forgot to mention that I especially liked in the 'vette: the leg room. That's one thing I don't have enough of with the roll bar.