What to do with my Corvette Z06

So, I bought a 2002 Z06 a few months ago. It's stock, aside from a K&N airfilter and a panel to separate the trunk from the cap. The previous owner also gave me his Breathless Short Shifter that he took out due to the excessive noise it let's in. I am the second owner, and the car has 49k miles.

I'm pretty happy with the performance the car has, and I'm scared that it'd be way too easy to get carried away with stuff. Should I mess with it, or enjoy it for what it is? Should I put some tint on it and put in a better sound system? Full exhaust? It's been a long time since I've had a car that didn't NEED something improved.

Better tires, perhaps some shocks, SS autocross.

Throw the money you'd spend on stuff it doesn't need for track day entry fees.

Clutch and flywheel. Better to be proactive on that then for when it fails. JMO, since it requires the whole rear to come out of the car to separate the torque tube from the bellhousing.

I would then do some mufflers to just dump the weight.

They are junk, the best thing you could do is ship it to: W. Miller, Poughkeepsie NY for disposal

The most important things to me at least: tires, suspension, brakes, tune-up, fluids flush, basic repair (think bushings, motor mounts, basically any often neglected but consumable part)...

Pigeon said it best, do whatever is necessary to get it on track, tackle everything else as it comes. As others pointed out, this will also give you time to save up for some of the more expensive repairs (clutch/flywheel). And if you aren't going to track it, why buy a Z06?!

Put decent tires on it (Direzzas), change all the fluids (these cars are so reliable that you might still have the OEM coolant), and hit the track!

Next item to do would be seats - the stock ones are lethal. Sparcos were the biggest improvement I've ever made to a car.

^First things first, replace seats.

I already did the tune-up type stuff. I even put new wipers on it, haha. Yes, unlike the previous owner, I drive it in the rain. The car came with Direzza Star Specs. So, I should go ahead and do the clutch/flywheel.

I'd like to track the car, but the motorcycle works better for that purpose at this point. I'm not quite as willing to wad up my Corvette, though I suppose it would certainly hurt a lot more to wad up the bike.

From experience, it does hurt more to wad up the bike, I still walk a little "off" 5 years later.

I'm with everyone else, do maintenance, maybe replace shocks when the stock ones are done and just enjoy the heck out of it.

This is what I did with my 2003 Z6. Now it weighs 1980lbs with 54% on the rear I ended up making headers with side pipes for the final version.

That's awesome! Unfortunately, I use mine as a daily driver, and it rains and rains here.

As far as mods go...

1. 35% tint on sides and rear. Makes it look a lot better and since you are pretty close to the windows, keeps it cooler in summer. Since its a Corvette, you could go limo black and still wouldnt get hassled by the cops.
2. Lower it on stock bolts. Free and quick to do.
3. Exhaust. The stock Z06 Ti exhausts are pretty desirable for guys looking for good power and a quiet car. If you want to open it up, there are guys who will trade a Z06 system for an aftermarket system. You need the car about 2' up in the air to get the exhaust off in one piece, and you WANT to take it off in one piece because its worth quite a bit. Cat-backs add at most a few horsepower. The real gain is in longtubes and a different X pipe. Everyone has their favorites, do some reading and pick some up.
4. Intake. A "Vararam" intake will provide the best gains out of all the aftermarket intakes. Proven time and time again. Worth a few ponies.
5. Flash/Tune. On a basically stock car a Diablosport Predator is fine and can be had used for under $200 all day long. They are VIN locked, so make sure the guy you get it from puts the stock tune back on his car before selling it. You can step up to EFI Live or HP Tuners, and from there the sky is the limit but its a lot more work than a canned tune.
6. Forced induction. 550 wheel horsepower, stock drivability,

I do recommend tints. It really helps when driving at night. Those SUV headlights blast you right in the eyes reflecting off the side mirrors.

jmc14 wrote:

How come the bare chassis picture has the chassis top rail almost level with the top of the tyres but the complete car picture has the waist line much lower near the axle line?

Is this an illusion or you lowered the chassis later or are they not the same chassis?

Looks awesome by the way!

It is the same chassis. The top rail is parallel with with the bottom one. The perimeter frame is 16 inches from the bottom to the top. The top rail is wider at the rear bulkhead though.

The center tunnel is a huge backbone as the engine is set 23 inches back and the transaxle is in the rear. I made a an aluminum saddle gas tank that bolts from the bottom into the trans tunnel. Like the Miata, but to a bigger extreme, all of the weight of the car is between the axle lines. Best handling car that I have ever been in, even on the rock hard run flats.

Seriously, I believe that the best thing you could do for your Z06 is tires.

Have fun, I am .

I should have mentioned that the ride height had not been set to the proper height in the chassis picture. When set properly it is 4.5 inches from the ground to the bottom of the frame. It is way high in the picture.

Drive it! Unlike most cars there really arent too many things that you can do to improve it without compromising something else. As maintenance items come up, then make wise decisions about upgrades. This is what I have done with my GTO and the real genetic issue that I have found was in the front end bushings. All that has been totally rebuilt with new bushings, ball joints, struts, camber plates, caster kit but again until the stuff ages out, there really isnt any reason to do it.

there any gains in going to a borla system? I heard one vette with that exhaust and it made me weak in the knees

Fluids. Good pads. Good tires.

Enjoy.

Get yourself to a racetrack, post haste.

No gains in a cat-back other than sound. Delicious sound. I have an SLP system on mine, and if the Borlas had straight through cans, its a very similar system and really sounds great.

The gains are in longtubes and a reflash of the ECU.

Sometimes, mods are just mods and don't make the car any better.
Do you need more power in that car? Not really.
Do you need to improve handling in an excellent handling car? not really.

I'd just enjoy driving the car and either put the money toward retirement savings or learn a new hobby - like investing - or a new skill.

Fluids, maintenance, brake pads followed by lots and lots of seat time. Be the Z06 guy who doesn't park it in the twisty parts. I've got so much video of "Z06 motors me on the straight then is a rolling roadblock until we get back to the straight". I'm down about 150hp and a lot of tire on a Z06 as well...