crashnscar

Hey guys,

I'm going to be buying a c5 vette pretty soon here and was wondering if it is worth it to buy a z06 or no? The z06 will be about $7k (maybe $8k) more than the regular c5 so I'm wondering if the money could be better spent by buying the non-z06 and modding it more than I would be able to on a z06 (due to $$).

I plan on doing time trials with it, and honestly do not know much about Corvettes but hope to soon. Thanks for the help.

rustyguns

if your going to road race time trials, all you have to do to a z06 is put slicks on it and you will beat 99% of competition , if you know how to do drive

but if you are not going to the track, get a non Z06, they are very nice for the $

Lancer033

depends on how much you want to modify it, but 7K well spent could easily beat a stock Z and then some.

John Shiels

what year are you buying?

beerkat

If you buy a non-ZO6 then you need to get a FRC ('99 or '00) if you are going to track it.

not08crmanymore

What year,etc??? Z06 is more then just a bigger motor.You'll never get the mod money back upon resale if you think that's ever going to be a possibility.Why not start w/the best you can get for the money and go from there!How much we talking here??You could be in 05-06 c6 territory.money wise.NEWER,BETTER just as quick.

crashnscar

It's going to be a track machine.... full cage and all.
I'm willing to modify it as much as I can afford.

I'm not set on any particular year, other than it being a c5.

Why do you say FRC is necessary if I am going to track it? Simply because of the increased stiffness?

I am planning on gutting the car, doing a full cage, suspension work, then working on getting a little more power.

not08crmanymore

Hell,then you can get a FRC 99 or 2000 and do your thing.Save a little on purchase price,spend a little more in go fast goodies and safety.The cars were built for rigidity without the roof on.FRC- LIGHTWEIGHT.

c4cruiser

Given the intent to build a track-specific car, you may be better off with a 99-00 FRC or even a 01 Z06. Assuming that you will be building an engine, the mentioned track-specific suspension, bigger brakes, race tires and wheels, etc., you can save money by looking for the 99-00 FRC.

The FRC body will be stiffer compared to a C5 coupe but the addition of a cage and possibly some additional bracing, that may even be a toss-up.

crashnscar

FRC's that I have found are only about $2k cheaper than the 01 z06, so I'd probably rather do an 01 z06 at that point. I'm mainly asking between the non-frc c5 and the z06

throwit

I think that if you are going to completely make over the car you may want to go with the non-frc c5. You can ALWAYS duplicate or exceed the power, braking, weight, rigidity and handling of the Z with after market equipment on a non-frc c5. But what you get in addition, that you cant get with the Z (unless u wanna spend a whole lotta $$), is that non-frc body shape, which is a better design (performance wise) than the frc. We know its a better design because the C5R/C6R used it and the new Z06/ZR1 uses it. It has a naturally better weight distribution and is inherently more aerodynamic.

But if you don't plan on doing a total makeover and you want something that is superior, in many ways, right out the box, then get the Z. As mentioned before adding good pads/fluid, sway bars, tires and a good driver...hardly anything will touch it.

OCCOMSRAZOR

You might also consider searching for C5's that have already been converted. I've seen some REALLY GREAT turn-key C5's for sale that may wind up saving you money in the long run.

Good Luck!

varkwso

Look at the rules of the org you want to TT with.

careful with mods or you will quickly put yourself in a non-competitive class without big $$$.

VetteDrmr

If you're going to put it on a trailer, check for some used T1 cars. Ready to go, all the safety gear, suspension, etc. I bet you'll come out cheaper than buying a car and purchasing all the goodies, even if you put in the labor.

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

John Shiels

buy some thing made it is cheaper Pheonix may have some thing. If going to do it all yourself get a coupe better aero. If you go to build your own I would bet you will leave items out of the budget or not have enough in. Ready made car is done and you see it all along with it's performance

ScaryFast

Yeah, AJ's T1 car for $85K.

Last year all the C5Z T1 cars were being unloaded for about $30K as the rules moved toward the C6. However I've heard horror stories about the LS3 motor so some people have decided to hold on to the C5 cars for awhile longer...

That said, buying a built car can still save a lot of time, money, and headache over building one from a street car.

crashnscar

I would love to find a pre-built z06, but can't spend 85k.

$30k is do-able for a t1, do you currently know of any?

I can get a c5 for about 13k, a c5 frc for 18k, and a c5 z06 for 20k.

jaybar

Back when I was tracking a Mustang Cobra I pitted next to a Corvette c-5 z06. Nice guy who told me all about the car. He told me he replaced almost every part that made it a zo6 so advised me to get a non z06 corvette.

A few months late I came across an article in Grass Roots Motorsports titled "Plastic explosion". It was a series of articles about purchasing a FRC and setting it up for AutoCross.

I got the bug and found a 00 FRC for $17,500 (9-27-07). I found parts on this forum so I have zo6 shocks, and springs, I also found Hodgkis(sp) sway bars. I did add urethane bushings and nitto NTO1's, and brake ducks. Well they are really ducts but since I fabricated them myself using c-6 zo6 parts (via this forum) I call them ducks since I only paid $35 for them. Oh and a Vararam air intake. So maybe I have an extra $2,500 in the car. yea and some take off 90% Hawk blue pads.

The car is a blast stops on a dime and I have yet pushed it to the point of breaking away. I miss he brute power of the Mustang but at my last outing at Sebring I beat my best Mustang lap time by 3 seconds.

So my advice get the cheapest FRC you can find and strip it down and build it up for your intended prupose.

robvuk

As others have said, look for one that's already built. If not and you're going to mod it and put a cage in it, buy the cheapest one you can find. The slightly stiffer chassis of a FRC will be offset by the cage and you'll have better aero with a coupe. Although the FRC's were originally less money to start with, you may still find a better deal on one of those but they're harder to find because they were not popular. jmho

robvuk

This is the first I've heard of this. I searched C6 Tech but couldn't find anything. Have a link?