mesospeedy

First off, hello to all the members! Thanks for a great forum, I'm new here and have a few quick questions.
So as of now, I have a '98 Z28 that I track and street drive on the weekends. It's got 446rwhp, full suspension, etc. So its fairly quick, but at it's best it won't come close to handling like a 'vette! I had planned on buying a good used C6 Z06 when I find the right one because I assumed a Z would be ready to go to the track with no more than good brake pads and tires. But the more I read about them (thanks to this site!) I've found that the Z isn't quite as "track ready" as I originally thought. The main things are the oil starvation issue and the stock piston and exhaust valve failures. I also noticed that most people add coilovers, sways, etc, etc. So now I'm stumped! If a Z06 truly needs all this before hitting the track, would I be better off spending less on a base C6 and then adding a good dry sump, suspension and a few engine mods? Do the LS2/3's have similar piston issues? Or can I have fun with a basically stock Z? I just hate to pay the extra 10-12 grand for a Z and then have to tear into the engine to replace the problematic pistons before they fail and put a hole in the block! Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance for any insight

crimlwC6

You'll get lots of opinions but i went the base ls3 route. Cheaper to replace pads and rotor and steel frame. Downsides include no oil cooler or power steering cooler, however, I don't think the stock oil cooler is robust enough for hotter areas. I replaced the sway bars with pfadt bars, run quantum brake cooler kit, xp10 pads and cheap rotors, Ron davis radiator with eoc and I'm very happy and have maybe 3k in costs. Z51 maybe the best way to go just for the additional coolers.
Z06 of course looks better and has 70 hp but imho the ls3 doesn't need a dry sump if you keep the motor stock. I realize that some respected members disagree but I know lots of ls3s that have tons of track miles.

kenw

I had a 06/A6 coupe that I did HPDE's with but felt long term the Z was the way to go. I now have a 09 Z and am very pleased. For a person that tracks a few times a year just for fun the Coupe is great. If you plan to run alot you will need to do suspension/brakes/cooler mods. In my opinion the Z is pretty much "track ready" for all but the real advanced drivers.

mesospeedy

Thanks guys, I appreciate the info! I don't plan on doing anything other than HPDE/track day type events with this car. It will never be in competition. However, I would like to be able to push the car without worrying that it won't be up to the task. It would probably be easier to just build a track only car and find a nice C6 for the street, but that gets REALLY expensive! Especially since I know I'd eventually start modding the street car anyway, I think I have an addiction to tweaking cars!

sothpaw2

You could get a c6 grandsport with LS3 and the drysump on that is supposed to be good enough that it will work. Add pads & tires and an oil cooler=go.

Have you considered the C5Z? Go to a HPDE and you'll see this is the proven track choice of corvette.

2 GTOs

I have a c6z and it is great on the track. I do about a dozen per year. If you want something you can really beat around, I would go C5z. It is much cheaper. If I did it again I would probably have done a grand sport. You get the bigger wheels, bigger brakes, dry sump, and a steel frame that will be cheaper to cage or repair. A crate motor for the GS is also cheaper.

If you want an all round fun car that is track ready and fun, then do the C6z

JeremyGSU

I debated this for a long time as well and ended up with an '04 Z all because of costs. I will have to add an oil cooler but from what I've read it doesn't need a dry sump, doesn't come with all the electronics you have to deal with, and is much cheaper. It's not as fast obviously but I was very happy with it on track. For being the older generation it's still pretty impressive on track.

Pfadt Racing

Like some of the folks above have mentioned, if you're looking for a dedicated track car it's hard to beat the bang for your buck of the C5Z.

Out of the box the C6Z is definitely a better performance car than the C6 Base. If you're planning on keeping the car stock, or relatively close to stock you will have a much better time with the Z than the Base car. Just by swapping out the brake pads and switching to more aggressive street tires you will have a blast for the occasional trip to the track.

Once you start modifying the car the playing field is leveled quite a bit. Our Johnny O'Connell package for instance replaces the factory sway bars and shocks and will bring the suspension performance of a Z51 or Base C6 past that of a C6Z. Coilovers are definitely another mod that is a complete game changer and can absolutely move a lower trim model past that of a C6Z given proper tires and brakes. If you've got the itch to modify and can find a good deal on a Grand Sport that would be a great way to go, you might save a little money versus the C6Z and have a car that's ready to be built upon.

We are a little biased to the Z... but any of these cars can be built into track monsters.

Bill Dearborn

The oiling issue with the Z actually exists with all of the LS engines. Any Z with the original 8 qt dry sump will not have issues as long as you don't have long high G left hand corners where you are running high rpms at the same time. This issue existed with the LS1s delivered in C5s and still exists with the LS2/LS3/LS7 unless you have a large enough dry sump.

The Valve drop problem is a different thing altogether. I used to think it wasn't a big issue until I was nailed by it. Not sure what the solution is but it is something you should consider. I will be taking my new engine back to the track this coming season but will try to keep from running all the way to the rev limiter and short shift around 6K. That didn't stop some people from losing their engine but it might mean I get more time before it happens again. I had over 40 track days on mine when the head of the exhaust valve fell off.

Depending on how many times a year you will be running HPDEs you should look into a BBK setup. I would have saved a lot of money if I had just bit the bullet when I bought the car and did as everybody recommended and put StopTechs on all the way around. Another way to go is with the Wilwood W6A and W4A calipers. They are lower cost and if you go with the setup that Todd at TCE sells you can get the W6A sized to fit over the stock rotor Vs going with the full Wilwood kit. That saves some money as well. I am running that setup in the front and stock calipers in the rear as of now. But with all the money I spent on stock pads/ stock and two piece rotors/Wilwoods I could have popped for the Stop Techs and had money to spend on other things or had even more money left over by going with the Wilwoods from the beginning.

The other thing to look at is track wheels. Tire selection in the Z sizes is limited and used race tires in those sizes are even harder to find. Look at C5Z rear wheels in the front and maybe 18x12 C6Z style wheels in the rear from House of Wheels. If you have the cash then go for CCW 18x11 fronts and 18x13 rears. You really don't need to go the coil over route as the stock suspension will do fine. Remember you are out to have fun and set personal best records not World records.

Bill

95jersey

Lingenfelter 9 quart dry sump tank is like $600 and solves the oil starvation issue. If you got the money...GO FOR IT!! The Z is most amazing car you will drive short of a $300k exotic. But for real dedicated track car, I would buy a C5Z T1 car and be almost as fast for 1/2 the price.

stevensa

It all depends what you want. If you plan on just doing 4-5 days a year and driving the car on weekends around town, a c6z is where it is at. Very nice car, doesnt need anything other than pads/tires and it will be more than plenty fast. If you plan on building a dedicated track car as others have said, a c5z or c6z51 is where its at. Also, since you say it will just be for fun any option is going to be a blast. Some things to keep in mind also are that you don't need a new z06 to go fast, the driver mod is ridiculous in these cars. They are so capable its ridiculous, even a base c5 can run faster than about 98% of what you will typically see on track with a good driver. Im no pro and definitely have a OT of room to grow, but even in my mostly stock c5z I rarely get passed at track days. In fact I find myself passing most c6z and c5z's on both street tires and hoosiers, etc. Not they I am some super awesome driver, or that they are crappy drivers, but just a bit more seat time and expeience really shows. I too have thought about adding coilovers, better tires, etc but once I step backl and think about how well I can already get around the track and how much fun Ihave now I realize that the extra cost probably isnt worht the second or two I may gain since it is not a competition. So in short, buy what you think you will have the most fun with.

mesospeedy

Lots of good points guys! I knew lsx motors were prone to oil starvation, my ls1 camaro suffers from it with the stock oil pan/windage tray. I just figured the dry sump would have fixed that issue. But if a few hundred bucks on a tank will remedy the problem, I can live with that. Just didn't wanna drop a couple grand on a whole new dry sump kit! As far as the C5Z, no doubt it's a killer car. I've seen them destroy more expensive cars on track numerous times! But I love the C6 body style so much that I'm not sure I'd be 100% satisfied with a C5 for street/track days. Now if I decide to go with a track only build, it's C5 all the way! The prices have dropped a lot in the last few years for them, even the Z06s. I'm gonna keep researching and try to make a definate decision in the next couple of months. I'm hoping to buy something by late summer 2012. Thanks for all the responses!