Defender337

I want to do a full season of autoxing next year (not the occasional 2-3 times a summer) and I am trying to decide which is better. Should I keep my current 99 Coupe and mod it as i progress or pick from one of the following:

- 1991 Coupe (currently my Father owns): custom built 383, 3.73 gear, 6-speed w/ short shifter, BRAND NEW CF dual friction clutch, TPIS tune, LPE 1 3/4 Long tube headers, gutted cat, Borla exhaust, 30MM frt sway bar - poly bushings, rear carrier poly bushings, KONI adjustable shocks ... Engine specs: Callies forged crank, AFR assembled 195 76 cc heads, TRW forged pistons,TPIS Cam 530/530 w 1.5's, ARP hardware, 10.25/1 comp, Hi Vol oil pump, Ported plenum-Lg runners, AFPR, 58 mm TB, K&N filter, Dyno’d 411.6 CHP @ 5400 rpm, 435.2 Cft-lbs @4800 and add mods as I progress.

or...

- C5 Z06: Which I would mod as I progress

StealthLT4

I think all of them would be fun, so I guess it depends on what class you want to be in. Your 99 and the c5z would both be in Super Stock, or A-mod if you mod them. The '91 would be in SM2 due to the engine mods.

My vote goes for keeping the '99. At this stage, seat time is much more important than what the seat is in. If after this next season you feel you'll be more competitive in a c5z, or want the competition of SM2, go for it.

mikahb

IMHO, if you want to compete in a C5, getting a Z06 is the best way to go. Anything else you will chase with lots of $ and time just to get where a C5Z starts. But, I also tell people all the time - DO NOT MOD the car if you're wanting to compete. A performance car is a pretty elaborate system, and the C5Z happens to be a very good and very balanced system right out of the box. Start changing pieces out and all of a sudden you upset that balance.

Not to say nobody should ever mod, but you really should force yourself to learn to drive the car at the stock limit before you start throwing $$ at go-fast parts. You'll find, like so many others, that the best engineered and built go-fast parts won't make your car go fast unless you can make it go fast without them. Good luck!

RAFTRACER

The car that your father has would be a no where near set-up enough SM2 car...In SM2 you open up pandora's box and sky is the limit as far as prep and costs go to be competitive and the car would not end up being very streetable.

The 99 coupe could be competitive in ASP or SM2 with alot of preparation (and $$), but not is SS.

The 02-04 Z06 can be competitive in all of the above SS,ASP and SM2. ASP and SM2 would again require dumping $$ into the car. If I were you I would get an '02-'04 Z06 and prep it for SS which will still require some $$, but not as much. Hone your skill in SS and then decide if you would like to take it further.

I am assuming that you run with OVR SCCA, I come up to play on occassions but did not make it there this year. If you are looking for good Corvette venues to play with some down and run Cincy region SCCA events, they are very Corvette friendly typically ( I or other Corvette guys set up the courses ).

Additionally if you require any set-up help , I am only 100 miles away and I do prep for all of the above and other applications 24/7/365.

Look forward to meeting you sometime soon.

Defender337

This past summer was my first time autocrossing with a local corvette club, which I believe competes in NCCC. Now I am young and have a lot to learn. So, what I am looking for is the ability to compete without having to spend a lot; whether it be in SCCA, NASA, NCCC, etc. With that said, 1) Would my 99 C5 be worth keeping to build on and being able to compete with 2) Would getting the Z06 be cheaper and a far better deal in the long run? Or 3) Is the C4 worth getting and building on what it already has?

Thanks for all the imput thus far.

Matt

Defender337

I believe this will be the route I will go since there is a overwhelming vote for Z06

RUN4CVR

no comparison

rustyguns

You engine has much more hp than a Z06. keep the coupe, change out the springs for Z06 springs and sway bars and put koni fsd shocks on it. and put a set up Kumho v710 race rubber on it and get an aggresssive alignment, then you will beat the Z06's
if you are not going to do 1/4 drag races i would put the 3.43 rear end back in it. the mn6 is actually better on road courses than the mn12 in the z06.

set up like this the only advantage a Z06 has would be around 200 lbs in weight and you can easily take weight out of the car at your discretion.

otherwise it is a great time to buy a Z06, they are cheap!

if you really want to win......mod the driver learn to drive, take lessons. Then you can beat 98% of them with a volkwagon

VetteDrmr

Don't know if anyone noted this, but the OP *already* owns the '99 coupe. That by far will be the cheapest way to autocross for at least the next year or two (or more).

Yes, Z06 has more performance than a stock coupe. So? The BMW group I run with has it's fair share of Vettes show up, and my '00 FRC has held its own quite well against newer cars, driven by newer drivers.

Point is, use the car you've got. A well-driven C5 coupe is very potent on its own.

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike

TedDBere

I drove my coupe for 3 years before getting the Z06. Put a Z06 front bar on it. Run 275s in the front and 285s on the rears (turn off the TC/AH). Align it and have fun!

While you're learning how to drive, the price of the used Z06 will come down and you may even find you want a different car by the time you're any good at this very addicting sport. Locally you'll be fine.

RusherRacing

keep the coupe learn from it have fun with it, the first year don't worry about the car.

Your biggest mod is yourself and your experience regardless of the car.
If you want to spend money, spend it on tires and an alignment.

tjZ06

Well, it looks like you have you answer, but I'll jump on the bandwagon too. Get a '02-04 Z06 and only do the SS-legal mods (shocks, front sway, exhaust). I bought a highly modded C5Z and absolutely love it, and it kicks *** at track days and AutoX but in hind-sight it would have been fun to actually be able to run in a competitive class (I have to run OSP) for the 2 years I AutoXed very regularly (a few dozen events/year). Now that I only get out a couple times a year, as well as a few track days a year I don't mind the mods since I'm not running enough to compete for a class win anyway.

-TJ

Jaymz

Let me know if you are interested. I have completely stock 2002 Z06 that I used for a daily driver since it was new. I am selling it if you are interested.. Danny can attest to the quality of the car.

Defender337

Thanks for all of your input guys. I made my decision and I am going to keep my '99 for 1 or 2 seasons, add some mods like mentioned before (sway bar, shocks) and a good alignment. After some experience, I'll get the Z i want: 2004 Z06 Commemorative Edition (Z16). For now, I'm going to buy some rubber for my second set of wheels. Does 275/40ZR17 and 305/30ZR18 sound good for wagon wheels? I'll do some research in the mean time.

Gordy M

With C5 wheels you can run the 275 up front and either 295 or 305 on the rears with wagon wheels. Hoosier makes the 295 and Kumho the 305. I prefer the Hoosier A6's myself. Get with Danny and get it properly aligned, corner weighted and rake set, then you can have fun. Like everyone else says--seat time, instruction, etc will make you a better driver. You will find the C5 can keep up with the Z06 in a few course set-ups but usually will get beat with comparable drivers.

TedDBere

The coupe needs the smaller diameter 285/30/18 in the rear to stay competitive. The 285 A6 is the same width as the 295 A6 but much shorter. You'll need the shorter tire to get close to the Z06's gearing...without it you're just letting them play with you. IMHO

The only C5 non-Z06 to win an SCCA National championship ran 285s on the rears and 275s up front. FWIW.

Nice choice on the Z16 BTW!

Here's a picture of my AE with the 275/285 set up, and yes those are 17s in the front and 18s in the rear: