how do these things handle compared to the european stuff like 911, M3, Z4 etc. ??? Im thinking about a C5 Z but I also like the smaller european stuff alot.

 

It out handles them stock vs. stock. Plus you have muscle car sound (the z4 should be left out of this thread)

 

I'm a long time European car bigot (because I'm British)... always owned Porsches, a Caterham, BMW Z3 M Coupe etc... just bought a C5 ZO6 about 7 months ago and I can tell you the ZO6 is a WAY better handling car than ANY of the Porsches etc I have owned. I built myself a 440 RWHP Porsche 944 Turbo... full Porsche Cup race suspension, Kinesis K28 wheels, 275 R3 DOT Hoosiers in front, 305 R3 DOT Hoosiers in back, 14" Brembo brakes, spent 7 years driving it at local tracks like Laguna, Sears and Thunderhill, had it PERFECT in terms of handling etc. My ZO6 with just the addition of 2004 shocks and delrin bushings all around, corner balanced, plus an aggressive camber/toe/caster setup is CONSIDERABLY better than that Porsche ever was. Bear in mind that I was the fastest car in my run group 99% of the time in the Porsche and used to regularly beat my buddies in their 550 Hp race prepped Viper GTS's (one of whom came second in the Viper Cup series, so you KNOW he can drive) and they were running slicks, with full Penske shock setups.

Even the most ardent Porsche fans who are my friends have now shut up about the supposed superiority of their cars as none of them can keep up....

 

Nicely put, and great story.

 

cool thanks guys

 

I just got an 04Z and like you I own and race a Porsche 951S with motons , 340RWH etc... and like you I normaly get top time where there are stock Zs, vipers etc running. I will soon see if the Z is faster around the track. My first impressions is it will be about 1 to 2 seconds a lap quicker at TWS.

 

My wife was so cool about me getting my Z06 that I told her she could get any car she wanted. She picked an M3 convertable. Although the M3 is certainly no slouch in speed or handling, the Z06 blows it away. The M3 also has a much harsher ride. On roads that are a minor anoyance in the Z06, it feels like your teeth are going to fall out in the M3. The only thing that I like better in the M3 is the paddle shift trans. I would love to get or build a kit to put that in the Vette.

 

I have a friend who is a die hard BMW fan and he was trying to push me into a new M3 before I bit on a Z. Drove one with the SMG and loved it but it just wasn't a Z. Handling was great but every little road annoyance goes right though the driver. The Z you feel the road but it is not as harsh. Also, the Z sounds a lot better and I see an M3 about every 5 seconds here in Jersey. Nothing wrong with that but I prefer the Z.

 

My wife picked out my Z The car is wild. I want and look for twistees. Its home is there and it loves it. Go for it!

 

The comments above are all great, but I thought that I'd throw my two cents in.

If you look at "handling" purely as road holding, the C5 Z06 covers all the cars you asked about. Generally tested by the media at 0.95 to 1.0 lateral g (surface dependent), and slalom speeds are world class.

The C5s have a lot of tuneability designed into the car. You can increase the grip tremendously if you want to run different camber angles and are willing to sacrifice tire life. You can play with ride height as well as alignment to alter front/rear balance.

If you look at amateur racing results, the C5 Z06 has a fabulous record. SCCA T-1 road racing champion for six (?) straight years. The Z4 runs in a lower class. The 911 just hasn't been competitive, and neither has the M3.

If you look at Stock category autocrossing results, the C5 Z06 won the highest class (Super Stock) five years in a row ('01 to '05). The Z4, again, is in a lower class. M3 has too much understeer and is too heavy, and the naturally aspirated 911 (other than the GT3 version) doesn't have the oomph to compete.

If you want to talk about road feel and steering feel, then that becomes subjective. The few newer 911s I've driven I would rate as slightly better, but at the end of the day the performance of the Z06 overwhelms those metrics, w.r.t my dollars. I must admit, though, that a 911 GT3 would be a nice car to own.

I assume that by "smaller" you mean footprint. The Z4 is lighter, the 911 in two wheel drive mode is equivalent in weight or heavier, and the M3 is a couple of hundred pounds heavier. The C5 Z06 is a very light car given its contents.

 

Well put,
That's the reason I chose to go with a C5 Z06. Handling and feedback like no other... I've been to the track with a GenII Viper GTS and had two C5's on my *** that would not go away. After driving the C5Z, I understood why...Much better, balanced car in my opinion. Plus, you can make them as fast as your wife permits...

 

I’ve found the C5 ZO6 to be an incredibly more forgiving car at speed than the 911.
If you stay in the envelope it can make a above average driver look like he really knows what he’s doing.
I have seen 911’s make good drivers look like idiots!

 

Good points... I tend to think of handling and grip as two seperate pieces of the same puzzle. You can have a ton of grip, but when the grip goes away, you are left with handling... It does no good to have a ton of grip and then when the car loses grip, the rear end suddenly snaps on you and you spin out, or the front end plows so badly that you can't steer the car.

I had an old TR6 for a while and even though it had almost ZERO grip, it's handling balance was great... I could put that thing into a perfect 4 wheel drift around my favorite bends and have it drifting while I was steering it in the direction I wanted to go. It was incredibly controllable and I could tighten the line by applying throttle or cause it to steer a bit wider by letting off the throttle a wee bit... Very entertaining, but nowhere near as fast as a modern car with more grip.

The balance of the ZO6 is what I like so much... it turns in really well with my new camber/caster/toe settings, the rear end pogoing is gone thanks to the 2004 shocks which control the rear end damping WAAAAAAY better than the 2002 shocks ever did and the bushings have made the car feel way more planted and connected to the road surface... All in all, the car has an amazing combination of sheer grip AND fantastic balanced handling that is very benign at the limit and easy to catch when you exceed those limits.. The feedback/road feel through the steering wheel and seat of the pants is even better now with the bushings upgraded.... puts a huge *** grin on my face every time I hit turn 4 at Laguna

 

thanks guys I definetly want a Z06 now.

 

i love the M3.... my friend has one... but his suspension is up graded... so stock for stock.... Z06 all the way... i love the power and handling... they take sharp curves better that you think they would.... you can never go wrong with a Z

 

Got one...agree!!!

 

I have both an M3 and an 03 Z06. The M3 (with competition option and SMG) is easier to drive up to about 8/10ths. The Z is a straight line effort from easy street mode up to "Holy Crap" mode, the handling effort does not change and is linear. The effort (and response) is much better on the Z and delivers the greater performance. At the last few 10ths in the M3, the car needs a lot of attention and does not exhibit the confidence and ultimate speed that the Z does.
That being said...the M3 is the car that goes to the post office everyday!

 

I agree. I would also like to add that the T1 set up makes the C5Z an extreemly nible car. So much so that only a porsche GT3 CUP car would come close. Not the GT3, but the GT3 CUP car. ( 996 RS or RSR)

There are many T1 guys that also have the C6Z street version. The C6Z may be faster in a straight line, but the C5ZT1 is much faster in corners so overall the C5ZT1 is a more refined and developed race car.

 

How much do a set of 2004 shocks run? I assume if you bought them at the dealer you'd get RAPED, any online places sell them for cheaper?

 

Fred Beans is one I can think of. Their prices are very good. As far as the improvement goes. I agree with 80shilling. I swapped out my 02 for the 04 Z06 shocks. Much better. In high speed esses it also helps a lot with the hovering effect that the 02 shocks did.

I'd love to do the poly bushings but for now I'm on stock bushings. I did find that using a real racing seat for track helps a lot. Obviously it holds you in place much better. It also gives you more road feel for better feedback.

Added note, about $400 for the shocks. They're worth it.