Just wanted to see what everyone thinks the general has in store for us in the 03 model year...

Getting an 02 right now is sooo tempting because hell, I'll take the hit now for 0% financing. But I know if I do it now I'll just end up bitching and moaning when they blow us all away with a 425hp monster in 03. I'd be shocked if they didn't bump it up to 425 in 03 because they've already stated they know they can get 425 out of it.

Anybody got any info on where the Z is going next year(besides supersonic speeds)... :cheers:

 

Probably a price increase! :lol:

Zipster :chevy :chevy

 

Why not buy one now and add the extra ponies? 0% financing plus decent pricing is unbeatable.

sirhC
"Think 'Department of Justice' when you think 'I lost my life savings in the market last year'"

 

If you are in the market for a car now, buy the one you want now. Waiting for the latest and greatest will mean you might never own a car you would really like. My wife and I bought an 01 and are driving and enjoying the car. Yup, the 02's are improved, but we still like the 01 just fine.

Get the 02 and drive!

Jim

 

So is anyone going to answer the question????? Do you think there will be more horsepower in 03'? Not, well add horsepowere on the 02' dodedo. Well??

 

Drive a 02 Z06 for 30 minutes and you wont care What they do in 03. :jester Seriously, Go drive one... :D You wil LIKE!

 

My answer is that GM is going to miss the boat if they don't up the HP to 425 in 03 and 450 in 04. Otherwise people like me will keep their 02s and potential new buyers won't be sufficiently incentivised to make the move to Corvette. JMHO of course.

 

Its a little harder to tell what they are going to do. For a while last summer, it looked like we were on track to 425 HP.

Lately the rumour stating no significant HP changes on the Z06 has been getting stronger. Back in Sept we heard that the 02 was going to be the car to keep till the new C6 Z06 comes out - be that two or three years.

Now, there is a little ambiguity about whether or not the C6 will debut in 2004. Could be 2005 ? Or is it 2005 model in 2004 calendar year ??

 

If anything maybe a new color.
There is a Metallic Black and a Grayshale Metallic for '03 will they use them on the Z06? Maybe.

 

Word on the street is no increase in '03. No way to know for sure now. But, you can add 20HP easily so go for it today. Don't live for tomorrow.

 

I guess a hotter cam is possible, though my '02 rocks at idle now. The LS6 will either need to wind higher or breathe better. The former is too expensive and the emissions/drivability might be getting edgy with the cams.

Also, the rest of the driveline would have to be beefed up. Seems like the clutch is the weak link. Not sure what else would need strengthening to take 425 or 450 HP. Clutch upgrades were relatively cheap for the '02's HP jump, but if you start needing trans or diff mods to reliably hold 425 or 450 hp, GM will probably wait until the C6 comes out, so they vcan build in the strength for 450 HP or more, from the start.

I'd take the 0% and get the '02.

 

Incremental drive train upgrades seem to be cost effective so I don't see 425 being a big problem from that standpoint. Sqeezing 20 more ponies out of the LS6 in a cost effective manner may be the problem.

My original point was that GM needs to keep the Vette/Z06 momentum going. How are they going to do that in 03 and 04 assuming the C6 will come out in 05 or so? How will they get a vette back on the cover of every automotive magazine??

Why not make the car what it was orginally intended (or so I thought) to be? Add a few more HP just for fun but then do something radical. Like allowing us, the customer, to chose and or delete (the way it used to be) standard equipment.

My Z06 would be unique. I'd delete everything but the traction control system. The jury is out on PS and PB. Need a test drive first!

Mine would be a hot-rod vette. Not for everybody but you can bet the auto magazines would love it! :D

 

GRB-
I agree about keeping the momentum going for the Z06, since it is the star of the car magazine performance tests.....or was.... I posted a topic a few weeks back about the utter lack of '02 comprehensive road tests. I thought maybe it was because of the rumor that GM had cut off the Z06 press car pool, but maybe it is just due to lack of interest.

GM was really scavenging hard to get free horsepower out of the LS6 for '02. As an example, sodium-filled exhaust valves are relativley exotic in a non-turbocharged car, and point out the crippling effects of the reciprocating mass of the LS6 pushrod valvetrain. I'd wager that the LS6 bottom end is good for a 7000 RPM redline and 425 hp, but the valve train is at it's limit. Maybe we'll see exotic Ti/ceramic valves for '03.

I think it may come back to the old saying "There's no replacement for displacement", which is something the Viper guys have known all along. Cubes rule, and I'd be astonished if GM came out with a bigger-displacement engine in a C5.

Regarding your idea for a strippo Z06, I'd wager it won't happen. Giving people options and allowing them to customize their vehicles is an expensive proposition to carry out on the factory floor. As you know, options are packaged in "convenience" groups for the factory's convenience, not yours. I'd keep the P steering option on mine. A friend of mine had a '68 427 tri-power Vette and watching him crank that manual steering made me tired from the pasenger's seat :yesnod:

Scott

 

No sub for cubes is right. That's why I'm looking for somebody to put a 502 in my 02 SS.

I too doubt we will ever see the day again when we can order a car the way we want it. I'm saying that's what I would like and I realize I'm in the minority. And I wouldn't expect a big price reduction, if any at all, in order to have the luxury of deleting certain items.

My 70 LT1 was basically a stripper. No AC or PS. It was a fun car. A Z06 equiped similarly would be unbelievable. But I doubt it would have mass appeal. We are just too used to rolling up the windows, turning on the A/C and stereo. Not that that's all bad. :D

 

Here is my 2 cents for what its worth. The 02 Z06 is an incredable car. Its getting the most press of any corvette EVER. Weather its 405 HP or 425 at the point of 400 HP it really does not matter any more. You can buy many aftermarket items to get as much as 500 HP from the 02 Z06 so ....WHY WAIT. The deals are out there and it is truly a great car. Buy now and enjoy the car for a entire year before the 03 comes out. If the 03 is that much better you can always trade Up !!! Love my Z0 jrd :seeya

 

The drive train issue is the one of most concern. The differential gears are already shoot peened take the 405 HP. I think they may be near the limit of the rear end and transmission. The engine could get new dual overhead cam heads and pick up alot of horsepower.

I think that to increase performance of the existing Z06 platform they need to decrease the weight. Aluminum hydroformed frame, Kevlar or carbon fiber body panels instead of the FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic). The panels need to be made the correct way with minimum resin to reduce weight, not the typical aftermarket stuff that is heavier than the original part, but "looks good".

 

Regarding the options available to the individual consumer. From a manufacturing quality, mass assembly viewpoint, any manufacturer will turn out a higher quality build if the product is standardized. That is why there are few options on the Z06 and overall a rather consistently high degree of quality.

If you take a look at how the Japanese and the Germans build cars - with options grouped you will see what I mean. Remember how the older Japanese cars only came in a certain colour combination or with a certain set of options ? That's why their quality beat out Detroit in the early seventies.

 

I predict no changes in the Z06 for 2003. GM would really p--- off '01 and '02 owners if they bumped power again.

My vote is special paint in the coupe and/or vert and some gadgets and maybe more power in those cars.

Anything less than 450hp in the C6 performance model will be embarassing. However, we will probably not see this model until late 2004 as a 2005 at the earliest from the posts I have seen. I would love to see factory options on engines! It could keep me out of a Viper!

 

The C6 will be for sale in the summer of 2003 as a 2004 MY. The coupe & vert will have 405HP and is based on the C5 chassis. The body will be all new. The Z06 will return as a 2005MY car. This will truly be an awesome car. It will have an aluminum frame, new hood, wider (335) rear wheels, bigger brakes, flared rear quarter panels and a unique front end to differentiate it from the C6. The Z06 will be a world class track car with a standard axle, engine oil & M12 tranny cooler. The clutch will also be much improved. The Z06 will also carry a hefty price tag. I might post a pic of the C6 if I can snag one from the mockup area.

 

My guess is: another 20 for the Z in '03.

And if it is the last year for the C5, I strongly suspect we'll see a 385HP LS6/M12 drivetrain as standard in the Coupes and Roadsters.

BTW, the drivetrain (except perhaps the clutch) is fully capable of handling future power increases, since it it the same one used in the Viper.