Well, I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a vette. I've never driven a vette, or any GM product for that matter. My previous car was a 507hp 03 SVT Cobra. Very fun FI car with a ton of torque. Guess I'm just looking to try something new and a bit more well rounded.

I've always liked the c5 z06 (for obvious reasons) and I'm also looking at C6's as well. From what I've gathered by what people have posted, the z06 is a bit more raw and race car oriented, where the c6 is a bit more refined and smooth. If you could, could you give me some of your opinions on the two models. If you have owned both, that would be even better for feedback. Also, tell me what you liked better about either model.

This would be my first time modding a NA engine, so pretty much everything will be new to me. If you could help educate me on my mod list and let me know the pricing of each mod and what installation costs would be. It was simple with my cobra...pulley swap, intake, exhaust, upgrade fuel, port the blower, and a tune. Never touched the internals. I know it will be different with a NA engine. The mods that I think I'm interested in are as follows:

Intake manifold - Price and installation costs. Seems like the FAST is popular.

Air intake - Price. Is Vararam a good one?

Exhaust - Price and install costs. I like the Borla's and another one, but I can't remember the name.

Cam - Price and install costs. I know this one will probably have the most opinions as to manufacturer and specs. I'm pretty much looking for a cam with a nice mean sounding lope, but still maintains daily driving characteristics.

Lowering - using the bolts. How does it affect the ride quality?

The car will be a daily driver and I commute about 40 miles round trip, mainly through non congested country roads with an average speed of 55mph.

As I said, I'm looking at the c5 z06 and the c6 with the z51 package. If I could get your personal experiences on both that would be a big help. Thanks in advance.

 

Oops. I forgot to mention headers as well.

Thanks!

 

Everything you asked can be found by using the serach feature. Not trying to be smart but there are countless threads on each topic you asked. I try to always search and get somewhat informed on the subject before I post the question. This is a great forum but sometimes general questions are hard to answer. The Z06 is a great car, I don't think you can be let down with it even as a stock preformer, and modded I know it can be the Hot Rod you want it to be. I suggest buying the Z06 then planning out your mods, thats half of the fun with mods anyway.

 

Yes, I used the search function. That's why I was able to formulate the questions I had since all I know is FI modular motors I've been lurking here for a bit now doing some research. Was just looking to get some fresh info and opinions. As a site admin, I just figured it would be good for some traffic. Sponsors tend to like activity and possibilities to get their product plugged.

 

My Z06 has Borla on it and I LOVE it! Not too loud driving around, but mean mean mean when you get on it.

 

Are they the stingers?

I know on svt cobra's the stingers sound awesome...but only if you run a catted x. The o/r pipes didn't work well on that particular car. Is it similar with the vette's?

 

I'm not 100% certain which model exhaust it is, but its mated to a Bassani X-pipe with high flow cats.

 

I have owned two c5 Z06s (current one is in my avatar) and driven a C6. I think you quick summary is spot on about the differences between the 2 cars.

The C5 Z06 is more of a raw beast. The C6 more refined. To be fair the C6 does boast a number of improvements over the c5Z06 in the way of creature comforts. The C6 has a much better interior in all respects - seats, stereo, soundproofing and insulation, etc. In addition, the C6 has brighter headlights that are fixed. The C5s headlights flip, which means eventually something will go wrong.

Not sure if you saw this thread.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...ngths-etc.html

Contains a lot of info about vettes in general including common problems.

Before you even think about buying a corvette I strongly urge you to go test drive some. See what you like and dislike. This is not an arm chair decision.

Do not mod the car until you have driven it for a while. This will given you a chance to get familiar with the car and have some experience to base your decisions on.

Modding corvettes is expensive and there are a lot of nuances to understand. If you can't or don't want to do the work yourself, modding can be ungodly expensive!! Speed costs.

IMHO, there is a lot of hype on the forum about the latest and greatest. The vette from the factory, particularly the Z06, is quite a car.

I would be careful about lowering the car. Too many people don't understand suspension systems and they end up with an very ill handling car that rides like ****!! If you really want to lower your car I would look into coilovers, which are $$$. LG seems to have the best ones for street use right now.

On the cam front, your desire for a cam with a lope is in direct conflict with your desire for drivability. There are some nice cams out there that will boost your power without overly sacrificing street manners. TSP 224 and the ECS blower cam come to mind. BTW, a cam job will set you back $3K if you can't spin your own wrenches.

Of course with more power comes the need for driveline improvements. You will definitely need a new clutch. If you drag race or like to rev the motor and drop the clutch, you will need to do much more.

That of course then leads to the need to stop the beast. So better brakes may be needed.

You will also need better tires and rims depending on how far you get carried away.

If you have to have power, I would look into the centri superchargers. Easy bolt-on that will give you more bang for the buck plus not hurt the car's drivability. Still have to deal with issues caused by big HP numbers though.

If you are patient, you might be able to find a modified vette that you like. Much cheaper and easier than doing it yourself.

 

Nice post Yeah, I had the feeling that the refinement of the c6 was going to be one of the big differences. I need to think about if I want a raw type of car or one that is more refined. I'm planning on test driving a c6 this weekend, so that should at least give me a bit of a clue.

I figured lowering the car would be trick, seeing as that it's already low. So, I may just want to leave it stock. I'm used to my mustang, they roll off the assembly lines looking like a 4x4.

As far as the cams, I guess I could've worded it a bit better. By lope, I mostly meant just a bit of a cam sound. I know that I can't really have a nasty sounding cam unless I was willing to give up the street manners. Guess I want something that gives it some more power and gives it a bit more of an aggressive sound, but not extreme.

I also figured I would have to beef up the clutch. The only aftermarket clutch I've used is spec3, and I've had good results with it. I also don't plan on doing any drag racing. Mostly just going to be a toy for me to fool around with and not beat on.

My goal isn't going to be big hp, just a bit of a boost in performance to have fun with and to get the true muscle car type of sound.

 

Get the C5Z!! If you look on this forum, many guys have went from C5Z to C6, just to come back to the C5Z. You cant go wrong with the Z!

 

^^I would seriously look into the ECS blower cam.

Link to thread:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/perf...pm-motors.html

Sounds like you have thought this through pretty well.

Just as an fyi, some 2001 vettes have an excessive oil burning issue so you might want to limit your search to the 2002 - 2004 Z06s.

Good luck in your search. It's a buyers market right now. Take your time and don't settle for less than you want.

 

Oh, forgot to tell you, thanks for those links in your other post Those were all new to me and it was VERY informative. Just what I need.

I've been trying to think this project out, I'm just having a hard time with this since the major mods such as H/C/I aren't usually done on the svt terminators due to the FI. So, I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to cams. So, I'm trying to educate myself on them. I'm learning though.

I was planning on limiting myself to 2002 and up. Not only for the oil burning issue in 01 due to the ring flutter but also for the extra 20 horse that the 02 has.

I'm eyeballing this one right now. Anybody familiar with this one? Is the previous owner on this site?

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...00&cardist=120

 

I had 96 mustang gt convertible with cobra engine and lot of mods. I sold that got a 94 corvette 6 speed and thought wow what a difference.

Then you hear in the C4 talk that the C5 is refined and smooth, But you hear nothing of the Z06. The C5 Z06 feels like I'm driving 94 C4 with way more power and way better handling.

 

I have owned two C5Zs and driven several C6s and one C6Z. For the money go C5Z all the way. It is a very fast car in stock condition. So I would also suggest that you drive it stock for a while. You will be impressed at what it will do. Add long tubes, cold air kit, and tune and you have another 30HP and dead nuts reliable car. Good Luck with your research.

 

Pretty high priced. I bought my 02Z with 26000 miles for 22k. This was in OCT of 09 not too far back. It is yellow and pure stock.
Good luck with the search. I looked for 4 months(2 of those was getting the wife to say yes) Never looked back. Never regretted my choice. It gets looks EVERYwhere I roll.

 

A local dealer here in Tacoma has a 2003 Z06 with about 22000 miles on it and I know they will sell it for $ 24.5k or maybe a little less. It is on Craigslist. They are asking something like $ 27.5 K.

 

Welcome to the other side. You'll love the C5Z06. I got mine 2 years ago and started tracking it. I only did a few mods: headers, x-pipe, Vararam, lower 1", dyno tune. It's all the HP you'll need. A buddy of mine just got an 03Z after many years of tracking a modded out hgih HP SVT Cobra. He tracked it bone stock and was 2 seconds quicker than he'd ever been in the Cobra!

 

So far I've gotten them down to $24k. I think that is reasonable for that car. You think that's a fair price?

 

Well, I test drove a 2007 c6. I was surprised at just how refined it was. But, that was kind of the problem. It was almost TOO refined for me. It didn't feel like American muscle at all. Felt kind of like a quick caddy. Almost made me feel kind of detached from the driving experience. Don't get me wrong, it's an awesome car, I just think I need something a bit more raw. I think the c5z06 will be a better fit for me.

 

Good info on cams.

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/genera...cam-guide.html