get a winter vehicle for bad weather and hauling stuff. i DD my c5z but also have an old 94 cherokee for the winter and hauling crap

 

That's a good idea. We get a month or two of rain out here but no snow where I live in the suburbs.

 

Key word .. practically. Ask me how I know?

 

I daily drive mine 40 miles to work and back for the last year. BTR stage 4 cam, VR, LTs, full exhaust and it still puts a smile on my face everyday when I start it up leaving from work. Very reliable car. 28mpg on the highway at 70mph. Pull the trigger

 

What kind of cam do you guys recommend for a dd? How much does it affect the mpg?

 

Shack...same feelings here. My Daily drivers are MB and Infiniti.

 

Your going to get numerous answers from this question. A good tuner will be able to make any cam daily drivable with decent manners. My cam specs: 235/242 .621/.592 111+3 LSA. No surging at 1500 in 6th gear.

So I believe you should pick a cam that fits your needs/goals, then find a good tuner, then DD the sh*t out of it. My mpg is negatively affected at idle only.

Chase

 

wouldn't mod the car at all for a DD, the stock cam gets great mpg and has mild ramp rates so you get a great valvespring life. aftermarket cams can have problems with emissions, get worse mpg and put more strain on the valvetrain

if you don't mind the noise headers and a free flowing air intake are the ideal DD mods. they won't have any affect on MPG and in some cases can actually increase it

 

What kind of whp am I looking at with bolt ons and a tune ?

 

390 plus or minus

 

DD stock 04 z06 rain or shine (no snow) in Alabama. First thing I did was ditch the stock tires for some 540 treadware Continental DWS. The difference in performance was minimal IMO coming from stock tires with 15k on them.

 

I know a guy who daily's his, here in Pa, year round. He said that he definitely feels it wouldn't be for everyone...but for him, he wouldn't have it any other way.

 

I've been doing that for the past month; Apart from the tires that I had to buy (Michelin PSS2...Ouch!) and Borla Stingers that I had to uninstall (and switched to Stock Ti, drone was killing me even though I got plenty of thumbs up from guys and nasty look from others), it has been uneventful. Watch the speed and let the engine warm up before pushing. Also be more aware of road conditions and you should be fine.

 

I say go for it...it will be fun! I did it for a couple years and it was great.

 

After this winter I feel sorry for his car. I thought my SUV took a beating this winter, can't imagine if I had to drive the z on some of the nasty days here in jan & Feb, that was brutal. As for the op, states like AZ I'm sure you would be fine driving one year round. They certainly aren't a 'practical' everyday car but no one buys a c5z because it's practical.

 

I DD mine to work 10 mi each way in LA traffic and it's fine.

 

I feel more sorry for the LA guy than the PA guy. 10 mi each way in LA traffic is what, 3 hours per day and a new clutch every year?

 

No about 25 min. Location, location, location. I switch off between the z06 and my z28 (just bought the z06 a couple weeks ago). Driving my 00 z28 is like driving a truck compared to the z06 with how low the z06 is (my z28 is lowered even too).

Both get around 16 mpg if you keep your foot out of it most of the time.

The firepower in the LS1/LS6 engines is something I'm not willing to part with on a daily basis.

 

People say this stuff and I guess it is tough for me to relate to living in the NE, but while the power/light weight of a Z28 or C5Z is great and all - for a DD I'd MUCH MUCH MUCH prefer something like my former car - a 12.7 second 130,000 mile (when I traded it in) bolted G8 GT, just under 4,000 lbs, 4 doors, interior room just a hair shy of a 7 series benz, great 6 speed auto tranny *when properly tuned*, SICK in the snow/slush when equipped w/ snow tires, looks awesome, handled remarkebly well, and brake phenomenally, not "for what it is" - braking was ridiculous PERIOD. That was a car where you could truly have your cake and eat it too - the Z? I'd just be paranoid driving into a CVS parking lot scraping it on the drive in let alone driving it through freezing rain and salt treated roads or a hail storm or getting pelted w/ DD freeway stones.

You guys gotta put the kool aid down and give this guy some legit advice.

My REASONABLE advice would be that driving a C5Z as a DD in AZ is doable but an extreme compromise - compared to any "typical" DD - no bluetooth, staggered rims so you can't rotate tires (expensive maintenance item if you put any miles on), no bluetooth, no cupholders, **** stereo, no nav, no backup camera, no heated seats, no auto (not that it really matters), loud, low to ground/hard to get in/out, gets pelted by rock chips on highway not just on bumper but EVERYWHERE, scrapes on the ground, can only hold 2 occupants, limited storage space other than trunk, scraping the body when placing stuff in the trunk - etc etc etc I could go on.

You want V8 rumble and handling while still having a sensible DD - compare these cars as alternatives and the C5Z seems pretty dumb as a DD - CTS-V 1st gen (same price point) or 2nd Gen (awesomeness) - how about the wagon!, dodge RT/SRT8 charger or challenger, pontiac G8 GT, Chevy SS (pricey but sick), bmw M3 sedan or coupe, Audi S4, Audi RS4, MB C63, Taurus SHO, And, my personal fav - the pontiac G8 GXP w/ a 6 speed manual, LS3 motor, HUGE, fast as SH*T, rare, good looking, etc.

My final $.02 It is your $$$ do what you want.

 

If you want compromise then fine, I personally made the decision there is no compromise.

And actually I'm originally from upstate NY until this past year I moved. My DD for back on the east coast was still my z28 (in summer) and then a 1993 buick lesabre for winter. No matter what, the car is going to get ruined if you drive it in winter. That 93 buick was a great winter beater. Was super reliable and got 34 mpg on highway trips. Not bad for a 20 year old car.

Also, these cars are pretty much bulletproof so I have no issue with racking up miles on either of my cars. The z28 still only has 79k and z06 is around 26k.