The Z06 is about a lot more than power... they actually did more to reduce weight in these cars than they did to add power, not to mention the brake ducts and uprated suspension to improve track performance

The Z06 has the most structure as well, due to the fixed roof and no hatch

That said, clearly the choice for the OP is the vert: buy it, cage it, build it, drive it

 

I appreciate the input and beautiful car! I would agree with that one though, just being able to pull the top down and cruise away is awesome, even my t-tops are a bit of a pain sometimes, it just takes time as opposed to just dropping the top.

I wasn't a big vert guy either, until my dad got one.. I cannot stand WS6's in a vert, so I'm with you there haha

I'll post a pic of my ws6 at the end here.. I think it would good accompanied with a vette

I agree with that one, I think I will be going with a vert, however, with my daily getting older I am starting to consider getting a new daily here soon.

I wish my dad would have just kept his vert... I'd buy it from him haha

Thanks for the input guys! I'm hoping there's a little bit cleaner roll bar than what I've seen online, but I suppose I can always just fab one.

I appreciate the input guys! I don't think buying two is in the plan for now though

Why do you say it won't be faster than an equally built z06? To my knowledge aren't the main differences of a z06 the ls6 intake, 243 heads and a better cam?

Wouldn't those three things pretty much put them hand and hand?

I also read the vert's were the same weight, but maybe a bit more than a z06?

I like that!

Don't they add more under-body structure to verts? They also don't have a hatch, so I would think that structure stability may be similar? Suspension and such, I'm sure that's a small fall-behind for the vert.

 

Also, here's my WS6 for those who may be interested.. 2000 WS6 with 8500 miles..

IMG_4248 by MitchTrewynPhotography, on Flickr
IMG_4229 by MitchTrewynPhotography, on Flickr

 

IMO verts are for cruisers...FRC's and Z06's for "fast" builds.

 

Supercharged Vert

I have an 01 procharged black vert and absolutley love it

 

Why do you take that opinion? It seems to be that most that have that opinion have it due to what is common.

Fast verts don't seem to be too common around here and I like that.

Nice! How many horses are you pushing? Any other mods?

 

I am pushing about 5 psi and nearly 475hp and 475tq
I am putting LG longtubes a new Pully (8PSI) and getting retune for about 550HP and 500TQ

But even at the old power levels it is just a blast to drive
I love the drop top and really prefer that to all other models

 

I decided on a convertible before I selected a corvette, I'm a sucker for scenic drives, what can I say. And it can get pretty scenic at any time, you never know when the bigger visible picture will make the ride a memory.

To illustrate, one memorable top down evet , was a fly over that I caught of the space shuttle flying overhead , making a last pass for the aerospace workers below, before it went on museum display. I was looking for a performance shop, and was under the flight path by chance. I looked up and saw this fantastic sight, with the top down I could follow it in the sky , so I chased it a bit, finally meeting a huge traffic jam around the airport where I ran into all the more on the ball folks who had been waiting for hours to get good visibility. As it turned out , the crowds were so large, outlaw parking sprang up, so I did that a got a good view with the crowd of the final approach.

I hope the stories of my planned trips to the red wood forests and monument valley are just as memorable, they will also be top down , so more fun.

I left out he part about pretty girls and the increased pedestrian and bystander interaction, you are no longer separated by structure from the outside, you are sitting out in the open, probably with a smile. people like to say stuff, it's fun,

 

I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT.

 

That's pretty impressive, pretty good numbers and I'm sure it's super fun to drive!

That's one thing I like with my WS6... t-tops make me feel like I'm nearly outside the car.. I remember my dad's vette being even better.

That's beautiful.. I love those wheels, those or spyder wheels look awesome on the verts

 

Hi; I would look at it this way...... 2003 or 2004 c 5 s ...... would be my choice of years...... plain c 5 350 horsepower and convert.... z 0 6 405 horsepower fixed roof..... do you want a little more power with a roof over your head and no wind in your hair buy a z 0 6....... do you want a little less power and no roof over your head and wind in your hair buy a plain vert... THAT WAS EASY GOOD LUCK

 

Nice !!!

 

If its for fun its a vert. Track is easier with a hard top. Check out RPM roll bars in Newberg Or. They did a roll bar for me, excellent choice. Had to lower the seat to get it on the track.

 

Overall it's just my opinion. Not only do I prefer a roof over my head...but a more purpose built performance model as the platform to build a beastly car from. IMO the best C5 Chevy built was the C5Z...it didn't come in a vert, did it? There were reasons for that.

Anyhow my experience with verts has also always been with cruisers. If I am in a car with the top down it's when I'm cruising. I don't like doing freeway or faster speeds with the top down. Don't like the wind. Lastly I'm not fond of rag top cars.

Nothing wrong with them though and they do look great with the top down, the right stance and a nice set of rims!

 

I'll have to check them out!

Any reason you had to lower the seat?

That's a fair assessment! I kind of feel the same about WS6's, I don't like the thought of my buddies WS6 vert being fast, as opposed to a t-top car.. but again it's all preference.

I just think something about being able to be out in the elements and then deciding I want to put the top up would be something cool and different for my next car.. and I'm going to keep my WS6, so I can always go back to that for a 'hard-top' car of sorts.

 

OP, Once you go vert, you never revert!
Even when I bought my WS6 it had to be a convertible and with a 450hp LS6 it was plenty fast..Ive owned a couple of hardtop F-body's (90 GTA, 94 Z28, 91 Formula 350) and especially here in Florida there were plenty of times where I had wished they had at least T-Tops, not even during a torrential downpour have I ever wished any of my verts were a hardtop..

 

That's a beautiful looking WS6!

I would like them better if Pontiac was a little more clever with those spoilers.. that's the one part that really bothers me haha

I plan to get a G8 for a daily then a C5 vert for a 'build' car...

I would then have a little of everything haha

 

I've done a lot of research on this... The only commercially available real convertible roll bar is from Wolfe, and I'd have to agree that its really pretty ugly.

ESC used to make a rollbar that looked really good, but it limited seat travel a lot, and was basically unusable for anyone over 6'.

Basically, you either have to sacrifice seat travel, hack up the tonneau cover, or go with the Wolfe design. If you get the right aftermarket seats you can mostly solve the seat travel issue.


Yes there are some engine differences, but if you get an 01+ Vert, the real horsepower difference between them and a Z06 LS6 engine is pretty small... like 30 maybe 40 rwhp. If you're going forced induction, the difference is inconsequential. Arguably, the LS1 is better for F/I anyway since it has slightly lower compression (if you keep the stock heads/internals).

C5 convertibles and C5 coupes (hatchbacks) weigh the same, ~3245lbs.

The Z06 weighs around ~3115lbs, so about 130lbs difference. The weight advantage, more aggressive transmission gearing, and suspension upgrades are really the main thing that separate the Z06 from other C5s.

The Z06 will be a little stiffer... but its not a huge issue. C5 verts are amazingly sturdy, GM put a lot of effort into designing a very stiff and innovative chassis for the C5.

The C5 chassis was designed as a convertible. The convertible has no additional structure or reinforcement added to it like most other convertible make and models do. One major reason for the good stiffness is the windshield frame is REALLY thick, around 1.5" thick solid aluminum, its basically a rollbar.

In short, Z06 you have better stock suspension, a little more stock HP, around 130lbs lost, better stock wheels (if you keep them), more aggressive transmission gearing, slightly stiffer chassis, no major need for a roll cage, and rear brake ducts. All of those things except the weight difference and chassis, is pretty easy to swap Z06 parts onto a convertible. Whether the Z06 performance upgrades are worth more than open air cruising is just a matter of personal preference. If you're doing major mods the engine differences are moot.

 

Aren't a majority of the weight savings coming from the Titanium exhaust and stock Z06 wheels?

 

I don't know off hand exactly how it breaks down, but there's a lot of little weight savings.

No TPMS, lighter seats (less power options I believe), thinner glass, the fixed roof coupe saves something like 45 pounds over coupe or convertible, no foglights, less sound deadening, and the exhaust like you said. Probably some other stuff too.

The wheels weigh about the same base C5 wheels.

19.2 lbs, front; 21.4 lbs, rear - 97-99 OEM wagon - Src
22 lbs, front; 29 lbs, rear - 97-99 OEM wagon - Src
17 lbs, front; 19.5 lbs rear - 97-00 OEM magnesium - Src
17.5 lbs, front; 19.5 lbs, rear - 97-00 OEM magnesium - Src
18.08 lbs, front; 20.06 rear - 00 OEM standard, thin spoke, high polish - Src
17 lbs, front; 20 lbs, rear - 00 OEM standard, thin spoke, painted, no sensors or centercaps - Src
16 lbs, front; 20 lbs, rear - 01 OEM standard high polish - Src
19.6 lbs, front; 21.4 lbs, rear - 01 Z06 forged - Src
19.2 lbs, front; 21 lbs, rear - 02-04 Z06 cast/spun - Src, Src