Anyone move up to an '02 or 03 and notice a good difference in performance? Just considering upgrading.

 

I had an 01 and I just got an 03. There is a difference in performance, but not huge. If your only reason is performance, I think I would add some bolt ons to the 01 and save your money. JMHO.

 

My 01 is a pig compared to an 02-03 :D :D

 

A posting of mine from an earlier thread:

Vette Vues magazine did a side-by side comparison of the 2001 vs. 2002 Z06 in their February 2002 issue. They tested eight (8) 2001 Z06's and twelve (12) 2002 Z06's, and averaged the results. This is probably the best way to really determine the typical performance of the typical bone-stock Z06.
Here are the parameters:
Cars were measured using Vericom Pro Performance Computer.
Experienced amateur drivers used.
Cars had 1/2 tank of gas on board.
All cars totally stock, using factory-recommended 30 psi tire pressure.

Here are the results:

2001 Z06-
Average for 8 different 2001 cars, (average mileage on cars was 8023 miles) :
0-30: 1.74
0-60: 4.56
60-100: 4.81
0-100: 9.11

Single best 2001 car:
0-30: 1.57
0-60: 4.41
60-100: 4.59
0-100: 8.78

Seperate test on a single 2001 car with only 498 miles on it:
0-30: 1.84
0-60: 4.66
60-100: 5.61
0-100: 9.99

2002 Z06
Average for 12 different 2002 cars, (average mileage on cars was 3986 miles) :
0-30: 1.65
0-60: 4.46
60-100: 4.67
0-100: 8.81

Single best 2002 car:
0-30: 1.56
0-60: 4.40
60-100: 4.67
0-100: 8.69

Seperate test on a single 2002 car with only 674 miles on it:
0-30: 1.72
0-60: 4.53
60-100: 5.53
0-100: 9.80

Vette Vues noted that RWHP figures derived from the Vericom data showed a number of 2001 cars putting out more than 400 hp net, and a number 0f 2002 cars putting out 420+ hp net. Not a single car put out less than it's claimed 385 hp / 405 hp rating.

My personal interpretation of the test results:

Updating from a 2001 Z06 to a 2002 Z06 will improve your 0-60 times about 0.1 sec. Updating will also improve your quarter mile times by 0.3-0.4 seconds, based on the observed 0.3 sec improvement in 0-100mph elapsed times with the 2002 model.

There are some 2001 cars out there that run very well, as good as a 2002, based on the single fastest 2001 car

It is also apparent that the cars get faster as the engine loosens up a bit after use.

Bottom line: I would trade in a 2001 for a 2002 only if I was a regular racer and needed the extra 3 or 4 tenths at the track. For street use, they are essentially identical cars, as street conditions can cause more variation than the 0.3-0.4 second gain.

I am not affiliated with Vette Vues magazine in any way. To contact them, you can go to http://www.vette-vues.com or call 386-775-8454.

Regards,
Scott

[Modified by Keystone, 7:40 PM 6/12/2002]

 

Keystone, Thanks for the data behind the opinion. And I agree with your conclusion.

Here's my data.

Both my 01 and 02 had been run at the drags at least 70 runs. The last 30 runs for both cars was with a Halltech cold-air intake (the Tric) and BFG 315.35.17 drag radials.

The 01 had a best run of 11.94. The 02 (currently) has a best ET of 11.72. I expect the 02 to run low 11.6s in favorable air later this Fall.

So the difference between my 01 and 02 in the quarter mile is 2-3 tenths. This difference holds up even if I average the 10 or 20 best runs on both cars.

It takes a real performance hound to spend $8K-10K for such a small performance increase.

Ranger

 

Yes, the 02/03's are a BIT quicker. But not enough to get me to switch out of my 01 yet.

 

Be patient, if you are not sure............that's your decision


when new things come out................ you will be sure


don't fall for GM's incremental marketing tricks

 

moparmike,

I agree with your comment about the marketing. I was almost pulled into the fray this week as I talked to one of the forum vendors looking to trade my 01 (with 8000 miles) for an 03. I held off, and if I need more performance I need only spend 50% of the difference at MTI and I'll have a rocket.

As a side note at a dyno day a few months ago my 01 Z06 (with intake and exhaust) had identical numbers to 2 different stock 02 Z06s.

David

 

Thanks for all the replies guys, I wasn't implying that I might think it was worth trading for just the performance, I was just curious if the guys who had driven both actually could feel a difference between the 2 versions. I found a very reasonable deal to move up 2 model years, so I decided to do it.