Im looking at an 04 C5Z with 20k miles. Its largely been a garage queen, though the guy did autocross it some. He's owned the car since 2005 with 1800 miles! Anyway, because he's driven it so little, and hasn't had any issues with the car, he hasn't touched the harmonic balancer. I went and drove the car and it all looks in order. My question is, do these thing deteriorate after this many years even sitting in a garage 99% of the time? Would you expect it to last another 30k miles, or be needing replacement soon just based on age? Again, it looked fine and the car runs excellent.

Second question, im looking at putting on a Continental DSW all season tire on one set of the wheels (comes with two) for driving around town. I will drive the car easy, but are all season tires a bad decision on a Z? Should i go with a softer tire for safety reasons?

Thanks!

 

I have an 02 Z with less than 12,000 miles on it. I bought it with 4,000 miles six years ago. I replaced the valve springs as a precaution. Other than a minor oil pan leak and a window regulator, have had no problems. Replacing the harmonic balancer sometime in the future is not a major thing if it does happen. They are very robust cars and cheap to work on when compared to any other car with the same performance capabilities.

As far as tires, your choice will work. Just don't put run-flats on it!

 

Continental DSW all season tires are real good for everyday driving. If you reach the limits of the Continental DSW on the street, you will be flying.
I have a 2002 coupe and it had 77k on it a year ago 11k later I have no had issues even with the stock harmonic balancer. I did take a white paint pen and make the harmonic balancer to make it easy to see if it starts moving. I did get all the parts to replace it, I just have not had the time and with only one more month of driving before winter storage it will wait until next year.

 

These cars are designed to be driven, and you may have some problems since it sat so much. With that said, there is a C5 in the NCM that has over 770K miles on the original engine. The car is FAR from being worn out and needing to be replaced. The main thing that you'll need to look out for is the rubber. Rubber tends to deteriorate of time. You're already going to replace the tires. Look at the belts and seals. You'll also want to change all the fluids. Finally, I would HIGHLT recommend that you get a professional pre-purchase inspection done by a mechanic who is familiar with C5 Corvettes. If that goes well, you're good to go!

Tire selection depends greatly on your intended use for the car. If you are only going to drive it in warm nice weather, a max performance Summer tire will serve you best. If you're looking to use it as a track car, you'll at least want Summer tires if not dedicated track tires. On the other hand, if this is a year round daily driver, you'll want a good set of all season tires (or even better a set of Summer tires, and a second set of Winter tires). You can swap them out based on how hot or cold it is. Keep in mind that most Summer tires should not be driven on if it is below 40 degrees. The Summer tires will get you better performance. However, if all you do is plan to cruise around, the all season tires can handle that with no problem.

Good luck! Post up some pics if you get the car.