:iagree:

 

Do I believe that a modded ZR1 could beat a stock Z06? Sure. But a stock ZR1 does not have a chance against a stock Z06. I ran a stock '93 ZR1 at the drags in my '02 Z06. I ran a 12.5 at 116 MPH (with a 2.1 60' time) , he ran a 13.4 at 109. My car was 100% bone stock at the time. Stock ZR1's do not run mid to low 12's. They just don't. But I guess he would've eventually caught me and passed me after about 5 miles because his top speed is 178 and mine was only 174. :lolg: And we all have been caught up in those 5 miles races at one time or another...right? :rolleyes: Also, my best friend owns a '95 ZR1 with a DRM chip, intake and exhaust. His mouth about dropped the first time he drove my Z06. His exact words and I quote "So much for the King of the Hill thing"...waiting for flames from the ZR1 fellas.

 

This is definitely the truth. I've driven my friend's relatively 90 ZR-1 (LPE Radiator and a K&N), and the truth is that they just aren't as fast. Sorry. Modded? Sure, but that defeats the point. The point is that the Z06 is a quicker car, stock to stock, AND is faster in the turns, which eliminates "king of the hill" thing in my mind. If any Vette thus far deserves that title, it's the Z06. :yesnod: :smash:

The ZR-1 once was king, but not anymore. And as far as 24 hour records go, that's all fine and dandy. Durability is great. However, the faster car is the Z06. :thumbs:

 

Just to give some of you a clue, don't get hung up on the whole "airstrip" thing. Moving on...

"King of the Hill" was a title the ZR-1 earned back in the day because it was quite literally the king of the hill. It made light work of pretty much all the production cars on the road. If you get into all the details behind it, it's amazing GM even built the car at all. King of the Hill refers to a brief span of time where the Corvette really was the fastest best handling car on the road, for a fraction of cost what Europe could put out. King of the hill is NOT a title to refer to the car's present day performance level when compared to modern cars. The ZR-1 will always be the King of the Hill.

The Z06 has a title too, "Best Corvette Ever". It's quicker and handles better then the ZR-1; most ZR-1 people would agree. Now of course there are a few ringer ZR-1's out there that can beat some of the Z06's out there. One of the problems with the LT5 is there was quite a bit of variation. Some ZR-1's will run 12's all day and other cars wont break 12's to save their life. Apparently, as best as I can figure, there were variations in the cam timing resulting in resulting in a mix of performance levels. The ZR-1 is not a quarter mile car; even the 330hp LT4 can keep up with a ZR-1 in the 1/4 mile stretch. The ZR-1 needs the room to make up for it's weight disadvantage. It was designed to run at redline all day long. It is a top speed monster. Top speeds also vary for these cars, some will hit the low 170's others can break 185.

The LT5 is a remarkable engine that has proven it's reliability and responds very well to basic mods. It's intake design also allows the car to make lots of power and still maintain its smooth idle. The car is fun to drive. It's brutish when the secondaries open up, sort of like a 100 shot of NOS. There is power at every speed, and running them to 7000 RPM is required to keep them healthy. There is a music to the engine as the 32 valves and 4 cams perform; your ear holds on to every note. As you can tell I have a lot of passion for the car, it is my soul car. I know what it took the make the car a reality, I understand what King of the Hill means, I will always have a ZR-1.

Are there going to be chance encounters where the ZR-1 will beat a Z06? Sure. I would expect with it's weight, gearing, chassis and 14 year advantage that the Z06 will win the majority of the races. I think the ZR-1 guys just tire of a lot of comments that are made by people who have never owned or driven a ZR-1, and I don't mean around the block driven, I mean "at the limit" driven. We all know the Z06 is a great car, and we give it lots of respect; we just want to see that respect returned. For those who still need to write the ZR-1 off as an overweight, complicated, doorstop looking Corvette, we leave you to your thoughts, and smile quietly to ourselves. Respectfully - a corvette enthusiast.

 

Yes, the ZR-1 was and still is a great car. I agree fully. It is certainly the best C4. My C4 was in my family for about 15 years and my bonds with that car were a lot tighter than the bonds I have with my Z06. My Z06 will probably be up for sale if and when the C6 Z06 comes out.

The truth of the matter is the majority of ZR-1 vs. Z06 threads are definitely started in the ZR-1 section. There were two just this week. The only two ZR-1/Z06 threads in this section over the past 6 months were started by me. These threads were just links back to the stories in the ZR-1 section. From where I sit it really appears that the ZR-1 guys are trying to prove something. I apologize if I am off base on this.

 

:iagree: Can't we all just have a :cheers: together?

 

I agree with every word. :cheers:

I have never driven a ZO6 or raced against one, anyway I would never badmouth any other corvette out there.
My ZR1 is quite modified and is scary fast (if you have never driven an LT5 you cannot understand what I mean), but I do own a 1988 L98 that I drive often and I enjoy it every time, maybe it is just that I love corvettes...

By the way, I live in Spain, we do not have dragstrips here, and my local muscle-car club have rented 2 different airfields to run 1/4 mile events several times, no problem with that, at least overseas.

 

That's because we are the underdog when compared to today's cars and a win is big news for us. :D

 

Aaron,

Thanks for your post - I learned more about the ZR1 than I knew before, and your views (while biased a bit - as they should be) were balanced and fair. The ZR1 earned it's King of the Hill name, and it should always keep that name. I like the Z06 as the "best Corvette ever built" as well, and of course I have some bias as well.

Les :cheers:

 

Killer writeup Aaron...you made me want a ZR1.

 

:iagree:

 

and also, :withstupid:

I've always wanted a ZR-1 as well. My friend's 1990 just had a lot of character to it. Very unique car, and a heck of a lot of fun to drive. The LT5 is a wonderful engine.

Again, I said what I said not to be closed minded. I was just under the impression that most of the arguments started with the ZR-1 guys to begin with (trying to diss the Z06 and basically dismiss the fact that the Z06 is a quicker car). You rarely ever hear any of the Z06 guys saying that the ZR-1 is a bad car. I hear all the time that the Z06 just has a truck motor, isn't exclusive, is basically just a hopped up LS1 (which is true, but that's not a bad thing....the LS1 is a badarse motor), etc, and it just gets old. It's like a lot of them want to hear Z06's guys say "Well, the Z06 is the best new Vette out there, but it's still not King of the Hill. The ZR-1 is still a better car". :rolleyes: My response was mostly a response to that attitude.

The facts are like this. The general will most likely never create another Corvette with the same soul as the ZR-1. It's totally unique, and it's an experience all to itself (it really is, I've driven one, and there's nothing quite like it). Also, it'll probably be the most durable Vette ever made for a long, long time. Also, the Z06 is quickest Vette ever made to date. That'll probably change soon, but up to this point, it's set the benchmark for sports cars that cost twice as much.

Something's to be said for both of those cars.

 

Agreed on that point. I have driven two ZR-1s, (one of which was BigVMaxx's cherry vehicle) in addition to a bunch of "other" C4's, and the ZR-1 is definitely a big cut above the other C4's. Not sure how that is possible, since they were all assembled in BG, but the difference is there. And it definitely gets the top prize for wow factor when the hood is open!!

I wish the LS1/LS6 engines had the look to go with the performance. But I guess you can't have it all.

 

Exactly. Bottom line: I love my ZR-1 - it has a sound unto its own. Do I want a Z06? HELL YES! Will I have a Z06 someday? Of course! Would I sell the ZR-1 ever? Not bloody likely! Both are awesome cars. Everyone knows why the Z06 is badass - but many have forgotten why the ZR-1 is "KOTH". Aaron has helped to show why we ZR-1ers are fanatics about our rides!! :cheers: :seeya

 

Great post Aaron! Aaron, you should save that and every month when one of these ZR1 VS Z06 topics pop up, post it. That'll help eliminate all this bickering. :cheers:

 

I am fortunate to be able to drive both the ZR1 and the Z06. For fun, it's nice to compare them to a 67 400Hp "427".

All three cars are plenty fast, and I keep them "bone" stock. They all have entirely different character, however. The 67' is simply a beast. It has a huge skinny steering wheel and goes sideways when pushed to the limit. For it's time it has a great suspension, but by today's standards it it a truck. I bought this 67' new.

The ZR1, is a huge piece of machinery. When it starts up there is a HUGE commotion from the engine. The seats are miles better than either the 67 or the Z06. MUCH better. It is extremely fast and lets you know about it continuously. I bought this car last winter, just because the prices have dropped so low. I always wanted one but they were too rich for me when new, plus every dealer wanted a huge markup. The ZR1 is by far the best bang for the buck right now. They will NEVER go lower in price. There are plenty around for half their new price, and less than 10,000 miles.

I believe, subjectively, that the Z06 is the quickest of them. By far the better suspension. The unique thing about the Z06 is that it drives around town like a Honda Accord. One would never know what a beast it truly is. It's quiet and has absolutely no lope. It feels so much lighter than the other cars. But, open it up and it just explodes. And mine is only a 2001. 385HP. I guess the new one's are faster--- but not much.

Keep them stock!
:flag :flag :flag :flag :flag :flag :flag :flag :flag :flag :flag :flag


[Modified by kgruber, 10:10 AM 11/29/2003]

 

:bs :bs :bs :bs :bs :bs
:sleep: :sleep: :sleep: :sleep: :sleep: :sleep:

 

Honda Accord! Heck, I Haven't driven a Honda in a while, but my Z has a lope and the gears feel nothing like the last Honda I remember driving! I love being "part" of the driving experience--that's what the Z06 gives me...
BTW - Love your '67 L68! If I remember right, those Stingrays back then only weighed around 3100 lbs.--kinda like todays Z06. Nice ride! :thumbs: