Z51 Question
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 817
Likes: 1
From: Raleigh NC
Z51 Question
I have been searching for a while for a C6 and I finally came across one locally, however it does not have Z51.
My question is if I purchase a non Z51 car and then get into doing track days how bad off would I really be?
Anyone have a non Z51 that wished they did?
Thanks!
My question is if I purchase a non Z51 car and then get into doing track days how bad off would I really be?
Anyone have a non Z51 that wished they did?
Thanks!
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 16,684
Likes: 1,193
From: La Center WA
A C6 with any factory suspension set-up is a great car. Having said that, I'll add that if you intend to spend much track time, you'll probably be happier if you hold out for a Z51 car. Not only will it give you the extra cooling and "trackability", it will also prevent you from second-guessing your choice.
Go big or don't go...
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,569
Likes: 1
From: Georgetown TX
the tranny and PS coolers are great things to have.
The oil cooler, not so sure - but I guess it's helping. I can get the engine oil temp to 275 on the street if I push the car. I can pop up over 300 degree's on the track (like last weekend).
I've never had the tranny temp warning since running this car on the track - I think the tranny cooler is kicking ****!
HPDEs = Z51 without a doubt. I'd like to add a diff cooler, but everything works well the way it is.
JK
The oil cooler, not so sure - but I guess it's helping. I can get the engine oil temp to 275 on the street if I push the car. I can pop up over 300 degree's on the track (like last weekend).
I've never had the tranny temp warning since running this car on the track - I think the tranny cooler is kicking ****!
HPDEs = Z51 without a doubt. I'd like to add a diff cooler, but everything works well the way it is.
JK
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 38,314
Likes: 35
I have been searching for a while for a C6 and I finally came across one locally, however it does not have Z51.
My question is if I purchase a non Z51 car and then get into doing track days how bad off would I really be?
Anyone have a non Z51 that wished they did?
Thanks!
My question is if I purchase a non Z51 car and then get into doing track days how bad off would I really be?
Anyone have a non Z51 that wished they did?
Thanks!
with mpuzach. Unless you are really good, you should be OK with the non Z51 model, as most cannot drive up to the capabilities of the base car.However that said, the Z51 comes track ready and will afford you advantages over the non Z51 car on the road course, if you are planning on doing track days.
I would go ahead and get the Z51 equipped car if I were you since it seems like you are interested in tracking the car.
And this stuff about cracking rotors is for the most part
. Rotors are a wear item and will have to be replaced, be they drilled or not, if you plan on doing a lot of track days. Rotors, tires, brake fluid, brake pads are items you are going to go through if you track your car.AFVETTE shows what his rotors look like having run laps at Road America
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1525803
This is my car and these rotors had been on the track for a few HPDEs before these pictures were taken
The car now has 11K miles on it and the rotors still look like new. The pads have been replaced.
Last edited by '06 Quicksilver Z06; Jun 6, 2007 at 02:43 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 29,085
Likes: 14
From: Cary IL and Parrish FL
St. Jude Donor '10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
I have a non z51 vette and I love it. I take it to the track too. You can get all the z51 parts after market anyway. Much better parts (costlier) but better.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 18,727
Likes: 711
From: Bergen County, NJ
I don't think its an actual cooler. I understand that in a Z51 the oil passes thru a tube that goes thru the coolant. So if the coolant is hot, it makes no difference.
Race Director
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 15,324
Likes: 2,080
From: Guelph, Ontario
But it's extremely rare to see your coolant temp go above 240F, so it has to help a little bit anytime your oil is hotter than that.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
5 Best & 5 Worst Corvette Daily Drivers
Joe Kucinski
The Headlights of Every Corvette Generation Explained
Joe Kucinski
5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!
Joe Kucinski
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,158
Likes: 4
From: Henderson Nevada
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 143
Likes: 4
From: Wichita KS
I read this post with interest. I attend a few track days a year and was looking for something to replace my S2000. I have a friend who has owned a 2000 FRC and now has a 2002 Z06, both of which I have driven on numerous occasions. While neither is a nimble as the S2000, either will turn better lap times on a road course. After driving his Z06, I caught "Vette fever" and started looking for one. The C5 Z06 is a brute, but to be honest, I do not like the feel of the shifter and the seats are too soft for my taste. This weekend I drove a new C6, but the dealership only had 6-speed models with the base suspension. I was impressed with the improvements in the shifter over the C5, but the suspension was way too soft for my taste - much softer than the Z51 equipped C5 (which I still do not consider overly stiff). When my wife drove the car, she turned and said "this doesn't feel like a sports car". The steering was numb, and it lacked on-center feel. I am trying to find a Z51 equipped C6 around here, so I can compare the two. If I like it, I will pull the trigger on a new '08 with the Z51 option.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 38,314
Likes: 35
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 817
Likes: 1
From: Raleigh NC
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,962
Likes: 29
From: Van Buren Arkansas
Wounded Warrior Escort '11
I'm not him, but I just got the same badges for mine off Ebay. Mine just went on and look the same as pictured.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,612
Likes: 0
From: Streamwood IL
HPDE == High Performance Driver's Education (re: TRACK DAY.)
The coolers will help, a LOT. Boiling your power steering fluid is not fun. I was regularly getting Trans Temp warnings with my C5 Z06, and I am looking forward to not getting those with my '08 Z51.
The base suspension is "good." But the Z51 will be better on the track (at the expense of comfort on the track.)
I plan to use the factory rotors for the street anyway. I will get a standard caliper bracket (to locate the caliper closer to the hub for "standard" sized rotors) then run rotors from Napa for $18ea. I will swap brake rotors and pads for every track event I do.
I want the coolers and the stiffer sway bars. Anything else in the Z51 package is "gravy" to me.
The coolers will help, a LOT. Boiling your power steering fluid is not fun. I was regularly getting Trans Temp warnings with my C5 Z06, and I am looking forward to not getting those with my '08 Z51.
The base suspension is "good." But the Z51 will be better on the track (at the expense of comfort on the track.)
I plan to use the factory rotors for the street anyway. I will get a standard caliper bracket (to locate the caliper closer to the hub for "standard" sized rotors) then run rotors from Napa for $18ea. I will swap brake rotors and pads for every track event I do.
I want the coolers and the stiffer sway bars. Anything else in the Z51 package is "gravy" to me.
