marinablu67

I've driven an 09 base coupe Z51 6sp with 19,000 miles on it. Would have bought it if it was a convertible on the spot! I'm finding it extremely difficult finding an 08 and up 3lt z51 6sp convertible with reasonable mileage, and a nice driver car!


I found an 08 base 3lt 6sp convertible with only 17,000 miles on!
It's fully loaded, and has factory navigation, and dual mode exhaust!
Clean Carfax for under $29K. I'm going to look at it tomorrow.


What I would like to know is how much of a difference can I expect from a base minus Z51 package, and the car I already drove?


Will I be disappointed?

mtarr07

The Z51 will be a little bumpier. Unless you road race the car and are a very skilled driver, you will not see a difference in performance. Base third gear is longer.

LMB-Z

Will you be disappointed? I doubt it. No extra horsepower, no more torque. Ride will be a little stiffer with the Z51. Not a big deal.

rkj427

this pretty much sums it up, especially if no track use intended................

good luck in your search.................

LowRyter

the base car should give you a smoother ride and make the car more comfortable.

You might hate it.

Mike's LS3

It all depends what YOU like. We can argue all day about different suspensions. It comes down to your preference.

In 2008, I test drove both the base and Z51 suspensions before purchasing. The difference between the two suspensions is quite noticeable. For me, hands down I prefer the Z51 because I enjoy a sports car that handles. Yes, the ride might be a little firmer, but that's what I like and would do the same today. For those who think the Z51 is strictly for road racing, they are wrong. The Z51 is for drivers who enjoy a sports car with greater street handling capabilities.

There is no wrong or right car, just the car YOU prefer driving.

mtarr07

It's all in the feel though. Literally that is IT. There is no way you're pushing the car hard enough on the street (let me guess, you have stock-like tires on it too) to actually have a difference in handling. Both the base and Z51 suspension aren't even remotely working to their limits on the street. IF you are even skilled enough to test those limits, you'd be a moron and endangering your life as well as others even attempting it on the STREET.

Lets put it this way. A base car with a good tire will beat a Z51 with stock rubber (or similar rubber). It's THAT small of a difference. 99% of the population wont do anything to touch the limits of either of the cars.

Again, if you want that FEEL, then go for it. But I promise you that you wont NEED or be missing out on performance if you get a base.

Corvette_Ed

Wow. Wrong. Handling of a Z51-optioned car is much different, especially once you get rid of the stock crap tires and lower it all the way down on the stock bolts. Acceleration is also much different thanks to the different gearing in the transmission.

mtarr07

1. Literally the only SINGLE gear that is different is 3rd (and it's shorter). The other 5 are the same. So your lack of understanding my point is obvious.

2. You mention different. As in feel. Which I TOTALLY agree with. It's a different feel. And that's 99% of the reason why someone should or should not get the Z51. It's what they want to FEEL. Because 99% of people wont be able to push the car to it's limits to actually generate a difference in PERFORMANCE between a base and Z51 car.

Again, the difference in PERFORMANCE is so minute that a better set of tires on the base car would make a bigger difference between the two. It's all about what feel you want.

ruxvette

And the Z51 equipped car sits about an inch lower.

extrapilot

Check this out;
Looks like only one gear IS the same.

Corvette_Ed

Maybe you should do a little research before spouting complete BS. Only one gear is the same, as evidenced by the chart extrapilot provided. I OWN a Z51-optioned car. I know what the F**k I have.

As proven above, WRONG.

mikeCsix

Mtarr07 sounds like a troll.

Having owned Z51 optioned cars and a GS, IMHO the Z51 is the performance version of the base model and handling is much improved, though it does ride a bit rougher. If you go the Z51 route, you could improve ride qualities with GS shocks and retain the flat cornering aspects. The Supercar tires that came on the Z51 are much improved over the base model too.

I love my track days, so the Z51 is my lowest rung on the ladder, and I've found the GS to for both my pocketbook and desires in a dual use car.

lastly, there is a difference in the cars that is usable and perceptible, you don't have to take it to the track to feel the difference, though it sure is a lot of fine when you do.

HTH.

mtarr07

Honestly, total brain fart on my end. You're right. I mixed up only one gear being different with only one gear being the same. It's been a while since I compared ratios and obviously I was thinking the exact opposite.

Chill man. Glad you know what you have. Calm down before you give your old *** a heart attack. I still stand by my statement that all you're FEELING in a z51 car versus a base is the FEEL. A Z51 car doesn't handle WORLDS better than a base vette. Around a track, the better tires from the factory (stock versus stock) make a bigger difference. It's primarily the bumpier/ more firm ride that gives you the impression it handles better. I'm not saying it handles WORSE. I'm saying the ride is firmer and AGREEING with you on FEEL. But nobody is going to be pushing the car hard enough on the street to MAKE a difference in performance. You're going to take that on ramp at 50mph in a base and Z51 car.

Have you ever raced anything, ever? I don't mean 1/4 mile, I mean actually race. There's totally stock squishy suspension cars that autoX with sticky *** tires and nothing else and WRECK dudes with really stiff suspensions. Why? Because traction (tires). A squishy suspension (the base vette in this example) will have more travel in the suspension. The stiffer suspension (the Z51 in this example) will feel like it handles better because you're going to feel every bump in the road and there isn't as much travel. But I promise you, 99% of people will register the same times around the track in both cars if equipped with the same tires. The Z51 car will FEEL more firm though.

Now, go look at your car in your garage that has never seen track time and give yourself a pat on the back for having a Z51 car.

And you sound like a dufas.

You even bring up the different tires yourself. You are literally saying the SAME thing I am.

I am AGREEING there is a difference in FEEL. Jesus Christ.

I'm merely saying to the OP that he should go with whichever FEEL he prefers because there might be a HANDFUL of people on this entire forum that have the skill to actually push both versions to the limits enough to show the discrepancy between the two.

At the end of the day we are talking about a ~3200lb Corvette. Pick whatever makes you feel happy and whatever you prefer because there's a very good chance you don't have the skill to utilize the advantages of any of the versions. It is literally all for bragging rights. And if that's what makes you happy, then good for you.

HOXXOH

Hey wait a minute. Can I get in on this suspension thread with a F55 and Z51 sways? JK

To the OP. Your quest is difficult because you limit yourself to '08 and '09 3lt verts with an M6 and Z51 option. Only about 10% of verts had both the M6 and Z51 option and another 10% had the M6 without Z51. Neither of them are always 3lt equipped. About 30% of verts had the Z51 option with an A6. That leaves 60% with either the base or F55 suspension and an A6.

As far as the performance is concerned, the base with Z51 sways and some better than OEM tires should satisfy the driving experience.

It's a good thing you don't have a color mandate.

wayback

My 07 is a base car. I upgraded the sways to Z06 first. Felt great at normal speeds but unforgiving at their limit. No tell tell signs just a sudden switch of which end was at front.
Changed the rear sway to Z51 spec (fronts are the same for Z06 and Z51). Much better for stock sized tires with advance notice of rear end getting loose. Went with Z06 shocks after trying 4 different makes ( just my preference).

So OP, you can easily and fairly inexpensively change the suspension to Z51 speck. The more expensive change will be the gears and diff gearing.

All things being equal a Z51 should be faster off the line.

mikeCsix

OP, despite the verbal battle from some who thinks their opinion comes along with the 10 Commandments, it really boils down to what you want out of the car. If you're looking for a grocery-getter, the base model will work fine, and for a lot of people, that's all they want. One of my pet peeves is buying a car like this and not getting the options on it to be able to enjoy a track day in some form. Wayback makes a good point regarding suspension changes and results, the Z51 package came with more mods, and the GS came with even more. The point is, mods can get expensive quickly and it's cheaper to buy a package to help you get to where you want. Track days are great fun and allow you to explore limits in a safe and sane environment, but there are driving conditions you can unexpectedly find yourself exploring limits that test your ability to cope with. HOXXOH makes a great point regarding the Mag ride suspension, and the APP exhaust is another popular option for those that like to visit the upper RPM range.

mvett6802

I have an '08 base conv. with the Z51 option. It's an MNZ 6sp and a 3LT. Hell of a ride. Having driven non-Z51s the car has, to me, a noticeably quicker acceleration 1st through 3rd. Gear ratios in MNZ transmissions are lower than non-Z51s and rpm's come more quickly and ferociously. Yes, a bit stiffer ride, but absolutely flat around the corners and entirely comfortable on the highway. Others may differ, but for me, the Z51 option is, well, not optional. It's a must have.

Mike's LS3

Your missing my point, the Z51 option doesn't need to be pushed to the limits to feel the difference, if it did it is not worth buying. I test drove both suspensions on the same day back to back. It took the first turn at the speed limit to "feel" the difference, more responsive and no body roll.

The Z51 came with stickier tires and has softer rear spring rate than the base.

BTW: You guessed wrong, I do not have the stock size tires or rims.

To each his own.

HOXXOH

The combo of tires and sway bars on the Z51 required a spring rate to match. The engineers at GM tested this stuff to the point that as little as a 5# difference was enough to warrant a different spring.

However, once you change one suspension part, including tires, the whole balance changes and not always for the better. The surprising part to me about spring rates is that the Z51 option and a GS use the same springs, but have significantly different tires and weight.

Spring Rates for C6
factory Front/Rear:
base 420/657
z51 525/645
GS 525/645
z06 531/782
T1 racing 582/850