Hello, as my username suggests, I drove a C5 (a vert which I managed to roll and wreck) and I'm now contemplating a C6. I know all about 05 rear end, so I think 06-07 in Z51 spec since I like "spirited" driving and the occasional trackday. Since I've rolled and lived to tell it, it's coupe for me now, I dont think its any more rollover protection in the C6 vs the C5?
I also consider the GS, but it's stretching the budget.... So right now my top choice is 06-07 Z51 giving me the budget for some upgrades.

My main question is about the transmission; is the A6 worth considering? I have driven the A4 in C5 (mine was M6) and thats rubbish. I've also driven my friends C7 Z06 with auto and that was really good. How would you grade the A6 trans (Z51 gearing) in these cars?

All inputs in my pre-buy fase is welcome, thanks!

 

You'll get a lot of people on here who will tell you it's not a sports car if you don't get a manual. That's a preference and really not true. The instructors at Ron Fellows Corvette Racing School at Spring Mountain in Nevada spent a portion of one morning I was there teaching us why a person can't out-shift the computers Chevrolet puts in these cars. Your drive in your friend's C7 Z06 showed you that, and if you are into shifting all the time you can use the paddles in the C6 with the A6.

That being said, I sold a C7 A8 to buy a C6 so I could modify the engine. Every tuner I spoke with told me to get the M6 because they take the additional horsepower a modification will put into the drive-line better than an A6. I agree with you about the A4 in the C5. I did some minor modifications on my 01 C5 and within a couple of months completely burned out third gear in that car. I had to replace it with a competition transmission and torque converter. I'm no expert on how much additional horsepower an A6 will take, so maybe some others on this forum can speak to that. I have a M6 in my 09 Z51 and it has no problem with 471RWHP.

These cars have really well built cabins as far as safety is concerned. I rolled a C4 many years ago. The car looked terrible but the driver compartment held up really well and I walked away with a cut on my head where it hit the driver's side glass and a broken thumb and finger because I was gripping the steering wheel. I'm very comfortable in the driver's compartment of my 09 coupe.

 

I chose an A6 in my Centennial GS vert because I was daily driving it 30 miles one way in heavy rush hour traffic. I have HP Tuners and performed a few minor tweaks to get the shifting to my preferences, along with eliminating almost all of the crippling torque management. It woke the car up a lot, and I don't miss the clutch at all. I personally would pay more to get the A6 over the 4L65E, but there are those who say the 4L65E is capable of being built for more horsepower than the A6. I'm not doing any major hp mods because my current 436 hp can't really all be fully utilized for street driving, so the hp limits for A6 don't concern me.

 

I believe the A6 has heat management issues on the track so I would research that and determine if your track pace will cause issues with that. The M6 cars are in my opinion more popular and as such command a small premium so the money saved might allow you to get a nicer example if you go with the automatic.

 

I was helping a friend find a C6 GS with a M6 in his preferred color choice. It took about 60 days before we found the right combination. It was priced about $1,700 higher than a similar C6 GS with the desired colors, options, lower millage but with the A6. The original owner refused to budge on the asking price. Given what we learned about the desire to have a M6 over the A6, he decided to pull the trigger and pay asking price.

As for the heat issue, we were aware of it but from the center console, the A6 generated more heat in that area then the M6.

 

I think you're talking about interior temps / aka comfort. I was talking about the durability of the transmission and being able to hold up and perform at track temperatures

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...the-track.html <- just one thread where people say at street tire speed the a6 is fine but as you get faster and tires get stickier you need more cooling.

 

The 4L65E seems to stand up to high horsepower versus the A6.I am on my first built 4L65E for the last 5 years and friend is on his 6th built A6 and it is slipping in 4th,5th and 6th as we speak.

 

Pretty easy fix by installing a stacked plate cooler with a fan.

 

A6 do not have heat management issues on track. You can improve their heat management, but at stock power levels, stock tires, etc they cool just fine on track. When you start adding stuff to go faster than stock is when you really need to start to think about it.

 

I have a 2006 Z51 optioned couple with the A6 paddles. I have it in "S" mode all the time, and use the paddles 90% of the time.
I bought this car for road trips, and having had manual transmissions in all my other sports cars, they are a pain in heavy city traffic.
I thought that my wife may also want to drive it occasionally.
The Z51 option includes a transmission and power steering cooler, so transmission heat is a non issue.
The interior heat at the tunnel can be lessened by adding heat insulation under the interior carpet in that area.
The axle gearing is very responsive with the A6 in Sport mode.

 

I am now on my 9th Vette, having just given my son my 2004 torch red/oak C5, completely customized and tuned with 38,000 original miles. I finally, after a few years found my dream car , a C 6 2013 427 anniversary model white convertible. The C6 is absolutely beautiful and handles like a dream!!
Good luck

 

Primarily yes, you are correct, should have been more descriptive about friends’ desires, he will track his GS so he would be interested in the M6 transmission performance under track driving conditions also, thanks for the link.

I have no intentions of ever tracking my 427, it is not allowed in most high-speed events anyway and the interior heat is already WAY past my discomfort zone at normal driving. For me I was considering a C5 Z06 as an autocross / track car, but I am beginning to rethink that idea after recently driving one.

 

A6 is a great trans. The A8 in the C7 and all other GM products have been nothing but a nightmare. Just google it and you’ll find out.

 

I had a 15 C7 with an A8 until May 2019. I drove that car hard on many occasions and never had a hiccup from the A8.

 

Test drove a C6 with an A6 the other day. The car was docile when need be and a beast when you got on it. That being said, I was really disappointed on how lazy it shifted. The paddles did nothing for me, and the delay in the shifts reminded me of a TH350 being manual shifted. 3 days later I bought an '06 6MT. Now that's how a Corvette should drive!

 

what is making you reconsider the c5z as a track
toy? They are great options for that purpose.

 

I have the M6 and love it. Something else to consider though would be the engine. My absolute favorite color on a C6 is Lemans Blue, hands down. Unfortunately they stopped making it in 2007. I chose an Atomic Orange 2008 because of the LS3 engine. I know that you can mod a LS2 to make more power than a stock LS3 but if you mod them both the LS3 will have the advantage. Just my $.02, any way you go you’re going to love being in a C6!

 

the 08+ also had some other advantages besides just the engine. The 08 cars had the revised tr6060 transmission, revised steering bushings, the carbon fiber center dash. Starting sometime after 09 you get bluetooth and then in 10 you can't get a narrow body z51 because the z51 was replaced by the grand sport.

 

I'd guess the dead fish steering feel and consistent rotor cracking, as well as their inferior aero profile. Those would be my reasons at least, lol.

 

what are you considering instead?