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I知 looking to get into a c6 either grand sport or z06. Right now I知 in a semi built 5th gen Camaro ss. I do a bunch of autocross and I知 wanting to get more on track and do some hill climbs. The car will be caged eventually which is why a grand sport is in the picture due to the steel frame vs alum. My brother has had 2 z06s in the past and I love them and have never driven a grand sport. For those of you who track or autocross or race please let me know your thoughts and reasoning.
Welcome to the Forum! This is a big question and I don't think you can go wrong with either. I considered both when I was searching and the GS won because of it's removable top. It's a feature I thought I would use a lot and it turns out I do. No regrets here. The Z has its own benefits being lighter and more powerful but the added expense of addressing the LS7 heads if you plan on racing it. Truly, either one would make a great autocross toy.
After owning a z06, i would not get another and go grandsport. Peace of mind with an LS3, targa top, much tamer ride. Love the raw mean power of the ls7 but it's just too much IMO.
fwiw - I owned a modded (headers, exhaust) '12 GS dynoed 411 rwhp, and my current supercharged Z06 dynoed 595 whp. For regular driving, they're virtually the same car. If you're planning to track them, you'll feel some differences, but anyone that says there is night & day differences, I don't think so.
If you plan to go caged, you're going to be dumping money into it anyways, so z06 is the logical choice. The heads issue becomes moot since you're gonna be doing a lot of mods. At that point, the GS has no advantages unless you wanna go roofless and caged.
This an easy choice.
If you want to stay on the autocross circuit then choose the GS.
If you want to track the car at HPDE track days then the Z06 is the car you will want. The LS7 is very capable as is. Check the head issue and make sure sure you have the brakes for high speeds.
As you get faster, driving HPDE, you will need a few other modifications.
Grand Sport with 6-speed manual. LS3 reliability but with a forged crank and the same dry sump system as in the Z06. Same huge brakes as the Z06 as well. Add a modest cam, headers, and tune and you are at or above stock LS7 power.
Grand Sport with 6-speed manual. LS3 reliability but with a forged crank and the same dry sump system as in the Z06. Same huge brakes as the Z06 as well. Add a modest cam, headers, and tune and you are at or above stock LS7 power.
Z06 = Lighter, more power, close(er) ratio transmission, more $, no removeable top, no automatic available. You might want to drive both and see what you think. If you can't tell the difference, save some $$ and get a GS. But if you can tell the difference, the choice will be easy either way.
I've had four of the five "Z" series models (everything but Z07, which is basically a ZR1 with the LS7 engine): 2006 Z51 Coupe, 2008 Z06, 2010 ZR1, and now I own a 2011 Grand Sport convertible. I do miss the power of the Z06 and ZR1, but for all around driving (and cost), this Grand Sport is perfect for me. Of course, the Grand Sport didn't exist yet when I had my Z06 otherwise I may have ended up with that instead. And you will definitely be able to tell the difference between the Grand Sport and the Z06 because Z06 has more torque with a higher RPM, so it gets moving much faster and screams up top.
This Grand Sport has the best of all three of those previous C6s - Removable top (convertible) from the 2006, braking system, handling system and wider wheels / tires from the 2008 Z06, and the magnetic ride suspension and 4LT leather wrap interior from the ZR1. And it only cost me a little over $38K.
So, my recommendation is to get a Grand Sport M6 coupe to get the dry sump. My manual convertible still has the wet sump, and I'm okay with that because my track days are pretty much done. The only other thing I would recommend before you track a Z06 is to upgrade the cooling and oiling systems.
01-26-2023, 09:16 PM
Grand sport or z06
