KMK454

So basically what you're saying as you stand upon your holier-than-thou alter is that anyone who modifies their Corvette using off the shelf parts from other models is a poser?

It's no secret that C6 Z06 brakes are better than C6, and that the wider track offers better performance. A cheap way for C6 owners to improve performance is to get these parts. C6 Z06 brakes are less expensive then a set of Stoptechs or other big brake kits. Tubbing is difficult, so a widebody is a cheap and easy alternative to get more rubber.

If I wanted a better contact patch, you better believe I'd get the Z06 widebody kit over tubbing... except the rear fenders, which I'd do as the Caravaggio (no vents). Cheap, easy, and readily available. And the low cost of the C6 Z06 brakes, the looks, and the "CORVETTE" logo make those more appealing than Stoptechs or Brembos, which are more expensive. Personally I'd get different rims as I'm not a fan of the C6 Z06 ones.

Putting badges on a non-Z06 - that is poser, no way about it. But using performance parts from a higher-level model? That's been going on forever and hardly constitutes posing. Is the Camaro a poser because it has an LS2? If the new Z28 Camaro has the LS7 as rumored, is it a poser?

And why all the derisive language about someone who modifies his car? Hack job DIYer? What's wrong with a little hot rodding? Are you really that attached to your Z06 badge that anyone who encroaches upon the sanctity of your Chevrolet is a hacker poser? Is any home-built hot rod a hack job? If so, why do some of these home-built hack jobs sell for more than a C6 Z06 ever could at an auction?

Come on man, you're really disappointing me. And you know I want a Z06, I'd take stock and warranted over modified because of what I do with my car; but that being said, there is nothing wrong with a little hot rodding. It's the ingenuity and creativity that makes the automotive world such a fun place. Regular C6, Z06, widebodies, half widebodies, whatever; do it right and don't rice it with inappropriate badges, and I approve.

This is the golden age of the Corvette. Enoy your Z06. I love my C6, and would like to have a Z06 someday as well. But I respect all types of 'vettes as well as the decisions people make regarding which car to get. Someone who modifies his car to suit his tastes is not a hacker DIYer poser.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

We'll simply agree to disagree.

IMO going out and turning your car into a DIY visual carbon copy of a more expensive and better car is building a posemobile. The usual and most typical purpose behind that is to make onlookers believe that the car is something which it is not.

Pick out the copycat.

ZR1: Heritage
Modern versions have specific side coves and other identifying features.

Z06: Heritage
Modern versions have specific side coves and other identifying features.

Grand Sport: Heritage
Modern versions have specific side coves and other identifying features.

"wide body": Heritage "you're kidding right?"
Modern versions of what I would call a fad, for lack of a better term, have whatever identifying features the builder chose to copy from the original model. All too often, it is liable to have whatever side coves, seats, wheels, identifying features, etc. from whichever actual model the builder was attempting to pass it off as, or whichever model "the spirit moved him" to acquire the original parts for.

No matter how you slice it, when you shake it all out, a home made "wide body" amounts to a complete or partial copy of a legitimate model of Corvette, typically using parts acquired in the aftermarket or from salvaged vehicles, the result being building it into a carbon copy lookalike or close to it, of an actual more expensive model, starting with a cheaper model.

Indeed, the term used in here "wide body" to refer to those homemade creations, is actually nothing more than a politically correct term, for what one could accurately, and indeed innocently, call a "copy" or an "imitation" or "faux".

Of course people who do it, well they don't like the term "copy" etc. being used, hence we have "wide body" which of course describes the same thing, but sort of "sanitizes" and makes more palatable, the practice of building a copy cat.

If the above comments make me sound "elitist" or whatever, then do know that everything I said above is accurate. There are no lies in it. Some may not want to acknowledge that it is accurate, but it is.

robvuk

Although Quicksilver is correct that MOST people make these appearance mods as posers, I agree with KMK that these appearance mods are also performance mods. If you track your car and you own a C6 (and the track could be drag or roadcourse) the widebody and larger wheels and tires is definitely a performance mod. It's not posing if you mod your engine, trans, suspension or rear end but it's posing if you put a widebody to accommodate larger wheels? I don't think so. Much of the road course superiority of the Z06 comes from the bigger tires probably more than the bigger hp at this point. I think that the GS, in spite of its weight will out perform the basic C6. We'll soon find out I'm sure. Then my point will be proven.

SABER Racing

Looks Like a nice car for the wife...

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Callaway and Lingenfelter build 550hp blown C6s, yet they don't see a need to "require" a "wide booty" or "wide body" for the package.

They put a maggie supercharger in your car, you NEED another hood. You need bigger injectors. And they sell that to you as part of that package.

I could put BFG G Force drag radials, which were wider than my stock tires on my C5. It never "needed" a wide body. Front or rear.

The "wide body" craze traces it roots to the popularity and the look of the Z06, and is born moreso from that, than any "performance need" for Z06 body parts.

robvuk

Callaway supercharged vettes are NOT built for the road course. And I believe that if you purchase a Callaway car itself, it comes with wider rear and tires. Furthermore, widebody tubbing and fender flares for larger tires have been around since the 50's. They didn't come up with that stuff to emulate a Z06.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Tubbing and add on rear fender flares are one thing. Adding OEM body parts front and rear, from another model vehicle, for the purpose of building a "replica" are quite another.

Actually, I don't believe that Callaway Supercharged Vettes have wider rear Z06 body panels.
http://www.corvetteblog.com/archives/182289-print.html
http://www.callawaycars.com/callaway...vetteSpecs.htm
http://www.motorauthority.com/callaw...-for-2009.html

Nor does Lingenfelter.

Either one of them will sell you the body kit if you want it, but it is not part of the 550 Callaway Supercharged C6 which you can order from some Chevy dealers.

robvuk

Well that's what I was talking about. The Callaway body kit. OF COURSE they don't use Z06 body parts. The whole point is to have an exclusive design. And sorry to say, a Z06 is not very exclusive.

I already agreed with you that MOST people who do this are posers but it's not exclusive to them. There's no way you can convince me that if I wanted wider wheels and tires on my car, that it would be cheaper and better to get aftermarket parts, cut and butcher my interior and have a body man mold on some fender flares than it would be if Chevy offered an off the shelf solution. Which happens to be the Z06 fenders.

I'm the first person to say that if I wanted to LOOK like a Z06 I'd BUY a Z06. But if I wanted to mod my base C6 I would go the cheapest most elegant way out, and that's Z06 fenders.

KMK454

Basically, you can't win with 06 Q. If a dude mods the crap out of his regular C6 and is making 8 million horsepower, he'll need more rubber out back to do anything. If he puts Z06 panels on the rear to accommodate more rubber, he is a poser, a faker, a fraud, a phony, and his only intent is to destroy the highly vaunted image of the Z06 emblem. If he's road racing and does it rear AND front to handle better, he's still a poser. Basically, regardless of the intent or the fact that the car doesn't have Z badges, the guy is a poser. Brutal.

I love my C6 in spite of any positive and negative comments. If I sell it and get a Z I'm sure I'll love it as well regardless of what others think. If someone hates what I'm doing or is scared that their badges are impinged upon, oh well. The look I did on my car has been copied a few times on the forum; do I care? No, not at all. I'm glad someone was inspired to play around with their car and get more enjoyment out of it.

I think the truth is all you Z06 guys are posing as Grandsport owners...

90sundevil

Porsche has made the Turbo body kit as an option on the older 911's and came out with special turbo bodied cars since they came out with the Turbo. The 1976-1989 911 and 89 Speedster, 1992-1994 964(911) 4S and American Roadsters, 1996-1998 993 4S, 2002-2004 996 C4S and Porsche people never complained so why are Corvette people.

GM should make all the neat stuff as options on all the cars across the line by model. If you want a standard C6 and want ceramic brakes make it an option, Carbon fiber exterior parts, Z06 body check the box at the time you order your car. You want a ZR1 without the Ceramics and Carbon, check the box. I would have bought the ZR1 if I could have lowered the price by getting rid of all the CF garbage and Ceramics and suspensions crap. Give me a choice of suspensions set up and I would be driving one right now. For that fact just drop the ZR1 motor in the Z06 and I would settle for that at 5k more.

QwikC

Much ado about nothing, yet for some the sky seems to be falling.

1985 Corvette

All this bickering amongst yourselves about the Z06's exclusivity being infringed upon, meanwhile the Viper, Ferrari, Lambo, Porche boys are kicking back and getting a good laugh out of it. Because to them, it's still a Corvette, a mass produced car that may never see an increase in its resale value. Nevermind the fact that the "exclusive" LS7 can be purchased by anyone and put into anything.

LS7s can be purchased by anyone with enough money and so many hot rods and import cars use that powerplant now. GM always does the trickle down effect with their Corvettes. They don't owe people anything, it's up to you to buy their products or not. You know this kind of stuff has happened in the past. If something becomes popular enough to make money off of what do you expect them to do?

If I had a Z06, there's no way I would be upset about this news in the least bit. I say be thankful GM is offering as much it is right now while it can. Corvette is a mass produced car, therefore it must appeal to the masses. The masses desired the looks of the Z06 wider body and they got it.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

We hear that from time to time. My answer to that is this: You say the Z06 is "not very exclusive"? I say its STILL more exclusive, and not by a little bit, than the garden variety, 1 of 126,000 copies C6, which is sitting in it's owner's garage waiting as a "candidate" for a "wide body conversion" just as soon as the parts can be mail orderd in.

Which when you get down to it, is perhaps the biggest reason why it is undergoing that conversion in the first place.

Well Rob, I understand the above. I agree with some of it, I don't agree with all of it, but thats fine too. We are free to disagree with one another.

What you call cutting and butchering your interior, I don't know. The tubbing I have seen done by Lingenfelter for example, didn't look so severe as what you describe above.

But Rob, when you get down to it, its copying, I don't care how you slice it, how your try and make it out, it still amounts to copying.

And on this following point we agree, MOST people who do this are posers. Some don't even want to admit that as fact, but we know that it is.



Just because we don't bring someone else to our way of thinking doesn't mean that we didn't "win". We both exchanged ideas and viewpoints and explained how we arrived at those viewpoints.

You still hold yours, I still hold mine. We shake hands. We both win, even if we don't agree.


And what if he is not making 8 million horsepower and racing the car everyday yet still puts factory OEM Z06 parts on his car in an effort to make it a spitting image of a Z06?

Please explain to me the purpose of using factory OEM parts from another car?

The body parts, just rears or even the fronts and rears, the wheels, the tires, the brakes, ALL factory parts from the original car.

I have actually seen one of these homemade "Wide Bodies" running silver painted, Z06 wheels on ******g original Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar EMT RUNFLAT tires. I call that just what it is. A copy cat.

Does Carvaggio and other companies out there make non identical rear body panels for the base C6? They do?

So are the people selling those body parts to those who want to make their cars look like the model that it isn't.

Could be. But see my first response to you.

Could be. But see my first response to you.

ZR1: Heritage
Modern versions have specific side coves and other identifying features.

Z06: Heritage
Modern versions have specific side coves and other identifying features.

Grand Sport: Heritage
Modern versions have specific side coves and other identifying features.

"wide body":

I know I stated for the record that the Grand Sport is alright in my book. I'm hoping to buy one. But homemade "wide bodys", lookalikes, and carbon copy imatations???

PCMusicGuy

The problem here is perspective. Some (many) people buy their corvette (any model) to serve as a status symbol. There are those out there that don't care at all about status and just want performance and something fun to drive. These people that upgrade to wider fenders for performance or appearance are not doing it for anyone else's benefit but their own. They don't care what people think and they certainly don't think of their car as a status symbol. They mod their car because they like it; damn everyone else.

Some people will never understand that. That's ok because, like I said, most do get a corvette for attention or for the sake of their social status. If they believe they need it or it will make their life better (which it actually might), more power to them.

1985 Corvette

I agree in a sense if the craftsmanship is poor.

nutrientcobra

I have changed my mind. I am not threatened, for I have a Z06 lol. Maybe Gm will make some money and get out of trouble which may lead to better products down the road. At first I was pissed but people will still want the bigger HP cars with the exclusive identity.

nutrientcobra

Yea I have cooled down. I am ok with the idea now. Vipers are great track cars but Z06 does track and nice every day car real well. I hope GM sells a bunch of these. A Grand Sport is just that and a Z06....Well!

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Thank goodness, I thought you were going to jump off of a bridge of something.


You have to keep this whole thing in perspective.

We knew going in that we were going to have to give up something.

This could have been a whole lot worse bro, a whole lot worse. I was around for the great srewing of 2007, which occured at the April 2007 Birthday Bash, and remember it like it was yesterday, and it wasn't pretty.

People paid cash for 2007 base C6s, and discovered less than 100 days later in some cases, that the cars they had just paid for were going to be at least 36 hp weaker than the next one.

That new one, it would have a larger, more powerful engine, and the engine that they had, was being nixed.

That the next one would have a stronger different transmission, different rear axle option, forged wheels, Z06 exhaust, in stainless steel no less, just like the Z06, Z06 engine parts, and a $#**load of other upgrades.

In the cases of people who financed those 2007 cars, well, some of them found all of this out just before their payment books for those '07s had come in the mail, and some found out 1 or 2 payments after having made their first payment.

Like I said, the great screwing of 2007 was bloody. There was a lot of gnashing of teeth. People were pissed. 05 owners, '06 owners, but especially '07 owners. And who could blame them.

I never will forget it. GM, at that very Birthday Bash of 2007, even showed a chart indicating that the LS2 based Vette was actually only making 395hp were it to be rated according to the same standard as the 2008 C6.

When this 395 figure came out on that chart, for the LS2, vs the 430-436 for the LS3, people went ballistic.

To "soothe" those who were irate, some said: "Well, you got what you paid for, you got 400hp under the old ratings system. You guys can't get mad because that would come out to 395 under the new ratings system. GM didn't screw you, they never said that it was 400 under the new system. They sold you 400 under the old system, you bought under the old system, never mind that its only 395 under the new system, which is what the LS3 is rated under."

It got ugly.

Then the pictures from the actual bash started to roll in. Seemingly tons of them compared to the number coming from this year's bash.

New wheels, forged wheels as opposed to cast. New console and trim, new interior options, new colors, new rear performance axle option ffor the automatics, new smoother shifting, shorter throwing, stronger transmission, better , upgraded steering.....Z06 dual mode exhaust....and then that larger more powerful LS3 engine with the Z06 heads and intake.

Some of those recent C6 purchasers, didn't know whether to $#** or go blind.

Then the dyno numbers started to come in, with base 2008 Vettes putting up 40 RWHP more than the 07s and prior. '07s that people had just paid good money for, and that some who financed were still paying good money for.

Then the track numbers started to roll in. Bone stock '08s running similar quarter mile numbers and trap speeds to nearly brand new '07s and earliers were running with headers, CAI, and tunes (and voided warranties).

Then it came to light that the pricing was damn near exactly the same as what an '07 costs.

Finally, some of the poor bastards who just simply couldn't take it, traded up....base C6 coupe for base C6 coupe.....and took $10,000.00-$12,000.00 hits doing it. Be glad that you didn't get caught up in that.

It was ugly.

So keep this whole thing in perspective. If all we have to give up is the body style, and not even across the board, but for a specific new "model" then we fell into a vat of $#** and came up smelling like a rose.

We gave up no power advantage, how would you feel right now, if they had added just 14hp to make it 450hp.....or even more, 460hp, 475hp, we gave up no performance advantage, hell we may have even gained some ground in that regard considering the weight of this car.

If all we have to give up are these body parts, and not even across the board, but for a new "model", which is certainly not a better, and probably not even as good of, a performer as the optioned car it will be replacing, then hell, I'll take it considering what could have happend.

Lest you forget, they could have whored out the body across the entire C6 line, there was absolutely nothing to stop them, plus upped the power another 30-36hp like they did to those poor guys back in '07.

Damn, they ought to make this bad boy a sticky.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-z...post1569845880

muzzman

The idiots at GM should be shot! I love my Z06 but I would buy a SS convertible and SC it since it has the dry sump and Z06 brakes. Idiots. Thanks for killing the Z06s appeal and unique niche. Azzhats

THERETURN

If its goin to have the same scheme as the old grand sport blue with stripes sign me up Now!



********* can anybody confirm if gm is bringing out a new blue????????????????