addictedtotrack

Ho and Ao.... I get what your saying. I was totally being sarcastic when I said “If it’s not the car...what else can it be??” I have some racing experience but I agree....I need some seat time in the car. I’m not going to be doing a bunch of street racing. I just want the power....well because I want it! These cars are balanced well and really seem to be better suited for carving corners. I will do some auto x and some HPDEs as you suggested. Thanks!

Boomer111

Ha the base suspension sucks for mountain carving.

addictedtotrack

Guys....I'm feeling like I jumped the gun buying this car. As I have researched and let all the advice soak in over the past couple of weeks from all of you regarding this car I have come to the conclusion that maybe I bought the wrong car? Here is why. As stated above by hox I bought someone's garage queen. Its not in my nature to leave something alone. I like to tinker and make improvements, its enjoyable and therapeutic. I have all these ideas of what I want to do to this car. One of which is a complete wide body kit. Zr1 spoiler, I want to put GS fenders on it because they remind me of the shark gill look on my 67 roadster I use to own 15 years ago....then I want the ACS L88 extractor hood to complete the look. Then there is the engine bolt ons etc. So I'm thinking I should leave this car bone stock and drive it a little this spring and enjoy it for a bit. Sell it this summer and buy a Grand Sport coupe with manual trans. I would assume my 09 would sell better being stock? I'm just thinking out loud....I'm probably going to get flamed I'm sure. Will the car sell better if I leave it stock?

HOXXOH

Considering what you'll like to do in the future, I believe you're taking the right approach. The GS is a better choice for the games you want to play. It's a cross between the base and Z06 that'll give you most of the things you desire.

AORoads couldn't have given better advice than to attend a driving school. Do that before you get the GS, so you can grow gradually and safely in stages, rather than all at once. In the meantime, play with the bone stock (and keep it that way) garage queen (auto X) to safely approach the limits of both the car and your capabilities. You don't say where you live, but you might really enjoy the road trip to NV or AZ. The extra miles won't hurt the value, since the smiles you'll get will be worth it.

Ragtop 99

If you really want a wide body, it may be cheaper to buy a GS if they make it in a color you want.

It is cheaper to buy a car with the mods you want when you have to pay for labor. However, if tinkering is a hobby and therapeutic, then this car is a fine platform for that. Just take your time. Rather than do everything at once, make the modding process a multiyear program with multiple steps may give you time to enjoy both driving and working on the car. But first, drive the car and see what you really want to do long term.

96GS#007

Buying a '10 Grand Sport would be very little additional cost but will add the wide body kit you want, Z06 brakes, dry sump, and move the battery to the rear.

4.10s with the Z51 or GS 6 speed manual is pointless. Gears 1/2/3 are quite steep in the transmission so all you'll do is continue to spin. The stock gears (including the rear) make the car a good auto-x car.

Weak points on the GS if you intend to do track days....

- The seats suck. Even with the cinch mode, it's a battle to stay in place in the seat on the track. With a decent alignment and R compound tires, these cars handle very well. The '12/'13 seats are different than the '10/'11 seats but are no better at keeping you in place. So you need at least one seat plus a harness bar plus a 5 or 6 point harness.

- For auto-x the stock GS/Z06 brake pads work fine. For track days you need better pads and more cooling air.

- Stock rotors are heavy but work and are cheap. 2 piece rotors are expensive but you can feel the difference shaving a bunch of un-sprung weight off the car makes.

- The rear shocks make the car a bit squirrelly. Replace all the shocks with DRM valved Bilsteins to settle it down at an affordable (~$450) price.

- Engine cooling (ie the radiator) on the track is marginal when outside air temps exceed 90*

Having said all the above, unless you intend to thrash the living sh*t out of the car, it will reward you with many trouble free track miles. Even a stock car (outside of the brake pads) will be a blast the first year or two.

I'd run track days or auto-x for a year just to get a feel for the car. Then focus on braking, seating, cooling, suspension, and lastly power. Not sure what your budget is but for an idea of where you're headed with a GS, just what I mentioned above is >$3000.