I’ve been making mental notes of what I can add to other reviews, and I’ll admit I may not be adding much. However, I did REALLY enjoy reading other Z06 owner reviews while I waited for mine so I will share my 1,234 mile experience thus far. Here goes:

Backing Up: This is my 11th Corvette, 3rd Z06 and 2nd C8, but first C8 Z06. I have always driven manual transmission sports cars and was resistant due to the lack of one in a C8. I waited 13 months to take delivery of my ‘22 Z51 Red Mist HTC, and loved every minute of her. I’d been on a Z06 list since Fall of 2021 but actually changed my mind last Fall and got my deposit back from a volume dealer. I changed my mind (yes really) and tried to get back on the list this Spring but was told I’d be starting from the back of the line. As luck would have it, a local dealer had almost exactly what I wanted on their showroom floor in March @MSRP but decided to pass as it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. 2 weeks later they offered me there next Z06 allocation at MSRP IF I pre-traded my ‘22 Stingray. Initially said no, but changed my mind and 50 days later my 2024 Amplify Orange 2LZ HTC Z06 was delivered on June 6th.

My Build / Delivery: I hit a sweet spot in the Z06 order cycle and could have ordered literally anything. My build resembles a laundry list assembled by a drunken sailor but I wouldn’t part with a single option. As mentioned, Amplify Orange, Black 2LZ Interior, HTC, plus Carbon Flash front Splitter, Carbon Flash Side Mirrors, Spoiler, roof & nacelles, black exhaust tips, black spider rims, Scrape Armor radiator guards, GT2 Seats, Suede seats ‘ steering wheel, orange seat belts, Carbon fiber interior trim (base level), stealth Interior, convertible Engine appearance package, and edge red intake manifold. I BADLY wanted Orange calipers from the factory but did not want to spend the $8,500 on CCB’s just for the right to spend another $700 on Orange calipers (more on that later). I was SOOOO nervous my dealer (Sunrise Chevy) was going to screw me after pre-trading my Stingray. The store GM had signed the deal sheet when I placed the order and they honored it to the letter. This is the first Corvette I’ve bought locally in the Chicago area in probably 2 decades.

Break-in Period: After taking delivery, it took all the restraint I had to behave and not rev the engine I’d waited so long for. Even taking friends out I’d accelerate and then have to back down. I stayed under 4500 RPM 95% of the time. A few times it slipped up to 6000 and it happens in a blink. Some debate whether it’s 4,500 or 6,500 during the break-in but I decided I’d air on the side of caution and wait until after 500 miles to explore the higher RPM’s. Incredible how SLOW the first 500 miles went by and how fast the next 500 miles went. Of course it was worth the wait, and so far so good in the break-in department. So far so good.

Broad stroke Review: The C8 Z06 is just…better. Better everything. The styling is obviously stunning, but the handling is just incredible. Coming from the C8 Stingray, it’s everything it was and more. Better handling, better acceleration, better exhaust sound, better looks, everything is just better. I’m convinced this was the original design, and they toned it down to release the “base” Stingray. The leap from the C7 to the C8 was seismic. The leap from the Stingray to the C8 Z06 was not just a bigger engine. It was an equally seismic leap forward and this car represents the closest this guy will ever get to owning a Ferrari or Lamborghini…and for the first time ever I don’t really feel left wanting for one. And anyone who says acceleration is sluggish, is doing it wrong…or relying on the automatic transmission in tour mode too much. She starts pulling and doesn’t stop. Floor it at highways speed? Hold on.

Engine / Exhaust Sound: My god it’s loud. On start-up it’s too loud to talk behind it. Yes, it’s THAT loud. I have great neighbors, who’s Master bedroom is opposite my garage ans I have “My Mode” set to Stealth mode. Some would argue against doing that and feel they have a duty to “share” their cold start with their neighbors. More power to ya, I just chose to be respectful of my friends. I’m glad I have a HTC and the benefit of the rear window that I can lower and of course put the top down (which I do 90% of the time) and listen to that glorious engine. The Z06 exhaust is considerably louder in cabin than the Stingray in Sport or Track. It can drone in lower RPM’s particularly with the top up, but that can be remedied by either keeping her in a higher RPM range where she belongs or dropping into Tour. Anyone concerned about daily driving or going on road trips, don’t be. This car has an amazing Jekyl & Hyde personality. In manual or Track mode, she is ready to go, itching for you to do something, practically daring you. Put her in Tour mode and I’d describe the ride as smooth as the Stingray.

RPM band: Maybe “Auto” transmission drivers will have an easier time adjusting, but it took me a little while to recalibrate to the flat plane crank engines RPM range. When my instincts told me to shift, she’s just starting to wind out. All part of the journey and the fun of getting to know this amazing engine, but it does take some getting used to…and oh how glorious it is.

More Engaging (especially in Manual): As mentioned, I’ve driven manuals for decades. I don’t care if they are slower. I love them. I love the sound, the control and most of all the engagement and connection to the car. I “played” with the paddles in the Stingray, but found I usually left it in Auto and had accepted my fate in the evolving Corvette world. Partly because the DCT was that good but partially due to the exhaust and engine noise feedback. This isn’t a knock, GM outdid themselves with the Stingray. My god what a great versatile car. Daily drive the crap out of it, get 30 mpg’s on the highway AND take it to the track and run with some pretty serious cars? Just nuts. But the C8 Z06 feels as if this was there intent from the outset of the C8. I am driving in manual mode almost 100% of the time. The acceleration feedback is incredible and the downshift response heading into corners makes me want more turns every commute. The word that has repeatedly come to mind while driving the Z06, is so much MORE engaging. Hands down, it is considerably more engaging than the Stingray, especially in manual mode. Can’t get enough of it.

Legacy: One of the reasons I justified this expense, was to own what may be one of the last and biggest naturally aspirated V8 engines in a Corvette. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t be, but I do not regret buying this GM produced flat plane crank engine. I am mildly jealous of the eRay AWD, but 0-60 is not what I bought this car for. It was the rumble and the scream of this LT6.

Acceleration: Ok, so I understand what some folks have described as sluggish low end acceleration. In Tour and Sport, left in “Auto” they clearly have the throttle response dialed back. She can almost flutter there and even with this engine, upshift too quickly and flutter there a little. I wonder if the Z06 learned my timid driving style during the break-in and the transmission is anticipating me backing down when she starts to take off? Not sure. But fear not, Track mode, aka “Ridulcous” mode, removes most of the timidness. Better still, in manual mode, in Sport, and she feels like she pulls for days. Scary at times. I played a little with a neighbor friend at highway speeds, and I’ll say this, floor it and she throws you back like just rolled out of a stop sign. That is where the Stingray really got sluggish and where the Z06 really starts to stretch her legs. Be safe, don’t be an ***, and your dash cam footage can be used against you, but if you have the opportunity to safely play a little she’ll reward and surprise you.

Fuel Economy: There is none. It’s bad. I think my best 50 mile average is 16 mpg. In-town I fluctuate between 10 and 14 mpg. I had an SRT Jeep Grand Cherokee that used to get these kind of numbers, and like the SRT, the Z06 will pass everything but a gas station. Be warned, if you can’t afford or stomach filling up every 200 - 220 miles, get a Stingray or eRay.

Daily Driving: Since I took delivery of her, she has been my daily driver, grocery getter and therapist. I take her everywhere…everywhere except downtown to Wrigley Field last week for a concert. I find it very comfortable and more than capable getting around town…however, fuel economy is a factor in that equation for some. Luckily, my route to my office is a reverse commute barely 30 miles roundtrip…and I usually work from home on Wednesdays, and golf every weekend. Though I don’t carry my clubs to and from, there is plenty of room in the trunk for my “cart bag” size golf club bag, with space to spare in the frunk. What’s funny is when my neighbor joins me with his Porsche, I have to carry his clubs.

Mods: I have really only gotten into cosmetic mods. I got the ACS, front and rear rock guards $650 (pricey), did PPF on the front, A-pillars and side rockers ($2,500), and got my calipers powder coated the Orange I wanted to get from the factory ($1,450 soup to nuts), dyed the interior stitching Orange ($20) and swapped the gray plastic valve stems for black gloss ($30). I also got the Carbotech 1521 Ceranic brake pads, and the powder coater swapped them for free. I am VERY pleased with the results.

Radio: This is my one knock on C8 Z06. The Google based software is ridiculous. Horrendous move by GM. The interface in my ‘22 was 1000 times better. This was a case of fixing what wasn’t broken and consumer be damned. Thank god it still has Apple CarPlay as I primarily use Apple Maps, Waze, and Spotify. I have disabled all the Google / Alexa non sense. Such disappointing move, no doubt motivated by long term SAS income after the sale.

Insurance - Review Addition: After forum member Garret brought up car insurance, I think it’s worth adding to my review as it made a sizable jump. While I do have a lead foot, and have gotten more than a few speeding tickets, ironically they have almost always been in my other cars, not my sports cars. I’m 51, no accidents, no recent tickets, multi-car, home, life insurance with State Farm. I went from $556 every six months to $793 w/ State Farm, $250 deductible. While that is a 43% increase, the $39 p/m difference is minimal considering I was buying a 2 model year newer car with an almost $50k MSRP price difference between the two.

Storage - Review Addition: After forum member Garret also brought up storage, I thought it was worth the add especially after the ZR1 reveal, and its frunk killing cooling system. I’ve owned every generation from C5 thru the C8 and think the C8 has amazing storage…especially the hard top convertible, which is all I’ve owned. I realize the C8 coupe loses the rear storage accessibility from the “cockpit”. The C7 Coupe had more storage than the C7 Convertible, but that pendulum swung the other way in the C8. I think the HTC has the upper hand. I owned a C7 Z06 Convertible, and I definitely have more storage space in my Hard Top Convertible C8. I can have myself, a passenger, a full trunk, more storage in the frunk AND the convertible top down in the C8. Just incredible. The C8 Coupe loses most of its trunk space if you stow the removable top in the back, leaving you with the frunk only. Of course, the storage space in the C8 Z06 is no different than the Stingray, but both the Stingray and Z06 beat out the recently revealed ZR1, which will lose all Frunk storage.

Now the fun bits. The photos:



























My buddy Mike (a Converted 911 guy) and I with our Z06’s

 

Car looks great. I knew you would love it, despite your reservations about missing the manual tranny.
This car is just so engaging in Manual mode, in Track, with this exhaust.
Glad you're enjoying it.

 

Congrats! Great review/ write up. I am coming up on nearly a year of ownership on mine and the same feeling has not yet even slightly faded!

 

Very nice write-up. Thanks for taking the time to put that together for the community. Enjoy the car!

 

Nice write up. I, too, am a manual guy, have never owned an automatic sports car, but with the advancements in auto trans, I think I will be fine with it. My wifes SQ7 is fun to drive in in either mode, as is my 23 raptor. Albeit, a truck, super fun to drive in "manual" auto with the paddle shifters.
Where did you send your calipers to have pc'd, and any issues with bleeding the breaks after re-installing? Also, would love to see pics of the orange stitching. I am down to SWG or Artic white with orange calipers, seat belt, but would love to have orange stitching as an option. Thanks!

 

Great comments. Glad you are enjoying it. I too prefer manuals...but fortunately still have my '69 Camaro with a Tremec 5-speed. I miss my '07 GT500 with a manual, but sold it to make room for the C8.

 

Couldn't agree with you more. I have 3.3k miles on my '24 C8Z and coming from a '19 C7Z M7, I thought I too would be missing the 3rd pedal. I drive mostly in Sport M, some Z mode maxed out when I really get on it. Touring with the wife... Car is amazing! Great write up!

 

very nice write up, glad you are enjoying the car..

 

I stumbled onto a local shop about 20 minutes west of me, and they did the whole thing soup to nuts so no re-install issues. I dropped it off on a Sunday evening, and got her back on Thursday. They removed wheels, calipers, pads, stripped, powder coated, reassembled, swapped in my Ceramic brake pads, and bled the brakes, etc. No codes, no issues. They even replaced the vinyl decals! They did an amazing job. They told me they primarily service exotic retailers, not so much direct to consumer. Quite a few higher end cars, Lambos, I think there was a Lotus too so I was comfortable. Really happy with the results and I got it matched pretty close to the factory Brembo / Corvette Orange metallic finish.

 

Hardcore manual guy here also. My 23' Stingray is my first non manual sports car. I'm not gonna lie and say I love the paddles as much as a manual (I do drive in M mode 100% of the time), BUT I do enjoy it much more than I thought I would. At some point I will be upgrading to a Z06 (I did drive a friends and enjoyed it tremendously) so thank you for the review. The Eray is intriguing to me and since I don't track my cars anymore I think would probably be a more practical car to own as a weekend canyon carver, but let's not kid ourselves when we're talking about these cars "practical" really doesn't apply.

 

Nice review. Can you please pm me the process for getting your calipers powdercoated when you get the chance. Thanks

 

I did DM you, but see my #9 post above ^^^^^. The Powder Coating shop did the whole thing soup to nuts.

 

Thanks, I missed that.

 

Cool, thanks for the detailed write-up. It makes waiting so much easier - not!

 

Nice review, and your post is pretty much word for word how I feel about my Z06. After one year of ownership I have grown to love the car even more over this time. Like many on here I have had numerous performance cars over the years Camaro's, Mustangs, Mopar Muscle cars, Vettes, BMW's, CTS-V's and almost all have been Manual Transmission cars so I too was initially leary of the DCT and how engaging it would be. NOTE: I did have a C8 Z51 before the Z06 so it was was not a total surprise. All of that said I think the DCT is so good (and I cannot believe I am saying this out loud)....but if they made a full manual Z06 I actually may still buy the DCT! I have grown to like it that much.

 

Great write up! This is why I like the forum, all the bashing should stay off.

 

Nice write-up.

It's funny but people will say "Ohh, does the Z06 have a bigger engine?" and I tell them "no" and they are shocked.

This car has cured the itch created by the high revving NA Ferraris, not that I wouldn't want one, but other than weight, this car has them beat.

 

Great write up Big!. Everything you described is spot on and correct. Love the pics too, beautiful spec on the car, it's like the planets aligned for you.

 

That worked out well then! Unfortunately, here in bfe WV, I don't think bob's brake and exhaust down the road would be up for that task!! lol

 

Spray paint and a Sharpie!