FL-355

My background – Ferrari, Lambo, 911 Turbo. Ordered ZO6 2 ½ years ago. After waiting a year decided to buy a 2022 C8 HTC Z51 until the Z arrived. First, let me say the C8 is a great car.

About 2 weeks ago picked up my Z in Miami – I live about 100 miles away and drove her home on pins and needles – you know the stories; trans, cam cover “tick”, oil leak causing fire, etc. The ride was all freeway on Alligator Alley, a 100 mile stretch across the everglades with only one off ramp half way across – pretty ballsy. Followed break in procedure and car was flawless.

Next day did PPF on the front clip and lower rockers. Filled her up with gas and drove to Ohio. Not going to mention a company, but a guy named “Chuck” was going to install grill guards, Carbotech low dust pads and Paragon mirrors.

Just got home. 2,741 miles and car was perfect! Normal oil levels, no “tick”, no nothing but a smile on my face.

Car Impressions:

Ride: They say the Z is 15% stiffer. My C8 was non-mag with coil overs and I would say the Z is about 8-10% stiffer. Very comfortable for cross country. Hit some bad construction where the roads felt like the GM proving ground but car faired well with no rattles or noise. Also let me mention that even though the tires are wider than a C8 the road noise was quitter than my C8 – I was surprised to discover that.

Engine / Trans: the car likes highway speed. Hit several areas in Atlanta and Chattanooga where it was bumper to bumper for 45 minutes plus and a few highway accidents. Starting from a dead stop and a slow acceleration (1-3 mph) noticed a little lunging – not the trans but more like computer management if it wants to stay in first or shift to second gear. Noticed the same thing in my Lambo and it’s the nature of the beast. Normal (moderate) accel and it’s fine, but when you feather the throttle at a very slow speed she’s not happy and wants you to put your foot in it.

Drone – The first few days of ownership My Mode was always open exhaust and I did get drone around 2600 – 2800 RPM. On this trip I tried Tour for the first time ever and the drone noise went away – very surprised and happy to discover that.

After 1500 miles I put her in Track for the first time – Wow! Just as the ZO6 is completely different than the C8, Track Mode is completely different to Sport or Tour. Holds shift very long, aggressive down shifts and lots of pops in the exhaust. Track Mode is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and giggle like a school girl 😊

The Mods: The grill guards work great – picket up a large number of leaves (Autum up there) and debris. Well worth it. Paragon mirrors are great. I know how to adjust normal mirrors to reduce a blind spot, but the Paragons virtually eliminate all bling sports and give you more side visibility as well – you can see two lanes over on each side. The CarboTech brakes – jury is still out on them. First, before ordering I called and was told they have brake pad sensors on them – They don’t - It’s basically a sensor that will tell you when the pads are low and need to be changed. Not the end of the world, but wish they had them. Also, there is a clip on the pads will lightly scrape the rotor at all times and makes a slight noise. Chuck caught that and it seems to be harmless. Looking at the car this morning the wheels look really dirty from brake dust. Later after I clean her up and if they continue to dust, I will go back to stock pads.

On the way back took a different route – plenty of spirited driving and stopped at the factory and did the tour. From there 16 hours non-stop to get home.

On this site (and others) we hear about the short falls of this car and motor – Few chime in to say what a great car this is – and that is why I wanted to post.

So, for those on the list for a Z – fear not. Great car, in fact I can honestly say it’s the best car I’ve owned and she is a keeper.

Happy Motoring

JABCAT

Nice write up. Both the Stingray and Z06 are "C8s". Not sure why people keep referring to a Stingray as a C8 and not the Z06

combatninja

You drove your car to Ohio to get that junk installed!? Ohio? Dare I ask, why?

J/K. Enjoy the Z, they really are something.

FL-355

Yes - My bad

FL-355

Have not done a road trip for 7 years - I needed it, it is good therapy and good for the soul No regrets. Also noticed any failures seem to be reported early on, so wanted to put her through the paces. Next trip = Rolex 24, Sebring, the Bash.

One last note - In Bowling Green the Hotel Sync is excellent.

combatninja

BTW, it is "Z, ZERO Six", not "Z, letter O, Six". Z06 vs ZO6.

23/C8Z

who the hell says Z Zero 6? 🤣🤣🤣

It's a Zo6 Z06 and a ZO6

OnPoint

Zed Aught Six

combatninja

I never said anyone literally says it that way. The OP keeps calling it a "ZO6". It is a Z06.

LuckyCharmsYo

Agreed with your impressions! Glad to hear that you are enjoying the car!

The stiffness of the suspension surprised me when I first got it, especially compared to my Stingray, but I'm slowly getting used to it. Some roads are still annoying to drive on, though.

lewislgZ06

As someone about to sell my C8 Z51 HTC and moving into a Z06 in the near future (at 3000 status), I was happy to hear your observations.

I love my Stingray and hope I will love the Z06 even more.

Sounds like changes in the modes on the Z06 change the personality of the car in much wider ranges. I just hope it will be close to as tame as the Z51 (w/mag ride) when I want it to be, like on road trips. No doubt it will be a brutal beast on the opposite end of the spectrum, but personally that’s not where I’ll spend the majority of time at.

CP312

I drove mine 7 1/2hrs home. It’s perfectly tame and honestly very comfortable. I don’t even feel the stiffness many here mention. It’s a sports car, but still rides very nicely. But yes, it is a monster in the other end of the spectrum. Really, it’s perfect.

LuckyCharmsYo

It's really going to depend on the roads where you live. On smooth roads, it is wonderful and can be as chill as you want it. On poorly maintained roads, like those in Southern California, it can get pretty bumpy.

Ragtop 99

I get a squeal from my carbotechs; but its not consistent. Did Chuck modify the clip to eliminate this?

Panfish

True, but IS pronounced “Z-OH-SIX”.

LE MANSZ

How it's said colloquially doesn't change how it's written.

lewislgZ06

^^^^ Now that that’s all cleared up, can we get back to the thread topic, please…

This is valuable information to those of us waiting for and considering this car.

FL-355

Yes Ragtop, he bent the tabs; he’s very competent at what he does. BTW the folks at Carbotech said do not burnish the brakes as outlined in the GM manual for Brembo. Just drive the car normally and they will fully seat in about 200 miles. Don't know how many miles you have on yours and the squeal may go away.

Broken Halo

Fishfryer527

is there a way to block all of your posts?

thanks.

it’s great to hear how much you like the car especially after owning all those other ‘fancy’ cars. I’ve driven those but never owned any of them. I’m very happy with the Stingray, will probably get my deposit back for the ERAY and hopefully get the ZR1/Zora if my number comes up on that list.

congrats on your car, it’s nice when you get something that doesn’t disappoint.