Can't decide between LS3 and Z06? Read me.
 

If you want the short version of this thread, here it is: I own a LS3 and drove a Z. I don't think the Z is worth $25k more than my LS3 and others agree. Some Z owners feel otherwise, some more than others. The end. Here's the original:

If you are trying to decide between a 436hp LS3 and a 505HP Z06, I'd like to offer a comparison for you. I have had the bug to bump up from my 08 Z51 NPP car to a Z06. I have my car for sale willing to take a considerable loss after only 6 months to make the jump...well...that is until today.

I was bored so I gathered up one of my best car buddies and we went cruising around hitting up a few dealers that have one in stock. My local dealer is willing to make me a great deal on my car but I am currently waiting for allocation to hit.

One dealer I found turned out to be an awesome experience. To make it short, he threw me the keys to an 08 Z with 7 miles on it and said "Take it out for a while and see what you think"

Me: Ummmm....ok. :D

I won't drag this on too much. From a drivers perspective:

Feel while regular driving is no different than my regular ol' C6. In fact, other than the fender flares in your mirrors, it's pretty much the same. I can't tell the difference between the two. My 08 has the factory dual mode exhaust so even sound wise there isn't much difference.

I will admit that the brakes do have a different feel to them. A more positive feel. But honestly, the brakes in my car are pretty damn good.

Transmission feels the same as my Z51 car. No difference to me.

Getting on it was the biggest shocker. I drove an 06 a few months ago in colder weather. Any attempt to nail it in first gear resulted in the tires spinning like crazy. I am now thinking that it was a matter of cold roads and 5000 miles on the 06's tires. I actually questioned the Z section on how the heck they get the power to the road. This new 08 stuck to the road beautifully. But here's where the shocker is. I never thought I would say this but I wasn't THAT impressed. Don't get me wrong, it was impressive. It sounded great and really will set you back but honestly: my LS3 is fast as hell too and it will set you back in the seat. Is the difference between the LS2 and the Z a lot? Well that's a little different because the LS3 is seat of the pants faster than the LS2 so there is a bigger spread between the LS2 and the LS3 (compared to the Z) so the Z is more impressive when compared to the LS2. Power difference between the LS3 and the Z isn't as impressive. I attribute a lot of this to what I believe to be a more restrictive tune in the LS2. Ya, I spanked this brand new car up to 7000 RPM. Did it a few times in fact. You bet your rear end I'm going to get a feel for it before comitting to such a huge expense.

Handling wise, I found a particular piece of road that would allow me to put some G's to work. Didn't wow me any more than my Z51 car does.

So here's a summary of the whole thing that I feel is relevant to MOST people: Is the Z $25k more impressive than my 08 Z51 NPP car? No. It's not.

Now, if I was the type of person that goes out and races my car on a regular basis, (in particular, if I was the type of person that was really going to push the car to the limits thus being a person that would need the extremes that Z could provide), the Z would be the way to go. The extent of the drive that I took today pretty much covers the area of thresh-holds that I would put the car through and the fact is, these thresh-holds are within the scope that my Z51 car can handle.

I consider myself an absolute car enthusiast with better than average driving skills. The LS3 Z51 with NPP does everything I need it to do. I don't think I will be dropping all that extra cash for benefits that I likely will not be able to really appreciate. New? No. Used for a really really good deal: probably.

Hope this direct comparison helps someone trying to decide which one to go with.

I agree with you. The Z is a great car, but my '08 is fine for me. Plus I don't want to drive a stick everyday in LA traffic.

the z is great but i have 08 ls3 header/ intake / pulley /x pipe / hp tuner/ z06 caliper an rotor/ and z06 body front and rear fender inc front bump and i make more power than z06 loks like z06 and i spend like 53g my opp buy ls3 good look

Good comparisons, thanks! Gotta love these vettes...all of them!! :cheers:

Great thanks! Now I need to explain to my wife why I need to sell my '07 to buy an '08 LS3. I am surprised that 36 hp makes any noticeable difference.

P.S. Was it difficult to explain to the dealer that although you put a bunch of taxing miles on their cherry Z, you aren't going to buy? Honestly, when I buy a new sports car, it better be NEW, not tested.

You know what they say about opinions.:thumbs:

Sounds like I am a little more impressed with the Z06 than you are, and I do really like the wide-body look, but the bottom line is that it is hard for me to spring for any Corvette with a roof that doesn't open, especially when you are someplace where you can enjoy it year around.

Its easy to get cought up in having the badest and the best, so much so we forget what we have.

If you happy with what you have and still having fun with it,keep it, if it feels old and you dont ejoy it get rid of it.

:iagree: I'll stick with the Z, you only live once!

These guys were great. Frankly, they were smart too because had I not owned an LS3, I would have been all over this car. They made an easy out with a low offer on my 08. Not too far off from my main dealer but not enough to say lets do it.

If money was no object, no brainer but despite my car habit, money matters.

I agree with you there. I drove my friend's Z and I was expecting WAY more out of it. Still, if you can afford it, you get the bragging rights of having a Z06

I still love the z though, just saying 427 has a certain ring to it.

Interesting reading, but I'll stick with my Z too.

No way I'd take a base Z51 equipped C6 over it. No way, no how.

Interesting perspective though because there is a significant power difference between the two cars, nearly 70 horsepower and bit of a weight difference.

There are some people who will tell you that there is no difference in the driving experience between a 400hp C6 and a 436 hp C6, and heres your review that your driving experiences between the base Z51 equipped 2008 C6 and the 2008 Z06 were similar. Go figure.

Vettamous and 06 quicksilver, I agree with how you feel. But my car is loaded and a hell of a lot cheaper. Again, if money is no object, no brainer but how often are you really laying into it? Not a lot for me. Someone doing regular racing of any nature it would be a different case but for the average Joe, Z51 does the trick.

Let me put it to you guys like this: I believe that if I went against a Z owner who was a less than average driver I would take him in the quarter! The Z power difference isn't enough that it would put the smack-down on a race of any nature where the appropriate driver wasn't at hand on the Z. People who think that the Z is going to give them an instant trump card will be disappointed if they don't have their game on.

Well, duh....:rolleyes: You're really not saying anything not already known. No doubt about that. Never has been. A good driver with less power can outrun a poor driver with more power. Give a poor driver more power and its not uncommon for him to run worse. More power can sometimes amplify driver shortcomings. A more powerful car is not a lead pipe cinch to beat a weaker car if the discrepancy in driver skill is wide enough.

If there is enough of a discrepancy in driver skill, a 400 hp LS2 based 2005 Z51 equipped C6 can take out a 505hp LS7 based 2006 Z06. Thats giving up 105 horsepower.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1331943

Forum member J-Rod, from out of Houston, has run 11.783 in a C5 Z06 which has 100 fewer horses than a C6 Z06. So driver skill is huge.

J-Rod, with a 100 hp handicap would beat many a C6 Z06 in his bone stock 405hp C5 Z06. And hes not the only one who could do it.

But equal drivers and its no contest. Not even close. The stronger car is going to win. And I think in any comparison, thats the point from which you have to start. Equal drivers, or the same driver comparing his results in both cars, one at a time of course.

You mention the quarter mile. Do you think you would turn a quicker/faster quarter mile with your same driving skills, in a lighter car with wider rubber, 70 more horses and more torque throughout the RPM range, than you can in your current car?

If you can't, then somethings wrong.

The most important thing about any of these cars, be it a Z51 or a Z06 is learning how to get the most out of it. The driver mod. Thats one of the reasons why I have become a bit less receptive to conventional add on, warranty killing, dependability killing, drivability killing, mods. These cars come with plenty from the factory as it is. Learn to get the most out of what you have. Whatever it is, Z51, base, F55, Z06, whatever.

But to your point in your prior post, I can certainly understand how your decision and indeed your driving impression could be influenced if money were an issue. Especially in a scenario where you would have been trading within the same year model. Z51 equipped C6 is a great car, and if it fills your needs, well then no need to change horses. Especially if its going to cost you an arm and a leg to do it.

No question about this. Equal drivers it's a done deal. Z dominates. Period. Just not to the point where it is an instant trump card which I think most people who don't know any better feel they get with the Z card.

BUT IT STILL AINT NO Z06............:rofl:

I think there are a lot of misconceptions among some here about Z06 owners.

Some here think that Z06 owners are green enough, or naive enough, or stupid enough, to believe that they don't have to either know already, or will have to learn, how to drive their cars, in order to produce good results.

You come over into our section and thats not the case at all. I spend a lot of time in that section and talking with local Z owners.

Most of the guys are coming over from other powerful performance cars, and what you will find is that many of them have at least some racing experience. Your Z06 owner, at least in here,.... its typically not his first Vette. Indeed, its typically not his first high performance car.

And a good percentage of them have at least some track experience. Either road or drag. Certainly a higher percentage of them have been on a track than base C6 owners. I can tell you that without any doubt.

The point I am making here, is that you would have to search long and hard to find one "stupid" enough to believe that just because he has a horsepower advantage, that his skills don't matter.

I know of no C6 Z06 owner who believes that all he has to do is mash his gas pedal and all other cars will fall before him.

You look in that section, and there are some stone cold racers, and admitted street hustlers in that section (I won't call any names).

This is why I get a kick out of guys in this section who think that they are going to sneak up on a Z06 in a modded C6 sporting enough add ons to take out a Z06.

Z06 owners aren't stupid. A lot of them have at least some experience. A lot of them are coming from modded cars, myself included. ;) They know that with a modded car all bets are off. And they know what to look for. They also know that really you don't know whats in a modded car, and truth be known, a lot of them are modded themselves.

If you have ever been to a drag strip before in your life, and seen a POS near stock looking Camaro, or Mustang, or Grand National lay down a low 11 second or even a 10 second quarter mile time, then you know better than to tangle with a modded C4, C5 or C6 and underestimate it. Why is it that some here think that C6 Z06 owners are too ignorant to realize that??? I don't get it. Not all, but many C6 Z06 owners are actually coming from that background.

So this weird notion that Z06 owners somehow inherently believe, or are stupid enough to think, that just because they are packing all of this horsepower, that all they have to do is mash the gas pedal and they automatically beat everything rolling, is a myth. To a man, the Z06 owners I have met in person, and on this board, know better than that.

Most Z owners in this forum have some prior experience with powerful high performance cars, and a good number of them, believe me when I tell you, have track experience. And know better than to underestimate any other racer's/challenger's skills or his equipment.

Finally, if you do beat some green horn in his new Z06, who has never been on a track, and knows nothing of racing, knows nothing of what I just outlined in red, then what really did you accomplish? You beat a Z06 with a poor driver behind the wheel who couldn't drive his car and may never have had it to redline. Doesn't prove a thing. Not that great of an accomplishment beating him.

:iagree:

I have a new 08 Z51, but only because I couldn't swing the extra $$.
To me the ZO6 is a whole different beast.