Seriously, in real life tell me the advantage ?

 

Are you kidding or don't you read?

 

1. 1000 RPM more rev range (but similar SOTP feel)
2. .5 in the 1/4 mile
3. Here is the biggest advantage: knowing that you own one. The history, the back story, the pedigree. To the people who that matters to....it's a lot.

 

Oboy IBTL

 

Maybe.

I just typed out a whole story about this recently, to someone. I don't think most ZR-1 owners would like it, but it's the truth, so I'll copy and paste it here....

As for the ZR-1....IDK. I've driven 3 of them so far and the bug hasn't bit me. I admit that I'm surprised by that, but that's what's happened. The first one I drove, the secondaries were definitely out of commission; it fell on it's face above ~4500 RPM. The second one, I couldn't tell. It basically felt just like my LT1....but at 6k it kept going. So..."eh". I didn't know. Maybe there was something wrong with that one too? It was a salvaged/reparable, so who knew? I didn't.
The last one I drove was one of "(A respected Forum member's ZR-1)" from the forum here. He had it for sale, clean car, and he was in 'Vegas. I was going to 'Vegas to visit my brother so I messaged him about meeting and looking at the car. I drove my LT1 down there (dropping over 2000' in the process), we met and he let me drive the car. At one point we were on a basically deserted road and he tells me to stop, start out and floor it, and keep it floored to 7k. "O.K.", I thought. "Sounds pretty good to me!". I did...let the clutch out, matted it, and when the tach hit about 3500, the rear tires broke loose and it slid around some, then hooked around 5000 RPM or so....but then it was rather "flat" on up. I shifted at ~6300, b/c "why rev it higher?" when it didn't really feel like it wanted it. I mean, it was still pulling but not like it "wanted it". (A respected Forum member) told me to stop and do it again but hold it to 7k. I did...same thing w/the tire spin at 35 - 5k or so, and I held it to about 6900 and shifted...feeling bad for the engine by that point. It wasn't any "high end pull" like we read about on the forums...that was for sure. Yeah, it definitely felt stronger than my LT1 in the mid...for SURE....and if my LT1 didn't have a limiter, I'm sure it would fade way worse than the ZR-1 did up top. But was the mid range punch worth the money and bother of selling/buying, changing cars? IDK.

Leaving (A respected Forum member's) house in my LT1, I drove through the development to the main road. When I pulled onto the main road, I thought..."I'm going to punch it to see how badly the my LT1 is lacking to the LT5...maybe that will clarify what I'm missing. I turned onto the main road, straightened the wheel and punched my car. It took off good and around 3k, it ripped the tires loose and got all squirrely. "Holy ****...it's never done this before!", I thought. Why? Elevation. Around 5k, the rear tires hooked, and I let it pull and shifted at 5800 right before the limiter. It felt good. Damn good...and the midrange (at 2000' elevation) was every bit as present as it was in the ZR-1. So what was my LT1 missing? ~1000 RPM that in my experience, the ZR-1 engine doesn't really "want" to rev through anyway. Was that worth it? Not to me.

 

LT5.

Listen to one sing at full throttle. /thread

 

A couple of endurance records iirc. When they work, they are one hell of an engine. Then gen 2 lt5 would have been insane in the c5 but design constraints wouldn't allow for it.

 

Owning an iconic part of Corvette history.

@ Tom is your LT1 stock? if so I find it hard to believe a 75 to 105 hp difference can not be felt. If not stock compare it with an LT5 with P&P and header @ 500hp.

I 've owned L83, L98, LT1 & LT4 and in stock configuration I could feel the difference form one to the next in fact an LT4 will do a great job of staying with the LT5 up to 100mph after that the RPMs of the LT5 take over.

 

I second this 1000%..

The first ZR1 I drove I was severely underwhelmed.. This is coming from someone whos very first ride in a vette was in a '94 ZR1 that had some bolt ons. I was a 14 year old kid and the C4 was the current vette out. I will NEVER forget that day. Idk if it was the whole, we just did 125, on the ON RAMP... or the fact that I had never experienced anything faster than an IROC at the time, (and oh boy where they "fast" in the early 90s) but that was simply the most exhilarating experience in my life and lit the fire that would eventually see me to my own vette ownerships..

So fast forward to a couple years ago to my first time actually driving a Z. By this time I have owned a couple lightly modded LT cars, and driven more than my fair share of F-Bodies, including my late friends built WS6 that had about 450hp to the wheel (what a fcking hoot that car was). However, I was still super excited to drive the king of the hill!

The car I drove was bone stock and had ~40k miles. It seemed choked and barely felt more powerful then a bolt on LT1 car. Im pretty sure some intake & exhaust work would have helped, but im 100% certain I would have taken this car in my LT4, and bad. I actually looked forward to driving my car after a good 30 mins of driving the Z. The extra few RPMs were nice, but I'm with Tom, on that it definitely felt like it didn't care much for revving that high.

To me, to own a c4 Z would NOT be for the performance, but for the sake of the unicorn DOHC LT5.

 

Price wise, it's a no brainer. May look at an LT-5 this week and see what all the hype is about.

 

My car is box stock...except for: K&N filter the PO put in, Koni shocks, C5 front brakes, C5Z wheels and a "system". I will admit that it's the fastest LT1 that *I* have seen in UT, with a best of 13.75 at this elevation. Last ZR-1 I saw at our track (a '90) ran consistent 13.5's.

Let's remember that we don't "Feel" hp. We feel torque. Now, the ZR-1 has 40-50 more lbs of torque and one should feel that...but the car is heavier too, so. Additionally, smoothness and refinement diminish the "feel" of power; my C6 felt not one whit faster than my LT1 C4...even thought it went 1 second and 10 mph faster in the 1/4. It was too smooth and too quiet. I'd submit that the LT5 is smoother and more refined than the LT1 and that also partly diminishes the experience of "power". SO, as the OP originally asked, what do you get in the real world? Bragging rights and a few 10th's basically. The bragging rights is where most of the value is, unfortunately.



That is exactly how I felt, to the point that when I got it above ~5500, I was like, "WTF!?". After all the mags I've read, the records set, and all the on and on we see here on the forums about "the first time you rev one to 7000 RPM...." Yeah...when I did that, I just felt like I was asking the engine to do something it didn't really want to do. And it didn't sound a lot different than my LT1, either. Port a top end, put on headers and exhaust, I'm sure it's a whole different story. But stock for stock...I came away thinking, "Eh." It's a fabulous car that I'm glad others own, so that I can see 'em and admire 'em.

.

 

I remember driving a 94 C4 Doug Rippie 383 stroker in the mid 90's. Guy said it put down 425rwhp. I believed him after he let me run it through the gears.

 

I'm running a bone stock LT1 with a 3:07 rear auto and it's a pretty quick car, even in today's world. I think the LT5 adds 200lbs to the cars weight. That's like driving around with a 6ft man next to me all the time. lol...

 

From the CAC.. Most of the weight difference may be from the fact a ZR-1 came fully optioned

https://www.corvetteactioncenter.com...-weight-2.html

 

I thought the motor added a couple hundred pounds ?

 

Don't quote me on this as I don't have the weight specs but I thought it was only 58-65lbs over the LT1

 

All I can say is man you gotta be kidding!

 

I don't know. For me I just like it.

 

Well, Im not going to agree with the "its similar to an LT1 crowd" for sure.... Ive had 2 L98's, 3 LT1's 2 LS6 (Z06) one other ZR-1, a 92... and now my 90 ZR-1. My current ZR-1 is a very strong running LT-5 Stronger than the 92 ZR-1 and almost as fast as my stock LS6.... Top end wise the LT-5 edged out the Z06....

As stated, if you have a dialed in LT-5, meaning everything is in top shape.... fuel pumps, coils, primary ignition and properly operating secondaries... there is a difference for sure.

Then theres the history behind the car, and of course theres the cool factor when the clam shell is popped...

 

I will own a ZR-1 one day. That is all I have to say. Happy Saturday Almost did it a few weeks ago. But not quite ready yet.