Strider74

I have been looking for a replacement for my ’99 SS for awhile now and I was considering a Corvette. (I shouldn’t say replacement as I will keep the SS as my daily driver, I just want a weekend toy that I can really get to work on)

So far I have test driven a ’00 LS1 C5, a ‘02 C5 ZO6, a ‘08 LS3 C6 and they were all pretty big disappointments. The ’00 felt slower then my SS, the ’08 about the same and the ZO6 only a bit faster. (this is all just seat of the pants mind you) The interiors of the C5’s were just as plasticy as my Camaro and did not seem to age well at all. (the C6 was pretty nice inside) They all felt a little more “on rails” then my SS and I’m sure would be faster on a track but they really didn’t feel like an upgrade. They all felt pretty cramped on the inside (especially the ZO6) and all the test drives made me want to do was look for a low mileage WS6. Not to mention the price which ranged from $25k-$45k.

So I guess here is my question, I know the Corvette is a better performing car then the F-bodies but why does it not feel like it? I can’t imagine three different Corvettes at three different dealers on three different days are all just lemons. Am I just setting my expectations of what a Corvette can do too high?

I know tons of f-body owners here have upgraded to the Corvette and have yet to hear one regret about it (except for maybe what Corvette they should have gone to). What do you think I am missing?

I don't have any restrictions on what I need in a car (space, seats etc) but the law from the spouse is that what ever car I get for my "toy" will be my only one for years (if not forever) so I want the best platform to work on. I really love how Corvettes look but these test drives were so disapointing I just don't know. Help please, I am not trying to rip on Corvettes or Corvette owners I just want opinions on your first impressions as well has those from owners who have owned Vettes for years. Thanks.

SSNISTR

iTrader: (10)

I just sold my SS and am looking for a C5Z as we speak. Once you mod a car it's kinda hard to compare IMO. But stock for stock, even a base Corvette is a better car then any F-Body. The interior, while not a huge leap does have somewhat better leather, a nicer dash pad, much better gauge cluster, much better door switches and you can get things like HUD, dual zone climate, memory seats, auto dimming mirrors etc. The cars platform is the main difference. The F-Body dates back to '82. The C5 is a much more updated, lighter platform with IRS too. Power wise, a base C5 and a SS are gonna be close. But a C5Z is a different animal. My SS ran high 11's and had tons of suspension mods, but the first time I drove a C5Z I noticed a nice difference for sure. My biggest problem seems to be finding the "right" C5Z. They are either over priced, modded to much or have to many miles. But I'm not giving up.

CySevans

You just need more seat time in the Vette. As for seat of the pants, that very much depends on what mods you have on the SS. If you're comparing a heavily modded SS to a basically stock Vette, then naturally it won't feel as fast in acceleration. The LS3 Vette is an excellent base platform for modding if that's what you want.

But the biggest differences you won't find on the dragstrip. Vette is a sports car, not a dragster. Get your SS on an AutoX, and then drive the Vette on the same course. Massive difference in handling, weight distribution, responsiveness, braking, etc.

Yes, the interior is a bit more cramped. That's why I jumped ship from my C5Z into the C6 coupe. When I did, I made the mistake of going auto, so when the C6Z fell to within my reach, I jumped ship again. And now I am in my dream car. This thing hauls a$$ like no other car I have ever driven before. And the mod potential is outstanding.

Strider74

Thanks for the replies.

My SS only has the free mods, plus the Fast Toys Ram Air, so it was just a little disapointing that the Vette's didn't blow it away. I know I will need some more seat time before I make a decisison. I am really leaning towards the C6 (even the LS2) just because I so love the looks.

What really drove me nuts is that the salesmen would give me all kinds of crap when I said it felt kind of slow compared to my old SS and that I expected more. I took the one salesmen (the one with the '00 LS1 C5, who also handed out the most BS) around the block in my car and when we were done all he could talk about was how much money it must have taken to get my car that fast. I replied, $25 on e-bay for the FTRA and free mods done in my driveway in a weekend. Then it was BS this and BS that. I hate some salesmen.

Again thanks everyone for the replies.

tikiman12

iTrader: (4)

well the difference is obvious. if you tried the 00 ls1 c5 in an auto, the rear diff is much smaller, thus a huge difference in the Torque. If its a manual then it should be just even with your camaro, but do to the independent suspinion you dont feel the ruff jerks and bobbles in the road like you do in a camaro. its all going to feel different, but in the end teh corvette will prevail. as for the c5 z06 vs c6, the power should be about the same since they both do about 400hp (ls2 not the ls3).

also next time you test drive it, turn traction control off the car will spin hard in low gears but it also helps push power in the higher gears to have it off

scramblerman

iTrader: (16)

The vette is the all around better car and you can get some really good deals on them. btw a stock c5Z06 or stock LS2/LS3 corvette well blow your pretty much stock SS away. My car with a CAI and et streets ran 11.96 at 117mph in the 1/4. I have driven a higher mileage 03 Z06 and it ran like crap. However when I drove my car after I first got it, 6200 miles, it was so much much faster.

What works good on a C5Z06 is having the car in 2nd gear and at 3000rpms, then floor it. Then tell us that your SS feels just as fast.
Good luck with whatever vette you get. Get ready to pay some $$$$$ for mods tho.

JeaneGrae

iTrader: (7)

I initially felt the same way, but as these guys said get more seat time in with the vette. I had a good little stretch to compare them both. I have driven them both from North Carolin to North Dakota and the differences are unreal.

The most notable was on the handling and smooth acceleration. I hit some pretty twisty roads and didn't have to touch the breaks on a stock c5 auto. My TA had subframe connectors, kyb shocks, lower control arms and new tires at the time and didn't compare. The vette hooked and hugged the road like i couldn't believe!

The TA has a random tech catback, super sucker ram air, lid, holley pwershot filter, ported tb, msd wires and ngk plugs. The vette was right there with it until the upper end when the ram air and ported tb/lid kicked in...and i mean it was only a difference way up top.

My brother who has driven both my cars and owns a pretty healthy lt1 could even say that if it weren't for the shift kit in the TA and the 3.73 gears with an Eaton Pro posi unit that the Vette would probably walk away from it. I almost felt like i wasted my money modding the TA but i had to remember where my car was in stock form.

I love my TA and have big plans to turn her into a monster, but the Vette is so much more refined.

They both get tons of compliments, but the Vette attracts 10x more attention and your d@ck grows an automatic 3 inches with it....literally! No joke...lmao. Bro just give it some time and you will see, i habd a 1700 miles with both to ake my comparison.

CySevans

If that wasn't a Z06, then that explains it. The base C5s are only rated at 350HP from the factory. With your mods on the Camaro, you were probably running more than that. And do you have gears in the Camaro (3.73, 4.10)? I had 336rwhp on my Trans Am with basic bolt-ons (intake and exhaust with free mods) and 3.73 gears. It was much faster than my mother-in-law's stock 2001 C5 A4 coupe, but it fell significantly short in the handling and braking department. The C5Z blew hers away, though (naturally). And that's when I first made the switch, going from my Trans Am to my 2003 Z06. Huge difference overall, and the LS6 can take many of the same free mods as the LS1. And if you drove an auto, there's even more drivetrain loss over the manual. My 2006 LS2 auto (A6) coupe was not as fast as the C5Z.

Go drive a C5Z and compare. And be careful about turning off traction control with any of the LS2 and LS3 cars (actually, even the C5Z can get away from you), and then mashing the throttle at low speeds. The stock runflats aren't worth **** and will spin all over the place. I'm running Nitto Invos on my C6Z. Big difference over the runflats.

Anyway, good luck with your decision. All it took was 15 minutes driving solo in a C5Z to convince me that Vettes were my destiny.



EDIT: Side note to JeaneGrae's point, this is what I had before going to the C5Z. Note all of the suspension and chassis modifications (aside from the power upgrades). The stock C5Z blew it away in all respects except for, perhaps, 1/4 mile times:

http://www.angelfire.com/on2/Vinnie/myta2.html

blu1

The difference is a slightly modded manual F-Body and an LS1 stock Auto Vette is little to none, hell your f-body is more than likely quicker.

As for the Z06 and 08 LS3 not feeling any faster, not sure what to say to that. I haven't ever owned an F-body but my guess would be from the tighter suspension and rear end causing the power to apply much smoother than you are used to. If you lined up either one next to your SS it would pretty much get crapped on in a straight line, turns or any other aspect. It is possible you drove a ragged Z06 but the LS3 should be on point. Stock C5 Z06's and LS3's consistently knock down 115+ mph trap speeds which is at least 5mph higher than what your car would probably run at best.

David Gordon

iTrader: (1)

I had 2 SS's a 98 Vert. and a 01 M-6 coupe. Then bought a 01 C-5 M-6 and while the 01 SS felt as fast as the new 01 Vette it wasnt. The Vette would trap about 2 mph higher with the same ET. The build quality of the Vette is 10 times better than the SS. I then bought a a-6 08 LS3 Vette and man was that thing a beast. It would smoke my 01 395 stroker Trans am I had. We raced the TA and the Vette with the only mod being a Ram Air and tune the the Vette was faster than the 460 RWHP Trans AM! Then bought the 09 ZO6 and boy what a fast car for being stock and easy to drive.

fastvet

iTrader: (2)

Alright, I think I know what your talking about with this whole seat in pants thing. My brother has a 2001 SS M6 I have a 98C5 M6. He would always say that his car had more torque and he would prove it to me on test drives. Then I would try the same thing and of course it didnt feel as torquey as his... Heres where the problem was. If you put pressure on the trunk of the SS, you can make that thing move up and down quite a bit, i.e. soft suspension. Now, try doing that on any C5 and you will be lucky to move it 1/4 inch, i.e. stiff suspension. Now, Look at the seats between the two. Corvette has much stiffer seats and the SS doesnt. In other words, your able to push back on the seat from the head rest of the SS. Try that on a C5 and its a no go. So where does this all come into play? If you punch a stock SS on second gear at 3500rpms, your going to feel the suspension go down and the seat move back a little bit thus giving the "ILLUSSION" that you have shitloads of torque. If you try that on a C5, the suspension will hold and so will the seat, so it dont feel as powerful when in doubt it is! Bottom line, you dont feel the power you think you should because of the better equipment the C5 is loaded with. Thats why you pay much more. Oh, and no matter how much my brother said his car was more powerful than mine, I would always smoke him by 4-5 car lengths. LMAO!!!!

Strider74

Thanks guys. I have always known that statistically the Corvette is just a better performing car, period. It was just a real shock to not feel a huge leap from moment one. It’s good to know that I'm not loosing my mind and that on a light test drive my Camaro may actually be the faster car. I will just have to try to get away from the salesmen or find one that can handle a hard test drive to get a better feel. (and yes, the LS1 C5 was an auto with 87k miles)

Its not that performance is the end-all be-all, but for the money I am just looking for an improvement over what I have. It’s good to know I am not barking up the wrong tree.

Evilways

iTrader: (1)

Just to add my .02 cents...I came from a 547 rwhp 2000 TA to my C6, and I know where you're coming from. Stock, my LS2 corvette was quite and the power came on with such ease and lack of shock to the driver that I was sure my TA, even when stock, was faster. I was wrong, by a long shot. It's just that vettes have alot of refinement in stock form and can fool the operator into thinking it's moving slower than it is. The muted exhaust, smooth shifts, lack of tail waging, but belive me, it's moving. The LS3 is a very potent motor, evidenced by the number of bone stock low 12's and very high 11's that have been registered by the owners. Vettes are like a fine liquor, don't let the smoothness and refinement fool ya, it'll still get you in trouble in a hurry.

BigLittles

People care too much about the power. When do you ever use it? The c5z has over 1g of lateral grip in the corners. Read this sometime: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrol...ctive_Handling

I take a dead left at 38mph on the way to work every day (btw my c5z might be one of those ragged out ones you'll want to avoid) and the tires barely even squeal. And when they do squeal it's less of an "oh sh*t" and more of "try that in a lower gear next time for a better lap time" noise.

Gently rolling into WOT in first gear on a mildly cool day is a nice differentiator between a c5 and a c5z, btw.

I do know what you mean by the more powerful feel of a modded fbody. A friend of mine had two really modded fbodies (one close to the 11's and one surely in the 11's), neither was a manual and both were stalled, but the car just felt more "raw", grunty and alive. Throw some more left side weight on it, dump the left side pressures,stiffen the rear springs, tape up the grill, and castor stagger the wheels and it would probably run 40's around TMS .

littles

WKMCD

iTrader: (2)

Perhaps part of the problem is the vette handles speed a lot better than an F body making them seem slower than they are. It's not unusual in the vette to just be cruising along and look down and realize your going 90.

Tainted

iTrader: (9)

the ls3 C6 is the latest and greatest thing. it has a new body a motor that has shown FANTASTIC reactions to mods especially boost.

Plus its got a better suspension than the c5 did and it would really be the best starting point I think

camaroracer91

iTrader: (5)

i had a 02 z28 with full bolt ons and it doesnt even begin to compair with my 01 z06. a. the z06 is much faster, smoother more refined fast. b every part of the car is nicer than the camaro. c its a track beast compaired to a tank like the camaro, i would get the z06 over all the rest but just my .02

~JOSHUA

iTrader: (92)

'06 ~ '07 Zo6's are selling for high 30's to low 40's all day long. (I know of a clean red '06 with 12k miles selling for $36k in the Carolinas/autotrader)

Drive one of those (you will be hooked,) look in the autotrader nationwide, and snag a car that will last a lifetime.

wetVdreams

coming from my cammed 05 GTo i was expecting that explosive throw you back feeling from my H/C C5Z i just bought and upon initial driving it didnt feel "that" fast, but the speedo doesnt lie. I think its just much more refined, (as others have said as well) a stiffer suspension, and is just more planted. Ran a buddy of mine in a cammed CTS-V (back when I had the goat it was a dead even race) put 10 cars on him in the Z.

Hope this helps,
Josh

milleniumvette

Between torque management and the A4 C5's rear gearing, you won't get the tight snap when you take of with any amount of throttle. However, when the power does come on, the car should climb in speed much smoother and more confidently than in your SS.

I own both a '96 Camaro and a '00 C5 with the A4 transmission. For grins, the C5 does it better for me. Though I will be hard pressed to ever part with my Camaro.