VenomInside

iTrader: (6)

Debating on which to buy. I am going to mod it so is there Really a point to buying a Z over a C5? Not sure which to get..

Shock Hawk

LS6... if you replace everything in the block, then you'll still have an LS6 block. If you could get a C6Z06, you'd get the mighty LS7 505hp... may be worth it... Or you could spend that extra money on making an 800hp C5Z06

Jersey_TA

iTrader: (1)

Z06 has a more powerfull motor, better handling. Runs about .5-9 faster than the base vette depending on driver.

jdhommert

iTrader: (2)

Helluva diffrence. Way more than just the motor. Besides having about 50 more rwhp, its a lot lighter than a coupe, much better tires,Has better tranny gear ratio's for the first couple gears, handles a lot better, etc etc etd...A Z06 will eat a Couple alive on the road course. In drag racing, the best time I've seen for a bone stock C5 is out of an 04, 12.7...the best time i've seen out of a bone stock C5 Z06 is 11.78. A full second, even though it has only 50hp more, which on paper is only a .5 diffrence at best...

scramblerman

iTrader: (16)

Different motor 02-04=405hp in the Z06
01-04=350hp in the base C5
better trans and gear ratios in Z06
lighter weight-thinner front winshield, less noise reduction, no power antenna, no run flats, etc. in the Z06
The Z06's hold there value alot better and to me are a lot better all around car performance wise and can be used as a DD. Definitely a 11 second car with a set of sticky tire's for sure. Drive one and you will tell and feel the difference. They are two totally different cars.

Get a procharger and be done with it. 550-600rwhp in a 3050 pound Z06 vette=craziness.


I say depending on what you are going to do to the car, motor wise. I would say go Z06, but if you are going to build the motor and mod the **** out of the car the save some cash and get a C5.

06cobaltSS

exactly what he said. Just slapping on a blower or simple h/c setup id go z06. Fully built FI motor id go with a base c5 and use the saved money for the mods.

LostCauseZ06

iTrader: (4)

there is no comparison between a C5 and a C5 Z06... handling and suspension is not even close to the same.

99C5JA

Actually they are. The FE4 (Z06) and Z51 are close enough in performance to make it a drivers race. In fact the car that has taken first place in the stock class in the last few events I have attended has been a stock (obviously) FRC. The FE4 has the same front spring. The rear spring is about 10% stiffer on the FE4 setup. The rear sway bars are the same between the 2. The front sway bar is 1.4mm bigger on the FE4. The Z06 also has a bit better shocks from the factory. The biggest contributor to the idea of the Z06 being a much better handler is this: no runflat tires. It's also the same reason that the Z06 stops 10+ft shorter with the same basic brakes.

The Z06 can weigh as much as 110lbs less than a coupe. This is due to the lighter windshield, titanium exhaust, and removal of cabin sound deadening. To be fair you must take into account the fact that coupes and verts can have a number of different options and that weight difference can vary. My own car weighed about 3170 with an almost full tank. Not bad compared to 3100 figure associated with a wet Z06. Another factor to consider is that if you plan on replacing the titanium exhaust on the Z06 it will lose 30lbs of this advantage.

The heads and cam on the Z06 are the main difference in power. The LS6 heads flow about 280cfm on the intake @ .600. Not bad, but any ported factory casting will easily surpass this, aftermarkets even more so. The cam in the Z06 is large for a factory, but again even the "cheater" cams offered in the aftermarket are much larger.

The M12 tranny is a big plus for getting the car down the 1320. It's a lot of the reason that these cars are so damn impressive out of the box. An M6 car with a 4.10 gearset will match this (some would argue surpass) but at a cost of at least $1500 for the gears.

The Z06 and FRC's are also ever so slightly stiffer. About 1-2Hz. The chassis of any C5 can be helped with the addition of a tunnel brace, which helps to close the gap on non FRC cars. The biggest plus here is the total lack of top groaning and creaking. Which I don't experience often, but when I do it's an annoyance.

So I'll say what I usually say. If your plan is to get the car and not mod it or only add a cam and headers the Z06 is the best choice. It will be a fantastic out of the box vehicle. If your plan is to extensively modify the car then a Z06 may not be the best choice. I was looking at average prices on Corvette forum for a friend wanting to get into a C5. There was one Z06 for $24k with the rest priced at $30k. The FRC's I looked at were priced at $17k. $7k-13k is a lot of mod money IMO.

Fastbird93

iTrader: (10)

Wow, some actual information instead of a bunch of opinions. Thank you.

It comes down to preference on the car. General concensus is that if you're buying a vette and EVER plan to do some serious modding, go with the coupe as you'll pay premium for a ZO6 and you'll have essentially the same car after the mods (unless you just HAVE to have the FRC).

Drewstein

Quoted for truth.

VenomInside

iTrader: (6)

Basically i would like to keep the car N/A and do heads/cam w/ bolt-ons. I'm thinking Z06

06cobaltSS

Thats what I did. Car is an absolute beast. Was able to rip my bro's supercharged LT1 camaro running 8lbs of boost badly.

Eurospec2

iTrader: (2)

if your gonna do all that, might as well go with the coupe

2MuchRiceMakesMeSick

I couldnt agree more.

If you just test drive a C5 and then test drive a Z06 youll see the difference immediately. the whole feel and attitude of the car is different

VenomInside

iTrader: (6)

Really? I mean i really cannot decide. I see C5's with low milage go for low to mid 20's where as the Z06 is in the high 20's to mid 30's. I think i would be happy with just modding a C5. I really don't know.

Fastbird93

iTrader: (10)

This of is this way. Suspension differences can be made up between a Coupe and Z for well under a grand (Bilstein sport shocks, highly recommended by yours truly, are only $300 and make a MONUMENTAL difference).

So you buy a $20K coupe. $1K for suspension. $2500 for full exhaust. $350 for intake. $350 for LS6 intake (if 00 and below). Let's call it $5K total for head/cam setup. $29200 with the top off.

Or you buy a $30K Z. $2500 for full exhaust. $350 for intake. $5K for head/cam setup. Total: $37800

At the points above, there's not a lot of differences in how the cars are going to perform. The Z will still have a slight weight advantage and slightly better gearing because of the MM12 tranny, but they will be fairly equal otherwise.

Except you can take the top off the coupe.

Tony @ MPH

iTrader: (20)

The gearing inside the M12 makes it feel more like a 3.73 rear in 1st through 3rd. This is appropriate and good for stock-like horsepower but I am personally finding it a hindrance with all the other mods I did to my car. Since you're going NA you will likely find that you appreciate the M12 tranny over an unmodified C5 drivetrain, but as others have stated if you want a little more gear just throw a 4.10 or 3.73 in there and call it a day.

I used to have a highly modified 2002 C5 and now I have a highly modified Z06. The heads, cam, and entire motor were changed when I added my turbos but I still love my Z06 a lot more than the C5. Personal preference, I suppose.

Robert56

iTrader: (2)

I did like the look of my '97 coupe; however, it all ends there. The Z06 is twice the car from the get go. Those saying go with a coupe, are trying to justify their own choice, mostly. Hell, nothing better than a heavily modded Z06. The crowds allways bypass the coupes and head straight for the Z06, true story. If ya have the money, a Z06 is the only way to fly.

Here's the gear break down for the M12. Now this is comparing the Z06 gearing to a M6. You would have to have these gears in your m6 coupe to equal the M12 with 3.42's. Yep, the reason the Z06 is so quick, yet fast, from the get go. Of course having the LS6 doesn't hurt...
1st= 3.82
2nd= 3.98
3rd= 3.76
4th 3.42

Robert

ram-it

I am not going to tell you which one to get. I will say there is a REASON the C5Z dominates the SCCA T1 series. The base vette never did. Here's a link that will answer every question you could ever have in comparing the two models plus year to year comarisons as well. http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...z06/index.html

99C5JA

One could say the same thing with the Z06 owners.

I've driven a Z51 coupe with Nitto's. I've ridden several times in an '03 Z06. My car feels tighter than both. The Z06 felt slightly stiffer than the Z51 coupe. Sure the Z06 could turn more heads at a car show. But facts are facts. The Z06 is a slightly lighter car with a mild heads/cam package and more aggressive gearing. If that's worth the premium, knock yourself out.