Ralphy g-Machine

iTrader: (3)

Hey guys,

I bought an '02 Z06 last week, and figured I'd post it up. I sold my lightly modded '01 SS to buy this car, and I must say--I have no regrets. The Z is in an entirely different league.

The car is an '02 Quicksilver Z06, all black interior
It had 8200 miles on it when I picked it up, and is brand new inside and out. The interior still smells like a new car .

The pics aren't the best, but here are a few:















A few more pics here:

http://www.pro-touring.com/gallery/m...2_itemId=10232

allngn_c5

iTrader: (3)

Beautiful car. Too bad it wasn't available in Pewter. Wish I could've gotten your ride. I bet you got a great price on it too. I had to settle for a 2000 black FRC, brand new with less then 1 mile on the odometer. New in May of 2000.

Anyways what mods are you planning?? Hopefully some LG Pro longtube headers and a CAI to start. Do you still have warranty remaining ??? Throw a good size cam in there and make some really sick power. Later, and sweet car.

setxws6

In what ways do you like it over the SS?

427TTA4

iTrader: (1)

awsome vette man I also did the switch over from a 00 a4 TA

ls1290

iTrader: (20)

I too had a little modded SS before my Vette. The differences are like night and day IMO.

Keith

ls1amit

I want one so bad, in a year or less after this law suite and when i can walk again, im going to get a millenium yellow z06. Can you guys give me a description on the things you notice that are better from a ls1 fbody like the driving feel and so on, Thanks. And do they come with H I D's and can you turn off the heads up display when you are driving? Sick car man good move.

scramblerman

iTrader: (16)

nice car, looked just like mine when I got it. Mine had 6200 miles on it. Beautiful car. I also came from a lightly modded 99 Ws6. Totally different animal.

No HID lights and yes the Heads up display can be turned off when driving. there is a dimmer for it, turn it all the way and it goes off. Personally I am not a fan of the HUD, my friends are though.

the vette compared to the f-body is a whole different ball game, especailly the Z06 with the less weight and more power compared to a C5. IMHO i think that the Z06 doesn't ride as rough as my t/a did. The vette handles excellent in the twisties and on the road compared to the ws6. powerwise it will take a good running f-body with at least 400rwhp to beat a stock C5Z06. the Z06 is all about power to weight. Everyonce in a while I miss the t-tops that the ws6 had and the steering wheel controls too. I will say i do miss the ws6, loved that car, but the vette is so much better.

Nice silver vette and hope you enjoy the **** out of it, I am!!!! LOL!

427TTA4

iTrader: (1)

I dont think any C5 come with HID's and you can turn of the HUD well not actually turn it of you just dim it till you cant see it.Well first of all when I made the change over I noticed that your in a more race car feel and the interior is much better.It has more luxury like as the climate control,the gauges,well everything in general but I feel more in like im in an exotic than in a muscle car...

PA Z06

Congrats you picked the fastest color

jbuerke142

iTrader: (5)

Very nice ride!!

Best advice to people thinking about making the switch is to drive one. The cars are no comparison. I LOVED my SS... but they're just not in the same league.

DocT

congrats man! Clean and nice!








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VortechC5

iTrader: (6)

Congrats on yout new Z!

ls1amit

Thanks for the description I cant wait to get one.

Ralphy g-Machine

iTrader: (3)

Thanks! I wish they would've offered more colors on the Z06, too. Optimal choice for me would've been Spiral Grey or SOM. I've got exactly one year of warranty left.

Mods for now will just be bolt-on stuff: CAI, pulley, C6Z shifter. I'm not sure about doing headers as I may go STS TT down the line. I'm not really sure, yet. If I don't go STS, I'll just do heads and cam, headers, Xpipe, etc..

In all ways, really. I could sit here and write fifteen pages about the superiority of the Z06 compared to the F-body, but that would take too much time, LOL. As jbuerke said, the best way to determine the differences is to drive one.

A few words, however:

1). The overall "feel" of the car is that of a different (higher) class than the F-body-- as was intended by GM. The interior is much improved and refined over the F-body platform. The gauge cluster, seats, leather (actually, the leather is on the cheap side), dash, etc. is all much nicer than the F-body offering. The adjustability and ergonomics are much better, the dual zone climate control isn't necessary, but it's a nice touch. The Z06 is an experience. From the point at which one opens the door, gets in, depresses the clutch and starts the car--it's just an entirely different experience than the F-body.

When I close the doors on the Z06 with the windows down, the door shuts in a smooth and firm fashion; it just feels solid. With the SS, it felt as though the window glass was going to shatter if the door was closed any harder than the absolute minimal force required to latch it.

2). Although the SS handled very well (especially on the Kumhos) the Z06 is just far superior. The car is extremely responsive, and just STICKS. The steering is also much improved over the SS: feels much tighter and heavier, especially at triple digits.

3). The transmission. The M12 ratios are much, much, much better than the T56 ratios. The first three ratios simulate what equates to 3:90 gears in a T56 car (as compared to stock 3:42s), while the final three ratios are closer and much more useable than the standard T56 ratios. 5th gear is actually a useful racing (road racing) gear, instead of being the first of two overdrives. The closer splits are much more conducive to performance than the stanard T56 ratios.

4). Acceleration. Stock for stock, there is on comparison, the Z pulls MUCH harder. Acceleration is acceleration, though. Throw some mods at an SS, and it'll pull just the same.

In it's most distilled form, the Z06 is a production race car, where as the SS was a production muscle car. Both cars are extremely nice and fun to drive, but the difference is in the intention:

The SS is better suited for cruising down the boulevard, light to light, with the hope that someone in a Mustang GT is going to pull up and be game for an ***-whoopin'.

The Z06 is better suited for pulling g's around Laguna Seca at breakneck speeds.

That being said--I still LOVED my SS and will be purchasing another 4th gen M6 F-body in ~6 months as a new daily driver.

P.S. One of the most suprising things about the Z06 is it's driveability. When cruising around town, and staying under 3K, the car is extremely timid and a real pleasure to drive. It drives more like a mercedes or cadillac, or whatever your luxury car of choice, than a factory produced race car. After I test drove the car (first time driving a Z06), I explained it to a buddy like this--if you let someone who had no idea what a Z06 was, or was capable of, drive the car, and they never put their foot into it, they'd have no idea they were driving a fast car. With the SS, even though it was slower, it "felt" faster just cruising around town. I think some of that may be attributed to the throttle-by-wire of the Z06 vs. the old school cable throttle body of the SS, though.

Ralphy g-Machine

iTrader: (3)

Thanks!

It sounds like you were in a pretty bad accident? Best of luck on your recovery. See my above post for some quick thoughts on the differences of the car. I do not believe any C5Z06s were offered with HIDS? I may be mistaken, though.

You can turn off the heads up display by dimming it all the way down. You can also adjust the display vertically (i.e. move it up and down the windshield--there's about 4" or so of total adjustment), to accomodate your view.

LOL, thanks!! I certainly will/am!!

Ralphy g-Machine

iTrader: (3)

I hope so! Thanks.

Thanks!

Thanks, Doc!!

Thanks, it's much appreciated!

Ralphy g-Machine

iTrader: (3)

So as to preclude some of the negative comments I'm sure to receive from that statement, let me clarify. It used to really annoy me when people thought my SS couldn't handle, and was only useful in a straight line. This isn't the case at all. Fourth gen F-bodies handle very well with minimal mods, and are just as at home on the road course, as at the dragstrip. However, as far as what the car feels as though it was designed for, my above statement holds true.

setxws6

Thanks Ralphy-gMachine! Finally someone with a candid, real-world explaination of how a Z06 feels and compares to an F-body.
Most just state, "wow, night and day" but explains nothing to someone like me who plans to get one but hasn't drivin one.

2MuchRiceMakesMeSick

Congrats on the new car. It looks really clean!




I dont know about lightly modified but I had a SS before and I agree

ls1amit

Great write up. I was in a pretty bad accident but im just looking forward to getting this car, I sold my z28 the day before my accident and I was going to go test drive some z06's in the next few days, but thats being put on hold due to all this. That write up gives me alot to look foward too thanks.