Need C5 Z06 Owners testimonial...

[cleanmachine]

I am thinking of trading 2 current cars for a clean C5 Z06. I want to hear from owners or previous owners as to why I should or should not.

I have a very clean CLK55 which is not my dd and a highly tuned DA integra GSR that I drive daily and track. I love the benz but servicing and maintenance is expensive; thus, demonstrating the use of the integra as a daily driver.

I plan to use the vette as a daily and track car. Therefore the Integra becomes uneccessary. I also have a van that I drive for work.

What are your thoughts...?

[MOWE]

Pros:

- Fast as fcuk...traps 114-118mph stock !
- Looks great...my opinion but a lowered Z is nasty.
- Dont have to carry 3 people....if its more then 2 then you dont have to drive !
- You dont see them all the time...I wont say they are rare..but they are not like civics and camrys
- Not terrible expensive to fix..it is still a chevy...
- Gets you into another world...v8 / corvette groups etc..
- very reliable ...at least for a sports car


Cons

- not much storage...
- Cant carry more then 2 lol...works both ways
- haters ! lol...they will come out

Overall its a great car..the only issue is it may not be the best for a daily driver...depends on your mileage , terrain and practicality.

Good luck !
-

[00CelicaGT]

Great cars, on bad is is something breaks. Tons of aftermarket backing so mobs are endless, they are more classy then a civic too lol.

[Matt300ZXT]

Isn't the C5 Z06 just the 6.0 LS rather than the 5.7 or is that another model above base I'm thinking of? I'd keep the CLK55 cuz they are sexy. Maintenance is just part of owning a nice car, it's the nature of the beast.

[MOWE]

Starting with the 2002 model year, the LS6 in the Z06 engine was uprated to 405 horsepower (302 kW) by means of a larger volume air intake, stiffer valve springs, lighter sodium filled valves, more aggressive cam phasing and lift, revised pistons, and revised block. While Chevrolet officially claimed that the ultimate power output of the LS6 was 405 horsepower (302 kW), many dynamometer (http://www.importatlanta.com/wiki/Dynamometer) tests have shown that Chevrolet underrated the engine by 20 hp (15 kW), giving it an actual total of 425 horsepower (317 kW).[2] (http://www.importatlanta.com/forums/#cite_note-GM_High_Tech_Performance-2)

[MOWE]

Oh and its a 5.7L

[civicturbo10]

My buddy just picked up a C6 Z06 and they are a beast for sure. Compared to his BOE supercharged Lotus elise its a different animal. The one thing i noticed on the Z06 was the low end grunt. There is literally a lot of it from the get go and you blow away cars like no other from a dead stop.

Like anything you need to do research on the platform your getting and figure out it's achilles heels. For the Lotus Elise it was the cam wipe and his car was low mileage. The engine used in the elise is basically the Celica GTS engine modified for Lotus Duty producing around 190 hp. Remember that it weighs only 2000 pounds hence the low hp. we fixed the cam wipe issue with brand new parts and it only had around 28k miles on the car.

Now the Z06 has one too, that i know of so far. Being that i don't own, my buddy does all the research. From what he's found out tracking the car the sodium filled valves are it's achilles heel. Not everyone has the failure but why take a chance. Remember tracking the car will put more stress on the motor. Just something to think about and do your own research on those forums.

To start off about gathering info on the LS7 -
Ls7 valve issues--real or E-phenom? - Corvette Forum (http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-z06-discussion/2622019-ls7-valve-issues-real-or-e-phenom.html)

Remember i take info as a grain of salt with stuff i read until i read a bunch info about it. The thread above is just one thread. You need to do like 50 hr of research on it and figure it out for yourself. Thats how my friend knew of the cam wipe issue on the Lotus Elise. A shit ton of asking, reading like studying for a college degree....

[Julio]

If you have $$, tracking a z06 shouldn't be a question.

[RACEMYCOPCAR]

As a former C5Z owner i can tell you some pros and cons... The drivetrain is GREAT!! Has lots of power and it handles AMAZING its BY FAR the best handling car ive owned period. They are fairly reliable and mine would get 29-30mpg on the highway cruising. A very fun car to drive.

However it is made by GM which means the build quality isnt the best. One common thing to look out for is water leakage, mine would leak like the titanic when it rained... this is due to a defect when GM built them they used a type of glue to attach the roof which becomes hardened over time and eventually cracks and causes water leaks. (common issue on all FRC's) they only way to fix this properly is to REMOVE the whole roof and re glue it back on. Also there are electrical gremlins to deal with such as the gas gauge that will only read half way because the vette has two saddlebag tanks and uses a pump to transfer gas from one tank to the other and the sensor goes out in one or the transfer pump and its a PITA to fix it. Mine also had some wierd issues with the dash cluster (i think caused by the water leak) sometimes while driving down the highway all my gauges would just die and drop to zero for no reason and then come back to normal a few seconds later..... the interior feels very cheaply made also its like sitting in a cavalier.

Bottom line is i would have another as a weekend car or track car but i wouldnt want it as my only car id still need a daily. However the C6Z is a whole different animal.

Here is a pic of mine.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g194/IRACEMYCOPCAR/New%20ZO6/newzo67.jpg

[MOWE]

My buddy just picked up a C6 Z06 and they are a beast for sure. Compared to his BOE supercharged Lotus elise its a different animal. The one thing i noticed on the Z06 was the low end grunt. There is literally a lot of it from the get go and you blow away cars like no other from a dead stop.

Like anything you need to do research on the platform your getting and figure out it's achilles heels. For the Lotus Elise it was the cam wipe and his car was low mileage. The engine used in the elise is basically the Celica GTS engine modified for Lotus Duty producing around 190 hp. Remember that it weighs only 2000 pounds hence the low hp. we fixed the cam wipe issue with brand new parts and it only had around 28k miles on the car.

Now the Z06 has one too, that i know of so far. Being that i don't own, my buddy does all the research. From what he's found out tracking the car the sodium filled valves are it's achilles heel. Not everyone has the failure but why take a chance. Remember tracking the car will put more stress on the motor. Just something to think about and do your own research on those forums.

To start off about gathering info on the LS7 -
Ls7 valve issues--real or E-phenom? - Corvette Forum (http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-z06-discussion/2622019-ls7-valve-issues-real-or-e-phenom.html)

Remember i take info as a grain of salt with stuff i read until i read a bunch info about it. The thread above is just one thread. You need to do like 50 hr of research on it and figure it out for yourself. Thats how my friend knew of the cam wipe issue on the Lotus Elise. A shit ton of asking, reading like studying for a college degree....


The C6Z06 has been known to have the valve issue you are speaking of..However the OP is looking for C5Z06 info....totally diff car.