Former Porsche driver's thoughts on 1 week of Z06 ownership

[jub jub]

Originally Posted by Eric_Rav

and while I really appreciate having a slot for DVD and a slot for CD, letting me listen to CDs while looking at my NAV, the NAV sucks. Its really sub-par relative to the systems in Toyotas or Lincols or ESPECIALLY the '08 Cadillac CTS which has simply the finest NAV system ever.

And the sound system isn't great. The Boxsters is outright unlistenable, so I guess its better, but compared to the truck or the CTS its crap. Definitely sub-par as far as factory sound systems go these days.

You mean this car has a Nav and a stereo? Damn, I got more than I bargained for.

[jdrake]

After you get your Z out on the track, you will begin to love what's best about this car. On track it is absolutely a beast, able to run with the best, straight off the showroom floor. Sure, there will be improvements you "can" make. But with stock brakes, stock tuning, and run flat street tires, you can place some pretty nice lap times ... beating many even with track focused modifications.

Competition driving mode is my preferred mode for the track. The car can get pretty loose with TC off, but that is the endearing allure of the Corvette! You can modify suspension, tire pressures, etc. and get a lot of the looseness out of the tail.

What absolutely got me was the way in which the interior envelopes you and surrounds you in the driving experience. With Porsches and BMW's especially, you are merely a visitor driving "the car". Interior and stereo/NAV are not the best but then again, that is not the reason why I bought the car. I agree in that the reviewers were way off base in their statements about the ride around town. The Z is a real nice ride around town compared to many other high performance sports cars.

Before I bought my Z, I drove the BMW M3, the 2005 Porsche GT3, and a 2003 Porsche TT X50. A couple of weeks ago, I got the chance to ride in someones GT3 and all I could do was sit there and think what a great choice I had made. Good luck and welcome to the forum!

[ZO6 NTHEWIND]

Nice writeup and some interesting comments. One reason that I think the positive reactions in the Vette vs the negative ones for the Porsches is maybe not the car, but the people that own/drive them. Vette people as just way too


Later,

[Leman]

Originally Posted by jub jub

You mean this car has a Nav and a stereo? Damn, I got more than I bargained for.

I thought it was just to show the Corvette Logo.....

Great write up. I got mine last Winter, in November, so went through the same curve as you are doing. I have also tracked twice this year and two more to come -(August on the Bugatti trace on the Le mans 24 Hour circuit)

A couple of points. You are correct about the traction control, I have used it on track, so as not to look to much of a dope in front of other cars. So far so good, Even a Subaru STI went off track, and a Lotus Elite too on the second circuit.

What you will find is if you find the tail slipping, lifting the foot off the pedal, (Which will instantly move weight forward with the risk of letting the engine braking set off the ABS) put your foot down - you will find you will power through the rear end snap much easier, letting the traction control do its thing. I have even accelerated up a slope on track side ways this way, with TCS on street mode; much to the surprise of the car in front that I passed. So it can handle a lot.

I also found that the traction control on track can pull your arms off, it reacts at the same time I do - which is pretty quick, but you get used to it, and bigger forearms too. LOL

BUT - I am still out on whether the TCS snapping onto my disks to correct Wintery slides did my OEM rotors in. I got the classic pedal throb "warp" disk after my first track day and swapped out for dbas after my second. (to give you an idea - it was at Dijon in France, and I starting braking 150 Meters out which is way too far - at 280 KM/H, about 172 MPH) But there again I admit to being quick on track, just tickling GT3s is too much fun. At the end of that straight, my pedal was pushing back so hard I could not manage threshold breaking to slot in front of the GT3. i.e. braking 80 meters out.....

As for mileage, I am finding that I am more willing to use the Z06 than my Golf R32, even through some tremondous rain last week, over a 800 KMS cross Switzerland drive for work. Admittedly I went easy, as a wrong (think 4th instead of third) acceleration will put the tail out even in a straight line. In fact, using the torque works well for me, I took time getting the gear choice correct and often found myself in 5th instead of third in another car.

Mileage on the autoroute (freeway) with cruise control set to 130 KM/H and some fun "sprints", I managed 10L/100 KMS, which is LESS than the Golf. it is a great GT car the Z06. With enough power to track using air conditioning and the stereo - believe me doing 173 MPH - listening to ZZ Top and keeping cool, is priceless, especially when you pull into the paddock, the others red faced and sweaty, you will be cool and deaf! It is even better when at the end of he day, you check oil, get in and drive off, while others change out slicks and fuss about.

As for the NAV. I too thought it was not much - compared with the Golf R32 - until it discretely re-routed me one day on my way to Chur in Switzerland. it did a far better job than the Golf Nav has ever done. It does not insist I do a demi turn when I get it wrong, just recalculates and corrects (politely too) and is far easier to read and prepare for our famous Swiss pre pre selection routines in Zurich and Geneva! (Unlike Chocolate and Cheese, we cannot export those, shame- it would create world peace in no time, every one would really need to think first before doing anything.)

As for white vans and UPS - true not there petrol, but we pay the prices!

Any body know of a good anti-Van defense system - chaff for example??

[No Doubt]

Originally Posted by Jub Jub

You mean this car has a Nav and a stereo? Damn, I got more than I bargained for.

It has a built-in cooler too. Under the hatch, on the left side. Put a bag of ice in there and a couple of your favorite beverages should fit as well. In the C5 Z you could almost fit a case worth in that center depression.

Not that I've ever tried either one mind you.

[jub jub]

I was pushing some buttons on the Nav just tonight. Some sweet sounding female asked how she could be of assistance. I said, "What are you doing later tonight?", in which she responded, "I do not recognize your command." I guess I she needs some good schooling.

Again, GM drops the ball!

[Leman]

Originally Posted by No Doubt

It has a built-in cooler too. Under the hatch, on the left side. Put a bag of ice in there and a couple of your favorite beverages should fit as well. In the C5 Z you could almost fit a case worth in that center depression.

Not that I've ever tried either one mind you.

you are kidding, yes? That is where my free mobile oil container is. But I did find the frying pan to do eggs on the nice red engine covers. LOL Usingnthe oil in thecooling hatch that is.

[Eric_Rav]

Originally Posted by jdrake

After you get your Z out on the track, you will begin to love what's best about this car. On track it is absolutely a beast, able to run with the best, straight off the showroom floor. Sure, there will be improvements you "can" make. But with stock brakes, stock tuning, and run flat street tires, you can place some pretty nice lap times ... beating many even with track focused modifications.

Competition driving mode is my preferred mode for the track. The car can get pretty loose with TC off, but that is the endearing allure of the Corvette! You can modify suspension, tire pressures, etc. and get a lot of the looseness out of the tail.

What absolutely got me was the way in which the interior envelopes you and surrounds you in the driving experience. With Porsches and BMW's especially, you are merely a visitor driving "the car". Interior and stereo/NAV are not the best but then again, that is not the reason why I bought the car. I agree in that the reviewers were way off base in their statements about the ride around town. The Z is a real nice ride around town compared to many other high performance sports cars.

Before I bought my Z, I drove the BMW M3, the 2005 Porsche GT3, and a 2003 Porsche TT X50. A couple of weeks ago, I got the chance to ride in someones GT3 and all I could do was sit there and think what a great choice I had made. Good luck and welcome to the forum!

Thats a really good poitn about the 'vettes interior, and interiors in general. While this point seems to be lost on magazines... the pleasures or miseries of an interior aren't defined by materials. Ambiance, mood, how being in something makes you feel - these are the things that really define the inside of a car. And the 'vettes interior really is a great place to be. I do wish it smelled like a leather jacket... but... this can be done, so who cares?

I never thought about tire pressure. In my other hobby which is getting stuck while trying to offroad, tire pressure is HUGE for traction and ride etc.

And... I can relate to "god i'm glad I got a vette" syndrome. Every time I see a porsche I think about good tmies i've had in them, how nice they are to drive, and how i honestly don't even have 1% of myself that wishes I'd have gotten a 911 instead of the 'vette.

[Eric_Rav]

Originally Posted by Leman

I thought it was just to show the Corvette Logo.....

Great write up. I got mine last Winter, in November, so went through the same curve as you are doing. I have also tracked twice this year and two more to come -(August on the Bugatti trace on the Le mans 24 Hour circuit)

A couple of points. You are correct about the traction control, I have used it on track, so as not to look to much of a dope in front of other cars. So far so good, Even a Subaru STI went off track, and a Lotus Elite too on the second circuit.

Its cool to read that you guys get good use out of the TC on the track. I really suspect that in at least some reviews the Z06 is penalized in lap times by writers who aren't masters at driving the car turning it off...

What you will find is if you find the tail slipping, lifting the foot off the pedal, (Which will instantly move weight forward with the risk of letting the engine braking set off the ABS) put your foot down - you will find you will power through the rear end snap much easier, letting the traction control do its thing. I have even accelerated up a slope on track side ways this way, with TCS on street mode; much to the surprise of the car in front that I passed. So it can handle a lot.

I also found that the traction control on track can pull your arms off, it reacts at the same time I do - which is pretty quick, but you get used to it, and bigger forearms too. LOL

BUT - I am still out on whether the TCS snapping onto my disks to correct Wintery slides did my OEM rotors in. I got the classic pedal throb "warp" disk after my first track day and swapped out for dbas after my second. (to give you an idea - it was at Dijon in France, and I starting braking 150 Meters out which is way too far - at 280 KM/H, about 172 MPH) But there again I admit to being quick on track, just tickling GT3s is too much fun. At the end of that straight, my pedal was pushing back so hard I could not manage threshold breaking to slot in front of the GT3. i.e. braking 80 meters out.....

As for mileage, I am finding that I am more willing to use the Z06 than my Golf R32, even through some tremondous rain last week, over a 800 KMS cross Switzerland drive for work. Admittedly I went easy, as a wrong (think 4th instead of third) acceleration will put the tail out even in a straight line. In fact, using the torque works well for me, I took time getting the gear choice correct and often found myself in 5th instead of third in another car.

Mileage on the autoroute (freeway) with cruise control set to 130 KM/H and some fun "sprints", I managed 10L/100 KMS, which is LESS than the Golf. it is a great GT car the Z06. With enough power to track using air conditioning and the stereo - believe me doing 173 MPH - listening to ZZ Top and keeping cool, is priceless, especially when you pull into the paddock, the others red faced and sweaty, you will be cool and deaf! It is even better when at the end of he day, you check oil, get in and drive off, while others change out slicks and fuss about.

As for the NAV. I too thought it was not much - compared with the Golf R32 - until it discretely re-routed me one day on my way to Chur in Switzerland. it did a far better job than the Golf Nav has ever done. It does not insist I do a demi turn when I get it wrong, just recalculates and corrects (politely too) and is far easier to read and prepare for our famous Swiss pre pre selection routines in Zurich and Geneva! (Unlike Chocolate and Cheese, we cannot export those, shame- it would create world peace in no time, every one would really need to think first before doing anything.)

As for white vans and UPS - true not there petrol, but we pay the prices!

Any body know of a good anti-Van defense system - chaff for example??

I would get such a laugh out of a UPS van wanting to race... I'd have to oblige the driver.

I can't wait to learn a thing or two about track driving... I'm ready to make an arse of myself the first few times that I try.

lol @ jub and no doubt.

[jdrake]

Originally Posted by Eric_Rav

... I never thought about tire pressure. In my other hobby which is getting stuck while trying to offroad, tire pressure is HUGE for traction and ride etc. ...

:

I have found that if I go into a track session with the rears 1 pound less than the fronts, the car "seems" to handle better. I have not taken tire temps to determine optimal pressures so I can't really empirically state my case. Also keep in mind my car is still straight stock...so far.

[Raisin Man]

"...But the interesting thing is Z06 -vs- Boxster. In the Porsches you get challenged to race by every other ricer on the street, alot of mustangs, and even the occasional pickup..."

That's probably because most P-Cars routinely get waxed in a street race scenario by other makes offering more torque & horsepower. Stylin' only goes so far.

[Eric_Rav]

well I drove around for an hour or 2 on the 4th to get a feel for a few specific corners and curves, then aired the tires down to 26 psi hot and drove them again. It made a distinct difference in rear-end hop...

If i ran the car up to 20 or 30 in 1st and then suddently dropped the hammer, the tires still spun and activated the traction system, but the tendency of the car to hop from mid-corner bumps was distinctly curtailed.

sweet!

[Eric_Rav]

And I got challenged to race a few times over the weekend...



















by crotch-rockets

[Patriot24]

I just bought my '08 Z06 and this is the second one I have owned. had an '02 prior to this one. My brother has a modified 993 and I can tell you that it's a blast to drive the 993 but absolutely no comparison to my Z06. He has driven several Porsches and overall, he (grudgingly) admits that this car is unbelievable!! All that performance and yet I can get 27mpg out of it when I want to. I've got 1500 miles on it and I know that it will get even stronger as it gets broken in..........

Good to be back in the fold.........

[DennyM]

Originally Posted by Patriot24

I just bought my '08 Z06 and this is the second one I have owned. had an '02 prior to this one. My brother has a modified 993 and I can tell you that it's a blast to drive the 993 but absolutely no comparison to my Z06. He has driven several Porsches and overall, he (grudgingly) admits that this car is unbelievable!! All that performance and yet I can get 27mpg out of it when I want to. I've got 1500 miles on it and I know that it will get even stronger as it gets broken in..........

Good to be back in the fold.........

Congratulations on the '08Z ... good to have you back posting ... after a lapse of 2 1/2 years!
This event deserves it's own thread ... (with pics ... )