2k Cobra

Road and Track ran a "Power Play" test between some pretty big hitters at Laguna Seca. (Jan 2011)

The Corvette won!

Only negative on the Z06 was the seats.

Pretty good reading. Some of the other cars were $160K +..

jschindler

Just to clarify what "won" means - it had the fastest track time, but the Porsche Turbo S "won" the comparison test. But it is a great article on the Z06 - the most complimentary of any Z06 test I can remember.

soulcoaxing

2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 - To the Power of 12 - Road Test
Power-to-weight or bang-for-the-buck? Chevy takes claim to both descriptors with the new Z06.

By Shaun Bailey

November 11, 2010

http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/ca...he-power-of-12

MTIRC6Z

Given the weight of a blower it's shocking that the ZR1 is only 20 lbs heavier, to get 133hp...can't imagine why anyone would want the Z06

Cheers, Paul.

BSSN

Because you can get a 1LZ Z06 with the Carbon/Z07 option package for around 75K+TTL and you can't get a stripped-down ZR1 for anywhere near that. It appears that the Z07 was reviewed, and not the Z06 "Carbon" edition.

AFVETTE

Maybe GM has even more tweaks in store for the Z06 as it enters the twilight of its career before we get the C7.

There could be some tasty bits coming our way to send the C6 Z06 platform and lusty SB 427 off into Corvette history and lore.

The future is super charging, hell even Honda's will probably slap one on, but to make NA power the likes of the SB 427 will never happen again. It's the last of a long line of great NA V8 engines from GM/Chevy.

Tom

jschindler

Look at it this way, you can almost buy a Z06/Z07 AND a Camaro SS for the price of a ZR1.

BSSN

I doubt it gets anything much for 2012. So far all that is sure is there is 1 new color, and no colors were deleted.

The C5/Z for 2004 got a carbon-fiber hood and some stickers.

The 1996 'vette got the LT4, I think. However, it had been around for a while before then. There isn't anything that GM is going to stuff in the C6/Z I don't think.

We might get MRC as an option for the Z06 like we do for the GS and base C6, that would be cool, but not earth-shattering.

The exhaust has already been updated for 2011, as was the transmission.

Might get a new interior color/color combo options or something.

I really think the Z06 has reached the pinnacle of what can be done with it with OEM reliability at this point. Not many more options can find their way into the car for "economical" (judging by the fact that GM has just been taking their ZR1 and puttings its nice-parts on the Z06, and the Z06 to the GS, etc. it seems that "economical" is the name of the game with the C6 platform).

No, I just don't really see anything special coming. Maybe a Recaro seat option if GM really wants to step up to the plate, but thats about the biggest thing I think they could/would do.

jvp

And they can't do that unless Recaro can engineer a side bag into their seat. Which I'm not sure they even want to get into the business of doing.

jas

jschindler

Never say never Tom. You are I are old enough to remember the first round of exactly the same thing happening. It looked like Turbos were going to overtake normally aspirated cars for performance. Then the trend reversed as direct injection, overhead cams, variable valve timing etc came into play.

BSSN

Did they not do this for the CTS-V and the GT500?

soulcoaxing

In the same publication, as mentioned by others, they also reviewed and compared the Z06 with the 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S. Here's a snippet quote from the 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S review: "Of all the cars, the Turbo S had the highest speed, 134 mph, down the front straight by a good 7-mph margin. It lost time only to the Corvette in corners, mostly due to the Chevrolet’s significantly lower weight."

I checked the price and specs on the 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S, and here's the good news for all of us: The BASE price of the 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S is $80K more than the fully loaded 2011 Z06, and they both achieve the same highway mileage: 24 mpg. Robert

jvp

Side airbags in the CTS-V are curtains, not integrated with the seat like they are in the Corvette. I'll bet a dollar the same applies to the GT500. The current Corvette doesn't have the room for a good curtain side bag, so it's forced to have one in the seat.

jas

BSSN

BMW has always considered it a "Driver's car". An "enthusiasts car".

Even they are going over to turbo almost completely in their performance line-up. The Z4 is already there, and the M3 will be soon. Turbo technology has become very refined and is a viable option that allows seamless acceleration, along with improved mileage. With all the pressure being put on companies to "lower their hydrocarbon footprint", it is almost assured that that is where they are headed. BMW's company line is that newer turbo technology takes nothing away from the high-rpm, linear power delivery that owners have come to expect from the ///M line.

GM tends to follow being Ford when it comes to technology in the engine. This is not a knock, just a fact. Ford got rid of the pushrod in '96 (regarding the mustang platform) while GM still had it. Ford also dumped TPI type fueling and went to SD before GM did, IIRC. Ford now has an FI Taurus, and has always had FI DOHC motors in the recent top of the line cars. GM is going to be going DOHC/DI, and after that, FI.

Just my opinion based on looking at a history of the two companies' performance offerings, and trends in general.

Lets not forget that GM's previous FI cars were/are legend. The GTA, and the GN. Both swept the floor with competators and bring a high price in money and respect even today.

BSSN

Gotcha. Well, maybe not even that, then. I doubt so, presuming what you are stating is fact (No reason to think not).

Well, stand-alone MRC option for the Z06 is the only thing I think they might do, other than a new color of stitching and the one paint color or something else mundane.

GMuffley

R & T are wrong on the weights.

MTIRC6Z

Great idea except, if I wasn't interested in one car that was slower than the ZR1, why would I want two

Knowing how easy it is to get the LS9 up 112hp (eg, $7,500 at Katech), means the LS7 has to imporve by 245 to catch up...the only way that is gunna happen is with FI, which is gunna make the Z06 heavier than the ZR1, go figure.

I guess I should have just said I'm not impressed with the weight of this new Z06.

Cheers, Paul.

soulcoaxing

True, GM states that the Z06 is nearly 200 pounds lighter than the ZR1 and has a better weight distribution balance than the ZR1 too.

Robert

jschindler

All good points

I was just addressing the question of why buy a Z06/Z07 instead of a ZR1. $30,000 price difference is not chump change for most of us. I was not debating the merits of the two cars.

jschindler

Once again, there is not enough information to determine the validity of R&T's statement. They could be comparing a fully loaded 3LZ Z06 with a stripped ZR1. I think a lot of people are over reacting to the R&T statement.