docjackson1

for those of you who know, what is a better track car?

TT Gasman

That's a tough one, I think t would be very close with advantage going to the GT3 brakes. But the Z06 is a lot cheaper.

Palting

Z06 brakes ARE weak. OTOH, think about how much brake mods, heck, ALL the mods you can do with the price diff between a Z06 and a GT3. Crash a brand new Z06, and you can get another one and still be within the price range of one GT3.

Forgetting about everything else, purely for the track, I'd get a Z06 over a GT3.

The big problem is, I can't forget everything else. So, overall, I would still get a GT3.

IMHO, as always.

1AS

I have driven a Z06 (on race rubber) on the same track I've frequented with my X50 and Elise 190R. Dollar for dollar the Z06 is tough to beat (also hard to actually beat with my X50- lap times are equal). I didn't buy it because of personal taste, but it's hard to resist if you are purely rational. Since Gingerman is a track which rewards handling over power, I'd guess the GT3 would be quicker. But, if I was only tracking, I'd pick the Z06 just on the basis of low,low,low operating costs. AS

brh986

Alexander do you have a turbo or a 996 with the power kit?

Re: the z06 - yes the value argument is true but have you ever driven one?

I've driven a c5 but i can't imagine the z06 is all that different. My impression is in a word, junk! Crappy clutch feel, crappy shifter feel, crappy interior, just all around a crappy american car (just like the rest). The numbers on paper are important but I think equally important is the delivery. Perhaps that's why I routinely say the S2000 is the most fun to drive car I've ever driven under $100k.

Z0650th

brh986,

I've owned both a 2002 C5 and a 2003 Z06 and there is no comparison between the regular Vette and the Z06 in terms of handling, braking and power across the entire rpm range in ANY gear! The power is simply amazing. The clutch is just fine in the Z06, it's the shifter that needs replacement. However, a short shifter replacement is a very easy and inexpensive mod.

As for fit and finish, you may be correct but the ergonomics are still very good. Let's also not forget that we are talking about a car at less than half the price of the GT3.

Just my .02

Carlos from Spain

The GT3 is definately faster around a track and would be much more reliable for track use, but on the other hand the Z06 is much cheaper for not all that much performance loss, so better cost-effective wise IMO, depends what you want from the track car.

But the ultimate track car is the turbo version of the Radical SR3 (880lbs and 340HP), will lap nurburgring in 7:19, faster than any other production car in the world (including the Carrera GT) and still cheaper than a Z06 or GT3

RWO

GT3 is faster? I'm not sure that is true. I have not seen any lap times on the new GT3; where are you getting that data??

Stock to stock, I'd bet on the Z06.

Roy

Carlos from Spain

2004 Z06's fastest official lap by GM during testing on nurburgring is 7:56 (I don't know if GM used street tires or not) which is impressive on such a demanding long track, but the MkII GT3 did already 7:54 on street tires driven by Auto Sport Mag's Von Saurma earlier this year and that means that the equivalent of GM's official lap time by Porsche/Rohl would be 1-2 secs even faster
So, yes, the GT3 is faster, its a good thing you didn't bet

Greg Fishman

The difference in the Z06 street tires and the GT3's tires is pretty pronounced. The Goodyear F1's are great tires but are not in the same league as the almost R-compound N2's.

fahren affair

Carlos, Carlos...always the protagonist

I think for US owners, the Zo6 as a track car is unbeatable, especially for the $. I had this same discussion with a friend who campaigned a Z06 for two yrs in SCCA Amateur races now campaigns a 911t in PCA/POC time trails. he says the zo6 can easily make 500 hp with bolt-ons and the suspension is near perfect out-of-the-box. For those who 'get it' the GT3 is the clear choice, but for the money, the Zo6 wins--hands-down.

Carlos from Spain

I hope I'm not being a pain in the butt, just giving my two cents

But we agree then Rob ... thats what I said in the first post: the GT3 is faster (and you could talk about more rewarding driving experience but that very subjective so I wont get into that) but the Z06 delivers almost the same performance (we are not all GM/Posche test drivers ) at much less cost so its definately unbeatable cost-effective wise. We were talking stock vs stock too, but if we get into mods then the Z06 is even a better value because its engine is more "moddifiable" and at a lesser cost too. Too bad we don't get the Z06 over here in Europe, though I preffer any of Porsche's 996s over the Chevy, Z06 or not

fahren affair

Carlos,
We're on the same side

I'm in line for a '04 GT3...but for the same money, the thought going for a used 996 cab (daily driver) and a 'beater' Z06 for track days has been wearing on my conscious

Trojan Man

Speaking as a previous owner of a C5, I think your review is a bit harsh. I enjoyed my C5 droptop for 30 months and 38,000 miles, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

The transmission in the C5 (as in the Mini Cooper S), as most of your probably know, is a high-quality German built Getrag. Other than a minor leak which was very happily fixed by the dealer, I had NO problems at all with it. The clutch was a bit heavy, but very acceptable and it had a nice feel for a sports car. The shifting was very direct and very precise - I actually miss gears more often with the Porsche 6-sp tranny.

The steering, although not on par with Porsche, was very very crisp and precise (unlike my Audi) and had a much better feel than any other car I've ever driven (besides Porsche).

Some people complain about the brakes, but they sure saved my cookies twice. Most, if not all car magazines review C5 braking performance as good as Porsche (street driving - I dunno about track).

The interior is lacking - I readily admit that. The leather is standard-issue GM crap leather, and door handles are made of cheap plastic. But you have to realize that we are dealing with a vehicle (Z06) that can hang with or even beat almost any stock Porsche at half the sticker price.

Let's also not forget that the same mods for the C5 are often 50%-70% less money than for a 911.

The bottom line is that I can buy a fully loaded Z06, spend $2000 redoing the interior, $3000 on brakes and suspension, $2000 on performance mods, and kick the begezuz out of 99% of all road-going cars, and I still have enough money leftover to buy a 2nd Z06 for the same money that I would spend on 1 stock GT3.

Yes, BRH986, it's not a Porsche, but it definitely ain't junk.

Carlos from Spain

Lucky man Rob! and I'm sure that thought will flee your mind forever the moment you get that GT3 and hit the canyons/track