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Corvettes and all things about them

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#565 of 1908 One nice thing about the latest movie by starrow68 Jul 09, 2003 (9:25 pm)
Left out the Vette's. As to the Z06 brake ducts on Coupe's and Vert's I understand that they are functional and actually help brake cooling, may not be true but some think that is the case. It is nice that most Corvette owners don't see any need to trick out the exterior. Most of the mods I've seen and read about are just performance, but with only 350hp it's hard to see the need for the 450 to 550 rwhp I've seen several times at the track. Guess it's a question of learning how to deal with what you have and then the need for more might grow.      Ok, the wife corrected me, the X-Pipe and new mufflers are supposed to add just over 15hp, and they do look good.
#566 of 1908 Request Advice by gmanusmc Jul 11, 2003 (8:34 pm)
Starrow (and all)...My wife and I are about to place our order for a 2004 Mag Red Coupe. We are located in SoCal but are ordering from an east coast dealer and having it drop shipped to a nearby dealer. Reading through your posts on this thread was very informative and probably contributed to our reaching where we are right now in taking the "plunge. Do you have any advice to offer on this process? We will most likely finalize the order in the next few days with a projected delivery of late Aug.   Thanks in advance, Bill G
#568 of 1908 by ruking1 Jul 11, 2003 (9:06 pm)
It is truly a unique experience to know that a "car with your name on it" is being built! Mine was ordered and I got a 2001 Z06 pretty much sight unseen. The GM build order system seemed byzantine and I don't think that it has gotten much better !   As I remember the experience, once you get in cue, the key is to keep in fairly close contact with person that you either bought it from or the person who is responsible for monitoring the contact. I bought mine in CA in the Napa Valley, so one other treat was to be able to tour the wine country. While I was getting the winery tour , during the "orientation ride" (sure glad the car knew the way around, "the gals" went to Napa to do real damage at the outlet stores! I had a great experience with a GM dealer and if you want contact information, just send me an e mail.   Corvette forum has a dealer vendor who writes a newsletter column and it is quite informative both on the process and news about new Corvettes. All the best!
#569 of 1908 Glad that you are taking the plunge by starrow68 Jul 12, 2003 (8:06 am)
The Corvetteforum newsletter from Ken Fichtner in Montana was a great source of info for me before I bought and was why I finally got mine from Ken in Montana. Since we went to Montana and did the pickup I can't comment much on the courtsey delivery option much, other than what I've heard. Ken's crew prep'd the car the day we drove it on a test drive and then washed it again the following morning before we signed all the papers and took off on our 4 days to home. Fantastic service.    Keeping track of your build as it goes through the GM system is something that helps you get past the worry along the way, at least for me. Again, Ken's news letter info helped. Linking up with your local Corvette club and actually having a few folks show you what to look for on delivery inspection is also a good idea. There were still things I thought about asking after the fact so the more background you get ahead of time the better. Also there are local corvette shows which can provide lots of personal insights if you can track one down. Most Corvette people love to discuss the experience, if you are up to it.    Last thing is the obvious, easy breakin, early oil change, most recommend magnetic oil drain plug if they aren't standard now. Even with stability and other aids it is easy to lose it some in spite of the massive rubber contacts. Fun when expected but scary when not expected. Then again you can drive it like a touring car and never hear a tire squeal if desired. I have a couple of freeway onramps with good visibility that I now enter without touching the brakes from speed limit and it acts like it's on rails, maintain balance into turn and easy power out to set the rear and the car can amaze you if you turn in correctly, apex and unwind. Oh, btw, a day at a defensive driving class is also a very good idea.      Ok, I'm curious as well, willing to discuss how much off MSRP they are going for at this point? Sure my $2k off from back before 911 is way out of date. I know what I read but actual deals put it in better perspective. Enjoy the ride, save the wave, and be safe.
#570 of 1908 A question about putting up the convertible top by bhill2 Jul 16, 2003 (1:17 pm)
My wife and I just bought a 50th anniversary convertible and I am a happy camper. Actually, I talked her into going for the 6-speed, so I am a VERY happy camper (can that thing really get 30 mpg on the highway like the instantaneous mileage display indicates or am I fooling myself?) But I digress. Presently, when I put the top up, I leave the ignition on, get out, open the tonneau cover (which lowers the windows), put up the top, get back in, latch the top down, and put the windows up (which is why I left the ignition on). While this is not a big deal, I wondered if anyone had developed a more efficient method.   Also, while I have your attention, the owners' manual 'recommends' using premium, saying that it will give the best performance. But it then hedges by saying that you actually can burn any high-quality gas in it. I am tentatively assuming that there is a real difference in performance between using premium and using mid-grade, but I invite any information anyone can give me. Thanks.
#571 of 1908 Good luck with the top by starrow68 Jul 16, 2003 (4:35 pm)
Us guys in Coupe's just pop it off and tuck it in the hatch, really easy. Enjoy the vert!      As to mileage it is amazing, at one rally this couple in a C5 got over 30 miles per gallon for a 100 mile trek not all on freeway. Back to reality, not many Vette drivers are trying to get good mileage so don't be surprised if some ask, why would you bother. OTOH I've tried to get top mileage several times and gotten close to 24 combined with much on the freeway. All it takes is lots of driving around in 6th even as low as at 35mph, just have to be very easy on the throttle if you need to accelerate, gobs of torque helps. If I stay under 65 on the freeway with very few hills it will get into mid 30's but drops off after that. Crusing at 100mph it still will get close to 22mpg, I've seen a claim of 23 but how would I know? Where could you do that legally?    As to premium, never considered anything else, I'd hate to hear that sweet purr start knocking and I think that is where you might end up if the octane gets a little low. I've talked to several performance oriented drivers who keep 96 octane around, it is available, to bring up the average from the available 91. YMMV
#572 of 1908 Octane, ctd. by avolvofan Jul 16, 2003 (5:36 pm)
While it is possible to run on less than 91 octane, you will have degraded performance. This is due to the knock sensors cutting in and changing the ignition timing in response to pinging. Changed timing results in less power output. So, where once was a quick Corvette on 91 octane, with 89 (or 87 god forbid), you will have a very slow (sluggish) ride. You also run the risk of intake valve deposits with the lower octane gas (less detergent is in the lower octane gas), which brings its own set of problems.   If it were my Corvette, I would not run anything less than 91 octane.
#573 of 1908 by gbjerke Jul 16, 2003 (9:04 pm)
Mileage is incredible. I have a Z06, took a 600 mile trip up to see my folks running 75-85 on the interstate. MPG came in at 27.+. On the way back I held it to 70 MPH and hit 29.3----to me, that's awesome but 6th gear is really tall.
#574 of 1908 Thank you all for the input by bhill2 Jul 17, 2003 (11:13 am)
I asked about the mileage because my spousal unit and I will be taking road trips in it and I was curious. I especially appreciate the input on the use of premium gas. I don't believe that I could ever bring myself to put anything less in this sweet little rocket, but I needed the validation.

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