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Coupes & Convertibles Chevrolet Corvette Chevrolet Corvette Z06
221 messages, Last post on Oct 15, 2009 at 5:37 PM
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I'm over 60 and on my first Vette. Parked cars in the 60's while in college, and never really "liked" the Vettes that I had to park. [Did get to park a MB Gullwing once and that was special.] They just seemed to have hoods that went on and on and on, and the seats just didn't fit me. Anyway, only when I was at the Caddy dealer with the wife's 00 Eldo a couple of years ago, and they bought up a Chevy franchise, did I have a chance to sit in a new Vette on the floor. What a difference from the old Vettes I had known. And with the kids gone, and my 300M [only DC product I have ever owned] paid for, it was time for a new toy. Now I always respected Vettes, but just never had a desire to own/drive one til then. I got an end of model year 04 at $10K off the sticker, and have loved it every minute of the 8K miles it now has on it. Love the power and road feel, and the power...I have ridden in one Porsche Targa with another well-heeled, very successful lawyer, and frankly, I felt the cabin was cramped, and my butt felt like it was dragging on the pavement. Unimpressed. So I never even considered going that way, and I have never even been in a BMW, and I've been driving for 47+ years [All GM-Olds until the DC 300M]. I would consider a Z06 only if the price came down and they came up with an autostick set up. Who needs more power except Starrow and the other racers? But I really like what I've got, and I don't miss the family cars a bit, course, I kept my 300M because I like that car so much too. So, I got to a Vette late in life, but only because the appeal wasn't there before. 
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A car with 7.0L of engine under the hood, a buyer wouldn't buy it to conserve gas. However, My Z06 averaged an awesome 21.8 MPG on 1001 miles roundtrip. I never thought of a 427 cu in. motor to be light on gas, yet somehow Chevy has managed to get mileage out of this motor. My brother(Mr.Goodwrench himself) and myself have went through all things possible to figure how this became evident and came to the conclusion that it is the tallish 6th gear. It keeps the revs way down there until you mash the gas. I hardly ever have to downshift to pass someone. What is even more interesting is that it gets better mileage than my '03 Z06, which only returned 19.6 MPG from L.I. to Bowling Green. And this is a car with more HP(105 more) and a car that grew from 5.7L of displacement to 7.0L. Chevy: A job well executed.
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Replying to: blkhemi (Nov 04, 2005 1:15 pm) You should be doing a lot better than that. Maybe the C6 has a greater appetite for petro but both my '01 and '03 Z06's get a ton better. I get about 19 in city driving but on the interstate at 70 I'll be pushing 29 mpg. Followed my kids who were trailering a car to Gingerman this summer and going 60-65. Got over 32! You're right though, it's the very tall 6th gear.
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Replying to: bigmike5 (Nov 04, 2005 12:44 pm) Interesting scenerio you present and it somewhat dovetails into mine. Have always been a car nut but raising a family, the college bit and all kept me out of the market. Did manage an '87 and then '89 Toyota Supra while the boys were still in college. In '91, when I turned 50, wifey says maybe I ought to drive something more benefiting my age. OK, bought a Maxima SE. WONDERFUL car but no fun! '92 hits and the Lexus brings out the SC400...got one and it is probably the "finest" car I have ever owned. Not however a "sports car". Come '94 and the Supra has a twin turbo---had one. Traded it for a '97, and frankly, if they were made after '98, I would probably still be driving one of those monsters. I never considered a Vette during those years as they were always know to squeak/rattle with little bang for the buck. Saw lots of good press on the C5 in '97 but I was a happy camper with the Supra. Then the Z06 hit in '01; Supras no longer; went hunting and got an '01. Loved it, hence the '03. Will get the '06 version but only when the price becomes realistic. Between the Z's I have logged 50k for miles and neither had one squeak/rattle. They certainly lag in the fit/finish dept. compared to the Bimmer/Porsche's but I have totally enjoyed my Vettes and being a teen in the 50's, that V8 sound is heaven! Now, if they put some decent seats in the Vette and eliminated the horrendous orange peel in the paint, it would be primo. The again, you would have to look long and hard to find this type performance for the buck in ANY other car. Wifey cannot understand how many mid life crisis' I have to go thru before I regain my senses. I told her that of all the guys I know who have this "mid life" bit, they either chase 20 year olds or get a sports car. She now thinks the Vettes are just fine for me. Only in AMERICA! |
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Replying to: gbjerke (Nov 04, 2005 3:47 pm) On my '03 Z51, I got up to about 33 on a road trip once. So I now what these cars can acheive. On the whole, in regular driving I see a 19/27 split, which is fantastic for a car with 505-hp. 
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This is a sore subject with me. In the spring of 2003 I went on a golfing/fishing trip with a bunch of guys. We drove from Pittsburgh to Burlington, Vt. and back. On the highway trip back we compared gas mileage. My 2003 M5, EPA rated at 13/21 averaged 23.8 miles on a the 400+/- mile "test" section. Another guy had a 2002 Corvette rated at something like 19/28, and he only got 26.3 - exactly 2.5 miles more than me (not the 7 that the EPA estimated). And that was for a 3,100 lb car with just the driver, vs. a 4,000 lb car with me and two 200 lb passengers. Our average speed was 75-80. The sore point was that I paid a $2,200 gas guzzler tax on the M5. And mine was the only vehicle of six that exceeded its EPA estimate. Notwithstanding the better mileages reported here, I believe that the EPA overstates US models and understates Eurpopean ones. I have yet to own a BMW that didn't exceed it's highway estimate by at least 10-15% - at speeds of 70-75 mph. Oh, and the guy with the Hummer that we mistakenly invited? He couldn't keep up with us at 80 mph in the mountains and averages about 10 mpg. But he didn't have to pay a gas guzzler tax. American politics. 
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GM engineered the Vette to pass the test, the test is a known item and anybody can set up the answer if they care. The Germans don't seem to care and hence you get your ultimate driving machine and the guzzler tax. BTW, the C5 Z06 is 3170 before driver not 3100, even the new Z06 is 3130, for the record. You can't use 6th for much other than flat crusing since I'm only doing about 1300 rpm at 65mph in my Z51 coupe. If I keep it down at that level I get close to 30mpg, but on freeways in CA that would get you run over. On the two lane roads I like when I get the chance, dropping to 4th or even 3rd for a pass is what the fun is all about, romp to 70 or 90 and back off until you come up to the next opportunity. Even with that it gets in the mid 20's. And BTW, this is still a stock engine coupe, no engine mods. The car is great on track with just stock power.
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Replying to: starrow68 (Nov 05, 2005 3:05 pm) |
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I must be a glutton for punishment for even trying. Re-read my previous post, nice and slowly if necessary to get the point. Yes, the "for the record" 3170 lb Corvette got a whopping 2.5 mpg more than my "for the record" 4,055 lb M5 carrying 400+ more lbs of passengers and cargo. But that's a far cry short of the 7 mpg advantage the EPA would claim. I know of relatively few American cars that can achieve their EPA highway estimate in real world driving at 70-75 mph. Every BMW I've owed exceeds it. Same with friends' Mercedes. If you are exceeding your EPA highway estimates, congratulations. You are the exception. I'll try not to get suckered into a debate on the "efficiency" of a Chevy's 7.0 liter pushrod engine that produces 505 hp vs. BMW's ability to get the same power from a 5.0 liter 8,200 rpm V10. Or Porsche's ability to get 355 hp out of 3.8 liters that matches or beats the 400 hp Corvette in 0-60 acceleration. I've seen the response before that hp/liter is not important, so I'll leave that modern engineering vs. push rod debate alone, if you will. Government conspiracy, probably not. But the EPA is about as good at fuel efficiency estimates as I am at throwing darts. The should stick with cleaning up their superfund sites. My neighbor had a 240 hp 2.0 liter Honda S2000 rated at 26 on the highway. He regularly averaged 32+/- at 75 mph (that's 23% over the EPA estimate, for the record). Anyone in a Corvette want to take that on with your 400 hp 6.0 liter V8 rated at 28 mpg? |
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Replying to: spiritinthesky (Nov 06, 2005 3:32 am) Read Corvette message boards, everyone and that includes the moderators here complain about the 1st to 4th skip shift but since the test calls for a shift at a specific RPM that gets the job done and produces a test result that saves GM and its buyers the gas guzzler tax. The EPA just does the best horse design that a committee can, and maybe it's a camel, but if you try to put a horse saddle on it, who is making the mistake? GM seems to have figured it out. Enjoy your real world mileage, when I'm on track I get as low as 7mpg, gotta love torque and cubes ... Randy |
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