Anyone move from C6 Z06 to F80 M3?

[buildbright]

ZR1. Almost bought one as a toy for 56k.

[gmazet]

I owned a C6Z06, it was pretty beastly. Tracked it once and had a ball, but yeah the seats are not great for lateral support. Sold it because it just wasn't getting used enough and not practical for me with two kids.

now I have an E46 which if I ever get time I can track, and an F80 on order which I can beat on when alone, and take the family out in. really liked the F80 on the test drive, would like to have gotten an 82 but we go back to being much less practical for a family of 4. if you can swing both, that would be great, but if you want something that you can track and is practical (should you need to put people in the back) then the 82 is for you. if you don't have occasion to need a back seat, I think a c6z would be the nod it's cheaper, more track capable and an awesome car.

[highrevs]

I haven't driven the new M3 or M4, so I can't comment on those. But I owned an E46 M3, a 335xi, and I've had a C6 Z06 for coming up on six years. In a perfect world, I'd get a newer M3 and keep that and the Z06 forever. They're the only two cars I've ever owned that were so much more than the sum of their parts.

The two biggest crutches the Z06 has, in my opinion, and especially with an older model, are the tires and rear shocks. If you get one with goodyears, throw them out and replace them with Michelin PSS tires immediately. I got caught in a torrential downpour with the original goodyears, thought I was going to die. I was doing maybe 20 MPH and the rear end was sliding out 2 feet in both directions repeatedly. With the PSS tires, you can confidently get the car well into triple digits in the rain, in cold rain. It's that dramatic of a difference. They transform the car. The goodyears also have horrendous dry performance. It could be 80 degrees F outside, tires fully warm, and they're still death traps with even a minor mistake (steering input, brakes).

The stock shocks (non-magnetic) also have a nasty tendency to kick out the rear end over the smallest bumps. It could be a perfectly dry, warm day, but if you hit broken pavement at significant speed it's game over. The best shocks for the car are custom valved Bilsteins made by a shop called DRM. $425.

There also very basic bolt-ons that traditionally don't add much power to most cars, but because the LS7 is so massive, they work on the Z06. One is a Halltech CAI, dyno proven by the developers of the LS7 to add 15 whp, $500. Another is a ported throttle body, good for maybe 5 to 8 whp and much better throttle response. Another really nice, cheap mod is a radiator fan control switch. On hot days you turn it on at will, and it keeps coolant temperatures right below the threshold where the computer pulls timing. It's a great mod to make more power by preventing its loss.

If you have those mods and take it out at night on a day that was warm (warm pavement) but cold-ish ambient temperatures, it literally feels like the car is accelerating faster than the brain can process. You'll have it at WOT and suddenly be past the point ahead that you just thought you'd pass several seconds into the future. It's that ridiculous.

I definitely agree with others on the seats, they're not great for lateral support, but like anything else they can be upgraded. I also agree with respect to the fit and finish. It took me some time, but I was able nail down exactly what the issues are. One is the paint job, by no means terrible, but at the same time, not $150,000 P car quality. Another is the cheap plastic exterior trim pieces - vent ducts, front bumper grille, wheel wells, rear diffuser, amongst others. But the good news is that all of those problems can be solved.

I added the carbon fiber front splitter and side skirts from the ZR1, CF rear diffuser, custom black headlights (wasn't feeling the body color stockers), gloss black vent inserts, gloss black spoiler, CF bumper/air intake grille, gloss black grille (to be installed). And I spend two days of grueling labor putting on 3M hand glaze and P21S paste wax, which makes the paint look like it was done by Ferrari. Between all of that I think I successfully Germanized the car in terms of fit and finish.

In conclusion, my M3 and the Z06 are by far the best cars I've ever owned. Both put a smile on my face every single time I drove them.

And I'm sure you guys will notice my little M3 salute in the custom headlights. We did start that trend after all!

Mandatory pics:

E46 M3, AW/IR (I still can't believe I sold it. I know!)



Z06:



I'm older than I look!:







Next to a stock base C6 Corvette:

[krnnerdboy]

The z06 is monumental in performance and experience. It's not as hard to drive as everyone says and if you can get over fit and finish there is no comparison. But the biggest kicker is how cheap the consumables/maintenance/upgrades are on the beast. Rotors I used for track were from Napa at $60 a piece! And $3500 for a head and cam package that will net north of 500whp and improve reliability. We pay more for an axle back exhaust And the track performance is epic! To sum up the z06 in one word, value. If you value fit/finish and daily luxuries then obviously the m3/4 is where it's at. And that's where I'm at in my life for now.

[krnnerdboy]

On my way to Laguna seca in a torrential downpour. It didn't let up on track and the car was still easy to handle

[nicknaz]

Highrevs, you are preaching to the choir. I think my f80 with a c6z track toy added will be a great combo. Fit and finish is sort of a non issue for me. I am going to strip down the car anyway or get one that is already stripped down.

Krnnerdboy do you think mods to your m4 can close the track performance gap a bit or is the c6z in a difference performance caliber?

[krnnerdboy]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Highrevs, you are preaching to the choir. I think my f80 with a c6z track toy added will be a great combo. Fit and finish is sort of a non issue for me. I am going to strip down the car anyway or get one that is already stripped down.

Krnnerdboy do you think mods to your m4 can close the track performance gap a bit or is the c6z in a difference performance caliber?

Can't talk for mods but my big willow time was near identical at 1:34.5 on both stock m3 and z06. They were both my first track days with each respective vehicle. But given the fact that the z06 had numb steering and every corner was based off of faith, I'd say the z06 had a lot more left in it. And that was on the crap goodyears.

I'm a novice driver and I was able to turn a 2:01 at button willow cw13 all stock with pss tires on the c6z. If your going to start modding the c6z is on another level

[nicknaz]

self described novice and 1:34.5 at big willow.. love it.

you would have been faster than most of the crowded at the DE I attended this past Sunday, and around the same time as 991 GT3 I hand timed

[krnnerdboy]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

self described novice and 1:34.5 at big willow.. love it.

you would have been faster than most of the crowded at the DE I attended this past Sunday, and around the same time as 991 GT3 I hand timed

Thanks. But I really am on the slower side of drivers this chassis is just really confidence inspiring and very neutral from the factory. I wasn't able to go below 1:36in my 997 gt3. But then again it's been a couple yrs since I tracked that.

I didn't get my 1:34.5 but here's a 1:34.9 and also I'm sure my times were faster bc the temps were right at 85* that day.

[ghost34]

I had a co-share on a c6 for the track. at that time I had a dinan tuned e92 and later a f10. I loved it for the track, solid, reliable, and cheap to maintain but I was always happy to leave it at the track and drive home in my dd. I rented a bunch and always found it too low to the ground and it felt big. I'm sure the z06 would be even better on the track but I'm guessing a beast on the road. maybe too much of a beast.

[nicknaz]

View post on imgur.com

Hey guys, wanted to bump my 7 year old thread to report back that I did finally get a c6z

This one is mostly stock… head work done to address valve guide issue, Bilstein drm dampers, 315 front and 335 bfg rival tires, billy boat exhaust, larger dewitt radiator and some kind of aggressive brake pad that squeals on the street

Gotta say, I’m glad I got it after F80. Really reminded me of how great F80 is at being a good “dual purpose” commuter + track toy. My F80 is long gone but it’s been one of my favorites and I’ll remember the euro delivery experience until I die.

As for the c6z, my example is an 07 with almost no options. The interior knocks against c6 vettes are valid, but it all fades to the background (for me) when the ls7 revs up. I wanted something that feels hardcore without breaking the bank and I think this continues to be the best performance per dollar out there.

Hope you guys are all well!!