HC had a twin turbo Corvette as I recall.

Start modding... and All bets or off.
Major mods will hasten engine & powertrain problems.

Down here in the Southeast.... we see more instuctors driving Z06's than any other make. Even attending other marque events, more instuctors seem to be driving Z06's.

I'm also seeing quite a few instuctors now leaving their latest Z06's powertrain "Stock"...

Maybe there's a reason for this !!!

GM has been overly generous with warranty issues since the 2001 Z06's appeared.

Earlier this year, GM took a hard stand on ECU mods voiding warranty.

The latest ZR1 Bulletin verbage is due to the special features on the ZR1.

Many of us our waiting for the dust to settle...
to see how much this effects the Z06's.


Now that that's cleared up...
Y'all can go back to bashing Nissan for denying Warranty claims....
on the six month old GT-R !!!

 

The Z06 has tranny problems of it's own, serious ones. Yeah the catastrophic engine failure is rare, but I'm leary of corvettes because of my past experiences. Honestly for track, it's a toss up, I'd much prefer a manual and ability to shut off driver aids, but I'd also like the ability to mod even if just bolt ons. The GT-R is a liability on track too with all the overheating of the tranny etc, and the inspections post track. Really, neither of them are ideal, because if you are one of those unlucky ones that blows the stock Z06 motor on track, it's going to cost you.

Talking about maintenance over a period of time on the track:

Brakes: The Z06 brakes are pretty crappy, the GT-R's are crazy expensive, so it's a pick your poison there. You'll likely be better off buying a brake kit for either.
Advantage Neither.

Tires: The Z06 will be much easier on tires, though the stock ones are rubbish. The GT-R will crumple sidewalls on many tires even r-comps, and you'll have to buy more wheels to get R-Comps in the first place.
Advatange Z06

In the end, it's give and take. And I'd take a 996 GT3 for less. Less ability, less potential, but more assurance, and fast enough. I want a Z06 too, but I dont want the headache.

 

The problem with mod's... including "just bolt-on's" which IMO would be long tube headers and a cold air intake box...

In order to get the most out of them, requires tuning the PCM/ECU...
and if you have engine problems...
THAT will void your warranty since GM took a hard stand this spring, 2008.

The Z06 series... especially the C-5 models, have many parts that can be bought @ NAPA, very co$t effective. The maintanance co$ts for the Z06 is much less than with Nissan's GT-R.... they simply aren't even close.

Many instructors are running the stock Corvette calipers and up-grading the rotors and pads. Some have gone to a "Big Brake Kit", which is likely a bit better.

I use the stock Corvette calipers with Coleman slotted rotors and alum. hats (a two piece set-up), and brakes haven't been an issue with my C6 Z06.

I think the Tranny issue is being "overplayed". C5 Z06's and the equalivent model Vipers shared the same transmission. C6 Z06's were having problems with the 08 model, which was the first model with the up-graded transmission. Going from a T-56 to a T-60 as I recall.

My information is current and this is from shared imput with an extensive number of instructors who drive Z06's.

Porsche's GT3 series also have a well-earned history of holding up well if properly maintained. The associated co$ts are somewhat higher with a Porsche, but still much less than what Nissan is charging for the GT-R.

 

It was never about costs, we all know that Porsche commands a higher price because of its history and well because its a Porsche.

Previous to this thread Nissan fanbois flooded this forum sprouting how their GTR was soo much better/faster than any Porsche, even the CGT. This was during the initial Nurburgring (ringer) lap.

As more are known about the production ability and the reliability of the GTR, more of its fanbois disappear. Some hardcore fanbois remain.

 

well, the fans will need to come up with some reasons why an E46M3 can hang with the GTR at Summit Point without too much difficulty

 

I actually drove this car a few days ago and i was very much impressed with the lightning quick throttle response and raw power of this beast.

I have obviously driven the 997 Turbo everyday so comparing these 2 cars i def feel like that this car does "feel" faster than a 997TT. It is however not as comfortable and the turbo seems like a more comforrtable luxurious ride than the GTR.

I think the tranny needs to be tweaked and they need to learn from the M3 DKG tranny.

In any case it is a pure bargain considering the price is so darn close to the price range of the BMW M3, C63 AMG and the RS4.

It is almost half the price of the turbo although the car is a bit ugly and you need to take the car to a Nissan dealership.

Just mt $0.02

 

If it was too hot - then they would say that the turbo doesnt handle hot weather all that well and that the test/race should have been conducted in ideal conditions.

If it was too cold - they would say that cold weather hampers the tyres and that they should race/test in ideal conditions.

If the ideal condition was ideal - they would say that the driver should have been the Nissan hot shoe T. Suzuki or at least take a driving lesson from said Suzuki.

 

Interesting. Well, so much for all those driver aids. Obviously the driver of the GTR was just out for a Sunday drive.

 

Is it me, or did the GT-R seem to brake much earlier than the M3 on nearly turn?

 

As we've seen, there are no amount of driver aids or computerizations that can overcome driving skill. A very skilled driver in a 996 GT3 will spank the vast majority of GT-R drivers. Now which would you rather be? The guy that can run a 1:36 in a drivers car like the GT3, that sets you apart from other drivers, and makes you a better one? Or the guy that can run 1:36 in a GT-R, and rely on the car to get around the track and end up an average driver because the car doesnt properly develope fundamental skills like throttle control? I know for myself what that answer is.

Same and even moreso applies to Porsches. A lot of guys show up to track days in GT3's and get spanked all over the place by all kinds of cars. Pretty funny to me. The GT3 isnt any faster than an aggressive driver in an E46 M3 or cayman for that matter if you cant operate it the right way.

Driver Skill- There is NO substitute.

 

Hey, watch what you say about the Cayman!

 

GT-R is Performance Car magazine's Car of the Year - "I realised very early that I have used many superlatives in my life: I should have saved them for the GTR."

SportAuto have also tested the GT-R in their current issue - Bridgestones, very cold weather, stock but with coilovers (I assume this was the only car available to them) - it was 7/10 of a second quicker around Hockenheim than a Turbo on Sport Cups was in Summer.

No further testing due to the weather:

 

Coilovers isnt stock. What happened, Nissan wont supply them with a GT-R because they dont want a supertest FAIL like the rest of them and further dent their reputation? The Supertest will hurt them severly if its not close.

 

The car they used is a private import - I don't think there any European press cars yet.

Even if it does a nine minute lap in the Supertest it will make no difference to the fact that it's a very good car.

 

Excuses excuses, Nissan made sure Top Gear got a car, and that's farther from Japan than Germany.