C8 Z06

My spec:

https://www.chevrolet.com/byo-vc/tiny/K4ihxAgsLUvh

 

Those are not the carbon fiber wheels. The carbon fiber wheels are a five spoke design.

 

Nice spec. I am silver flash 2lz but everything else is pretty much the same.

 

I saw a Hypersonic Grey C8 R up close and it prompted me to change from Silver Flair. I like both, but the Hypersonic grey does some interesting things with different lighting.

Would love to order black, but I'm tired of the work involved with it.

 

I like the HG too but I have always wanted a silver car with brown interior so the decision was pretty easy. I think these late model year orders will go quick as the 24 model allocations start next week.

 

Any updates

 

Was back at the glen last week.
A few vettes and camros plus all the usual porches etc.
Basicaly on track the BMWs are not in the hunt, not even close, and the older e36s turned into race cars, same deal, the game has really moved on.

there was one z06, it looked great, but was running in a lower rung so cant comment on pace.
The C6s and C7s, also the pace has moved on(an these were experienced hands), exept for the one c7 zr1.
The C7 zr1 and to a lesser degree camro zl1 1lt were fast and would just savage past. But then 3 laps later you could literally see them start to fade and they could be reeled in pretty easily, after which they would pit in. id have to say it was the tires inability to absorb all that hp and weight for too long. By all accounts the c8 z06 os way better on tire than the c7 zr1, looking forwards to seeing what they can do.

untill then based on direct observation even a "lowly" Gt4 will have the measure of the fastest Detroit iron after 5 or so laps.

Tires/weigth aside though, the Gm cars hold up, which is way more than we can say for the Honda CTR and Tyota Gr Corolla which are the supposed Japanese "track" cars. The Honda has rotors that last 2 days before warping out, and despite what is written its a front driver and once the tires get hot its under steer city. The toyota, limp mode baby after the rear diff gets too hot,

had two students, one in a 911 C4s, I thik 2 years old the other in a BMw 340. The 911 had tons of low down Tq from the turbo 6 and the steering was clearly worked out by someone who knew what they were doing. But there was a layer of cotton wool between you and the car. I guess you could get sued to it, but while it held up on track it was basically a street car only(havent tried a new Gt3). the Bmw, steering was ok, actually not, its road car steering too slow and indirect. It also went into limp mode from temperature..

The turbos cars don't really have the modulation to work ideals on track. I read a great quote that there are cars that are road cars that can tolerate being on track, but some very few cars naturally at home on track. The Zl1 1le, GT3 Gt4 4rs, alfa 4c and lotus elige fit in that category. Hope the z06 does too.

 

Not yet- out of country, then put on a ridiculous wrap, then PPF. Should be at VIR in 1.5 weeks, if I can get the miles on it in time.

 

Back in post #1989 I wrote about my impression of my buddy's C8 Z06 after we both drove it back to back with my 458. Unfortunately, his engine let go at just over 2,000 miles and needs to be replaced. GM wants the original engine so they can tear it down and look for the cause of the problem. When it happened he said that it felt like there was a violent shaking from the rear of the car and the CEL was going in and out. He figured it was going to be catastrophic, which it indeed was. I hate it for him. GM is going to replace the engine, but he's still going to be without the car for a while and he'll have to deal with the hassle. The car was properly broken in according to the manual and there were no track days. Just basic driving.

We know that every product has a failure rate, but it sucks when it happens to you or someone you know. The thing that would bother me is that I'm not sure I'd trust the car after the new engine was put in because the last one barely lasted 2,000 miles. And if you decide to sell, there's a lot of people that are going to stay away from a car that's had the engine replaced. It's a crummy situation to be in.

 

A flashing CEL is universal on any platform for an engine misfire. Part of the OBD2 standard. Obviously something more going on but the engine was clearly misfiring at the time it was flashing.

 

Nice to know, I didn't know that. I'm definitely interested to hear what the root cause is, but I'm not sure GM is going to get back to him with the results.

 

Some Z06 owners are passing on 2023 models and waiting for the strengthened Tremec. Haven't heard of too many engine failures but there have been some documented.

 

I wasn't aware that there was a "stronger" Tremec coming for the '24's.

I'm glad I received an allocation for a '23 before the price bump and all of the extra nannies on the '24's.

I have no desire for lane assist/departure warnings and a soft close frunk lid on my ZO6. I feel that you should be paying very close attention to what you are doing when you're driving a ZO6.

 

With the 992 Gt3 Porche had engine failures. But they identified the reason and replaced all the motors made then before failure. From Gm we have heard nothing about what they may have found. But then it may be an infinitesimal failure rate, don't know.
As to Tremec failures, haven't heard of these, but it does not inspire confidence.
There is this line about cars that can tolerate track, and cars that are really street legal track cars. Every car is built to a price and compromise. Most so called track capable cars latterly the Honda CTR and Toyota can tolerate some track till they burn up. yes every car even a race car can burn up on track, but they can handle days and dont have major failures. the Honda and Toyota cant handle even a hard day.

From deroit the camaro zl1 1lt can mechanical boogie for years just with consumables(tires pads fluids and occasionally rotors), as can some mustangs. Can the vette.
I know for many or most thats not a requirement(even though tis a marketing pull), but for some it its, and thats what the z06 is presented as.
Not saying the vette has endemic issues, but curious to know.

So far besides some short term hooners, no one seems to have run these consistently in any serious manner, and a few (amongst thousands produced) transmission or engine failure in year 1 means little..

Its so aggravating to read magazine tests, I get the road test part, but magazine track tests are basicaly bunkum if youre going to the track. As an example there are some guys trying to run a corolla Gr on track, the list of upgrades they have needed to do just to prevent limp mode after 5 laps almost matches the purchase price. You read zero about this in a lightening lap test cause they never put the cars through that actual use cycle, or remain moot about it.

Not saying this applies to the vette, but it did in the c6-7 z06, and it applies to most so called fast cars. I also woudnt fault the vette for failures in year 1, as pointed out pcar has had those issues too.

Maybe we need to start a magazine called 10 laps. test each car for 10 laps 4x per day. We can make allowances for brake pads and tires cause anyone going to track is going to be replacing those in short order. Imo great road tires and track tires are two different things, with many but not all r compounds being the worst of all compromises, really short life on track and not good for road..
As said in the past, in the 21st century, between road conditions, laws, and the sheer capability of cars, those who really want to use them go to the track, hence the explosion of De events, were talking thousands of cars on track per month in the usa alone, maybe 10K running on track nationwide per month. Manufactures have seen this "track capable" is great marketing(akin to the old win on sunday sell on monday), hence the lightning lap, nurbeign time etc. Would like to hold manufactuers to a real actual use standard, one which the current automotive msm does not, cause advertising.

Back to the vette, looks great, sounds great, clearly can knockoff a quick time. is one of the very few cars left with na motor which not only is one of lifes pleasures, but is way more enjoyable for track use.

 

the stingray in now going to get the z06 trans.
will full fluid included, meaning the extra 2 qrts.
the c8 roll out has left a bad taste in a lot of people mouths. after all, this well well down the road from 2020.
and every owner is searching for a competent vette tech. rare find.

 

Yeah lane assist departure and soft close, thsoe are cheap tricks that they charge $ for, reminds me of the old mandatory sunroof so many cars came with if you wanted leather or nice headlights.
Between the elctric seat motors and soft close etc, there's probably 200lbs of crap in the car. Also why is two sets of golf clubs mandatory, is that really a standard.
Do people really need to pick up their friend in a vette to go play golf. Sounds like something Gm squares came up with in the 70s when a vette only has 205 hp.
Has this standard held 911s back?

Most people seem to drive themselves to the golf course, in which case you can put your clubs on the passenger seat. yet passengers seem to be universally complaing about the wall that seperates them from the driver in the vette.

Clearly the vette benefits from having a trunk and even a frunk, does the trunk have to be so big that it really compromises so many things from looks to bulk for two sets of clubs, would they loose sales over that? . Does the z06 need frunk, could an sduct work there. I guess the c9 awaits. What do i know, the car is apparently sold out forever and they know their customer. But to me its these senseless edicts and marketing driven by people who probably dont even drive a two door let alone a vette that keep it from being all it can be and at the top slot. I get the vette is designed to be comfortable and daily, but still the z06 great as it is, coulda gone a little further, after all the zr1 will soon be the one everyone has to have, and that will be more of a road car..Well heres hoping that some of those inevetible improvements baked into the zr1 migrate to the z06.

 

Really? Source?

 

look it up.
992 or 991 first year they replaced the motors as well known, and customer complained the cars would be worth less.

google is your friend if you dotn remeber.

"Shortly after the release of the car, Porsche issued a recall for all GT3 models in March 2014. That notice came as a result of loosened screw joints on the connecting rods. The issue ultimately caused two cars to suffer engine fires."

As per R and T
Problems with the 991.1 GT3’s 3.8-liter engine were apparent right from the start. Shortly after the release of the car, Porsche issued a recall for all GT3 models in March 2014. That notice came as a result of loosened screw joints on the connecting rods. The issue ultimately caused two cars to suffer engine fires. Porsche replaced the engine in all 785 GT3s built up until that point, and adjusted the design to prevent further issues. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the last time Porsche recalled the car for engine issues. Just a year later, 12 more GT3 received entirely new engines after a valvetrain issue related to finger followers was discovered. Porsche then revealed an extended warranty offer for all 991.1 GT3 owners, which was set to last 10 years or 120,000 miles.

That warranty, which is one of the best out there, helped bring some added peace of mind for GT3 owners over the last few years. That said, we’re rapidly approaching the end of that timeframe for early 991.1s. While the owner of this specific car doesn’t believe the valvetrain was to blame in this case, they did comment that this will likely be the end of their GT3 ownership journey until 992s become more accessible.

 

BMW also a had a problem with early E46 M3s. i think they got recalled and they replaced rod bearings at dealerships, although how that was done is a mystery to me as most BMw dealer seem at most able to read a computer and replace a sensor. The e46 also has well known rear subframe failures.
I was in a newer turbo bmw 6 I think a 340 that went into serious limp mode after 10 mins on a hot track.

Driving 150 mph down the autobahn is nowhere near as hard on a car as doing lap after lap on track, esp on a hot day.

I've even dyno tuned cars, which is supposed to be a hard environment due to airflow, and that was nothing compared to the track cycle.
On track the engine is at near constant full throttle and pretty much all shifts are redline or close. There is a lot of time spent in 3rd and 4tg gear when airflow is not nearl the same as higher gears, hills and aero drag. there is a very good reason for oil coolers on things like transmissions diffs etc when you go to track.
Ive seen drive shaft boots blown up like balloons from heat and the grease flowing away.

All cars have weak links and faults and those become glarign on track.. Some manufactures design out as well as possible those weak links for track use, it costs $ to do so and sometimes accountants get in the way, or a subcontractor slightly changes something and then blam.
C6 zo6 for example had brake lines wholly unsuited to track and it would have cost what $100 to do it right from the factory. Id like to think Gm is past that sort of thing, but even the best laid plans sometimes have unexpected issues. Thats one reason why the first year of production is always a question mark.

 

991 is well known. I had a 991 GT3 with a G engine.

You said 992 GT3.

That's like getting a 458 and 488 mixed up.

 

For anyone looking, just got a call from my sales person at the local Chevy dealer. They had a buyer back out and offered me this one; asking for $50k markup. Told him I'd wait to order my spec at sticker, but happy to share the info if anyone here is interested.
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$204K ???

 

Yeah not pcar expert in nomenclature here, sorry for the wrong info .
The point I was trying to make is that the vette is by no means unique having a few failures. But we saw rapid responsiveness from porche, maybe they knew all woudl fail and it was only 750 cars, whereas there are already a lot more than 750 z06s out there and perhaps Gm is not seeing a single cause of failure.

There are other paralells though, the 991 if I am correct was the first non metzger gt3? So a new engine line, as is the z06. Doesent seem so far to be an endemic issue on the z06 which puts them ahead of porche for an all new design then, lol, all the more so as the z06 is far more exotic than what GM has ever mass produced before.

You make an interesting side point about ferrari. Other than the 355 valve guide issues( which took years to manifest) cant think of an endemic mechanical engine fault in their cars, and 430/458 was a new motor from the 308-360 and 488 then went turbo. Freind in the biz says ferrari tends to overbuild whereas pcar build just enough, I guess sometimes thats maybe not enough.

 

yeah, a vette tech in a chev dealer when everything else is not a vette.
What is the issue with the transaxle, where does it show up?, and what is involved to change the fluid on a lift.

 

the trans will lock up and dealers immediately want to replace them. in some instances computer updates solved the problem.
lots of metal shavings being found and so tremec is switching to a different case supplier.