996 turbo vs C6 Z06: Which is the better overall sports car?
 

Hey guys,

I am trying to decide which would be the better overall sports car. I am budgeting $50k, so I figure that will buy me a 2002 996 turbo or a 06-07 Z06.

I know the Z06 is clearly the faster car bone stock and probably just as fast as a 996tt with ecu and exhaust upgrades.

I much prefer RWD, which gives the nod to the Z06, but I figured I would disconnect the front driveline if I buy the 996tt. I have driven a friend's 07 z06 and it surely is a beast. The rear end gets a little twitchy on the throttle in corners, but then again, I consider this entertaining. I also like the fact that minor bolt ons on the Z06 can realize some substantial power gains at a reasonable price. I hate the seats in the Vette though.

Also, I don't like the cheap interior of the Z06, but I guess you have to make some concessions, when you consider you can buy a 500+ hp sports car for $45k that is only 2 years old.

Appearancewise, I think it is a toss up with the Vette looking much more aggressive especially in black, but the 996tt is slicker looking in my opinion.

Are both cars reliable over the long haul when slightly modded? I know this is a P-Car forum, but I feel the majority of the members are very open minded.

I plan to drive either car about 10,000 miles a year. Which one do you guys think is the better overall choice?

Thanks
James

Drive a good condition TT and you will pick the Porsche. :)

This is like asking Michelle Obama who she would vote for...LOL.

I've owned both. For the street the Turbo and for the track the Z06.

Scott (Diveextreme) has answered this question in another thread. Ill see if I can find it, it was a pretty informative post.

Looks are purely subjective.

I imagine most people on this forum will say the TT is the better overall sportscar, just as most people on a Vette forum will say the Z06 is better overall. Some people, myself included, have always wanted a Porsche turbo. Some have always wanted a Corvette. There is no definitive answer when you are trying to decide which one is better overall. Better for what? track days? 2+2 seating? modding? resale value? ownership costs? Wow factor?

There are at least a dozen other factors you can throw in when determining which one is better. And not everyone will agree with the reasons you think are important when making that decision. Drive them both and the see which one works for you.

I had the same confusion a few days ago....now i am so close to buying my 996tt (friday). Basically i feel both are great cars , but for me personally i have always dreamt of a porsche and wanted one. Never really was a vette a very special car for me. So this time i am ignoring all the numbers ,performance /cost ratios etc ..and going with a turbo i always wanted.

Bottomline -I think you wont have any regrets with either car.

the newer vette would be my choice, sorry guys, just trying to be honest.

would always go with the much newer car at the same performance, and the vette is a great car, I just would never have one.

I’ve owned both, so I’ll share my personal thoughts.

Bottom line up front:

-From a purely performance perspective, the Z06 wins, hands down.

-From an overall perspective, the 996TT is the better car.


Performance:

The Z is lighter, faster, handles better and stops quicker. While the Z has a higher drag coefficient for more downforce, it also has much less frontal area thus making it a ‘slicker’ car at speed (needs less power to go fast).

A stock Z is MUCH faster than a stock 996TT. The car runs 10’s at 129+ mph with the right driver under the right conditions on the crappy run-flat tires. It also hits 7:40’s around the ‘ring with the right driver. It’ll also run 60-130 in high 7 seconds compared to 11’s for a stock 996TT.

Modability wise, with just bolt-ons, cam and tune…the Z will make 550-580 rwhp and run dead even with any 700 HP 996TT. It’s a freakin’ animal.

Now, the negatives are that when you start getting up in the higher HP levels…the Z needs more upgrades than the 996TT to keep it reliable. The stock tranny is just so-so, the rear diff and half-shafts are fairly prone to breakage during wheel-hop and the stock pistons are cast and thus not very reliable. Surprisingly though, the Z’s clutch is pretty stout in it’s stock form.

The 996TT on the other hand can make a lot of power and more importantly handle that power with very few aftermarket upgrades. The stock transmission and diffs are damn near bulletproof. The engine internals are damn near bulletproof. The only thing I think needs to be done on the 996 for those that launch hard (other than the clutch) is to swap out the rear axles. A plus with the 996 is that it can hook very well with fairly narrow but moderately sticky tires, while the Z really needs some large and very sticky meats out back to hook at high power levels. Also, it can remain very smooth with a lot of power, while a Z with a big cam can be a little rough and lopey (which some people actually prefer).

IRT price, even though you need to swap out more parts on the Z06, It’s still cheaper to modify a Z06 to 600 rwhp than a 996TT. Not forgetting the 996 still needs a proper aftermarket suspension and some weight reduction to adequately compete with a Z on stock suspension around a track.


Interior:

I believe the Z06 has a better looking interior, but the 996 uses better materials. The Z also has a great NAV system, a very impressive stock stereo and lots of useful high-tech gadgets. The P-car interior is a bit dated (not it’s fault) but again the materials are better overall. It was a significantly more expensive car when it was released and it shows it. IMO, the NAV and stereos in the 996 are only decent.

As a daily driver, the Z is outstanding it has tons of room and can easily get 30+ mpg on long drives. It’s smooth, rides softer than the 996 and is extremely comfortable.


Overall (I’ll leave looks out as I know they’re the most subjective of all car discussions):

Bone stock performance:
Z06 - A+
996TT - B

Modability ($$ not of major concern):
Z06 - B+
996TT - A

Interior/comfort:
Z - B+
996TT – B-

Build quality:
Z06 - B
996TT - A

Overall:
Z06 - A-
996TT – A

I hope that helps.:)

The Z06 is an astounding sports car in every sense of the word. Extremely high potential. And is much sexier IMO.

But

After driving a TT, modding it and it never missing a beat I cant convince myself to get a Z06, and I've been trying really hard. There are still some Z06's puking engine guts through the tailpipe. And the brakes are crap. I cant see myself leaving the peace of mind I've had in my Porsche. Because of how I drive, and like to mod, I dont want to increase my chances of having to buy a new motor, which I've built over and over again on a 427 in a C5.

But I will warn you, there is a lot more to making a TT RWD than what you listed in case you didnt know. Coilovers, Corner Balancing and LSD are the major things, but if you plan on tracking better be ready to add some serious front DF.


Honestly, an 05,06 viper coupe may be the best of both worlds, other than the calf-kabobs.


But from the two, I'd take a 996 TT, put about 7-8k in it, easily as fast as a Z06 with more piece of mind. Or just buy a modded one or Turbo S and cut that cost down (ECU flash, Coilovers, exhaust).

If you have to ask this question than you do not deserve the Porsche TT, no offense

Christian

Like all Corvettes (I've had 4) its very well engineered but built with a budget of about 50 cents......very cheap materials, cheap paint, etc.

Then, it looks just like the other 45,000 Corvettes built EACH YEAR. Compare that with 8,000 total 996TTs.

Then, you have to deal with Chevy dealers....yuck

Maybe I'm being a little snobbish.....but I'm used to better cars now.

Agree with Scott's assessment,

If you have driven, ridden in or raced against the Z06 you would realize what an amazing achievment this is. Oh sure it is easy to nit pick some of its faults but this
(Z06) is absolutely amazing. Stock vs Stock it is no contest, the Z06 hands down.
Modded vs Modded it is just what you prefer (opinions). They now are very even in their intial outlay but mods still cost more on the Porsche. Some of us call it the P tax.
Good luck!

MK

If you plan to track the car the Z06 is very quick. As you noticed however, the tt for many "fits" the driver better. If the glove don't fit, you must not buy it. (Johnny Cochran)

^^ so true! ^^^ seating position alone is QUITE DIFFERENT, as is feel, but still...


MK

With your 50K budget I would definatly go with the Z.

I recently looked at both (and many more including vipers, M3s etc) I chose the 996 TT because it had back seats, better build quality and I wanted one since I was a kid, the Z06 is a killer car for the money especially for those few weeks where they were heavily discounted and had 0% financing at the same time

For another perspective:

Good friend of mine owns a GT3 and was thinking about either a GT2, a cupcar, or a Z06 dedicated for serious track car duty. Jim is an instructor in PCA and does about 35 days on track per year... In the end He bought a 2008 Z06 and shipped it off to LG Motorsports in Texas. The car got extensive mods to the suspension, brakes and drivetrain, including a new cam.

The motor had less than 1000 miles on it when the #7 cylinder liner cracked. It had a total of 5 track days on it. Because LG installed a cam, all bets were off with any hope of warranty support. Jim commented to me that "Hands down, the Corvette is no Porsche"... Jim's GT3 has probably got over 100 track days on it with ZERO issues on reliability.

That's what I experienced when I had my corvette, and that's what I've noticed in owning my Porsche 996TT. The reliability of the Porsche will ALWAYS win, hands down...

The C6Z06 will require constant attention to the drysump lines, as they leak. It will require constant attention or upgrade of the brakes, because those new caliper padlets aren't cheap and burn thru fast, and rotors are pricey, and the car has the usual GM creaks, rattles, buzzes, and wear issues... It's a GM. Not to mention the mysterious issues with these motors suffering big failures.

Jim had LG build him a new motor from scratch, and he has the ZR-1 Tranny in it now, and the car is absolutely amazing... But he could have bought a new GT2 for what he has in his 2008 Z06!

Mike

I like my 996TT. Make it 1.0 bar, exhaust, coilovers with gt2, LWFW, and now a gt3 clutch slave mod....best of both worlds.

If you really want to track, just find a used gt3.

I must admit, the neighbor has the Z06 and it sounds wonderful.

Oh, I use the 996TT in snow with snow tires....if you like a back seat for small kids or drive on snow, the 996TT wins. I always dreamed of a 911...hence my choice. Not totally logical for sure.

JB

Is that the guy with the Red Z06 that you were posting pics of a short while ago?

If so, that sucks, and is just another example of why I just can force myself to do it. I know there are lots of guys who dont have problems, but the attrition rate is too high for me.

Heavy,

What lap times does MTI racing (Marietta), run in their track car?
Do they run it on the street and do you have any pics of it?
Eric's (Atomic's) car has really been stepped up for track duty and
he will have some superb track times next year.

MK

The MTI car is INSANE!!!!!!!!!

Totally not on the same level as what Eric has. He's got a 454 CI motor with a supercharger. It's ~2800 lbs with him in it, more DF than an ACR, 780 WHP!!!!!!!!!

He runs a couple seconds faster than World Challenge now, and that was his shakedown run.

Cant find any recent pics, but it does not look like a street car at all anymore. But they do drive it on the street occasionally, at least they were prior to the SC.


But Eric's car will be very fast without a doubt.

That's my plans - snow tires! - and I do need the back seat - big differentiators for me.

Dez,

FYI...the MTI car is currently running a stock displacement 427/LS7 with stock-bottom end, modified heads and cams and a Eaton TVS blower at 8 psi. It makes 733 rwhp. It's essentially the same setup that I'm getting, except I'm getting forged internals and will be running 3 more lbs of boost. Reese ran a 125.749 with the blower motor at I believe Road Atlanta.

Now...before this motor was installed in the car, you are correct that it was running a 454....but not with a blower. It was the same motor that Eric currently has but with a more aggressive cam. That motor made 630 rwhp. It's the same motor that Peter Kluut was talking about when he said; "It was the fastest I've ever been, even in my race car I've never gone that fast".

Reese initially installed the blower motor just to some do R&D for the setup that I purchased. He had planned on reinstalling the 454 after the testing was complete, but the blower motor ended up being so much better on the track than his previous 454, that he's going to leave it in the car. He'll eventually be running the same boost as my car (10-11 psi) and it should be making close to the 800 rwhp.

As far as looks, as you can see below, the car looks pretty much like a stock Z06 with a vented S/C hood and a big rear wing.

You have taken the words right out of my mouth, I have said this before and will say it now, if you have to ask then you should have the Z. I have spend allot of seat time in a Z06 ,yes its fast, but it's still a vette and will never be as special as the ownership of a 911 turbo.

I’ve owned an FRC C5, c5z06, and driven a number of C6 vettes, and a couple C6Z06s. Compared to 996TT, my 2 Cents :

Looks (subjective): I like both the 996TT w/aero kit, & 997TT better than c5 and c6, but C6z06 is much closer. W/o aero kit, or after market body kits, I think the 996TT looks a little dated, and I might like the looks of the C6Z06 better. Except for the ass end!

You can get aftermarket front spoilers, as well as some rear wings, reasonably priced, or go with wind tunnel tested, full body kits at much higher prices. Aftermarket body mods for vettes, that I’ve personally seen, are of lower quality.

Quality: Build quality, fit and finish is way better than Chevy. Examples: 1) Paint is better, far fewer squeaks/groans. 2) No regular occurrences of leaking rear diffs, blown ABS modules, broken rear axels.

Warranty is nice either way. The vette’s 7 yr power train coverage is very nice.

Maintenance: Much more expensive: Examples: sparkplugs, much harder to get to. $700 from dealer, 450 from Indi. Dealer will charge you $200 for oil change. Car takes 10 quarts. Brakes, incl. rotors and a great labor rate= 1k. Do any of your our wrenching? For me at least, bolt-on and light motor work is simpler on the vette, if for no other reason, you typically have more room to work.

Steering: No contest. Love the 996TT steering. Much more precise and planted than c5, or C608 Vette. Like the overall, ”steering feel” even better than several BMWs I’ve owned, including M3.

Power/Tuning: Vettes are cheaper to mod. Porsche typically has better NVH ratings though, after modding. A K16 Porsche with tune and air filter (basically my car) for $1300 will keep you up with an 08 Z51 vette. Keeping up (60-130) with a stock C6z06 is probably 6-8K for go-fast parts, including labor and puts you at 550-580 crank HP. The AWD cars lose about 16-18% through the drive train. Beating the Z06 in the ¼ is significantly more expensive, if nothing else because it is easier to launch. Tuning prices are coming way down on Porsches as more vendors enter the market. That said, the market is still light years from “HP Tuner like” packages. Tuning for vette, $500 with dyno support. Tuning for Porsche, starts just north of $1000 for a packaged file without any real-time dyno support.

Can't lower a 996 on stock bolts. Aftermarket coilovers are required at $1600-$3500 without install and balance. you could go with just springs at much cheaper, but from I hear that approach compromises handling.

Options: 911s are basically priced ala carte. Options exist for almost every thing. 996 will not come with all the goodies a new C6 has.

Daily driver: Both very usable as a daily driver, though vette gets better gas mileage if you do a lot of freeway miles, and for a single driver has more easily-usable space.

Community: Great community here on 6speed and a couple of other boards, but overall much smaller, and not as involved as the vette community. This can some times be a good thing. Both “track day” communities are very active.

My conclusion: The 996TT was the car that moved me more, and my son fits in the back seat.

I didnt know he took the 454 out before he put the SC in. All I know is that he showed up at Road Atlanta with a SC and the 454 was in the car a couple months prior too. Good to know though, his guys told me and some others 780, but getting the same info from him and them isnt always easy.

Either way, if you saw the car in person with the "spatula" on it with gigantic metal rivets to hold it in place, the unmistakable brakes/wheels you wouldnt think it looked stock as if the wing wasnt enough to begin with.

Other than gutting it, I dont know what else you could do to make it look like a race car. But in track form it certainly doesnt look like a street car. In fact that other hood was the pre supercharger hood. It's VERY hard to get a Supercharger under a corvette hood without a big cowl on it.


Here are a few pics of what we see at the track.

http://www.mtiracing.com/artmaverick...iberhoods.html

Gotcha. Just trying to give you the straight-skinny.

Ya...I haven't see the car in person. Only in pics. I'll probably fly down to your neck of the woods in April to pick up the car and meet the crew. I'm sure it'll look a whole lot different up close.

As far as the hood, the one in the bottom two pictures of your link is the one I'm getting. But I'm getting it in fiberglass and painted black to match my car.

HAHA, your car is at MTI? Let me know when you get in town. I want to see that bad boy.

Your car wont end up looking like his, as will no one elses, he's been developing that thing for almost 4 years now. They took a few hundred lbs out and you'd never know by looking at it.

I asked him a short time ago if he was going to get a ZR-1, I guess the new SC pretty much settles that. I'm sure your car will turn out great though.

one other point to consider is that the 996tt is probably near the bottom of its depreciation cycle. I doubt it will go much lower. The Z06 on the other hand should continue to drop rapidly

Ya man...it's there right now. You can go take a look at it anytime over the next 6 months since it'll be there until I get home from deployment. But I'll definitely give you head's up if I decide to fly down and pick it up.

That's good....I definitely don't my want my car to look like his. Heck, if I could get away with using the stock hood, I'd do so. All I want is my car to look like an otherwise stock Z06 that's been lowered on some nice wheels (just like my Avatar) .;)

Ya, I think it'll be an animal when all is said and done. The ZR1 seems like a great car, but I think my car when complete will satisfy any itch I may have to get one.

The Z will probably be my only 'fun' car for a year to two until I decide it's time to get into a another Porsche.

Like so many others, i always dreamed of owning a 911 turbo, not a vette. Even when i was younger i chose an e 46 m3 over the c5 zo6.
a 996tt, even with light mods, such as an ecu, dv's and an exhaust is a pretty fast car (faster than 99% of cars on the road).
if you're primary goal is performance and tracking the car, go for the vette.
If you're looking for an all round car with styling, quality and performance, and you have the money for mantainance and repairs, go for the 996tt.

I have owned a few corvettes. From a stock '80 vette, to an '87 Callaway,to a modified Procharged '89, to single turbo 98 C5. While every year corvette is better than the next, I am sure the new Z06 is nothing short of amazing, (no, I haven't driven one yet). You will have to pry my 996tt key from my cold dead hands!!! Maybe a z06 for a second car...

Thanks for all the feedback guys! The info is very helpful in my moment of indecision.

If I get the Z06, it will most likely be an 07, since they have 5 year powertrain warranties. I will most likely keep it stock and drive the heck out of it. I was originally intending to mod it, but I read on the various Vette forums that Chevrolet is voiding warranties on modded cars. I prefer not to take the chance.

If I get the 996tt, I will probably only mod it minimally with a tune, exhaust, coilovers and RWD conversion. I will just have to stay away from Z06's at stoplights. I do like the versatility of the backseat in the 996, but not a deal breaker either way.

My primary goals for my prospective sports car is to have a fast and fun car to drive on the weekends and occassionally on my daily commute. I will probably only attend 3 DE's a year, so it definitely will not be a track rat.

I mainly like to drive the local backroads occassionally and have fun in corners of suburbia. I also like to have the occassional roll on with friends in their cars.

Also, is there any reason to choose an 2002 over a 2001 996 turbo assuming the miles and condition are similar? The only thing I noticed is that the switches in the 01 are shiny black, solid spoke wheels and some have the ugly bumperettes.

Thanks!

I'm not expert but from what I know the 02 has a glove compartment, cup holders and much better radio. the 01 even with solid spokes is a lighter car

Reese's car is NOT a street car. It is not a full blown race car but, it is much closer to track than street. Interior gutted, serious race seat, roll bar, I think even a removable steering wheel. There is no way you can drive that thing around town with the front spoiler. Sticks out way too far and way too low. I do know that he has a lot - I mean A LOT of track time on the 454 he took out. It seemed to hold up and the car is fast at the track. The car just doesn't look very stock anymore.

Scott - You will have a monster when they are done. I have put some hard miles on my MTI engine and it has run flawless.

Now as far as the question from the OP. I don't think you can go wrong with either car. Get the one that stirs your soul and enjoy. I currently own two Z06's. One that has been on the slipery slope to a track car - man is it a blast at the track. And the other a bone stock daily driver. I love the car - would recommend it to anyone. With that being said - I do see a GT3 RS or a GT2 sometime in my future.

Marty - Don't give away my secrets - the car is bone stock.

Heavy - Are you going to VIR on 11/2 & 11/3. I am looking into to going. Probably an 80% chance at the moment.

No chance for me to make that event, though would have loved to. There will be some folks from Atl there though. Manalex and some others I think.

Agreed.

Dez, Yup that's Jim's Red/white/Blue Zo6 that's now making 588WHP. They installed a new shortblock built to ALMS standards. That motor has a lot of one off LG parts that are only on his personal race cars, and now Jim's car. Jim's car was in Corvette Enthusiast November edition, but without the graphics...

Here are a few pics of it...
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...withtheZ06.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...6/DSC09168.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...6/DSC09863.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...6/DSC09858.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...ineremoval.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...uberemoval.jpg

They installed LG's drop-spindles/coil overs/sway bars, upgraded to the Brembo 15inch rotor/caliper, installed a heavyduty diff/axles/carbon shaft/raceclutch, installed better coolers on the diff/tranny/motor, LGs header/exhaust, two different sets of wheels, a Cobra Halo style racing seat, rollbar, and a bunch of other stuff I'm sure I've forgotten, along with the exterior aero-mods...

Jim's cracked 2:01s at VIR's full course, but the car has so much more in it, and Jim has spent the bulk of his 3.5 years tracking in a GT3, so there's a learning curve he's still getting over... This thing is god awful fast...

Mike