vrus, your post seems to imply that the Z06 is not as good a performer in the handling dept. as the Porsche. I agree that it will never have the prestige of the Porsche or the overall build quality, but I think the new Z06 is going to be running circles around almost everything within a $100k of it's price. In a straight line, around a track....it won't matter.

Also, the brakes are 6 piston fronts and 4 piston rears.

Hot Rod Guy, I miss the FRC design too. If GM had continued with that roofline, my order would've been in already. As it stands I'll wait (like Mana) on a later model and PERHAPS the return of the FRC.

 

eww...the hatchback was what made the lines flow so well with the C5. i personally couldn't stand the C5s with trunks. to each his own i guess...

 

It's good to see a number of 911 turbo owners giving some respect to the Z06. While I don't think the 911 Turbo is really meant to compete directly with the Z06, both of them being sports cars have a certain amount of things in common that can be compared.

Regardless if overall the 911TT is the superior vehicle, the Z06 will be priced at nearly HALF of what the 996TT sold for. You can complain about build quality and bum service (both of which NO car manufacturer is immune to, including Porsche) all you want, in the end the Z06 is going to be a contender with ANY sports car on the market today... I'm eager to see what times it brings back from the 'ring.

Love it or hate it, the Z06 is going to put the entire sports car market on notice... world class performance for a pricetag most of you guys on here wouldn't have to even sweat putting down for it.

-m

 

Not at all.. I am only saying that the "feel and handling" that you get as a driver in a 996TT/993TT is very different than the feel in the Corvette. They are 2 different animals. (Remember, I owned both)

I stand corrected on the brakes.. Thanks Dave!

 

I love the haters. You know if a C6 Z06 pulls up to you at a light, you're gonna be trembling with fear.

 

I remember quite well...Victor right? I was wondering if it was you. I agree after driving a 996TT (With MANA right next to me) that it is completely different in terms of feel. Glad all is well.

Aloha, Dave

 

And after the beatdown they'll probably use the Boxster owner phrase. . ."so what, it isn't a Porsche", or "I wasn't racing- he's lucky we aren't at a track".

And if the 997TT has 490-500hp and 400 pounds penalty on the C6Z, it'll get beat down too.

 

I ain't skeered.

 

I ain't skeered neither. GT2 GT700

 

They'll be right too.


What do you think, by maybe a couple of tenths? And maybe not by that...Porsche worked the gearing in the 997 to a big advantage over the 996. Why would it be diferent with the 997 Turbo. It's not all about the power number and the weight of the car.

 

Yeah, he ran 11.8@117 stock. He is experienced, so the average driver won't be able to hit this but still impressive.

 

Hehe, my friend, if Porsches weren't such great cars I wouldn't have owned so many of them and certainly wouldn't own one now. I just snicker when I hear some people come up with excuses- whether a couple of tenths here or a second around a track there, faster is faster. My guess is that modded cars such as yours and the X50 such as mine, already running high 11s, will give the C6Z a run for its money in CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES but the Vette should be for the most part handily faster. You bring up gearing, which is a valid point- the Vettes are geared like 5 speeds, with 6 being OD for fuel economy. To some degree, their V8 torque compensates, but the Vette could probably perform better with some gearing changes. Gearing for street cars in general entails compromise, as CJV has shown improved performance with gearing changes, but the Porsche seems to get more out of its potential in stock gearing than does the Vette.

Still, the C6Z in testing seems to be a beast and it will be no small task to beat it. Ownership experience, build quality. . .no question the Porsche wins, but I'm not so sure that the 997TT will outperform the C6Z. Guess we'll have to wait and see. For me, I don't see any sense in a 997TT- maybe a 998TT, but I see alot of good reasons to add a C6Z to the garage next to the Turbo.

Cheers

 

I'm looking forward to an unscientific run against the C6Z. I'm guessing that the torque and traction advantage my car has will show up somewhere in the encounter.

As for "faster is faster" - I personally find that street encounters with other "fast" cars are *very* rare, and even when there is an encounter it's generally not safe (no room, too many threats, etc.) to make a go of it. And when there is a go at it, the results tend to be very much driver dependent and not car dependent. So in the end, one car being a few tenths faster than another just isn't a big deal to me. If the encounter is at the track, it tends to depend even more on the driver. And without a doubt, I don't worry about what magazines print concerning their test results. My bottom line is that in almost 100% of my driving I'd never be able to tell if my car was even a second or two slower than another sports car - it would just never show up in any measurable form.

 

The C6 Z06 weighs 3130 lbs . I've weighed my Turbo and it's 3570 lbs . Since the 997 weighs 75 lbs more than the 996 , my 997 Turbo will probably come in at 3650 - maybe more or less depending on the weight of the DSG gear box ! You can lard on all the hp you want, but it still has to slow down or turn , to which weight is not your friend . The 997 Turbo would need a real ( not official rated ) 610hp to have the same power /weight ratio as C6 Z06, which moles inside the Z06's Wixom eng plant say the motors are putting out about 525 hp ( vs rated 505 ) on the dynos .

What I'm getting at : how about a factory rear wheel drive 997 Turbo with electronic differential accomodating stabilty yaw control - not like the two seater/ track oriented non-safety net 996 GT2 - for the upcoming car ? That should save a couple hundred pounds , not to mention bringing back some of the sportier feeling when the front wheels are free to just steer . Cars like F430 and Z06 are RWD , with similar power and come with yaw stabilty control , so Porsche should consider such a car , priced about $5-7 K less . It would be a huge seller in my opinion .

 

I weighed my '02 Turbo on four pad racing scales, and with a full tank of gas it weighed 3480 pounds.



While I'm all for a lighter 997 Turbo, I do think Porsche's suspension design and AWD individual wheel control on the 997 Turbo will make a huge difference.