acroy

Found what looks like a well-modded, well loved C6 Z06 (cam, headers, supporting mods, DRM Bilsteins, documentation etc) and will give it a spin.

Before that, I'll be at a local Carmax trying a low-mile 2016 base Stingray.

Will be interesting to see how they are back-to-back.

I love the C6Z06 and consider the LS7 'one of the greats'. 7 liters of American firepower.

Never been in a C7, only read the reviews and talked to owners.

For my spend range of 35-45k, I can get one or the other.

It'll be a good day

acroy

That was fun.
C6Z really does feel like a C5.5. Hard to tell the difference. everything is in the same place, feels the same.... love that Ls7...
C7 is indeed a different animal. This was a stripper Base model with 4k on the clock. Still, it's the first Vette to feel absolutely planted.

For now, I'll save my dimes for C7.

TorchRedFred

As of yet, I have still never driven a C7. I do hear it is totally different ride and maybe a lot more refined feeling. When I was searching for my C6 six months ago, I didn't really look at or seriously consider the C7. I wasn't really sold on the looks just yet, but every once in awhile I do see one with just the right color combo and options that makes me look twice. Maybe one day I'll take a ride to the dealer to check them out a little more closely and maybe take one for a ride. The only problem is I'm not ready to give up my C6 anytime soon. Good luck with your search. I'm one of those guys that enjoys the car shopping process, so until you find the right one, have fun looking.

bgspot

Hard to tell the difference???

FAUEE

I've driven both, and I'm gonna disagree. The C7 feels like a c6, with less room, more tech, and less driver involvement. The C6 feels totally planted, as have the c4 and c5.

But of course, it's your opinion and you're welcome to it.

JoesC5

I haven't driven a C7 but I have ridden in one(C7 Z06). From the passenger seat, I couldn't see/feel any difference(other than the dashboard looked different). My dash gives me all the info I need, and I sure don't need one that lights up and flashes like a 2 year old kid's toy.

My C6 Z06 has everything I need in a high performance sports car. A base C7 sure isn't going to outrun me on a straight highway or through the curves. I've run 162 MPH around Talladega and the car was absolutely planted to the track and I've run all kinds of curvy roads(Pig's Trail and Tail of the Dragon to mention two of them).

jrose7004

I found that the C6 was worlds of improvement over the C5. C5.5? No.

LMB-Z

I also came from a C5. 2001 coupe. Sold it and bought a 2005 coupe. World of difference. Better seats, stereo, guage cluster, ride, more power, just better overall. Traded the 05 for the 06 Z. Have yet to drive or ride in a C7.

acroy

IMHO:
C5
-seats suck
-stock suspension sucks
-dash, layout etc is dated but works great
-Stock power is great
-Intangible 'quality factor' (fit finish feel) - poor

C6
-seats suck a little less
-stock suspension sucks
-dash, layout etc less dated but works great
-electric door release sucks
-stock power is greater
-Intangible 'quality factor' (fit finish feel) - less poor

C7
-seats are nice
-suspension is nice
-dash, layout etc is Las Vegas blingy
-electric door release, parking brake sucks
-stock power is great
-Intangible 'quality factor' (fit finish feel) - Very good to excellent.

Overall it was the last item, the feeling of quality, that was impressive about the C7. That and the buttoned-down suspension.

C5/6 suspension to me has always felt sketchy. Never secure, composed. Tremendously capable but not confidence-inspiring. You have to learn to trust it on faith. The aftermarket helps a lot.

The C7 changes this completely. It is un-flappable. Off-camber, sharp impact (such as pavement break) would have a C5 or C6 jumping around. C7 don't care. Very impressive.

Of course all the above is subjective.

JoesC5

I've owned a C5 and a C6 Z06.

Seats suck in both of them, but after I had a custom upholstery shop repair the foam and put leather strips on the side seat frame to keep it from tearing the foam, and put a piece of carpet between the wires/springs and add another 1/2" of foam in the bottom seat cushion, the seats in my C6 Z06 are just fine($95 fix).

The suspension on the base C6 rides a bit smoother than C5, but there is nothing "poor" about the suspension in a C6 Z06(that the OP is inquiring about). I really doubt that a base C7 is more composed at 198 MPH or pulling 1.1 g's than a C6 Z06. I have driven my C6 Z06 through 40 states and 55,000 miles, on every kind of road imaginable( from 10 MPH on a washboard gravel road up the side of a gorge in NM to running 145 on a two lane country road in NE and 145 on the old Route 66 two lane in NM, to 162 around the Talladega Super Speedway, to pulling max g's on the Tail of the Dragon), and I have never had a problem with my Z06's suspension holding my car planted to the road.

C6 Z06 LS7 505 HP is better than a base C7 LT1 460 HP. No comparison. Those are the two Corvettes that the OP is inquiring about.

Both the C6 and the C7 have the electric door openers.

I prefer the hand operated parking brake over the electric parking brake that the C7 has.

My C6 Z06 gets terrific gas mileage. 33.0 MPG average over a 450 mile run between Springfield, MO and Natchez, MS, or 29.2 MPG average over 2500 miles covering Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. On a trip last year to Deadwood, SD, I was running along at 74 MPH getting 35 MPG on I-29 and the C7 Z51 A8 behind me was running an identical 35 MPG at the exact same time and place(2 way radios between friends are nice to have).

Unreal

Friend is shopping right now and did the same. C6z was disappointing and a lot slower than he expected. The c7 was more planted, more comfy, better tech, and overall a better car.

I had the same experience a few years ago with c7 came out. For a car that won't live on the track, and isn't constantly at 5-7k, I would take the c7 too. The lt1 has awesome low end, and matches the c6z in power up to a point. Even when the c6z takes over, lt1s respond to easy mods and you can make 450-460rwhp very very easily to match or exceed the ls7 performance, all in a nicer package.

bgspot

This was what i was getting at. My 01' just didn't even compare to my '09 or '12.

Lol still a lot of C7 hate here.

JoesC5

You don't think a LS7 will respond to easy mods and make 525-550rwhp. Hell man, my stock C6 Z06(with PRC265 heads, but nothing else, and no bad *** tune to lean it out or advance the base timing) makes 453rwhp(and it was 101 degrees in LG Motorsports dyno room that day it was on the dyno). You have to mod a LT1 for that same horsepower. You said it yourself. A stock C6 Z06 will make as much power at low RPM's that a stock LT1(with VVT) does, yet when called upon, can outrun a C7 LT1 above 4,000 RPM. A modified C6 Z06 LS7 can outrun a modified C7 LT1 also. With the C6 Z06 being lighter in weight and with more horsepower and torque above 4,000 RPM, that gives the edge to the Z06, not the base C7.

Taking your Corvette above 4,000 isn't racing on a track. Plenty of people exceed 4,000 RPM on the street all the time in their C7(to 6500 RPM. Probable as often as a C6 Z06 owner does(to 7000 RPM). By the way, that additional 500 RPM counts. When the C7 has to shift into 2nd at 56 MPH, the C6 Z06 will still be in 1st gear till 61 MPH. That additional 5 MPH in first gear in the C6 Z06 overwhelms the C7's 56 to 61 MPH in 2nd gear. It's there and doesn't cost anymore to use it, vs having to shift at 6500 in the C7.

Ever think there is a reason the C6 Z06 has a much higher top speed than a C7(of any horsepower). A stock C6 Z06 can hit 198 MPH. Hennessey had to take a 2014 C7 and up the horsepower to 600 plus throw on nitrous(a 100 shot) to hit 200.3 MPH.

Sure, plenty of people will try and make a case that no one drives their cars 200 MPH on the street, but the point is that the C6 Z06 is capable of it in pure stock form and the C7 doesn't even come close.

Then throw in the C6 Z06's better brakes(and brake cooling) for when you want to stop, and the wider C6 Z06's tires when you want to have more traction to accelerate or turn a corner or brake.

As for comfort driving my C6 Z06, I'm 74 and I drive my C6 Z06 all over the country. Longest one day run was from Concord, NC to Springfield, MO in 13 1/3 hours for 869 miles. Longest NON-stop(no potty break, food or gas) was 439 miles; from Oglesby, IL to Springfield, MO. Did a 6418 mile run in 15 days(two of those days had zero driving done).

Unreal

Yes, c6 z06 is a better track/race/fast platform. You can easily mod to sky is the limit, on either car. My point was if you want 500-510hp, its a few simple bolt ons away if the only downside you see is the slight power difference. It is a lot easier to add 50hp than to add a nicer interior/tech/etc.

JoesC5

That's the difference between us. I don't see that a dashboard that lights up like Vegas is a plus. That's "high" tech that adds nothing, in my opinion. I actually like the simpler C6 instrument panel that has a very large tach and speedo that are extremely easy to read, along with a gas gage, a coolant temp gage, a voltmeter and an oil pressure gage is all I need and the dash is not all cluttered up. If I want to see the fuel economy, or range or trip odometer, I can easily bring them up on the DIC with a single push of a hard button.

I did a quick look at some dyno graphs.

First a stock C7 LT1 that had a 11% driveline loss. Max was 410.62rwhp/410.38 torque.

at 2500 RPM it had 175rwhp/383 torque.

at 4000 RPM it had 310rwhp/405 torque.

at 6500 RPM it had 373rwhp/307 torque.

at 5252 RPM it was 395rwhp/395 torque.

Shifting at 6500 in 1st gear it dropped to 4300 RPM in 2nd and at that RPM it had 335rwhp/410 torque.

My LS7 had 453.23rwhp/437.52 torque(with PRC heads but stock air breather, paper filter, intake manifold and exhaust manifolds). An 11% driveline loss(equal to the LT1 driveline loss0 would be 450rwhp(3 less than I was making).

At 2500 RPM my LS7 was 180rwhp/380 torque.

at 4000 RPM my LS7 was 310rwhp/407 torque.

at 6500 RPM, my LS7 was 445rwhp/360 torque.

At 5252 RPM my LS7 was 435rwhp/435 torque.

Shifting from 1st(same ratio as the LT1 base) to 2nd(same ratio as LT1 base) at 7000 RPM(because I can) the RPM dropped to 5,500 RPM and 440rwhp/412 torque.

Now you can see why I pull a LT1 from 4000 RPM to my 7000 RPM) and when I shift in to second gear I'm pulling the LT1 hard as I have 440rwhp/412 torque to the LT1's 335rwhp/410 torque at the instant I release the clutch. and the instant the LT1's driver releases the clutch(plus I'm still at the top of 1st gear for another 500 RPM/5 MPH, while the LT1's driver has shifted into 2nd gear).

The reason the LT1 doesn't have the horsepower at the higher RPMs like the LS7, is because it doesn't breath as well with it's small ports and small valves.

The LS7 can be made to get more horsepower when modded vs the LT1 as the LS7 has the large ports/large valves that respond better to a change in intake, cam, headers, etc.

So you can add 50rwhp to a Lt1 with simple mods...so can I with my LS7(actually get more than 50 rwhp with the same simple mods).

A 525rwhp LS7(simple mods) will still out run a 450rwhp LT1(simple mods), plus I not lugging around an additional 125 pounds(equal to a normal size wife in the passenger seat).

That same LT1 I mention above had 432.68rwhp/443.87 when tuned and had 460.19rwhp/472.03 torque with kooks headers and a tune. Check that out. It has 7 more horsepower than my LS7, and I haven't even done the "simple" mods yet. In fact the 125 pounds lighter weight I have cancels out the extra 7 HP(times 2).

What do you think my LS7 would have if I added headers and a tune? I bet it would be way above 460.19rwhp. Don't you?

And I would still be 125 pounds lighter and with more tire on the ground to give me traction.

I don't need to take my Z06 to the track to take advantage of it's greater horsepower, brakes and suspension. I can pull up next to a C7 LT1 and leave it, from either a dig on the street or a roll on the street. You act as if the C6 Z06 is ONLY good ON THE TRACK. You are wrong. It is a superb street machine as well as a superb track machine. I can go on a 2,500 mile leisurely road trip out to Colorado, and if a C7 LT1 pulls up beside me at 75 MPH on I-70 in Kansas, and nods, I will take him(and I-70 is not a race track).

Virtual Geezer

Persistent reliability gremlins have kept me out of a C7 -- especially the 8-speed automatic and torque tube issues.

The_Raging_Bull

My dealer is always trying to buy my C6Z06, so I finally went and did a C7 coupe;it drove OK; and cornered hard but to my bottom of my butt feel the C7was slower, and I know from the specs the C7 is about 450 lbs heavier. BTW you want to be planted. stick a wickerbill on it to help create more rear end downforce.

As I came back, he's thinking I'm buying, so he asked me what I thought? I told him why would I buy a slower car I had a payment for,when my Z has been paid off for years. It did feel composed, but the other thing I noticed is the C6Z felt like it had more room, the C7 you felt like you were shoehorned in too. To add insult to injury, he offered me $42.5K,, and I walked away laughing...I wished him the best of luck. Its a game we play every year.

The next time around my car will be a stage 3 or stage 4 AHP build, so it will be a beast; it'll be funny to see his reaction. I normally get letters from 2 of Tulsa 3 dealers each year chasing my Z06 - which they've seen at local events - in some cases that they put on just for that purpose.

GARYFINN

This pretty much INVALIDATES any post this person makes.

Mcrider

I looked for months at both the C6 and C7 and the budget I had set, gave me 2 scenarios. A loaded, very low mileage C6 3LT Grand Sport, or a C7 1 LT that had less frills and higher miles.

I just felt that the C7 didn't look like a vette, it looked too euro flavored. For me the sharp edges of the body were an immediate turn off. The interior gadgets were impressive but I don't need track cams, data loggers or multiple settings that would only be used on the track. For us, this is our travel and fun car. I'm not chasing horsepower. The person who owned our C6 spent an awful lot of money on it and took amazing care of it, and their loss is our gain.

The C6 was also the color the wife liked the best.

GrandSportRob

Even if the C7 is a better car, you still have to look at that rear end every day. the “drunk U” shaped tail lights with the dripping black fangs is one of the ugliest things GM has ever made.