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Can you put a z06 through a commercial car wash with the 325's on the rear tires or are they too big to fit in the tracks? You may debate whether it is wise to do so regardless but I was just wondering if it was possible.

Second question, do people put winter tires on these during the winter? I wouldn't use this during a storm but if it is just a little slick or you get a dusting of snow would it be fine on level roads? I assume no different from any high power rear wheel drive car such as a M3?

Patrick McDaniel

Random answer #1.
I saw picture of a warning tag regarding car washes. The warning tag said rear tire was 13.6 inches wide and not to go into a car wash that couldn't handle that width.

PS: Having working in a car wash myself I will also warn you some of the guides are rather high and may hit the air dam underneath the car.

Random answer #2.
Z06 isn't a bad weather car. Dave Hill is reported to have said if you see a snowflake, park it. A wise man will try to avoid the nasty weather. As for rain, I don't know how F-1's will do.The only way to find out what they can do in the wet is find a wide open area and try to break them loose. Corvette has traction control but I think you should listen to Dave Hill.

M3 is a more sophisticated car that is capable of bad weather including snow conditions. M3's do surpisingly well in snow considering RWD and the power.

PbPedis

I'm not sure it has anything to do with sophistication. The Z06 is just as high tech as the M3. The M3 can handle snow because of lower torque, skinny tires, and the fact that they make snow tires in sizes that fit the M3.

runamuk

Do you have a link to where this was said?

1991Z07

In a word...NOT!!!!

The BMW's are pretty much the MOST sophisticated cars on the market today. The 3-series has 65 microprocessors in 15 "modules" throughout the car. each module is connected by a fiber-optic network...basically a backbone just like any other computer network.

BMW has built in a cellular phone to have the car call them if there are any critical problems that show up in the error codes. They can re-program the cars for a wide variety of "mechanical" problems that might come up...including emissions issues. Anything that is controlled by the computer, they can change to make it work "differently"...

Our company supports the workshop networks for BMW...I know what they have in those baby's. The 5's have 69 microprocessors, the 7's have 78 of them. Takes anywhere from 6-8 hours to completely program a BMW...

GM only wishes they had the infrastructure to be able to THINK about doing it...

robvuk

The number of microprocessors does not make sophistication. Probably many of the same microprocessors that you use in your computer that needs to be rebooted twice a day.

PbPedis

And that makes the BMW better in the snow? Okay...whatever you say. Corvette's active handling and traction control are just as good as BMW's.

chevyc4

I mean traction and stability control can only do so much and the rest comes down to driver and tires.

teking

Um ...... yes ..... it does. Having owned both I agree the M3 is FAR more sophisticated than the vette.

so·phis·ti·cate ( P ) Pronunciation Key (s-fst-kt)
v. so·phis·ti·cat·ed, so·phis·ti·cat·ing, so·phis·ti·cates
v. tr.
To make more complex or inclusive; refine.

com·plex ( P ) Pronunciation Key (km-plks, kmplks)
adj.
com·plexness n.
Synonyms: complex, complicated, intricate, involved, tangled, knotty
These adjectives mean having parts so interconnected as to make the whole perplexing. Complex implies a combination of many associated parts:

1991Z07

In a word..YES!!! the fiber-optic network works at speed of light...milliseconds faster than normal wired networks. And when it comes to traction control systems and drive by wire systems...milliseconds makes a HUGE difference.

What I was disputing was the C6 is JUST as sophisticated as the M3...it isn't close.

And those systems have been running in the BMW E65's for over 4 years with very few problems....

Robvuk:
The number of microprocessors and "what they manage together to achieve" has everything to do with sophistication. They handle everything from the trunk closure to the automatic wipers coming on when it rains to the iDrive to the CD/DVD/navigation systems...all integrated throughout the car.

They all have built-in cell phone jacks...plug the phone in and when it rings the stereo mutes (whatever you are listening to) and you hit the steering wheel button to answer it becomes handsfree working over your stereo.

They might not have the horsepower of the Z06 (but wait...they DO have the M6 with a detuned F1 engine cranking out 600+ HP:sophisticated AND High-tech)...but horsepower isn't "sophistication"...anyone can give you horsepower and it has been demonstrated for years in the market. It IS the first time GM has offered this kind of brute force in a production car.

Not taking anything from the Z06...but it isn't AS sophisticated as ANYTHING BMW builds today.

CarolVettes

One local car wash (older equipment) can't even take my C5 with the stock 01-04 Z06 tire width. Buying a black 06 Z06 we have no intention of EVER letting it go thru an automatic wash.

gonzalezfj

Whaaaaa???? Last time I looked, electrons travel through wires at the speed of light. When did BMW change this?

chevyc4

Sophistication at work!

bernrex

Well ... its photons .... which travel at light speed.
Electrons travel fast ... but, not quite at light speed ... especially when wires are hot.

Perhaps if one chilled wires down to near absolute zero temps .... electrons speeds would approach light speed.

teking

All wires have resistance. And as such are a "resistor" in themselves. A resistor impedes the flow of electrons. Now this may not slow them down BUT it DOES prevent them from reaching the final destination. When the electron flow is resisted it's energy is converted to heat. That is why when you overload a wire it burns up.

teking

I think you will find that even at close to absolute zero the wire still has resistance. And as you increase to flow to compensate for the loss of volume the wire will of course heat up more and push you farther away from zero.

With wires it is all about resistance.

PbPedis

The point I was trying to make was that it is not how sophisticated the two cars are that determine their snow performance, but rather the fact that the Vette has too much torque, the tires are too wide, and you can't put skinny snows on it. I'd argue that if you could reduce the torque to less than 300 lb-ft and put on some 245 Blizzaks, the Vette would be just as good as the M3 in the snow.

www...sorry for hijacking your thread!

1991Z07

In a wire, the speed of electrons is about 4 x 10 -5 meter / second Physics made simple and speed of light 299,792,458 meters per second...a HUGE difference.

1985 Corvette

All that sophistication just means tons more stuff that'll break. Geez and I thought the pressure sensative membrane for the C6 door opening was a little too much.

teking

so ...

fiberoptic faster, more refined transmission medium.

REFINED one of the elements in the definition of the word - sophistication.

Corvette = wires, fewer microprocessors
M3 = fiberoptic, MANY microprocessors

Conclusion: M3 is more sophisticated than the Vette and has better (FASTER) traction control.