stevebz06

It wasn't stripped, but they made a conscious effort to lighten the car: the passenger seat was manually adjusted while the drivers seat was electric. Reduced sound deadening might have made it too noisy for a lot of people, but I would have eliminated it completely if given the option, I would have deleted the radio if they had offered that. The C5 Z06 was a compromise, but it was the best thing that Corvette offered in 2001.

Racer X

So you are agreeing it wasn’t “decontented”?

ArmchairArchitect

The bottom line is that GM took significant and numerous measures to lightweight the C5 Z06, and it weighs significantly less than the base car as a result.

But since you are hung up on semantics, yes, removing things like TPMS, removing a good amount sound deadening, no run-flats, thinning the glass, manual passenger seat, no targa roof panel, etc. are "decontenting".

RapidC84B

Don't forget no power antenna either.

Racer X

The base car had no power passenger seat. So nothing taken away. The non-run flats was a tire grip upgrade, not decontenting. Heck, they gave you a compressor and slime that you could not get with the coupe or convertible, so extra content No targa roof was an upgrade to stiffness, not decontenting. Thinner glass is lightweighting. The closest thing to decontenting was the less insulation. They offset that with the Bose sound system being standard. It had leather seats standard. Hardly "decontenting". The biggest reduction in weight was the titanium exhaust, an upgrade. Decontenting, is manual seats with no recline or lumbar. No air conditioning, no radio, no heater. Losing things that come of the base model, that you don't get and can't get, that most people want, that is decontenting. Paying extra to just not get something standard on the base model is decontenting.

Depending on the source, it was about 80-98 pounds lighter. So maybe 3% lighter.

The car was absolutely luxurious compared to my Lotus Elise. I know, I daily drove both of them.

Racer X

I will give you that one as decontenting. I don't know how I survived without that.

ArmchairArchitect

Reducing comfort/convenience/features to lightweight the car is what "decontenting" is. Not specific parts on your checklist. Otherwise, you can say that any car with a floor carpet is "not decontented" because the Ferrari F40 didn't have floor carpet.

And GM decontented the C5Z with those measures I mentioned in ADDITION to replacement lightweight parts like exhaust and wheels.

The Bose system was standard on all Corvettes when the C5 Z06 was made, so nothing was "upgraded" there.

Also, decontenting does not require that one "pays extra".

C5 Coupe: 3,246 lbs.
C5 Z06: 3,118 lbs.

Dropping over 125 lbs on a car is nothing to sneeze at. Something GM should've done with the C8Z, considering how much they are charging for the car, or at least offer a lightweighting option package.

Racer X

I found many different weights.
3,172 lbs. (Coupe) - https://corvettestory.com/specs/2001...cs-options.php
Curb Weight - 3214 lb https://curbweightfinder.com/chevrolet/corvette/2001/

The Z06 came with a CD player standard, the base model did not. It was a $100 option. Yes, there were things to make it lighter, but it was not stripped down. Except for the sound deadening and power antennae it was not decontented. It had extra luxury items that the base did not.

Should the C8 Z06 had some lightweighting options? Sure why not, there are several that could have been done that would not have caused more expensive crash testing, or air bag changes. Lithium battery, manual seats? Titaniun exhaust? (would it have met sound standards?)? They would have made them expensive to cover the cost having to carry replacement parts for years. The same people clamoring for such options would complain about the cost. Really a no-win situation for GM.

ArmchairArchitect

Now you're just being disingenuous. To my knowledge, all C5s when the Z06 was made had a CD player integrated into the head unit. And even if it didn't if there's virtually no difference in weight between the head units, that's what you're hanging your hat on for the C5Z not being "decontented"? Laughable. But since you want to talk CDs, the C5Z did not even have the option of the 12-disc CD changer like the base C5 had. There are also no extra luxury items that add weight to the car, so that part you wrote is also not true.

https://www.corvsport.com/2002-corvette-specifications/
C5 Coupe: 3,246 lbs.
C5 Z06: 3,118 lbs.

That is the difference in weights as I stated.

How is thinning glass (more road noise), removing sound deadening (more road noise), removing TPMS (useful feature), no run-flat tires (grand touring feature), no targa roof panel (luxury/grand touring feature) NOT "decontenting"? That's not even counting the parts swapped with lighter weight equivalents (titanium exhaust, Speedline wheels from Italy, etc.) since I'm not counting those as decontenting for obvious reasons.

You're also missing the overall point with your decontenting talk, which is just one subset of lightweighting a car. The overall point is that the C5Z was a properly lightweighted car, and that GM lost it's ethos with the Z06 nameplate when it comes to lightweighting after the C5Z and C6Z.

RapidC84B

The question, that I don't have an answer to, is how much of the lightweighting effort was "genuine" vs. how much of it was already baked into the "billy bob" Corvette as they called the original FRC concept? They wanted to make a super basic cloth-seat entry car and then realized there was no reason to do this so the FRC had normal trim, then they decided to take it and make the Z06 out of it and get a better return. I guess the differences between the FRC and Z06 are what matters and that still includes a lighter windshield and a few other things.

ArmchairArchitect

The original FRC was GM's initial attempt at a lightweighted C5 for track duty/racers rather than the luxury/tourer crowd, so the ethos was there too. If we're talking about the lightweighting differences between an FRC and a Z06, it's titanium exhaust, lighter wheels, thinner glass, removed sound deadening, transmission case, and several other items.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevro...vette_(C5)#Z06

I suggest reading the fantastic Corvette book "All Corvettes are Red".

RapidC84B

You honestly think I haven't already read it It sits in my office about 5' from me as I type this.

Racer X

My sources said the base Corvette did not come with a CD player, it was a $100 option by the option counts almost all took that option. A few took the Cassette version as an option.

We will just have to agree to agree to disagree that many of the things you call decontenting are. I owned one, and it did not feel decontented at all.

We agree that GM could have made certain things optional on the C8 Z06 to lose weight beyond the carbon fiber wheels and CCB. A titanium cat back is a no brainer. They could have charged 8-10k for that, and probably only cost them 1-2k extra. Maybe titanium suspension springs. There are plenty of options that don't require retesting. Maybe they could have a "Weissach" package and charge $38k for it and save 50 pounds.

Where you say they did very little to lightweight, I think they spent all their weight reduction budget on the engine. I was stunned that the LT6 was only 1 kilo heavier than the LT2. I expected it to be at least 20 kilograms heavier. Do you give no credit for that?

UnhandledException

They could simply delete heated and cooled seats and memory steering package and save 30 lbs (pessimistically, more like 40 lbs). I lifted a C7 comp seat and weighs over 45 lbs each. You dont even need to spend a ton of money and design a bucket seat like porsche does. Simply take your competition seat and REMOVE stuff from it. The seats, the exhaust… these are very easy to integrate and develop. Akrapovic will gladly make an exhaust for you as they do for all BMW and Mercedes lines.

Racer X

It is possible that seat changes could be done without additional crash testing, or not, The Corvette seats all seem to have the same basic underlying structure for some reason. They could offer a Competition 2 seat with manual controls. My Elise seat didn't even recline.

No need to go to someone as expensive as Akrapovic. IIRC it was Timken that did the titanium exhaust for the C5 exhaust.

UnhandledException

Also, the body on frame’s issue based on my personal experience isnt that those panels are structural and they weaken the handling of the car. My ZR1 handles very well on a skid pad, it probably has the highest mechanical grip reported out there short of Senna or AMGT GTR Black Series. The problem is as you drive over road joints or bumps, the entire interior of the car flexes. You feel the presence of those various panels. There are too many second order vibrations on the steering wheel, dash, seat, roof. I have 21,000 miles on the car. 911s have this solid feel that almost feels like the whole car was carved out of a metal block with no connection between panels being felt under the same conditions. You are still thrown around the cabin but the entire car feels as though its 1 piece of metal cube. When people say “solid build quality”, they dont just mean panel gaps. Most dont understand how cars are put together and therefore arent able to articulate what they are trying to say.

Go to youtube and watch any one of the 20+ minute 911 production videos. There are plenty of them. Then do the same for the Corvette. Anyone who doesnt see the disadvantages of one of the two has either never taken a Physics class (at a high school level) or just brainwashed to the point of denial.

JerriVette

While the c8 z06 was testing at the “ring” and head of Porsche called to congratulate Tadge on the capabilities
of the new C8 z06.

only Porsche fans on the corvette forum have the freedom
and lack of actual knowledge to figure out some ridiculous complaints

another month or two and the actual track results should be released.

until then the OP theories are just pontification

Jridden

I was wondering where you heard about this info. Thanks

"While the c8 z06 was testing at the “ring” and head of Porsche called to congratulate Tadge on the capabilities
of the new C8 z06."

Michael T*

My wife has a 2022 Porsche Carrera coupe (992). My 2020 C8 is every bit as good over railroad tracks and other irregular road surfaces. The C8 has a 10.7 inch longer wheelbase which also contributes to a better ride. While the 992 Carrera S was ever so slightly faster than the C8 around a racetrack, her non-S would be close to a dead heat. The C8 was $41k less ($108k vs. $67k).

jcp911s

Food Fight!!!