CTR vs Z06

[Jameswillard]

James,

Thank you for sharing your comparison with the Civic Type R. Would love to hear of additional feedback after more drive time.

How different does the Z06 feel compared to a Stingray with Z51 package?

Does the Z06 feel like an exotic?

Why hasn't the Z06 blown you away like you were expecting?

PS: Thank you everyone for your continued feedback and opinions. : )

Unfortunately I live in the Midwest so other than an occasional nice day here and there I won’t be driving the CTR much until the weather gets nicer. I never owned a Stingray Z51 but I drove a friends and I recall it driving pretty well but it felt very flat after like 70-80MPH, like it was quick off the line because it had real short gearing. The Z06 is firmer and more responsive in everything and the engine pulls strong on the top end. Do I think the Z06 feels like an exotic? Depends on what you are used to? Compared to most cars, absolutely. It’s low slung and mid engined so naturally it does, and the engine is very high revving. Maybe not compared to like a McLaren, where you are seated down in the carbon tub and your legs are sat (formula one style) higher than your hips. My disappointments is there is my car has several squeaks/rattles mainly from the removable roof panel (they come and go for no known reason) and that everything about the car has a slightly numb feel. For instance, when you pull the paddles they are feather light with no resistance, same with the steering….very little feel coming back through the wheel. And finally I know just about everyone disagrees with the assessment but I don’t think flat plane crank engines sound that great. The last Corvette I owned was a 7.0L 2006 Z06 and that LS7 sounded much better to my ears. Overall for the money it’s a phenomenal car and I know i’m being critical, it’s just that prior to getting that car I was thinking it would make me question ever needing anything more exotic as it seemed pretty perfect on paper. I grew up on Sentra SE-R’s, Civic Si’s, Prelude VTEC’s, Integra Type R’s etc and as I’ve gotten older and been able to afford more high end cars but as far as fun to drive (to me) I typically enjoy the lower horsepower cars with manual transmissions as much as any of them

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[Cornercarver]

I believe the intent of OP was the experience - not the stats, which are apples and oranges. Our teasing aside, I am pretty sure OP understands this.

There is a classic saying among enthusiasts -'It is better to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow.' The car you can actually wring out often is more fun than the car so fast that you can only drive it a 1/10.

Then you have the lightweight, manual versus the heavier, automatic car, and the one to drive is obvious if you are looking for the most engagement.
I love speed - but I really love feeling connected to my car.
Favorite besides the Type R? The MR2, or MGB. Neither of which were very fast. Both of which were a thrill on every trip.

If you are not Jay Leno and only have room for one or two cars- the Type R -either gen - is hard to beat.

 

[evanescent03]

I have an integra type s so a little different but:

Z06: loud, even lower to the ground so more energy for ingress/egress, clumsy while holding a bunch of stuff. Seats are nice but less aggressive than CTR (more than my ITS). Front axle lift is great. Wild experience overall. Draws lots of attention. Nice heated/cooled seats with heated carbon fiber steering wheel. visibility is poor. sound system in 3LZ is quite nice. A few annoying issues with electronic sensors that has taken it to the shop but easy fixes. Built in PDR. Medium stiff ride. Fassssst.

the ITS is a lot of fun because i can relax more driving it… I still attempt to avoid road defects but less concerning if something is unavoidable. Parking it is less concerning for parking lot mishaps, etc. overall the ITS is more comfortable (FL5/ITS: more headroom [im 6’3” and it’s not ideal], better visibility, more intuitive AC/fan controls), seats are all good just different and preference driven. Manual transmission in ITS feels nice and makes lower speeds fun. I can also take my wife and 2 kids for a drive and also rip on the car and have fun while doing errands. So that’s nice.

Different experience but both great for what they are. You can daily a Z06 but can haul a lot more in the CTR. You can track a CTR but won’t be able to keep up with the faster folks and it’ll be less dramatic (V8 <3 ). You can’t (shouldn’t?) tow with either.

maybe this was a troll post bc there was no contrast but I’m sure there is a lot of cross interest regardless.

 

[PointByPatrol]

Not sure what version of the Corvette these were. Often times driver mod outweighs what type of vehicle you're up against. When I was new to tracking I feared big horsepower cars, but soon realized that the person behind the wheel mattered way more than the car they were driving. Now I get a kick out of racing other drivers, and not the cars they bring to play with. That being said I think that the sheer power of those vehicles can easily outperform their handling capabilities.

 

[evanescent03]

Not sure what version of the Corvette these were. Often times driver mod outweighs what type of vehicle you're up against. When I was new to tracking I feared big horsepower cars, but soon realized that the person behind the wheel mattered way more than the car they were driving. Now I get a kick out of racing other drivers, and not the cars they bring to play with. That being said I think that the sheer power of those vehicles can easily outperform their handling capabilities.

yeah buddy! It’s very satisfying passing a car with 2-3x the HP and 5-10x the price! lol. driver mod is definitely the most important part of the equation as you saw.

drivers being fairly equal though and the CTR is a tool to be respected. the Z06 is a straight cheat code. there will ALWAYS be someone faster (and oftentimes in a "slower" car) ... i'm not an incredible driver, but i'll take all help i can get! i have a couple buddies I frequent the track with who use (among other things) CTRs (FK8 & FL5). it's a very capable cars - especially with some pads/fluid and tires ... they also hold up pretty well which is great.

the best track car bang for buck i've had is the Camaro SS1LE but it's not for everyone. the CTR and ITS is a reallllly good car that covers a wide range of uses including track time and family duties. not many cars can do that. the Z06 is a much more compromised car but it is still not unusable for daily activities.... very different experiences but both enjoyable!

for reference: car & driver lightning lap has Z06 about 20 seconds faster per lap at VIR (they do the Grand Course, 4.1mi) ... Z06 is nipping at heals of Mclaren 765LT and 991 GT2RS! CTR was quicker than a 2015 C63S, 2009 GTR on street tires and 2013 911 S! Not too shabby!

 

[Cornercarver]

It always amazes me how many purpose built one-trick ponies the CTR has embarrassed when you look up the track times.

 

[Fanatic]

I'll continue to envy the Z06. It looks to be out of reach at this time. Picked up a Stingray to compliment the garage and Type R.

Thank you for all the feedback and knowledge shared.

 

[Cornercarver]

Hey, there are no bad 'vettes. Enjoy!

 

[CTRifecta]

I'll continue to envy the Z06. It looks to be out of reach at this time. Picked up a Stingray to compliment the garage and Type R.

Thank you for all the feedback and knowledge shared.

Very nice 2 car setup. What color c8? They are so customizable which I like.

 

[Fanatic]

Very nice 2 car setup. What color c8? They are so customizable which I like.

Amplify Orange I believe it's called.

 

[Cornercarver]

Wow! Orange you glad you picked that color? (sorry couldn't resist)

 

[Zone47]

Does anyone have any feedback as to how the two compare?

Anyone driven or have experience with the new Z06?

Thank you in advance for contributing and assisting.

I drove my buddy's Z06 yesterday but have nothing to compare it to. I can say that thing is an animal! He has less than 1K miles on it and I was afraid to really nail it... it's so freaking fast and I didn't want to accidentally wrap it up. He drove it and did give me a quick spin up to 102 and then back down. In Z mode or I forget what it was called, it really is loud and the shift points are really high. What a bummer though, he got it for MSRP and is going to flip it to try and make some $$ on it. I had to take a few pix of it >

 

[evanescent03]

What a bummer though, he got it for MSRP and is going to flip it to try and make some $$ on it.

Beautiful car. He may make a few bucks but the market has adjust quite a bit and he may not make what he was seeing several months ago. He should just keep it! I thought about flipping mine but after 2k miles and a weekend on the track… ill be keeping it

 

[Cornercarver]

Definitely should keep it - the best selling window has closed. Of course, with the huge downshift in the used car market in general, hard to say. Some rarer cars are still getting good money.
Related side note: Was curious so put in my make, model, year, color, condition for my FK8. Carvana : 'We'll give you $ 26K!'
Me: As if.
To be clear, I am not selling, trading, or otherwise parting with my FK8. Was just curious to get a feel for my equity.
Cars.com - similar car to mine - same year, same color, almost identical mileage. $ 38K and the site says' fair deal'- not overpriced. That is a lot of spread, even allowing for the difference between a private sale and a dealer purchase price. Yes, it would be more like $ 28K from Carvana on a trade but only because of the sales tax saving - they aren't actually offering more money.

Point being that, especially on rarer cars like a CTR or ZO6, there is a huge range out there, so hopefully he takes time to get the best price, or close to it rather than jump on the first offer.

 

[Fanatic]

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