C6 Z06 update from Dave Hill

[Thunder22]

Here are a few items from Dave Hill's presentation on the C6 Z06 at the C5/6 Registry Birthday Bash in Bowling Green, Ky. Some old stuff, some new stuff.... if GM can keep the price under $70k this car is going to fly out of the dealerships...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


The top speed will be substantially above 190 MPH.
The fender badge will show 505 HP.
Quarter mile on street tires in mid 11's.
The car has been tested on several race tracks with over 1,750 laps at top speed. Drivers included C6R team, and GM test people.
The car magazines will get a production built car for testing in July.
Next week they will air ship a production built car to Nurburing for testing.
93 octane is the recommended gasoline to use.
The car will have heavier duty half shafts, than the C5 Z06.
The rear axle ratio will be 3.42.
Car will be available with 6-speed manual only.
the aftermarket would be able to do better than this exhaust system.
the Zo6 could take a higher lift camshaft without any problems, saying the pistons have extra valve reliefs built in from the factory to accomodate a new higher duration cam with more lift.
they brought along a dyno sheet that appeared to be an engine dyno, 505hp and 470lb-ft, and 400ft. lbs all the way across the board from 2400 rpms on up.
Xm anttena aids in downforce
The crate motor LS7 would be around $15,000
The Z06 will use the same 6 spd as the base C6, not the optional Z51 gearing.
Front brake cooling improved over C5 Z06 by a multiple of 5 and rear improved by a multiple of 2.
Front fascia scoop operable and testing shows main benefit is to reduce air temperature entering engine...not so much to increase airflow due to bends in design necessary to eliminate possibility of water ingestion.
Downforce has been optimized and adding a rear wing or full width rear spoiler will negatively affect balance without changing size of front splitter, etc. A general principle but the engineers emphasized this issue when talking about raised height of the C6 Z06 rear CMSL, size of front splitter, etc.
Lowering the new Z06 to improve looks/stance will upset the balance achieved but if you do be very careful not to exceed the "magic number" of 3/4 inches or the performance loss outweighs aesthetic benefit. Also, be aware the C6 sits lower in front versus rear, unlike the C5.
They are working on a new "steel blue" color as shown on slides during presentation. Didn't say what model year it might appear.
Horsepower to weight ratio of the best (6.2lbs to 1hp) the exotic car makers have as only the Enzo and the mega dollar Porsche were superior.
No price release til June or July
There will not be a horse power bump in the 2007 Z06, there will not be a 525hp or 550hp 2007.
He explained the 2nd year Z06 got the bump to 405hp due to a break thru in better catalytic converters (I guess inferring they could meet the same emissions standards with a larger cam?)

[SANguru]

awesome info.. can't wait til it's here... would be quite a beast.

Originally Posted by gresch

Here are a few items from Dave Hill's presentation on the C6 Z06 at the C5/6 Registry Birthday Bash in Bowling Green, Ky. Some old stuff, some new stuff.... if GM can keep the price under $70k this car is going to fly out of the dealerships...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


The top speed will be substantially above 190 MPH.
The fender badge will show 505 HP.
Quarter mile on street tires in mid 11's.
The car has been tested on several race tracks with over 1,750 laps at top speed. Drivers included C6R team, and GM test people.
The car magazines will get a production built car for testing in July.
Next week they will air ship a production built car to Nurburing for testing.
93 octane is the recommended gasoline to use.
The car will have heavier duty half shafts, than the C5 Z06.
The rear axle ratio will be 3.42.
Car will be available with 6-speed manual only.
the aftermarket would be able to do better than this exhaust system.
the Zo6 could take a higher lift camshaft without any problems, saying the pistons have extra valve reliefs built in from the factory to accomodate a new higher duration cam with more lift.
they brought along a dyno sheet that appeared to be an engine dyno, 505hp and 470lb-ft, and 400ft. lbs all the way across the board from 2400 rpms on up.
Xm anttena aids in downforce
The crate motor LS7 would be around $15,000
The Z06 will use the same 6 spd as the base C6, not the optional Z51 gearing.
Front brake cooling improved over C5 Z06 by a multiple of 5 and rear improved by a multiple of 2.
Front fascia scoop operable and testing shows main benefit is to reduce air temperature entering engine...not so much to increase airflow due to bends in design necessary to eliminate possibility of water ingestion.
Downforce has been optimized and adding a rear wing or full width rear spoiler will negatively affect balance without changing size of front splitter, etc. A general principle but the engineers emphasized this issue when talking about raised height of the C6 Z06 rear CMSL, size of front splitter, etc.
Lowering the new Z06 to improve looks/stance will upset the balance achieved but if you do be very careful not to exceed the "magic number" of 3/4 inches or the performance loss outweighs aesthetic benefit. Also, be aware the C6 sits lower in front versus rear, unlike the C5.
They are working on a new "steel blue" color as shown on slides during presentation. Didn't say what model year it might appear.
Horsepower to weight ratio of the best (6.2lbs to 1hp) the exotic car makers have as only the Enzo and the mega dollar Porsche were superior.
No price release til June or July
There will not be a horse power bump in the 2007 Z06, there will not be a 525hp or 550hp 2007.
He explained the 2nd year Z06 got the bump to 405hp due to a break thru in better catalytic converters (I guess inferring they could meet the same emissions standards with a larger cam?)

[motordavid]

G: Thanks for the Exc info!
The motors will be bascially handbuilt which serves to keep a lid on production vol. and that vol. will be quite limited, unfortunatley.

Look for your local lucky Chebby Stlr that gets his hands on one, to jack the price beyond recognition for the rest of '05 into '06.

Wish they had a vert version on the horizon, but I doubt it from the structural aspect; that and they can sell 3 times the proposed production numbers of FRCs, anyhoo.

It will be a Monster . BR,md

[Chris F.]

I agree, this is going to be a hell of a car. At least GM still builds a decent car, the rest is junk!

[Juanted]

The question that begs to be asked is "If they can be so thorough, so cutting-edge, so good at engineering a car like this, why can't they do it across-the-board?? Obviously, there is a cost to this, and these cars will not be cheap. Conversely, why can't GM put just a little more effort into its mass-market cars? Aside from the vette, I can't think of ONE GM vehicle that I'd consider buying! I know GM has the money and the engineers... it's furstrating to see the mediocre automobiles they release.

Anyway, great, great car! That Z06 will surely be priced out of my range, but the C6 is right my alley... and the CEO actually likes it! hmmmm.... can you hear my gears spinning? I'd have to give up my beloved X5, though, and I do not want to do that.

Juan

[JV]

$15K for the crate motor sounda like a damn good deal! I recently got quoted almost that much for a non-fuel injection Hemi! Anyone got a rusted out 69 Chevelle I can have?

JV

[ncx]

MD: "Wish they had a vert version on the horizon...they can sell 3 times the proposed production numbers of FRCs,"
Chrisf: "At least GM still builds a decent car, the rest is junk!"
Kaefer: "If they can be so thorough, so cutting-edge, so good at engineering a car like this, why can't they do it across-the-board??

So true. Considering the trouble GM is in, it really makes you wonder who is making the decisions and why. You guys are right on. How can a company have so much great engineering and design in one devision, and then build ugly cars across the board that underperform and devalue faster than just about any car on the planet? Crazy.

[motordavid]

Originally Posted by Kaefer

...but the C6 is right my alley... and the CEO actually likes it! hmmmm.... can you hear my gears spinning? I'd have to give up my beloved X5, though, and I do not want to do that. Juan

Juan: Hey, you can go for the C6 and still keep the X5 and X3;
we have 3, though myCEO's ride is the Honda CRappyVehicle, in lieu of an X3. It's only dough and we can't take it with us.
BR,md

[motordavid]

For the Z06 Fan(s) here...a lil'promo vid via Edmunds, the pablum car site, picked off the RoadToad C6 bored.


http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...eline.promo.2g.*

And, another showing the basic LS7 build by some guys from MotorTrend visiting the Wixom,MI eng plant.
If I were lucky enough to buy one, I would hope that the basically handbuilt motor was not done by these MT guys, !

http://www.motortrend.com/av/112_050...deo/index.html

BR,md

[Thunder22]

The vert C6 is 400HP, that's a 50HP jump from the C5... My Z16 is 405HP, that's more than enough power for my right foot, I can't even imagine what a monster the C6Z is going to be ... absolutely incredible...

My ONLY complaint about any corvettes is the hatch back bubble. The 2nd most important reason why I bought an '04 Z and didn't wait for the C6Z or any other C5 is that I can not stand that hatch back bubble. If I ever deicde to sell my Z16, it will probably be for a C6 vert, 400HP and no bubble, can't beat that

The guys over on z06vette.com are like a bunch of kids waiting for Christmas to get here while they wait for the pricing to be released and the dealers to start processing their orders...

My prediction is that a C6Z06 with the 2LZ package will be in the mid $70's with a $10k stealer price gouge bringing it up to mid $80k's for anyone who isn't locked into MSRP on a dealer list at some place like Rick Daniels or Kerbeck.