elh0102

I will be buying a sports car within the next year. Various candidates are on my list, including the new C6 ZO6, a Carrera S, and maybe a used 996 GT3. It will be a street car that sees 7 or 8 DE track events a year. In searching previous threads, I noticed some lively discussion about the then-new C6 ZO6 on this board about a year ago. Several members had decided to buy one, or, were considering one. I didn't find any previous follow up on how satisfied they have been with the new ZO6. I would appreciate hearing from some of those folks. And please, let's not start ranting about the plastic interior and cheap seats in the Vette; everyone is well aware of those issues. I tracked a C5 ZO6 a couple of years, so I am well aware of that car's capabilities. I've not driven a new ZO6, but, having been on track with a number of them, I have been impressed from a distance.

Bob Rouleau

I track frequently with a pal who has a c6 z06. He has never finished a track day. Brakes are the big issue, there is one supplier of aftermarket pads, carbotech. They are better than OEM by far but pads and rotors don't stand up to the performance of the Z06. The car is fast. Faster than a 996 GT3 by a good margin. Tire choices are limited, hoosiers or OEM. The TPMS is a pain in the ***. Break one and you are toast since the car will assume you are running on a run flat tire with no air and limit the speed. Spares for now are impossible to get. GM parts seems to be behind the curve.

These nits may be solved by more time as aftermarket support builds. Right now, the car has been a PITA for my buddy. He ordered a GT3 RS after observing that I had no issues all summer with my GT3. On the road, the vette is great, solid, no rattles, better than I expected. On track,blistering fast easy to drive .. when it is running right.
Rgds,

elh0102

Thanks Bob, this is the kind of feedback I need. And yes, I know brakes have been a problem. I'm kind of leaning towards driving my M3 another season and see how things sort out. I know a used GT3 would be a marvelous car, but maybe a bit much for my casual track use.

db_gt3

Every time I have seen a C6 ZO6 at the track it goes home on a flatbed. Something about overheating and going into "limp mode", whatever that is. Never seen one go far enough to get into the brake issues.

Do yourself a favor and get the GT3. It will not let you down.

Mike K.

The Z06's are at least 2 seconds faster than the GT3 on a 2.65 track. Roughly a 1.50 ish lap with the Z06 on Hoosiers and a GT3 on MPSC . If and when they can sort out the computer and brake issues they MAY be a very good track car. We had two( Bob, you forgot about the Charests) at our club and neither could finish a weekend the whole year.

Greygt3

Like you I had a C5 ZO6 previously. I tracked that car often and made a bunch of mods to it to make it last trackwise. It was a great car and gave me no problems. Now that I own a GT3, there is no comparison. It all comes down to the details.( steering comes to mind) Do yourself a favor and drive a GT3 for a few hours. I know the C6 ZO6 is a big improvement, and if laps times are your only concern get one. All I can say is I'm not going back to the vette.

Hope that helps.

Dean

elh0102

Thanks Dean. And no, lap times are not my priority, in fact, I don't care about the time, it's all the driving experience for me. I have been very impressed with the Carrera S on the street, never driven one on track. And I have not driven a GT3 yet, but a used one is available.

roberga

Buy the car you like. People will justify what they buy. If you have any doubts do not get it. When I got my first P-car, I was looking at a M3. but I new that if I got the M3 it was only unntil I got the Porsche. I decided to skip the M3 and go for the P.
If you want to someday have a Porsche just get it now. If you can get a GT3 do it.

Mr Michael B

Man, you must have found some fast Vette owners. I have not seen that around here.

99firehawk

Ive driven both and personaly id rather have the z06 but thats just me, I really want one but no sunroof or targa roof and thats a requirment for me.

NJ-GT

A GT3 on Hoosier is faster than a GT3 on MPSC. Some people think MPSC are as fast as Hoosiers. On my car with my driving, the Hoosiers are about 0.8 secs faster on a 60 secs course compared to MPSC.

If using the same tires bring both the C6 Z06 and 996 GT3 within 1 second of each other on an almost 2 minutes lap (0.5 secs per every 60 secs at the track), such difference is so small, that the car with the better driver will most likely be on the lead.

The C6 Z06 will depreciate a lot on the next two years, the 996 GT3 won't do as bad. Go with the 996 GT3.

If you want something fast on the 1/4 mile, buy a Supercharged Mustang/Camaro already prepared for drag racing. Faster and cheaper than the C6 Z06. If you want something that handles and feels as good as a 996 GT3 for $75k-85k, good luck finding a different car, probably the Exige S (it needs more power).

stuka

For the kind of $$ that you are willing to spend, I will stay clear of wet sump P cars on principle along.

No M96!

Get the GT3.

Although, the warranty that comes with a brand new Z06 cannot be ignored. It is the cheapest dry sump production car available new in the U.S. right now.

Although, what's up with not fitting the sams coilover from their Le Man car?

Boulder GT3

GT3 think scalpel. C6Z06 think meat clever.

The durability and the development of the GT3 on the track is substantial compared to the C6Z. The brakes will not last on the Z for hard track use. Really ugly. It’s $3K to fix the problem. The seats are flat (I’ve got Euro’s in my GT3) and the tires are limited to run flats on the street but you can get Hoosiers. The whole tire pressure monitoring issues are a bit overblown. The handling with the Goodyear’s at the limit is hairy at best and will put the fear of God in you at worst. The car will snap sideways, and I mean snap, in 2nd and 3rd gear with only modest amounts of the available throttle. The GT3 by comparison has a suspension that will let you know if the coin you hit is heads or tails. The GT3 has brakes that can’t be defeated and all of the good pieces.

Some really pleasant surprises with the Z though. No squeaks, rattles or shimmies. Miles and I mean miles ahead of the C5 as far as fit and finish. The dealer has gone the extra mile to make me happy on all issues. Very comfortable on the road. Almost as GT like as a Turbo vs. the GT3 that requires you to “suffer for your art”. A nice set of features that I end up using. The power is amazing and I think underrated at 505HP with a great sound above 3500RPM. In a straight line it will pull the doors of my GT3 and feels faster than a Ford Gt I’ve driven a fair amount. The car feels big but gets smaller after you spend some time with it. Mine was less than 3100lbs with ¼ tank of gas. The car handles very neutral but with the stock tires you’re always waiting for the oversteer surprise. Make no mistake though, it is a good handling package. Fun for me to learn something new after spending so many years in 911’s with essentially unlimited traction. I’ve not had a watch on them but on a 2 minute track the Z would be a couple of seconds faster I’m sure until the brakes barfed. Again, the brakes can be fixed, it’s just a hassle.

Strangely, the Z has made me like the GT3 more and vice versa.

I wish I could offer a highly opinionated answer on which to buy. They are so differant that if you drive them both you'll be smitten with one of them. My guess is that you'd favor the Porsche.

38D

MPSCs are faster for me.

The Z06 is a heck of a car, but like any new model has teething pains. No different than the early 996s with their oiling issues. If you can get a GT3 RS, do it.

RR

I agree with Bob.

I have been to 2 lapping days both days with half a dozen Z06's and tonnes of 996/997's and on both days, even though most of the Z06's were ok, there was always one Z06 going home on a flatbed.