robmypro

So I did it. I swapped cars with a buddy of mine yesterday. He has a really nice manual C7 Z06. That was a bad idea. The manual is the C7 is really sweet. Very notchy. Loved the rev-matching too. Always felt comfortable knowing which gear I was in. I had it for around an hour, and the road we were on was top shelf. I was into it for all it was worth, and as a bonus not once did I stall it or bounce off the rev limiter lol. Very impressed with the C7 Z06 as well. This had the Z07 package and it handled great. Steering was very direct and it took corners just about as well as my GT3 does. It hides its weight well. I know this road really really well, and yesterday the roads were Colorado clear, so I wasn't holding anything back. I was just as aggressive in the corners, and it really delivered a great experience. WOT in second (I didn't want to put it in the bushes, so no 1st gear shenanigans). Tons of power, and a really fun experience. Was it overall quicker than my GT3? Yes. But the PDK goes a long way towards mitigating its power deficiency. But coming out of a corner and jumping on it in second, seeing the front end raise up...was a lot more visceral imo. The GT3 is clinical and the manual Z06 felt way more alive. More engaging. Little loss of power at altitude surely helped. But the manual stole the show. Really glad I had a chance on that road to see what a Z06 can do. A lot of car for the money!

And yes, I still love my GT3. But I get the appeal to the Z06. Lucky to have a friend willing to let me take his baby to the woodshed!

bergx7

Sounds like fun. Z06's are nice road cars, especially for a cool day at altitude where the forced induction makes a difference.

Hot day on track is a different story. They tend to go into limp mode. I think the automatic cars are much worse than the manuals in that regard but i've seen both have issues at track events near me. The at-limit handling on them is apparently a bit sketchy too.

Still, horsepower per dollar, hard to beat them!

GrantG

The new mid-engined Z06 should be twin-turbo V8 and very fast at altitude. Hope they include a Manual option by then...

robmypro

That would be sweet, Grant!

robmypro

Yeah, heard lots of stories about limp mode with the Z06 (and the .1 GT3 lol). But tons of car for the money.

Sunny_M3

I really really hope they do a manual! The sweet spot for me in the C8 range would be something like a manual grand sport; Z06 body + Z06 suspension + NA engine + manual = WIN!

neanicu

You should now drive a manual GT3. You'll come around Rob,trust me...

twospyders

This. My manual GT3 in a word... Sublime.

A dead mans car.

robmypro

I did drive one for a few miles, but i was being super careful with it. It would be fun to have a real go with a .2 manual though! Yesterday’s “test drive” was legit. Right roads. Light traffic.

vantage

This generation of GT requires you to drive pretty damn hard before they feel visceral. On the other hand, I can drive them for 8 hrs with fatigue. My Lotus is fun at 40 mph, but 1-2 hrs max.

Tradeoffs.

-eztrader-

manual gt3 is also great, just needs a better clutch

Jimmy-D

.2 GT3 Manual- "There is no substitute"

Clutch is a personal thing - I think it is dead-on.

tstafford

I'll admit it - the manual thing is tugging at me too. All the awesome GT3T's that have been coming up for sale look tempting! There's a Mex Blue one that is calling to me. . .

robmypro

The manual is fun. GM nailed it with the Z06. Excellent feeling to the clutch, and the shifter is notchy. Very natural. The clutch grabbing zone was wider on the Z06 so it was easier to feather in from a stop. It is a lot easier to stall the GT3 at first, imo. But you adjust.

CAlexio

What is steering feel and weight transfer like on a corvette?.. I've never driven one. Does it feel engaging or just "fast"? I've been thinking of a zr1 to scratch the 700hp but it goes against my inherent mistrust of cars with too much hp which are no fun on the road (somewhere around the gt3's 500hp I find to be the sweet spot..)