Episode 5 of 6: Technical Director Don Sherman gets nerdy with Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter in a C5 Corvette. Binge-watch the whole series: blog.caranddriv...
I absolutely love my 2001 Z06. Almost weekly, I have to remember that it's 1995 technology and yet it is just a remarkable car to drive. It has perfect balance and is so predictable. Nice work Tadge.
Just bought one to, same as my dad's and it's an amazing sense of pride and power while behind the wheel. It does feel different with the key in the dash.....I like it
While this car had its factory issues, Locking steering wheel, Chevelle interior, ring flutter using lots of oil at track days, leaky battery, failed blinkers(ez repair) it is still a monster after the 15 years I've owned it. It still hangs pretty good with the Porsche turbos. the newer 500 HP Corvettes are out of my league, but having driven them(my hpde students' cars), I am still (fortunately)pretty happy with the bang for the buck car that it is. 15 year highly biased owner review.
Hey bob, may i ask if your c5 is a daily and how many miles you have, i have an 03z that is my daily but have only had it for 2 months, im nervous and feel like i should be expecting some big issues, thanks man
OBAMAisTRASHlikeU daily driver when I first got it. then put the T1 suspension on it, and got a POS to commute. I calculated total track miles the other day, maybe about 10K of the 38K that are on it now. are track miles. Goes like stink, EZ to work on.
+OBAMAisTRASHlikeU I've got 275K on my '00 Nassau Blue FRC. Had to change the clutch out back in '11 because some of the pivots on the pressure plate spring release levers wore through. Autocrossed and tracked it for 8 years, so I've replaced the wheel bearings twice on all 4 corners, plus brake pads and rotors. Engine, tranny, diff, axles, all are original.
Been a ford guy my whole life, bought a 1998 c5 coupe,Z06 clone,ls 1,ls 6 heads and intake,lingenfelter racing cam,carbon fiber hood,all the small mods,borla stinger exaust,x-pipes,lowered big sway bars,air foil,with 18/19 oz rims and much more mods including zo6 trim and total black out. I LOVE THIS CAR ! Best handling,looking car I have ever owned.....................over 500 hp and 435 tfp that just destroys other cars on the street...................less than 20 grand invested for a true super-car ! Bye-Bye blue oval,I wear a bowtie now ! I have driven both,and I would not trade it for a c6 or c7, in my opinion,it is the apex of the corvette model,four round tail lites,pop up headlights, classic vette body lines and everything you need,nothing you don't. Only down side is that it EATS the pirrelli 305/30/19's in back, but worth every penny.......................Santa is thinking about giving himself a twin turbo for x-mas..............................Somewhere a hellcat is weeping ! LOL
If you want a tire that performs AMAZING and lasts a good while, try Continental Extreme Contact Sport. They ride great, hook up very well, not too noisy, and they're not going to cost you a pretty penny. On my c4, they've lost almost no tread after 10k miles.
God damn these video’s are still fun 5 years on. Time flies. C8 is here, vibe is no one is looking back. I started with C5s worked my way to C7. Have a 96 c4 thats becoming less of a turd the older it gets. Man I love cars
To me C5 is and will remain the most beautiful Corvette (Love early C2 and C3 too). Sleek, smooth lines and looks epic. Cannot say the same about C6. C7 has great interior but at some angles it looks weird. Can not blame driving experience though.
The first thing I did was Purchased a cup holder at Walmart Drilled 3 small holes on the bottom base of it And inserted 3 small screws in to the cup holder spot. Now I can go to bucee’s and grab a exlarge drink cool or hot . Won’t flip over . 😊 Love my red O1 C5 . Didn’t found a Stanley steel cup type to fit in the spot .
I have this exact car in black, it's over 20yrs old now, 160km on the clock and the cars still pulls amazingly strong, handles awesome, brakes awesome. Yes there's some squeaks and rattles, some water leaks that needed to be addressed but the car has only needed coil packs and knock sensors in a hundred thousand miles, what other high performance sports car can say that!!! This c5 design is timeless, I get compliments everywhere I go, and the best part?.... as just an average blue collar diesel mechanic, I easily afforded this car and it's cost per performance dollar ratio is unmatched. Nothing better than girls thinking I'm a rich guy when I pull up to the gas station in this beauty haha! And another plus, I don't have to stop at many gas stations along the way, 21mpg city and 30mpg highway, and I don't baby this car by any means!!😊 If your looking for a great car to satisfy your gearhead nature, you can't go wrong with a C5 Z06!
You know..... im so shocked to see this comment has been posted for 5 months and there is not a comment debating you or telling you that you are wrong lol, maybe i just expect that from youtube commentors lol. nice catch i did not realize until i read this and went back
captjag100 damn 15 grand I'll have to research that I have a C6 Z pets cam 550 at the wheels love it it is about to go to 580 at the tires doing a MSD intake bigger throttle body and a tune should put me at 580 at the tires oh and not to forget I'm doing E85
Great job guys. It is very fun and interesting for me listening to the stories about these cars and what went on behind the scenes. A nice change in pace compared with many other car videos on RU-vid. The whole obsession with pleasing an audience that just want cars going side ways/clowns slipping in banana peels can get a little repetitive. Make no mistake - I like that kinda video too but they usually don't leave you with any lasting memories or information you didn't already possess.
36k? Wow! That's awesome, I imagine you baby that car! My buddy has one of these, and it's crazy how it's a 13 year old car now and can still keep up with his dad's 2015 camaro zl1!
And the key in the dash has caused a lot of heartburn for many owners because of the steering lock failing in the steering column and rendering the car undrivable.
Hah! looking at this slowly this time, I caught the technological breakthrough and money spent to put the key in the dash because of column locking. Then, mine and 1,000's of others had to have the column lock bypassed, $149.00 or so gadget, or removed completely. I gotta say tho that GM did pay for my tow charge to have column lock removed, when it locked up . Wouldnt' pay for my ring job tho, cuz I was 2nd owner. So, I just keep adding oil when tracking. BTW, if you buy one and track it, do get R compund tires after you get some track experience. This fantastic car outdrives the 200 treadwear performance tires that are in my price range, ie, not Michelin Pilot XX's!
i recently bought a quicksilver 03 zo6, with the solid black interior, and only 28k miles. Its such a sweet car. Still turns heads and hauls tail. I get questions about cost all the time because im only 21 but there not that expensive and they are really becoming a good performance bargin.
mitch timmons Yours really shouldn't need much, I guess you could add some titanium headers but I'm pretty sure it comes with titanium pipes already. I have a 2001 coupe with magnaflow exhaust, I bought the car with it but I'm sure it needed it.
he did about the C4, which he helped design. lol. and it should be noted that the C5 was considered one of the best corvettes, even over here in europe, for THE TIME it was made, it was not uncommon for people to choose a Z06 over a F360. but that was during its time.
justin bouche He only helped design the C4 during the very late stages, which still gives him enough to complain about. Regardless of who thinks which Corvette is best, choosing to complain about every generation of Corvette besides the one you designed seems a bit petty. I'm curious as to see what he has to say about the C6. If it's in the same vein as this video, my case is closed.
To be fair it's honestly hard to complain about something you've created. You can try to be unbiased and judge it fairly but you're always going to be subconsciously biased towards it...when I remember something I've created I can only really focus on/remember the improvements and my favorite parts about it, but I try to be as unbiased as I can
Well, the fact is that the C5 was actually a very good design for its time, compared with the C4 in its own time. I remember when the C4 was new that the magazine reviews already mentioned some of the flaws that are noted in the C4 video. And the C4-Z06 really was a world beater.
I am starting to think, this is what happens when you out grow the fbody. I've always loved my fbodies but they are heavier and on it goes. May have to sell one oldschool to get a C5Z.
+ztwntyn8 you won't regret it. Every one I've driven (stock to a built autocross car) have been some the best driving cars I've been behind the wheel of. I've driven F-bodies (I owned a supercharged '98 Z28 before my c5), m3's, Porsche's, Vipers, and a c6 Z06, and the C5 is still one of my all-time favorites.
Interesting to see. I have a 02 Z06 currently, awesome ride for the price you can get a good one for currently IMO (20-25k). Wouldn't mind an upgrade to a C6Z though...
@Breze84 can you elaborate on the performance difference increase with the ls7 over the ls6? I've thought about doing this, I'm in love with that motor, the pinnacle of small black N/A pushrod power
I hate the problems that came from the key being on the dash! took my vette for the recall and the dealership messed up my steering. its notchy and makes sounds when i turn the wheel and of course they wont take responsibility.
depends on what you want to do. if u wanna cruise and go fast auto is fine. Racing u need the manual. I bought a 99 frc and will upgrade some engine and suspension parts that would put on par with z06.
Matt Davis I looked for 8 months and found a 2002 ZO6 with 86k miles. electron blue paint in very nice condition. it does have the typical issues. 16,200 is what I paid and Im in love with it. amazing vehicle to drive. it is also a 6 speed manual tranny. I wouldnt have it any other way.
well, most would say that the automatic is best for the serious racers or city driving. manuals have the automatic beat when it comes to showing off driver skill and control of the car, and are more fun to drive. pros (auto): you won't miss a gear easy to drive better for racing overall cons: not as cool as driving stick less fun pros (man): you are in control more fun overall takes skill to get good at cons: will lose to an auto (that is built) in most cases you can miss a gear and blow up your engine
Old Mercedes had keys in the dash with column locking going back to at least the mid 1970's. I have a 1979 300D with key in dash and a locking column. Definitely nothing special like he seems to suggest, except maybe in a GM.
my friend has just bought an 01 zo6 and and it's a convertible !!! im pretty sure you had a choice of a few custom shops back then to order it like that, i would like to find out more though, and it doesn't have any z06 badging except maybe the pillar behind the seats (not sure on that one) and i think the floor mats? but i know for sure it pulls much harder than an average c5 so if anyone can help it would be appreciated
There's no convertible c5 z06 it had to be a regular c5 and maybe the reason it pulls harder is because it probably has a tune to it since ls1 love tunes and they get a good amount of hp with a tune
No c5 z06 ever came convertible they are all frc(fixed roof coupe). Ls1 is 350hp 01 ls6 ls6 385hp 02-04 ls6 405hp 01 corvette with a tune will be as fast as a 01 z06
thebrassmonkey100 There was a company that did convertible, targa, and hard top convertible custom body work, but if I remember correctly they were tens of thousands of dollars to get the work done.
the stearing.wheel lock up is not good It cost me $8OO atBobby layman Chevy but this time im going to cutting it out I seen on the internet fix I have been stranded to menny TIMES it got to go okay
I gotta laugh about the comments of people saying it only has 20,000 miles ect ect yada yada yada.Are you gunna be on your deathbed bragging about that or saying damn I had alot of fun driving that car..
Glad somebody spoke up about the key. They cause trouble and not a high priority on my list of upgrades. I love my FRC and Corvettes, but some of the engineering and logic irritates me. I may be the only one here to prefer driving a 90 -96 C4, ZR-1 or LT-4. I prefer the rotating headlights, the ZF 6 speeds and shorter front bumpers. And for some reason, I still feel like they screwed up the C 5 rear bumper appearance.
I was just wondering why the driver keeps shifting from 2nd to neutral and then immediately back to 2nd? Several times. And the same with 1st -> neutral -> 1st? Why an earth for? Maybe he is disorientated from the filming and has lost his concentration... Likewise, why hand all the time on gear stick? Need something to do with hands? No real pro does it like that, seriously. Gear shitf is for shifting gears, not resting place for tired hand...
I can only assume the first gear to second is because the skip shift, he wasn't going fast enough to have it slide into second gear but I cannot explain the other shifts.
+Havis Fin theguys driving a car that hes not used to, hes watching traffic, hes careing on a filmed interview with a reporter, i give him a break on the shifting, having a passenger totally distracts me, is interveiwing a driver of a car like this safe to do? is this an irressponsiblely made video series , not just one but several videos. If he woulda crashed it would be great video tho.
