Chevrolet C6 Corvette

jmess

My car came with the dual top option and I run the smoked top most of the time unless the temp is going to be in the 90+ range. You can buy a new smoked top for about $1200 shipped. The painted top isn't available from GM as a finished unit though. You have to buy all the parts and have it painted. So it is much better to start out with a painted top if you need both tops.

Get your wife to drive one, they are surprisingly docile if you keep your foot out of it.

glhendr1

Just wondering, has anyone tried or use Adams Premium Car Care Products? Would you recommend them? I purchased the polished wheels on my C6 and really want to take good care of them. Also, any recommendations on where, if anywhere, I can purchase something to block the wind from entering the cargo area when the top is removed? The storage shade that came with the car just blows with the winds and offers little protection from stopping things from blowing away.

I've searched several sites looking for corvette merchandise without luck.

starrow68

I have fallen under the spell of the Zaino products which you will find in discussions on most Corvette specific boards. Getting both Vettes done with Zaino isn't a major project and being able to use the Z6 to spot clean between washings is a major plus. I have never heard of Adams here in CA.

The wind in the hatch is a problem on both the C5 and C6 and having looked through several catalogs for the past 4 years I haven't seen a solution. There is a picture out on the web of a Vette that rolled due to the driver getting balled up in a car cover that blew out of the back end and went up an embankment along side a freeway, trailing car cover, no one injured luckily. It is something to be careful with. I've even had gas receipts blow out of the central console when on the track, they never leave the car, just annoy.
Randy

jmess

Some folks have put a metal rod or fishing lead in the storage shade front flap to keep it from blowing around so much. I guess I need to be more careful when I throw a coat or something in the back that could fly around. The last thing I want is watching a coat exit the car at speed or end up in my face. It has almost happened a couple of time already.

mbd

I haven't been able to drive a 6 speed, but I understand you have to shift from 1st to 4th. Does that bother anyone, not being able to go into 2nd and 3rd gear?
When can you access 2nd and 3rd. Does it depend on RPMs? How many?
Is it still fun to drive at lower speeds? Anyway to defeat the software? Thanks.

starrow68

Skip Shift, as GM calls it seems to bother most people, especially magazine reviewers. I, on the other hand, have been driving with it for 4 years and my wife for another year on her own and neither of us has an issue. In order to get a better EPA rating the tranny blocks the shift to 2nd or 3rd from about 1600 rpm to about 2200 rpm, might be 2150. Since I hardly ever shift below 1600, it does happen, the issue is trying to shift about 2k rpm, just don't do it, easy to get past the limit and more fun to boot. I still get just over 20mpg mixed, mostly street miles. There is a $29 +- electronic module that is available on the street that is a skip shift eliminator.
The other thing I find on the rare time it does happen is that I can just hesitate a little and go to 3rd instead of 4th, just takes a feel for the car. The ratio in 3rd is low enough to give you pull even at low rpm. I will admit, 4th at the base of a hill is not what you want to find yourself in, but it is really simple to work around for those that are flexible. Some are less so!
Randy

hhop559

I purchased a shift light for a 2001 corvette and I'm trying to figure out how to wire it in to the tack wire. I think I can go to the primary coil input wire but I don't know which one that is. There is gray wire a black wire and two red wires, I don't know which color the primary input wire is, any help would be thankfully. I'm not sure I can hook it up that way but I think I can.

starrow68

My 2002 has HUD and that has a nice feature that says SHIFT
as you approach redline. But, to tell the truth, when I started track
driving I wasn't looking at the dash or HUD when approaching red
line and I hit the rev limiter often. Then I took the driving class at
Bragg-Smith, now Spring Mt. Motorsports Park and with the Z06
exhaust the note told me when I was getting close to the shift point.
I switched to a MagnaFlow with x-pipe after market exhaust and I
now don't have any issues. Loud enough to get attention at WOT
but not too loud and doesn't even set of the 92 db limit at Laguna
Seca at WOT out of turn 5 in 3rd.

Good luck with the wire search, I'm guessing a good tech manual for
a 2001 should be on your wish list this year!

glhendr1

Thanks for the feedback, maybe I'll give Zaino a try.

glhendr1

interesting you said that, I've had this happen a couple of times. I guess I just need to take everything out of the hatch area when the top is down.

hhop559

I finally got the answer you take out the computer go to the red output then look for pin 10 that is a white wire that is it baby that is your sending wire you hook up the green wire from the shift light to the white wire coming from the computer then the red wire coming from the shift light to a12 volt source and the black wire wire to a ground this should help anyone hooking up a shift light

glhendr1

I rec'd my Zaino products yesterday in the mail and hoping to try them out this weekend.

Another question: Do do you recommend for cleaning the polished aluminum wheels?

starrow68

I swap wheels from track to street and back so I have the wheels off the car regularly, makes thing easy to clean. I actually use one of the wife's dog show grooming tables and don't even bend over any more. All I do is wash the wheels and they shine up great. I have had several say that they Zaino the wheels since the clear coat on the polished wheels is no different than on the body of the car.

Randy

starrow68

From another web source:

Well, the autos did do more than I expected but Z51 dominated the 6sp faithful.
Surprising to me that there were so many autos since the vert was so late and smaller % than normal. Go figure ...

2005 Model year Corvette info from a web source:

built a total of 37,372 cars during the model year.

72% Coupes, but they started the vert late in the year.
Lots of color changes during the year:
Black (21.4 percent),
Light Tarnish Silver (18.4 percent),
Victory Red (15 percent),
Luxo Blue (10.1 percent),
Magnetic Red (9.1 percent),
Sunset Orange (8 percent),
Millennium Yellow (5.4 percent),
White (5.3 percent),
Precision Red (3.5 percent),
Velocity Yellow (2 percent)
Red Jewel (1.9 percent).

automatic transmissions accounted for 60 percent of the cars. Six-speed manual transmissions accounted for 17 percent, while 23 percent opted for the six-speed with the Z51 option.

Memory Package (92 percent), Passenger and Driver Reclining Bucket Seats (98.4 percent), Telescoping Steering Wheel (87.3 percent), Polished Aluminum Wheels (72.5 percent), OnStar (52.5 percent), Heads Up Display (92 percent), and XM Satellite Radio (58.6 percent).

jmess

One thing about the Z51 stats, the package was on constraint for most of the year. Many people who wanted to order it couldn't get it and had to settle for the F55. For the curious, the Z51 has lower gears and a lower MPG rating. GM used the Z51 constraint to manipulate the corporate average MPG rating.

As we move forward to 06, GM is still placing constraints on Z51 orders.

The reason I got an auto is: traffic, traffic, traffic, traffic, and the wife can't drive a stick.

mikef123

I have a 2005 coupe with 6k miles on it. The shifter linkage just went on me. anyone else have this issue. I also have the nav system. I cannot trust it. It has brought me miles out of my way. I've ended up in dead end roads, different streets. I put my home address in and it brings me to a house about 1/2 mile away. Anyone have any of these issues?

jmess

I have the NAV and have had similar experiences with it. GM is supposed to be putting out a new NAV DVD. It is hoped that it will contain updated maps that will reduce the navigation errors. At this point it has been reported that it won't be a free update.

erickpl

will also allow the playing of MP3's and various updates for the radio static issues.

-Paul

pvr

C6-Z51-7500MI. Throttle resp not great on downshift. Gear/bearing noise from
rear on slow turns. More prominent turning left. Anyone have same experience.

mbd

You say there is a skip shift eliminator ($29 electronic module) available on the street. Could you tell me where to buy one? I live in Nashville, TN, and where would I look for this eliminator? My dealer pleads ignorance, Thanks,

starrow68

http://www.madvet.com/shop?store=1&keywords=cags+elim

Mid-America has it as CAGS, computer aided gear selector, I think item.

Turns out it's less than I thought. Good luck.

The good luck is for once you get into that catalog and decide that shipping something that small would be a waste and why not buy just a few things to fill out a reasonable size box. Last couple times I think it was T-Shirts and then some jacking pucks and oil filters, and then ...

bigmike5

Kerbeck [on the net] is showing huge discounts on "closeout" 05's. They already have 06's in stock!!! --geez, doesn't seem like its been that long since the C-6 arrived. I'm still euphoric over my 04 so it will take a few years before I consider a C-6.

Hey Starrow--You going down to Laguna Seca this weekend? Or was it last weekend? I'm at the age when things meld together. :shades:

starrow68

I would like to see the GT race on Sunday, not likely to be much of a crowd with the ALMS race on Saturday evening, however, I've done back to back 3 day weekends at Buttonwillow and Sears Point and then decided to go up and run with the Ferrari Club of America at Thunderhill today. I'm burnt out on track things. The wife has stuff to do this weekend and I'm along so I'll just be thankful I got what I did. Next event is Sears Point in mid November 14/15 and then a following weekend at Thunderhill. I think the race is on TV, the Speed GT on Sunday, but the ALMS is delayed on Sunday at 10am, I think.

evado

First of all, if you accelerate a bit more in first, you don't have to go to fourth. There are two conditions which lead to the 1st to 4th shift, and I never run into it anymore. It is only when shifting at really slow speeds.

Secondly, you can go to corvetteforum.com or go to west coast corvettes (not sure what their web site is, but just google it) and by the skip shift device, which simply plugs in and disables this feature.

No big deal at all. Just accelerate a bit more in first,and it won't require the shift. You can read the requirements in the manual on when it "kicks in".

-Evado

bigmike5

Yeah, sounds like you had a busy few weeks. I only got interested in the GT stuff after I met Andy Pilgrim at the C & D 50th Birthday Bash at the Indianapolis Raceway Park a couple of months ago [he was taking people on hot laps around the 5/8 track. A really nice guy and real down to earth. I started watching the race results after that, and when I saw it was at Laguna last weekend I figured you might be down there. :shades:

starrow68

Turns out I didn't get to see the race at all, the Speed Channel bar I know had all Football games going and I was odd man out. Turned out that in Danville CA on Sunday they had a Concourse d'E... and I took the tour and found at least one C6 and a race prep C5 that Rob R. the owner started a few times, open headers in a Pratt & Miller 427, loud .... and then some. Lots of Ferrari's and several of them were up running on Friday at Thunderhill so I got to say hi. There was also a MB/McClaren 2005 and I don't want to think what the total of the two blocks added up to with the Lambo's and others. Turns out Corvette's didn't do too well so I wouldn't have liked the race anyway.
Randy

xkss

Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell finished second.

racing

The silver GT1 race car is a Saleen S7R. It captured the GT1 pole at Laguna seca and last month at Mosport. The S7R has won nearly 40 races around the world.

bigmike5

Isn't that Saleen about $140K ?, or was it $240K? Looks like the Corvette guys did OK after all. Would have been fun to see them take the Championship in person. Hey Randy if the MB McLaren was the SLR with the scissor doors, that was the $450K+ car, among others, including a Carrera GT, that was used to give hot lap rides at the C & D 50th Birthday Bash. I didn't get to ride in it, but it looked very nice. I was able to almost lose my lunch in the Audi SCCA race car's hot laps. :sick:

andysandiego

To Moderator:

You have a discussion for the 2006 Z06, but now that the 2006 C6 Corvette is out, shouldn't there be a discussion with that title?

:P

xkss

The Corvette C6-Rs may have more competition throughout next season in ALMS with factory Aston Martin DBR9s running every race.

The Saleen S7 is the first American supercar since the 1930s Duesenberg SJ. The SJ had a big supercharged DOHC I-8 with 320 hp, had a top speed over 120 mph (depending on body style), and could top out at 80 or so mph in 2nd gear. Duesenberg won the Indy 500 four times and the 1921 French Grand Prix.

The 2005 Saleen S7 Twin Turbo has a twin-turbocharged 7.0 liter V-8 with 750 hp and solid lifters. It can go from 100-150 mph in 5.7 seconds per Road & Track. It is hand-built in California. The 2005 S7 Twin Turbo costs $555,000.

2005 model

bigmike5

Geez--Now I see Kerbeck is discounting new O6 Vettes. $42K for an 06 coupe. $44 with one with Z51 package. Wish I liked the head lights on the C-6, it might be tempting.

That Saleen is sweet. Didn't realize it cost that much. So a Z06 for a little more than a tenth as much. That is a bargain if you are in to speed and insurance premiums. :shades:

jmess

Just change the title to "C6 Corvette"

Claires

Good point, jmess --it's changed now :-)

tlynch1

I'm in the market for an '06 Coupe with automatic trans and I am considering whether or not to get the Z51 performance package. I don't plan to race or do autocross (could change) and I don't want to have a harsh ride for my everyday driving. Can someone tell me what this package does to everyday handling? How does this affect the Active Handling feature and how much does it affect mileage? Any advice you can give me will be helpful. I am also checking out some of the dealers who sell through the internet and wonder if anyone has had any especially good or bad experiences buying their Corvette this way. Any problems with interstate shipping of the car or in getting the local Chevy dealer to do the dealer prep on a car they did not sell?

starrow68

Since you will be getting the new 6sp I'm guessing the Z51 could be a reasonable track package. The 4 sp on track is not a good combination, although I've seen many do it. Requires several adjustments to not get caught in a hard downshift while still in corner. I've had a ride in a Z51 std 6sp and it is very like my '02 and wife's '04, not harsh but not a pure cruiser either. Depends on what bothers you when you hit rough roads. I'd sure try to find a used C5 Z51 and give it a drive.

I don't think it changes the road manners of the car at all. On track you are way past road limits and it does help with body roll and spring rebound rates. No effect on the Active Handling that anyone has mentioned.

The mileage of the std 6 sp is greater than the 4sp auto, but should be closer with the new 6sp auto. 6th is not as low in the auto so you are going to give up tenths of a percent for sure, it can't be better. I think the final is like .55 vs .5 which probably won't be measurable.

Going with new 6sp auto and Z51 will be new turf so you are into unchartered territory.

I don't think shipping is any issue, and as far as dealers there are reports that some are better than others, as would be expected. I've also heard that Caddy dealers usually get better marks and some will do this exercise.

Randy

jmess

"The 4 sp on track is not a good combination, although I've seen many do it. Requires several adjustments to not get caught in a hard downshift while still in corner."

I agree, I did a track day with my A4 and found the shift logic to be annoying. You either had to slow way down so you could complete a manual downshift with the accompanying rearend twitch; due to no rev matching. Or if you leave it in 3rd, you get a big rearend twitch at some point after turn in when the box decides to downshift to 2nd. The harder you push it the more annoying it all becomes. Off the track I never miss a manual though and I have no regrets buying the A4 when I did. After one session every street car I have ever driven starts to suck because it doesn't handle like a race prepared car.

harleyman1

I drove my C6 to Carlisle Corvette show and installed Bassani performance exhaust for $850. I listened to Corsa and Borla but this makes a huge difference in the sound. My 2000 had a nice rumble but the C6 was way too quiet for 400 hp.

blkhemi

Have you heard the new Magna-flow exhaust? I heard it and it sounded really smooth and with a nice burble at idle. Still, my picks are Bassani and Borla. My brother installed the Bassani's on his Z06 and it was ok. But I installed Borla's on mine and it made a world of difference. It may be that the 7.0L motor's exhaust is more toned than the 6.0L, however my pick is Borla.

tlynch1

Which of the aftermarket exhaust systems will make the C6 exhaust a little more muscular but not overwhelm you at normal driving speeds? I'm waiting for my new C6 and it will have satellite radio as well as the Bose sound system, neither of which I want to drown out while driving around or at regular cruising speeds. Not to mention that I don't want to cause further hearing loss to my middle-aged ears.

blkhemi

It's been said that Flowmaster Super 40 muffler's with the Delta-Flow technology are the best for being quiet until you crack open the throttle on the GM small block's. I happen to agree with them. I own everything from a '58 to a '63 Splitwindow to a '67 427 to a '03 Z06 to my latest '06 Z06 and I must say that they have a great sound at normal cruise but at full throttle, they mean business. I put the Borla's on the new Z06 mainly for the low-resriction. But the lower the restriction, the higher the resonances. I can live with it. Other's can't. Go to a good muffler shop and check'em out. Another good idea is to drive stock just to see how long you can live with it. My brother and I agree that Chevy has really watered down the tone between the C4 and C5 and then the C5 and C6. Maybe it's with all the new emission regs that gets put on manufacturers each model phase. IMO, it has to have rumble to be considered a legit Vette. Ahh, the good old days of the L-88's and the old 427's were great. May be why I'm so deaf now.(lol)

Oh, and enjoy your new toy.

starrow68

It was for the C5 and caused me to get the Magnaflow with X-pipe. It is actually quieter and deeper at idle but louder past 3k rpm which is beyond cruise speed. The wife has Corsa Indy on hers and it is much louder at idle but not really any issue between 1500 and 2500 rpm so ok at cruise, again above 3k it is loud, much louder.

I think if I had to do it I would wait some for articles to get some real facts with test gear. Flowmaster on my daughters '00 Mustang GT was too loud at cruise, for me.

When you change exhaust on the new Z06 does that eliminate the bypass valves at 3500 rpm? Seems like a nice feature but I have yet to hear it.
Randy

blkhemi

Yep, it eliminated mine. It sounds much nicer with the low-restriction. And it still passes the sniff test in all 50 states, because it is cat-back. I didn't want to get into all of that super-hollow catalyics because I love my warranty. I am however going to have the new polished Edelbrock headers put on this weekend

At cruise, it's much like a stock Z06, maybe a little louder. But at full tilt, it's like the old 427's of the old days. I prefer it that way.

motorhead1

I have come across a 05 convertible with damage on the drivers side. The damage is on the bumper, fender and door which all will have to be replaced. The seller is asking 41k for the car which has 9600 miles on it. The car is driveable and when I drove it there was no pull to the left or right. I own a 91 vette and boy is there a difference in power. I haven`t had a auto body person to look at the car yet but what do you guys think?

blkhemi

$41K? Pass on it. If you search hard enough, you could probably find a more decent model with lower mileage at around $45K. I think an extra couple grand is worth it. You got to remember that with a wrecked car, he reported that damaged to the insurance company, then it's gonna come up on the CARFAX, which means if you buy it then the car is going to have a negative report.

Personally, I think the mileage is too high. But if you can talk him down to around 38K, then it may be a deal.

P.S.- Does it have the power top?

motorhead1

Yes it does have a power top. No other big options other than heads up and chrome wheels. An auto dealer bought it from the ins. company and they est. it will cost 4k to 6k to fix. I offered them 35k just to see what they would say and they came down to 40k. Thanks.

starrow68

The estimate seems about right, getting the wife's '04 left fender and door replaced due to a really minor back into when parked. Rejected getting the door repaired since it's so new and no fault and the estimates came in right around 4k. Color makes a big difference if it's 3 stage paint, with tinted clear coat.

As to the deal you seem about right with the offer, I'd get the MSRP deduct $4k as current pricing, about 5k for 1year use, another 5k for being repaired car and then cost of work and you might get into a few K higher than your mid $30's number.

blkhemi

Dude, I think I'd have to walk on that deal, even tho it has the power top.

Not everyone can fix body damage on Vette's because of the composite-plastic body, so that'll be another thing to take into account. My fender on my '03 Z06 got rammed by a runaway buggy at a Target parking lot and that little small crack ended up being a huge crack in my wallet @ about 2700 bucks.

$40K is too much to pay for that much damage with that many miles. I'd try to find a nicer example with fewer miles.

P.S.- Does it have to be convertible? If not, then you'd have a much better chance at finding a good deal on a nice coupe with removeable roof.

motorhead1

No I didn`t really want a convertible but I thought if I could get it cheap enough I would buy it. I think the reason the dealer doesn`t fix it and sell it is because carfax will have a record of the accident and hurt the selling price.

blkhemi

Exactly. The dealer will stand to lose a huge chunk of money if they fix it. Also one other thing to remember is that it when it comes time to insure that car it might hurt in the long run because insurance companies get a little edgy when cars have negative CARFAX reports and previous damage.

Just wondering, does the car have a salvage title and if not is it free and clear?

Since this is a dealer and not private owner, if you can get them down to around $36.5K to $37k and you can get the car fixed, hop on it. If not, then it really wasn't made for you to have this particular 'Vette

motorhead1

The story on this car is the owners wife was hit when a car ran a stop sign. The owner said he didn`t want his wife to drive a car that has been wrecked so he took the ins. money and sold the car and bought a another car. The title is clear.