BRIMSTONE
New Member
I posted this on another board and thought I'd share it with the fellow R owners as well:
2002 Z06 impressions:
Very refined ride for such a powerful car. Comfortable enough to be a daily driver, a little bumpy on really bad roads but for the most part this could almost be a touring car. I'm a small guy but I was able to adjust the seat and steering column for a nice tight race car like fit. Lots of little luxury car gadgets, so many that you have to watch a video to really learn them all.
Gobs of power at all rpms. And the thing is, you don't feel it. Just touch the gas pedal and you are at a calm 100 mph, seriously. The way the speedo climbs to 100 reminds me of a Viper. Press hard on the gas and the Z gets downright mean like a true muscle car.
Being used to the R, I can say that the Z is a lot more numb to the road, and to everything else. The shifter in the Z absolutely sucks, does not belong in a 405 HP sports car. The way the R shifts gets your adrenaline pumping everytime. And I feel that the R definitely handles and steers better, although it doesn't make u-turns as well. Maybe it's the tires? Or maybe it's a compromise Chevy made, after all Z06 drivers tend to do a lot more street driving than R drivers, and the Z06 is definitely more comfortable on the street.
Faster than the R in a straight line? Yes. But going through turns it seems the R is more controlled, even though the Z has traction control.
Fun factor? R wins all the way. If I had to choose 1 and already had a daily driver, it would be the R, hands down. The Z is probably faster but the high tech dohc R engine is a dream. The R feels much more like a race car. It's ALWAYS exciting to drive. However, the R has many downsides, most of them having to do with driving on the street. Any little dip or bump is a a pain in the ass. Because of the bulging hood, visibility is not as good for short people like me neither. Some driveways are truly impossible. But, I am glad I have both cars because now I can really appreciate the different qualities that both of these awesome vehicles have to offer. And who knows, my opinions may change once the Z is more broken in and I get the R back. I am very thankful to God that I can enjoy these fine machines!
Mike C.
2002 Z06 impressions:
Very refined ride for such a powerful car. Comfortable enough to be a daily driver, a little bumpy on really bad roads but for the most part this could almost be a touring car. I'm a small guy but I was able to adjust the seat and steering column for a nice tight race car like fit. Lots of little luxury car gadgets, so many that you have to watch a video to really learn them all.
Gobs of power at all rpms. And the thing is, you don't feel it. Just touch the gas pedal and you are at a calm 100 mph, seriously. The way the speedo climbs to 100 reminds me of a Viper. Press hard on the gas and the Z gets downright mean like a true muscle car.
Being used to the R, I can say that the Z is a lot more numb to the road, and to everything else. The shifter in the Z absolutely sucks, does not belong in a 405 HP sports car. The way the R shifts gets your adrenaline pumping everytime. And I feel that the R definitely handles and steers better, although it doesn't make u-turns as well. Maybe it's the tires? Or maybe it's a compromise Chevy made, after all Z06 drivers tend to do a lot more street driving than R drivers, and the Z06 is definitely more comfortable on the street.
Faster than the R in a straight line? Yes. But going through turns it seems the R is more controlled, even though the Z has traction control.
Fun factor? R wins all the way. If I had to choose 1 and already had a daily driver, it would be the R, hands down. The Z is probably faster but the high tech dohc R engine is a dream. The R feels much more like a race car. It's ALWAYS exciting to drive. However, the R has many downsides, most of them having to do with driving on the street. Any little dip or bump is a a pain in the ass. Because of the bulging hood, visibility is not as good for short people like me neither. Some driveways are truly impossible. But, I am glad I have both cars because now I can really appreciate the different qualities that both of these awesome vehicles have to offer. And who knows, my opinions may change once the Z is more broken in and I get the R back. I am very thankful to God that I can enjoy these fine machines!
Mike C.
