Review: My C5 Corvette

"ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability" (italianjobr53)
08/30/2020 at 20:45 • Filed to: C5Z, Review, Autocross

I’ve finally decided to do a non-shit-post on Oppo, so here is me singing praises of my Vette :P (P.S.: this turned out to be quite long...)

( This is a review of my C5, the way it sits right now; It is a bit different than a stock C5 )

What is it?

Its a 2002 C5 Z06. Its got a 5.7L LS6 engine (405 bhp @ 6000 rpm and 400 lbft @ 4800 rpm) Redline is at ~6500 rpm. The powertrain is completely stock save for an intake.

C5 Corvettes came with transverse leaf springs on the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! which in my opinion hinder the car’s handling over bumpy road surfaces; if one wheel hits a bump, it get transferred through the leaf spring to the wheel on the other side and that can upset the car. This is especially important for me considering what I use my car for (more on that later). So, gone are the leaf springs from my car and are replaced by a more !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ). I also installed “Delrin” (essentially hard plastic) control arm bushings which make the car more precise and consistent in terms of handling.

There is a bunch of other aftermarket stuff on the car but I dont think it makes a huge difference...most of it is posted on Oppo!

What do I use it for?

While it does get driven on the street a fair bit, I mainly use it for Autocross. I bought the car specifically to Autocross it.

Autocross is basically time trails on a course made using cones ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ). Usually these events take place on old airports, parking lots and airstrips; as such the ‘road’ surface is mostly quite bumpy so the suspension cannot be stiff af and I *think* this is where the coilovers really help ...

The Good

Street: That engine mmmmm! I know a lot of people who hate on pushrod chevy motors but I really do not get it...yes, its ‘old’ tech but it just works. On the street when you are cruising, it’ll happily putter around at 1000 rpm in 4th or 5th while still being able to get out of its own way if need be. But if you need to overtake someone, put it in 3rd and it will get to 90 mph in no time (40 to 90 is around 3-4 seconds in 3rd). The motor never feels ‘flat’ either, it just keeps building and building all the way through the rev-range. Plus it get 26 27 mpg cruising on the interstate. Ooh and it sounds so good :)

The AC is also very good!

I like having a full set of actual gauges on my dash (oil temp shows up in the display below the tach and speedo). Also, the gauges are clearly visible:

Autocross: The motor makes a bunch of torque so the car never ‘bogs down’ and I can use the throttle to rotate the car coming out of tight, low speed corners.

The suspension setup right now means that the car is very liner and forgiving when it about/starts to go sideways. Its quite easy to hold small angles (1/4 steering lock-ish) while going sideways on power. Also, there is also a lot of feedback from the ‘seat’ about what the car is doing and about to do. The suspension also handles the bumps pretty well, its hit some big bumps at various events but it has not upset the car too much; it still needs me to catch/correct it tho.

The brakes are phenomenal! I have EBC blues on the car which stop the car really well and the brake pedal is quite firm so it can be modulated precisely using brake pedal pressure instead of travel (always a plus imo)

The Bad

Street: The interior sucks. Its all 90s GM plasticy garbage. The center console is hard rubber (leather?) so if you rest your right elbow on it, it get uncomfy after an hour or so of driving. The inside mirror on my car is quite wobbly too.

The coilovers and aggressive tires make the ride a bit bouncy over minor road imperfections. The car does bobble front to back sometimes depending on the road surface. I’m willing to live with the ride, but I’m guessing some people will not like it...the solution may be to get softer springs on the coilovers. That said, I (in my late 20s) do drive the car to 3-4 hours almost every weekend to Autocross events and I dont feel beaten up.

There are random squeaks and rattles from the suspension and the interior...

The car is quite wide with big overhangs and the turning radius is huge so driving it on narrow city streets and parking lots can be a pain...I’ve never had to do 3 point turns on the street but its been close a couple of times.

None of the C5 Corvettes came with an oil cooler so it is possible to get really hot oil while blasting on the back roads (I’ve seen 265F on mine). Fortunately there are a bunch of aftermarket solutions to add an oil cooler

Autocross: The car does not like going sideways at big angles...it is very easy to spin the car if you do not catch it and keep it at small angles. I think its due to me running wide tires on it (295 section) and the lack of steering lock. Could also be due to the specific tires I run (Yokohama A052), I havent run the car on other tires so I dont know...

The ABS is very intrusive on all C5 Vettes, so the name of the game is to not hit it at all. Its kinda annoying to deal with since if you are trail braking entering a corner and hit the ABS, the car just understeers...

I wish there was more feedback from the steering. Its not completely numb but it aint great either.

Maintenance/Repairs:

Immediately after I bought it, I had to have my diff rebuilt; its a common weak point on the C5s. While doing the suspension mods, I replaced all the ball joints coz most of them were too loose. I also went through a bunch of wheel bearings, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! but thats also a documented issue on C6 forums. Using the C6 spec on my C5 seems to have done the trick, the wheel bearings have been fine for a couple of weeks now :D The car also needed a new serpentine belt idler pulley and a water pump recently. Other than that, I’ve just done oil changes ever 2000-3000 miles (It drinks 1 qt every 2000 miles right now)

Why a Corvette and not a German or Japanese sports car?

When I was looking to buy a second car, I had a 15 cars list including Boxter/Cayman, M2, E46M3, E90M3, Golf R, S2000, BRZ/86, STI, etc (I had a kindof flexible budget). I wanted a RWD/AWD platform that is more difficult to Autocross(drive) than my Mini and had decent aftermarket support to make it faster.

The Corvette is far less sophisticated (if any) than all the other cars on that list, it needs the most inputs and corrections while driving than the other cars. I know how good a E9xM3 is down a bumpy back road, it’ll tell you how the road surface is but will take care of most of it so that you dont have to fight it...the Vette will make you sweat and require you to keep it under control at all times on that same piece of back road!

The Vette is objectively a worse car than all those other cars and I would rather have those other cars IF I had the money to make the other cars as fast as the Vette on a back road or at AutoX.

And thats what it comes down to, C5 Vettes are so much cheaper to buy than everything else and has the most performance (at least engine-wise) out of the lot. With the right suspension setup, they handle half-decent too! Combine that with the immense aftermarket support for LS engines and it was a no-brainer for me.

TL;DR

C5s are the performance bargain of the decade.

Heres me autocrossing it today:

AMA

DISCUSSION (28)

sony1492 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
08/30/2020 at 20:57

Im curious why it dosent drift well, surely there is a way of fixing that without going to an angle setup. Maybe a matter of tire pressures and caster?

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > sony1492
08/30/2020 at 21:41

Its possible that its the tire pressures...I run quite low pressures (25 rear hot) but thats when the car feels planted AND responsive so...

IDK much bout drifting but the front camber is maxed out to help not have the car shimmy all over the place with big -ve camber

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > sony1492
08/30/2020 at 21:42

They have almost no steering angle. Our 2500 Suburban’s turning circle was less than a foot off of my C5. These videos kind of go into it a bit, and show the difference of before and after an angle kit and coilovers. But basically, once the car swings past a certain point(a relatively early one), there isn’t enough angle to save it.

CaptDale - is secretly British > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
08/30/2020 at 21:49

Sounds like all the same issues I have with my C4 xD

sony1492 > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
08/30/2020 at 21:58

Thats disappointing

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > sony1492
08/30/2020 at 22:40

An angle kit is under $600, so, meh

superdave847 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
08/30/2020 at 23:13

I’m about to read this review-but wanted to comment right away that the photos of your car looks fantastic. Nice wheels.

Okay--now I’ll wade into the pool.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > superdave847
08/30/2020 at 23:15

Thanks! Most of them are from my friends

superdave847 > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
08/30/2020 at 23:25

Personally—and I’m not a ‘Vette guy by any standard—for recent affordable cars, I love the C4 and C5 Coupes. You can’t go wrong on the engine & price with a manual transmission.

I’m not sure I would have crossed shopped an E46 with a C5, but for the power number I see the comparison to the E90. And without question the C5 is cheaper to maintain.

The question is would you buy a C5 over a 997S or 996 Turbo? Because price wise today and at the time, those are probably the competition.

Thanks for the write up.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > superdave847
08/30/2020 at 23:51

996 Turbos have went up again, so a decent one is at least triple the cost of a clean C5 Z06. So for the price of a 996 Turbo, I'd get a C7 Z06...

gettingoldercarguy > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
08/30/2020 at 23:57

Wonderful review, better than...gotta be nice. Just really good.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > superdave847
08/31/2020 at 00:06

I didnt really want a power car, heck the s2000 is slower than an E46M3....but after driving them, I decided the C5 is what I want. And E90M3 is just too expensive to buy, maintain and mod.

9 97S was at least $35k when I bought mine, 996 turbo was similar...my C5Z was $14k when I bought it

Like Jordan said, thats at least C6Z money if not C6ZR1 /C7 Z

NP, I did something productive here for once :P

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > gettingoldercarguy
08/31/2020 at 00:07

Thanks!

notsomethingstructural > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
08/31/2020 at 00:12

A 996 turbo is not the same as a C7 Z06. Nor is it triple the price of a C5. Stop this madness.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > notsomethingstructural
08/31/2020 at 06:22

Sorry, you are correct, I just checked Autotrader. All of them are currently almost quadruple the price. The C7 Z06 has dipped into the 40's, the cheapest 996 Turbo is in the 50's.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
08/31/2020 at 07:34

Are you going to the 2-day shootout event this weekend in Cincy?

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
08/31/2020 at 08:06

No, we are going to Champaign county Illinois this weekend for their event.

notsomethingstructural > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
08/31/2020 at 09:18

BAT has the 996 turbo selling around $40-50k with comparable C5 Z06 selling on BAT at $20-24k so I don’t see how that’s triple let alone quadruple. There’s zero C7 Z06 under $50k in the entire country on cars.com. Please don’t compare what a dealer is asking for on a 996T to what you hope you can find a Z06 for on craigslist.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > notsomethingstructural
08/31/2020 at 10:37

Kinja'd!!!

The 911 is the cheapest manual one, the Z06 is not the cheapest. And the 996 is the undesirable cabriolet. And that is higher than what the Z06 usually goes for with those miles.

feather-throttle-not-hair > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
08/31/2020 at 12:05

Nice review! Not much beats a generation or two old corvette when it comes to reasonably priced speed.

notsomethingstructural > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
08/31/2020 at 13:06

I said on BAT. I don’t give two shakes what people are asking for on autotrader especially on something hot like a 996 which admittedly has gone up a lot in the last 18 months or so, and especially for Z06’s which were far more abundant and far easier to find for cheap because theres enough out there that were poorly maintained compared to a 996 turbo . That’s why I am saying use BAT as a barometer because they’re not going to let a shitpile Z06 on the site when they sold soooooo many, and we both know there’s plenty of them out there. Plus even if we take your example it’s still not triple. Is a 996 double a C5 Z06? Definitely, with a little room to spare . But triple? Your well-maintained Z06 is averaging a shade over 20 bills, a comparably maintained 996 turbo is not $65- 90k. It just isn’t.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > notsomethingstructural
08/31/2020 at 13:19

Bless your heart in thinking that BAT is what cars actually go for in the real world.

notsomethingstructural > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
08/31/2020 at 13:26

If they’re inflated they’re all inflated similarly . That’s the point. And these are sales not asking prices. The 996 Turbos on BAT are actually priced LOWER than what you’re saying about Autotrader, so I really have no idea what point you’re making aside from “ BAT isn’t the real world” which is already painfully obvious.

notsomethingstructural > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
08/31/2020 at 13:28

But, like, are you saying C5 Z06's are easy finds at $15k and 996 Turbos are hard finds at $60k? I genuinely don’t know if that’s what you’re saying, I’m not being facetious.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > notsomethingstructural
08/31/2020 at 13:39

Yes, actually. C5 Z06's regularly go for under $15k. With the exception of the 250 mile one that just sold on BAT, low mile ones still tend to sell at maybe $22k. When I was looking there were multiple sub-50k mile ones for under $18k.

notsomethingstructural > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
08/31/2020 at 13:44

$18k is not $15k, and $50k is not $65k. That’s my point. I’m all done here.

superdave847 > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
08/31/2020 at 14:51

It’s definitely a better looking car than the fried eggs.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > sony1492
10/04/2020 at 19:52

Seems like it was the tires that made it slide wonky...I have RE71 now which seems to be quite easy to maintain angle with....we will know more next weekend if I get some dry runs.