Mikelly

Thur, Go over to http://www.corvetteforums.com and post that question... there are many different combos out there as far as power options and suspension options... The one consistant with every model BUT the Z06 is the LS1 Powerplant. Obviously they have a T56 and an auto 4 speed, and ALL of them come with the same size brakes, even the Z06. Z45, Z51 and Z06 handling packages on top of traction control, Active Handling Suspension, and Real time Suspension Damping... Those are the suspension options... Also, LSD is an OPTION, but comes on most cars. Make sure your's has it. Mine has LSD and 3.42 gears. Here is the kicker though, pretty much all of the Z06 suspension will bolt on. Also if you get the Realt Time Damping, swapping to aftermarket shocks is a problem. I've got a set of Z06 Sway bars on order ($150) and I've also already received a Borla XR1 Catback (Got it for $150 Brand new from a guy who bought it for a Jag project car!) and a GMS Twin ram air filter charger kit with powertube ($200)! Parts are super reasonable to tweek these cars... One thing I HATE about the car... The shifter. I've got one on order... Hurst short shifter kit ($195 including shift knob!). I love this car! I'm also signing up for a FATT in March with Pete... Scottie, get Pete to commit to driving down and I'll be there! Mike

Uh, Barry makes $110K per year and could right a check... We've been best friends and racing partners for over 16 years and I trust him with my life. And Uh, THis isn't the first time I've driven a Vette fast (Or any car I'm not overly familiar with)... But I appreciate the concern... Mike

They have to do something to compete with the Viper and the new Ford GT. Chevy has lost the edge. In making the car emissions legal, they corked it up good on the C5s. If they want to remain a world class car, they will have to step up... Hell the Ford Cobra SVT almost has as much pny power as the Z06! Mike

...Here: http://photos.yahoo.com/dat74z Drove the PISS out of it this evening, then let my best friend hammer it... He scared me at one point... Working the ABS, Traction control and AHS settings... MAN, it just gets more and more impressive the more I drive it! Mike

PeteW, We actually did a side by side when we upped our coverages, and the reason we jacked everything up was due to the fact that is didn't impact out total costs by more $340 for ALL of our vehicles, and that included 300,000/500,000/300,000 on all our coverages... I also raised the liability on our home to $1,000,000 due to the tools that can KILL you in my garage and the lift... The company is Virginia Farm Bureau and I've been very please to date with the coverage. I've had them 6 years, and modified the policy repeatedly to cover my needs... Very good people to work with. Mike

Doug, About 70 minutes... Mike

Yup, Got the Ecsta MXs... JUst got her cleaned up, wiped down, front tag mounted... And it is TOO DARK to see to take pics... So it will have to keep 'till tomorrow... I'm 37 with no tickets and one at fault accident two years old... $907 per year full coverage with $250 deductable, $50 on glass and $50 on towing. Mike

This one was used for commuting by the first owner, and running between DC and Newyork on the weekends by the second owner... Checks out fine as far as mechanicals go... The rear tires are 275-40-18s and I got them from Tire Rack for $170 each, made by Kumho. The fronts are 245-45-17s... All four ran me $625. It is VERY quick and fun to drive... I JUST dropped it off for inspection, so lets hope it passes! Mike

The glass top comes off with the pull of three levers... It stows in the rear hatch with two custom brackets that hold the back to the car, while forcing the front of the top into these "Feet"... Really secure, and easy to take off... however, sizable, and it explains WHY there are scratches around the rear hatch... The rear of the vehicle is fairly tall, so loading the rood panel into the trunk can be dicey, and it is easy to want to sit the panel on the rear ledge... The color is awesome, and the silver painted thin spoke wheels look great on it as well... I'm gonna get the windows tinted, which really should set it off more... AThis car books for about $25000. My bank told me that I was getting a steal! Mike

I was in the middle of doing some other finance stuff and couldn't buy it right at the time or I would have hit the buy it now... And I asked the guy to contact me AFTER the auction if the car didn't sell. The fact that I work 10 minutes away didn't hurt. He really didn't want to deal with shipping the car. SOOO after looking at the car and pointing out scratches and road chips and the fact that the car needed tires, He offered it for $18000 to me locally... I told him I'd give him $18500 IF HE FIXED the scratches (Buffed them out) and had the front tires swapped. Long story short, a snow storm hit weekend before this past weekend, and he didn't get any of it done. He offered the car to me as is for $17900 and I said Fine. I had already purchased a set of wheels for it, so I'd have had to buy more tires or have them swapped out... So I won there as well... I'm a lucky shmuck and I know it... Mike

Here is a link to the Ad on Ebay where I found this car the week before thanksgiving! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2442933382 It now has different wheels and better tires on it... I'll get pics of it up when I clean it up... $17900... Couldn't believe I got thsi much car for so little... Mike

Unfortunately I now have to moderate the thread... :evil Tyson and Afshin.. Both of you tone it down... This site will not deal with flaming of each other... Politely disagree, but don't break it down into a flamefest... Consider yourselves warned... Mike:

Here is the true problem with producing a product that is anything other than "Visual" in function and form: In order to make a functional load bearing part, you must test and R&D the parts, as well as doing appropriate structural and stress analysis... To do this COSTS money, LOTS. SO, I make a part and sell it ONLY AFTER I mortgage my home to do the proper analysis and testing/ R&D work to develope a "Certified" solution. I put the part out on the market and I try to re-coup my investment... But because I've spent oh, say $10K in research, R&D, and analysis, My prices are higher than I'd like, And certainly not competative... Welcome to the perplexing world of aftermarket parts development... If I don't do the proper research and development, I can make the parts with less overhead, and pass the saving along to the consumer. However, the engineers in the group will come out of the woodwork to criticize my parts because I didn't do the appropriate amount of R&D/ Research. If I spend the money and jack the prices up accordingly, I'm badmouthed in the industry for being to expensive. Again, there is an answer here... You guys who are complaining on this thread should contact him offline. Are you interested in his parts? Would you buy them if Ross C. Made them? Ross is an engineer... Would that help? Would you buy the parts even this guy did the proper analysis and spent the money, had them certified for certain load strengths and fatigue standards? Juan, you are doing yourself more harm than good by continuing to respond to this thread. Take a lesson From Ross C and Mike G. and DO NOT respond to this thread anymore. If you must, respond offline to the people who are questioning you. Get your act together, do your research, and cover your ass legally. If you can NOT do this, I'd recommend get out while the getting is good. The potential liability could ruin you for the rest of your life. NOTHING good will come of this thread... Mike Kelly

Trust me guys, I'll post pics... Just have a BUNCH of snow, and the front cowl is removed for the windshield wiper motor swap! I'll get pics out tomorrow hopefully! Mike

I already have the Borla XR-1 Exhaust for it, but I need the tail pipes to go with it. I've also got a ram air kit on order, as well as a Hurst Shifter and knob, AND a set of heads are on the way to my builder... I fully expect to have an 11 second daily driver by the end of spring... I pulled the windshield wiper and tried to work out the issue with the water in it... Found a cup full in the unit... I DID manage to get the thing to work, but only in HIGH mode... So I suspect the components are SHOT... One is on order and will be in tomorrow... I did get the wheels on... MAN they look good... After looking at the wear on the old tires, I'm gonna go ahead and get the alignment done when I take it to get it inspected. Mike

This is a day that should be enjoyed by all of the free world, and should send a message to the dictators around the world who savagely terrorize their own people. The Iraqi people now have their own independance day to celebrate! Bless them all. Now on to Bin Ladden. Mike 8)

Well After jumping through many hoops scheduling-wise, Friday night I finally took posession of my 99C5. First thing right off the bat, let me say I DID NOT fully understand the options on this car, because the previous owner DIDn't. This car IS LOADED... I thought it didn't have a heads up display because the vent screen sun shade was in the way of the display... Didn't realize it because I couldn't see it and he never mentioned it. It has every single option except Selctive Ride Damping, but does have Active Handling and Traction control. The car is dirty inside and out. There is STILL pollen on the engine from sitting all summer. AND due to the fact that the car sat outside, the windshield motor got flooded with water due to the fact that the POLLEN and other airborne stuff clogged the cowl drains... Causing water to back up into the windshield wiper motor and trip the circuit breaker. There is a little piece of trim missing on the drivers door handle assembly on the interior door panel.. Little plastic grommet. And there is wear on the driver's seat bolster from getting into and out of the car. The seats are guite possibly the nicest sports car seat I've ever sat in. Comfort and adjustability beyond belief. So how does it drive? I drove it home at night in Washington DC Rush hour traffic and I never got above 50mph... Talk about a let down! So later that night I went to pick up my 16 year old after work and we took it for a quick spin... It was amazing. These cars are deceptively fast. I was very impressed with how responsive the car is in 4th gear at 35 miles per hour... No shifting, just mash the thottle. When you get on it from a stop, with traction control off, the car is fast to accelerate, and second gear is a burnfest on the tires that are on the car currently... Today I'll be putting the new tire and wheel combo on and fixing the wiper motor... Anyway, the car handles and brakes so well that I'm not sure I'll modify the brakes at all... The suspension I'm still unsure about... Not sure if I like the AHS applying the brakes to eas wheel individually for me when it feels it needs to... but hey, what do I know? I do have a set of Z06 Sway bars coming for the car, which are much stiffer, and I may upgrade the shocks. Today I took the wife to meet her aunt at a parkinglot where they were going to do some Xmass shopping... On the way back, a guy in a Grandprix GTP decided he wanted a piece, so I gave him some Wutfer! Well, sort of... We were side by side heading into a wide sweeper that approached an intersection about a 3rd of a mile past the sweeper and I'm in fourth when I just nailed the gas... And the car decided to step out, producing a nice a controllable dirt track style slide completely through the turn and up to the intersection. Traction control was OFF because I was fiddling with the settings... Would have been nice to have on... The guy in the GTP gave me the thumbs up and flashed his lights from behind... I just headed on home to change my shorts! Based on this little bit of seat time, I can see that this car is so much more than a sports car... It is loaded with things that I don't fully understand yet... I've been taking the inch thick manual to the can with me on every trip since the car has been home... And I'm still only a 1/4 of the way through... Still don't know how to set the dual memory seats, or reset the Drivers Information Center data... But I'm getting there... This is the nicest car I have ever owned... Not the fastest, but certainly close! More (AND PICS) To come later! Mike

I guess my point is this... If you don't think the parts are well engineered and safe for YOUR car, then don't buy them... And this goes for anyone, and should serve as notice to any vendor. I know I had a ton of development and testing involved in my control arms, at a cost to me... Further, I had two racers, Steve and Ian step up and ask me to front them the goods so they could be my testers... Some of you hardcore racers should jump on this... This would be an opportunity to get free parts and to test at YOUR pace... Using common sense and good SAFE habits, you could test them for free if this was worked out with Juan. Bottom line is it is a risk for all parties involved... One that simply isn't worth taking for me anymore... I will NEVER make or sell parts again. The consumer has no idea what is involved in the manufacture of a part, or the liabilities and legal wranglings that must be tackled by the maker. It is up to the consumer to decide what is worth going aftermarket on... Or stay with OEM and be left with NO choices... Nissan has abandoned us, so your choices are slim and none... One of the slim gang (ME) left the building, and others are inching closer to the door. Does that mean throwing all caution to the wind and buying everything under the sun from the most unreputable people on the planet??? NO. But it does require us all to work together and better understand the process and the expectation from both sides... Help Juan make a better part... Be a part of the solution, NOT a part of the problem. Mike 8)

...And people ask WHY I quit making control arms... I suggest everyone who doesn't wish to take the chance on ANY aftermarket part start looking into restoration as a hobbie instead. Most of the parts bought through many of the suppliers are tested through beta units and racing... Mike Kelly

Recommend going to Montecello in Charlottesville, and you can always swing through my place... I'm 5 minutes from I95... Also, Stop in Richmond. Tons of stuff to see there as well as the Science museum... You could swing west and go up the Blue Ridge parkway, or skyline drive! GORGIOUS scenic roads! Oh and forget the dragon'sback this time of year... Probably slick with ice and some passes may be closed. Mike

I'll caution anyone making blanket statements without REAL WORLD experiences to back them up (And not just bench racing either) to rephrase their comments. There are a number of guys on this board who can run deep into the 10s with less than 800HP and IRS... BLKMGK is running 600HP in his Supra and is running 10s with a lot more suspension tuning to go... And he hasn't started dialing up boost yet... LONG way to go and 9s ARE capable in this car... with an IRS. Take a trip over to http://www.corvetteforum.com and you will see C4 and C5 Vettes running IRS and running 8s and 9s. As for using a sanctioning body in your arguements, PULEAZE... NASCAR wont run in the rain, though they have rain tires. SCCA Won't allow ITS Zs to update their configurations to be more competitive with current technology cars in their class. And NHRA? It's a freaking JOKE. Facts... That is what I want... Facts... Mike

Good Job Juan, Keep the faith and keep fighting... Provide them with the proper information so the engineers in the group will have buy-in to your designs. Mike

Neil, I've notices that us guys on the right coast don't seem to get them as quickly... Im still waiting as well, but DID renew for two years... Mike

Bob, As you know, we are a close nit group here on HybridZ.org. I was the first to come out and be VERY skeptical of another attempt at a Zcar publication. You won me over... Well Art did, but that is another story for another day. I must admitt you guys have done one hell of a job. We appreciate all your magazine does to support the Zcar community, and in allowing smaller vendors the ability to showcase products. Let's face it. Here at HybridZ, we are about performance, and every issue of SportZ seems to focus on some aspect of making a generation Zcar perform to it limits... We especial appreciate that segment. From all of us, and especially from a now defunct vendor who needed the spot light shown on him before a major event, I'd like to say THANK YOU for doing what you do and PROVING me wrong. I wish you many many more successful years, with many times over the subscribership! Mike Kelly

Gentlemen, the simple answer here is the use of a manufactured turnbuckle like the units I had made for my control arm packages. I believe that these would be a great part that should be a common and available part in many sizes... Sure would be nice if a manufacturer would make them... Hmmm.... Click whir, Click Whrrrrr Mike