Any chevy converts driving the gt350?

[1LEThumper]

I love the color scheme on the GT350, my dealer has one in blue, it's a great looking car. Any owners here with a C6 or C7 that can give some comparisons? I am having a hard time deciding between a z51 or a gt350. I spend some time at the track, but mainly use it for distance trips in the summer. I have owned two s550 5.0's but no experience with the 5.2.

I have only owned Chevy's other than one 2006 Mustang GT. Since 2006 all I had were Corvette's and one Audi when I bought the GT350 (2016 track pack).

Corvette vs Shelby....why this matters, I have no idea because they are not the same kind of car but here it goes.
I will say this compared to say a C6Z06. It doesn't have the torque, but handling wise it responds the same. It is a bigger car and heavier car compared to the Corvette. Seats in the Shelby are 1000x better than that of the C6Z. Radio and HVAC controls in the Corvette 100x better than the Shelby. Shifter/trans about the same. Brakes, on the street both work about the same but on track stock for stock, Shelby's are a lot better. Sound...Shelby hands down.

Camaro vs Shelby...
You can see much better out of the Shelby, it's faster than the 1LE for sure and I like the seating position in the Shelby a lot better and gage layout better. Radio is still better in the Camaro.

I didn't buy this car as a daily so A/C and radio I really don't care about and it is an absolute blast to drive, probably more so than either of the Vette's I have owned.

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[Sammy]

Thanks for the impute guys. Over the last 2 weeks I have been seriously thinking about selling the GT350 for the ZO6. I like the idea of a quicker car but it doesn't sound like a good fit.

The 350 has good power but it would be so nice to have another 150 WHP. At 8250 it sounds like it is going to climb out of the hood. I don't want to stress it and the lack of info on the supercharged 350's out there is worrying.

Lethal's 350 has been all but absent since the couple of videos that they put out. Makes me wonder if they are having problems.

 

[Muligan]

Been mostly a Ford guy and appreciate the history going back to their "Total Performance" days and the early Shelby cars.

Was looking at the GT350 since early announcements, but turned off by availability issues and decided to wait. After visiting the Corvette museum in Bowling Green this past summer, decided to cross-shop the new Grand Sport. Both are very nice cars and would work well for my intended use - occasional nice weather drives and track-days.

In the end, the GT350 won out because, at least to me, it's more of a "hooligan" car. Totally subjective on my part and certainly not meant as a slam against Corvette or their owners.

 

[nastang87xx]

I drove a 2011 GT before the GT350. I had ZERO interest in the S550 before the GT350 came out. I was a few shakes away from having a C7. Twice. Once before the 350 was announced and once before I couldn't find one for a good deal.

 

[Lexluther]

The detailed response is much appreciated, especially your personal knowledge and experiences! No doubt many cars are made with certain compromises built in, and in reality it was their first attempt at the "LT" series of motors, so some issues are to be expected. Heck, we are seeing quite a number of different issues pop up with our Voodoos, but is expected with a new engine IMO. Not to mention coolers and hoses and other issues that some members have unfortunately faced. At the end of the day I love the 350, and it is why I bought an R. I do love the Vette for its overall balance and combination of having a more upscale interior, exotic looks along with great performance, but the R gave me the "fizz" as James May would state. I'm a car nut at heart, and there aren't really any brands or vehicles that I dislike honestly, so I appreciate any cars that I like the looks/style of that also perform.

There were some early cooling issues with the 2014's, as the black flap under the front bumper was blocking airflow. They removed the entire center section of that for 15' and onward, and haven't had any issues with the NA motors since in regards to cooling. The Z06 on the other hand has been plagued with cooling issues it seems, which is a shame really. And just in response to the tires point; the 350 comes with significantly more rubber than the Stingray, the R even more so with the Cup 2's, so therefore could your point regarding tires hiding bad traits not go both ways? I feel your opinion regarding the Z06 may come from the fact that it had significantly more tire (285/325) and therefore should be able to handle its power a lot better?

No worries about the cylinder deactivation; my father leaves it in Sport or Track 100% of the time haha he has no intention or interest in saving fuel :lol:

Appreciate the insight in regards to the air/oil separator though. I have both sides done on my R, but never really looked into it for the Vette. Will definitely inform him, or maybe make it a birthday gift or something this coming summer :cheers:

True on the tires and yes it goes both ways. The only way to prove it in fact without the issue of it being subjective to the driver is using the engineering data and running suspension mathematics to show compromises and neither of use have access to that information so were left with subject views.

As far as subjective thats the drivers preference on the manner the car breaks loose and recovery to look at the tires. In my humble opinion I feel the GT350 does both those things in a more predictable manner and at slightly colder temps than my C7 did. Without a back to back on the same track at the same time and temp with a chrono timing it your only left with the drivers impression. The Nuremberg track times are great but there's no time adjustment for temps and why MFG do multiple runs on different days to publish the best times for marketing. So I won't go there with GT350 VS C7 track time comparisons.

If you remove the intake elbow to the throttle body look for oil pooling in front of the butterfly and feel how greasy the intake tube is. If you find something than take the whole air filter assembly off and clean it out so your not wasting a lot of time chasing ghosts. There was some concern with oil consumption on that motor but without removing intake blow back you can't pin anything down on the motor side.

And yeah saving gas on a performance car is just not 'Merica! :cheers:

 

[Seceda91]

Speed was a negative as I'm still a stupid kid at heart and feel that I must use all the horsepower I have. I know that was not the cars fault but my issue. The Methanol injection was a PITA. There was a problem with my Metanol controller that my Corvette shop could not find. The pump would at times stay on after the car was shut off making it nearly impossible to start and run for the first few minutes this was wildly intermittent but a real PITA.

I didn't identify with the majority of Corvette owners in my area. Many are simply not of my generation. They used to do a lit of shows and Sunday morning breakfasts and that is not me. I'm almost 50 but most guys in the Corvette club were 65+. Nice people, just not people I enjoy hanging out with.

The car also attracted a lot of unwanted attention. I'm a private person and every time I'd stop for gas people would walk up and just start conversations. Then the issue was many people think Corvette people are di*ks or are jealous and you get a deep scratch so I didn't like leaving it unattended.

As I get older my C7 was a PITA to get in and out of and hard to see out of. It was also costing me a fortune with the payment then all the mods. I got board of just looking at it as I was paranoid to leave it anywhere.

I also got a really good price for it and it was the right offer at the right time. Funny part is it is back up for sale on eBay. The odd part is it's selling for less than I got for it. Look for a 2015 Black Corvette and its on the first page. It wound up crossing the country and is in LA. Someone added an ugly ass boost gauge but the rest looks like the way I sold it.

Goodness, all of things you got tired of aside from the methanol controller are things people want, ask for lol!!

It's like supercar status, where everyone is looking at you, taking pictures, just in awe of your car. I'm sure the Shelby (especially when people know what it is) gets the same attention.

I guess you like being a bit low key so to speak and nothing wrong with that. Shelby and the C7 Z06 is my dream car. I can only wish.. sighs.

You guys with the Shelbys, Vettes just don't know how lucky you are! Then again, I'm sure you earned your stripes.

I think to feel badass and low key.. a GT or even Camaro SS/Challenger Scatpack will do the job perfectly. Can't really go wrong with those 3.

Heck, even an M5/M4/M3 doesn't get as much Ooo's and ahhh's since they're everywhere (A lot of base models and people don't know the diff).

 

[nastang87xx]

Heck, even an M5/M4/M3 doesn't get as much Ooo's and ahhh's since they're everywhere (A lot of base models and people don't know the diff).

You need a trained eye to know that you're looking at one. Otherwise they just look like another luxury car that follows the same safe luxury car formula. The only BMW that I think really takes the cake in the aesthetics department is the M6 Grand coupe. Oh my oh my...

 

[Alaskan9974]

Goodness, all of things you got tired of aside from the methanol controller are things people want, ask for lol!!

It's like supercar status, where everyone is looking at you, taking pictures, just in awe of your car. I'm sure the Shelby (especially when people know what it is) gets the same attention.

I guess you like being a bit low key so to speak and nothing wrong with that. Shelby and the C7 Z06 is my dream car. I can only wish.. sighs.

You guys with the Shelbys, Vettes just don't know how lucky you are! Then again, I'm sure you earned your stripes.

I think to feel badass and low key.. a GT or even Camaro SS/Challenger Scatpack will do the job perfectly. Can't really go wrong with those 3.

Heck, even an M5/M4/M3 doesn't get as much Ooo's and ahhh's since they're everywhere (A lot of base models and people don't know the diff).

I am the same way. I prefer the car for performance over attention. I like that the GT looks like a regular mustang to the average person. I was just interested in the C7 since I see a lot up for sale now with less then 10k miles for under 50k. With my dealers not budging off of msrp for a gt350, this puts it into the same price range for me, and it is comparable HP wise, trackable etc.

Whether or not the price is inflated on the vettes, a 20k hit on depreciation from msrp is much more then I could ever justify on a car if I bought new, but used I see many z51's less then a year old for less then 52k.

I appreciate all of the comments I have read them all. I too was curious about the supercharger and the 5.2. It is a great engine no doubt.

I bought a 15 manual 5.0, I missed having a V8 manual to take out and play with, but just as a stopgap until I find a car

 

[Alaskan9974]

I didn't identify with the majority of Corvette owners in my area. Many are simply not of my generation. They used to do a lit of shows and Sunday morning breakfasts and that is not me. I'm almost 50 but most guys in the Corvette club were 65+. Nice people, just not people I enjoy hanging out with.

The car also attracted a lot of unwanted attention. I'm a private person and every time I'd stop for gas people would walk up and just start conversations. Then the issue was many people think Corvette people are di*ks or are jealous and you get a deep scratch so I didn't like leaving it unattended.

I fall into the same category. Most corvettes I see are driven by older drivers, I am almost 30, though my daughter seems to love quoting my age higher when asked :shrug:

The mustang certainly is a fun car, the limits on the road are easily apparent. I have studded winter tires on mine and just did a 1k mile round trip last week on the highways here in Alaska. Blizzard, glare ice etc it handled it all. Luckily our summers are a bit more mild then people tend to think.

 

[keith58]

Yep - I've had several Corvettes and think the C7 is a real step up in looks and quality from the C6 but the engine feels a bit like a truck engine and it doesn't have 4 seats. If I had the room for another sunny day car the Z06 would be near the top of the list.

The one thing about this GT350 is the engine. It's just amazing and makes up for any compromises Ford needed to make to get the car built.

These guys actually get along really well. I think the age difference helps.

 

[Alaskan9974]

I think I'm leaning toward the GT350, I found a few 17's selling at MSRP, the two for sale in my state are being sold by dealers to some suckers apparently. One is marked up 40k over msrp and the other is 30k over msrp. Not the R models, just the standard one. Sales guy even bragged of selling one for 110k.

I have used my S550 for two winters now on studded Hakkapellittas, it's a blast to drive. Will the stock mustang 19" rims swap on so I can get some use in, in the winter? We don't use road salt up here

 

[Kurac]

I had a 06 Z06 prior to the 350. The Z had more explosive acceleration and driving a car that light with that much power was a revelation. The 350 with its mag shocks rides better, has a better shifter, better seats, and the motor is extremely satisfying to wind up or rev match down shift. Motor/exhaust sound awesome, but Voodoo lacks low end torque. Don't drive it like a Chevy small block, and you shouldn't be disappointed.

 

[1mic]

Lex, you're like Darius Khashabi, dude goes balls to the wall in any and everything he drives. He was a stunt bike rider, but I think he's been spending less and less time on bikes. I think he has the stock lap record at sonoma in an ACR (1:40.49). Anything under 1:50 is hauling ass specially in a stock ride.

Good to hear that you used to race at Sonoma, I fricken love that track!
I've driven that bitch in a shift kart, RCF and even my Harley Night Rod Special.

Anyways, always glad to hear input from people with first hand experience who actually take their cars to the track. Don't be a poser who has a track car and spends time at cars and coffee (waxer).

 

[Lexluther]

Lex, you're like Darius Khashabi, dude goes balls to the wall in any and everything he drives. He was a stunt bike rider, but I think he's been spending less and less time on bikes. I think he has the stock lap record at sonoma in an ACR (1:40.49). Anything under 1:50 is hauling ass specially in a stock ride.

Good to hear that you used to race at Sonoma, I fricken love that track!
I've driven that bitch in a shift kart, RCF and even my Harley Night Rod Special.

Anyways, always glad to hear input from people with first hand experience who actually take their cars to the track. Don't be a poser who has a track car and spends time at cars and coffee (waxer).

Ohh that turn 11 crashing there is like walking the hall of fame with the greats. If you blow turn 9 and 10 and come in too hot your fkd... Front tire gets hot and your slick around turn 11. You compensate with throttle and get the back out your fkd theres only one way and thats to be technically correct and set up at 9 to get through 11 and since thats the fastest part of the course going down to the slowest it can be a bit challenging especially since its downhill after 10. On a bike if you crest 10 with the front wheel up you might as well just jump off and bail before you really get hurt on 11. If you watch the pro's they get really wiggly down 10 when they come up hard. You have to pinch the tank with your legs and put your sternum down on the tank to get forks compressed and weight forward so you can brake hard and than transfer weight back and push on that right peg to throttle through the turn butt off the seat and dragging knee full tilt at low speed and keep your balance and throttle input and dragging a little front brake with one finger that get exhausting. There are a lot of "ands" in that maneuver than hope you didn't loose inertia to build up speed and not loose position for another long part of the track and get ready to bunch up and bottleneck at turn 2.

As far as I know Rossi and Bostrom are the only ones to jump turn 10 and get around 11. Rossi the only one to pass on 10 from the inside over the shoulder fricken nuts. His balls must but extra dense maybe uranium harder than steel and helps with balance and maneuvering the bike, thats it secret discovered.

My first cruiser when I quote "Tried" to slow down was a Suzuki Blvd 109 I had pumped up to 120hp. I filed the peg down than the peg bracket and than the frame. The shop said if I leaned any further the frame would give. I had to hammer the exhaust since I kept filing it down and having to patch and replace it. There was a guy messing with me on a night rod with a full suit I mean really who wears a full track suit on a night rod. I'm in a t-shirt and skid lid he wanted to go down the I580 west to I680 north interchange. I was sparking that thing everyone behind slowed down. The guy on the night rod must of shat in his suit he was watching me not his own bike and went beyond his limits went wide in the dirt and almost laid it down was doing the pendulum swing left to right feet out wide. I slowed and came up next to him revving my engine like he had done to me and he never even looked at me. Had he tucked his legs in kept power on with a slight walk he would of been fine. Those night rods have a long wheel base and are stable just the seating position makes it feel a bit weird on balance since pushing pegs does nothing on the wide rear tire.

 

[Alaskan9974]

I think I'm leaning toward the GT350, I found a few 17's selling at MSRP, the two for sale in my state are being sold by dealers to some suckers apparently. One is marked up 40k over msrp and the other is 30k over msrp. Not the R models, just the standard one. Sales guy even bragged of selling one for 110k.

I have used my S550 for two winters now on studded Hakkapellittas, it's a blast to drive. Will the stock mustang 19" rims swap on so I can get some use in, in the winter? We don't use road salt up here

Just bought this car. Heading to TX to grab it next month. Been traveling a lot for work lately. Lucked out and found a September build car. Decided against the R and went with the standard gt350 with convience pack. Looking forward to taking my daughter out. She's 6 but loves the mustang!

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