Test drive Chevrolet Corvette C5 compartment 1997 - 2004 coupe

Pure adrenaline

A car for everyday trips, which at any time can be taken to racing tracks and compete on equal terms with sports cars? We would have agreed with you that there are no such if it were not for the acquaintance with the latest Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
 
The Corvette C5 Hardtop, which appeared a little earlier, was represented by the General Motors leadership as an alternative to C5 Coupe and C5 Convertible, although Z51 suspension was the only difference between stylish and powerful cars. But the Z06 Hardtop 2001 differs from previous corvettes radically: externally and a new, more powerful and lighter engine; It has a 6-speed gearbox, a specially configured FE4 suspension, a titanium exhaust system and the wide-profile buses of Goodyear.
 
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 received its name in honor of the talented designer of Zora Arkus -Dantov, who in 1963 proposed for Corvette Sting Ray the Z06 RPO (Regular Production Option - Professional Production Order), which turns the serial version of the race car. The same idea is laid down in Corvette Z06, promising to become one of the rarest models in the almost half -century history of the glorious brand of Corvette, since it will be released in the amount of a total of 199 copies.
 
The quintessence of the latest Z06 is the LS6 V8 engine, the power of which reaches 385 hp. At 6000 min-1, and the maximum torque is 495 Nm at 4800 min-1. The LS6 pistons are made of high -strength aluminum alloy and in the context of a barrel -shaped shape, almost invisible to the naked eye. The new alloy increases the durability of parts, the form reduces internal noise. And also a nuance: aluminum cylinders are cast with a lesser than before, the volume of combustion chambers. The compression coefficient increased from 10.1: 1 to 10.5: 1, the effectiveness of fuel combustion improved and, as a result, the power has increased.
 
The main increase in horsepower is a share of a new camshaft with the changed geometry of fists, which increased the rise of valves from 12.7 to 13.3 millimeters. The valves received stiffer springs that are better to cope with the increased load. However, an additional portion of air entering the combustion chambers is nothing without an equivalent increase in the amount of fuel, therefore, in the new injection system, the supply of gasoline was raised by almost ten percent: from 3.3 g/s to 3.6 g/s.
 
In addition to increasing power and improving the fuel economy of the model, engineers have modernized in other areas. The new cast thin -walled intake manifold is easier than the previous, welded from steel pipes, and oddly enough, much more durable. The cardan shaft is now made of special aluminum alloy and has a diameter increased from 55 to 63 mm. All Cardan crosses are reinforced and have an increased resource.
 
The clutch design was finalized under the increased torque, and the pedal force even decreased. The new six -speed M12 Getrag transmission allows you to switch transfers in a more aggressive style - so that the tachometer arrow is always in the optimal revolution zone. Thus, better acceleration and the most efficient use of engine potential are provided, especially at high speeds. The sensations from the work of the KP are only the most positive: the transfers are turned on easily and clearly both up and down, delighting with the coordinated work of all its mechanisms.
 
A special sensor that controls the oil temperature was added to the design of the box. It will come in handy for lovers of extreme driving - in time it will warn about the possible damage to the Communist Party.
 
Information about this and other malfunctions is displayed on a special display related to the central diagnostic unit, - Driver Information Center. For example, when overheating of the gearbox on the display, the inscription Trans Over Temp will appear, which will burn until the temperature returns to normal. By the way, the electronics is also involved in the drive of the Accelerator Z06: the gas pedal is associated with the sensor, the signal from which goes to the injection control unit. The system was called Drive-by-Wire-a wire drive.
 
To make the engine to breathe easier and in order to reduce the mass, a new titanium exhaust system was developed for Corvette Z06. By the way, for the first time for a car produced in series. The design of the muffler itself has also changed. A distinctive feature of the new Z06 is exhaust pipes with a diameter of 3.5 inches. The exhaust system is tuned to a more aggressive growl than the standard Corvette C5, and this effect produces indelible.
 
Z06 is easy to maintain: oil change is recommended after 15 thousand, and suppositories through one hundred thousand miles. The transmission fluid does not need replacement at all. Provided, of course, that you are not going to make a racing track to the place of registration of the car.

 
The suspension of Z06 is unique, specially configured. Its peculiarity is very rigid springs and powerful reptile stabilizers that prevent the slightest roll. The suspension is controlled (without the intervention of the driver) Active Handling - an electronic stabilization system of course stability. This is the second generation of the branded stabilizer. Using numerous sensors, the system calculates the desired trajectory and holds the car on it, automatically slowing one or more wheels. The device can be disconnected for 5 seconds using a special button, since in the hands of an experienced driver a small supply is sometimes even desirable for a faster turning. In general, the new Active Handling became smarter, got rid of its obsession, allowing you to ride in a more energetic manner and ensuring security in emergency situations.
 
The steering Z06 of the rack type is high -speed and sensitive, with a magnificent feedback. Thanks to the amplifier, the rotation of the steering wheel from the stop to the stop is only 2.46 turns. Disk ventilated brakes with ABS are the same as on the standard Corvette C5: front and rear diameter 12.6 inches.
 
New 8-ray aluminum wheels, painted with light gray metallic, are the most spectacular from Corvette ever installed on Corvette. Another feature of the Z06 is the wide -profile tires of the Goodyear Eagle F1 SC (265/40 R17 in front and 295/35R18 behind). There is no spare wheel, instead of it - a cylinder with a mixture of compressed air and sealant. Having pumped this mixture into a punctured bus, you can continue to move - it reliably seals punctures up to five millimeters in diameter.
 
The basis of Z06 is a standard spatial frame made of high -strength steel. All body panels are stamped fiberglass. Exotic sexual contours of the case are combined with high arches of the wheels and a wide rear. Z06 differs from the usual C5 inserts of the wire mesh into the air intakes on both sides of the front bumper and side air intakes located outside the doors at the bottom of the body. Brake calipers are painted red. The glasses are made more thin, but the impact resistance remained the same. A certain loss of sound insulation on vehicles of the Z06 type can hardly be considered a minus - a pleasant growl of the motor only fuels your blood. Running weight by 36 pounds and increasing power by forty horsepower, in general, changing the ratio of these parameters, expanded the capabilities of Z06.
 
In the car’s cabin, the dashboard with a company emblem attracts attention. The tachometer is marked to promising seven thousand revolutions, and the speedometer - up to two hundred miles per hour. Small voltmeter dials, indicators of the amount of fuel, oil pressure, water temperature are very successful, and the readings from them are perfectly read. The Driver Information Center display is located on the central console. A chubby four -spoke steering wheel, covered in leather, is adjustable along the angle of inclination. Perforated pedals are made of polished aluminum.
 
Already in the standard configuration, the Z06 has remote opening of the doors, climate control, a powerful Bose audio system with a CD player and eight speakers, central blocking of windows and doors, cruise control. Comfortable seats, covered in high -quality skin, with a branded emblem embroidered on the headrests, are endowed with eight position adjustments and provide excellent side support. The interior Z06, made in red-black colors, is impeccable.
 
The new Chevrolet Corvette has the front and back safety zones, side bars in each door, airbags for the driver and front passenger, three -point belts, energy -absorbing the steering column and the front panel.
 
Where is the best way to check the running qualities of an extreme Corvette? We chose a racing track. From a place to sixty miles per hour, Corvette Z06 accelerated in just four seconds, that is, faster than most sports cars, with the exception of fabulously expensive supercars such as Porsche 911 Turbo and Lamborghini Diablo SV. The maximum speed is 175 miles per hour.
 
The car calmly passed turns with an angle of inclination of nine degrees at a speed of more than a hundred miles per hour and accelerated at short straight lines to one hundred and thirty miles per hour. It was possible to go faster, but it was not a participation in the race, and most importantly, the car should be returned to the owners in its original form. But the impressions, I dare to assure you, we got incomparable.
 
Since 1953, Dave Hill is the third chief designer of the Corvette model. At one time, he responded to Z06: if earlier Corvette made the hearts of Americans fight stronger, then the last generation of this car, without any exaggeration, is pure adrenaline.
 
For our part, we add only one thing to this: the minimum cost of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is 45 thousand dollars, and Z06 in the suite is estimated at only $ 47525. Exactly adrenaline!
 
Technical characteristics of Chevrolet Corvet Z06
 
Equipped mass, kg - 1320
Dimensions (length/width/height), mm - 4566/1870/1210
Base, mm - 2654
Maximum speed, km/h - 315
Acceleration time to 100 km/h, s - 4.3
Fuel control consumption, l/100 km - 12.8
Engine:
- Type- Benz., V-image., 8-cylinder.
- working volume, cm3 - 5665
- Power, L.S. at MIN -1 - 385/5600
- torque, NM at min -1 - 522/4400
- power supply - distributed injection
Transmission - mechanical., 6 -speed
Tire size:
- front - P265/40ZR17
- rear - P295/35ZR18
Price, $ - 47525
 
Text: Andreas Conradt
 

A source: Magazine 5 wheel