Frequency/Seasonal

[Patton]

My questions lean toward polls, but here they are nonetheless.

1. What is the frequency of your ZR-1 outings? Daily driver? Weekends? Blue moons? I am Daily, However I pay for it on the weekends with several hours of cleaning and maintenance to keep her looking and running like a pampered hangar queen.

2. Do you have to put your Z to bed for the winter or do you drive year round? I’m starting to get a little nervous at the aspect of everybody bailing on the site during the winter because they're Z's are all bundled up. (I plan on doing my vacuum work this winter)
I drive mine year round, It has snowed maybe three times in Sacramento in the past 20 years. And I hardly see the amount of nutty rain that Jeff does,... So I am a year rounder.

[bobbyhi]

I don't drive mine to work but almost every evening during the summer I will go out cruising looking for some light to light action.
I put the Z in hibernation for the winter. It's hard enough to keep the 4 wheel pickup truck on the road with 8" snowfalls. Plus when it is 30 below zero with a wind factor of 70 below I don't want to be out with the Z. I plan on next weekend to do the winterizing. Had a bit of luck on thanksgiving with the weather here. No snow and 16 degrees so I took her out and put her thru the gears for the last time. Next ride won't be until April '06.:cry:

My enjoyment for the next 4/5 months will be listening to you guys that get to drive year round........

[Aurora40]

I get snow, but not a lot, and it doesn't stick around too long. So I'll be driving mine, but only on above-freezing days with no rain forecast and no bad winds. I anticipate driving it about once every two-three weeks or so, or about half as often as I drove it over the summer.

[Patton]

I said it before and I'll say it again,... I REALLY feel for you guys that have to put the Z up for the winter. I would go thru withdrawls! :cry:

[cuisinartvette]

I'm lucky if I get a few Sunday runs in a month, but at least I can do it year round. Best part is the air has cooled down so much it makes more power. Almost wiped it on an onramp the other day, broke loose when it never would have during the hotter months :thumbsup:

[tomtom72]

I like these Patton!:thumbsup:

I live in Metro/NYC so we get snow and salted roads. The Z don't come out after the first salting, whenever that maybe...hence I suffer from "salted road phobia" and have ZR-1DDS, ZR-1 Driving Deficit Syndrome.

In the spring, summer & fall I suffer from ZR-1DFS, ZR-1 Deformed Face Syndrome =:mrgreen: caused by severe accleration forces and the joy that I own a ZR-1. Speeding tickets optional at extra cost, see your local LEO for details, MSRP does not include green stamps, taxes, lic...etc.

I use the car on weekends to join the group I cruise with, usually to the tune of at least one of a tank of gas per cruise. The guys at CF/Events/Northeast section don't spare the miles to spoil the vette!:thumbsup: :mrgreen: If you come out with us, bring lunch $ because we ain't shy about putting miles on the vettes!

I rarely use it just to tool thru town, although it's hard to resist! I think it belongs out where it can run free! Although the town cruise is good for the head!:mrgreen: Oh I forgot, as hibernation time draws near I wax nostalgically about the past cruises!:o

Cheers
Tom
Keep your gas dry!

[We Gone]

Year round driver here....Mostly on the weekends..with a drive to work once a month on nice days...I park right outside of my office window :mrgreen: 3 years and 30K miles of smiles.

[John Boothby]

:hello: Good morning ZR1 folks! Here in Southern Nevada we are blessed with pretty good weather year around. My ZR1 is driven 2 or 3 times a week. I have a route that I drive just for when I feel like taking the Beast out and rippin through the gears. It consists of a little surface street driving to warm it up, then I hit the beltway for some "gittin to it"! Then it is back on the surface streets back home. I usually do this in the morning when traffic is lite. I think this is good for the heart also, as it gets it pumpin! This could be as good for the old cardiovascular system as jogging! It certainly is a lot more fun!!:D

[91King]

We get to drive year round in the Lone Star State. While I don't drive my Z to work I do drive it every evening weather/time permitting with as many blasts over 130 as I can get.

I do cover it from time to time, but the cover hasn't stayed on for more than two weeks and that was because I was on vacation with my family.

[RICHARD TILL]

no withdrawals here in mississippi. can drive mostly year round. good straight open roads so i can hold it down til i run out of guts. sad thing is; car is sitting out in a hard rain right now with the radio and cdm box sent off for repair, screws laying in the floorboard, screwdrivers and socket sets too.:cry: when the radio gets back i`m going to load myself, zz-top, brooks & dunn and david sanborn up and give it hell. its a bone stock red/red 90-z with 110k miles. its the only one i`ve ever seen except at the corvette museum. (i just looked outside again) DAM, thats a nice looking car! :)

[LeoLily]

"Thumper" was just given the "last hurrah" run yesterday. We live in Boulder which is "nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains." Unfortunately, the gravel trucks hit the mountain highways in October with the first snow so we've been doin' some "city driving" for the last 2 months. And, the weather is dropping out of the 60s into the 30s so we gave him a run and a bath and garaged him until March. We WILL, however, be getting him out every 2 weeks or so and bringing him up to temp. We also will be doing some vacuuming and polishing over the winter.

Next spring we will be going for weekend drives, heaing to Utah for the Corvette Corral at the ALMS race July 13-15, and going to "Vette's on the Rockies" in Frisco, CO at the end of July. In the meantime, MAJOR ZR-1 Withdrawal!!

[bobbyhi]

I thought that I read somwehere that you should not start the engine once you have put it to bed. I think that the read was from Doug Rippie's web site. Not sure. I'm sure there are just as many that agree that starting the engine is the way to go. I wonder what Marc has to say??

[LeoLily]

We don't really "put him to bed" per se since we're only down for about 2-3 months. We drop the insurance to comprehensive only, fill the tank, clean the car inside and out, check all fluids and park it in the garage. :cry: That's why we just run it up to temp every couple of weeks in the driveway on "nice" days.

In the spring (probably about March) we will upgrade the insurance back to full coverage, change all the fluids and be out and about again for the summer. :dancing

[Patton]

Cuisinartvette,
I know exactly what you are talking about, It is a dramatic seat of the pants difference with this cold air! It has been raining lightly in Sacramento since Sunday, The first day I was slow and cautious, yesterday I started to get comfortable, and today going to work I got curious about my rain envelope :mrgreen: I got on it in the rain going through an onramp that I can pull 1.06 G's consistently at around 65mph when its dry. Halfway through the back end just SNAPPED out very abruptly without warning! I would have paid money to watch this from the overpass. So the tail kicks out and scared the **** out of me because of how quickly it happened, normally I can nurse a moderate drift all the way through an onramp. But it felt like I was going to Porche it, so I just let off the gas entirely,.... ooops. The bltch SNAPPED back inline with such ferocity the steering wheel damn near broke my thumbs off. So,... No trees, no *** end first, and an increase in driving experience for next time, at the cost of a slightly hurt pride. Not to bad! To give my tires credit, they hold VERY well in the rain, I just jackassed the throttle. (Sumitomo HTRZ's) (In the wet I have found lateral hold is extreme, straight line is moderate to good, and braking is GREAT.)

Tom,
A ZR-1 rolling through NYC? Oh man, you have got to send me some photos!! Those cruises you have mentioned sound like a blast! I wish I could join ya! Bill and I are going on a vette cruise (canned food drive) next weekend. I'll take my camera!
I hear you about putting miles on em, I think having some museum pieces is very important. However these cars are meant to be driven, and if you don’t drive it, you are just taking care of it with all of your time and money so the next person can drive it,... I'm no stable boy, I’m gonna to drive my Z, and take as good care of it as the rarely driven ones. I JUST hit 33,000 this morning by the way. =D> I have had it for three years and I bought it at 22k miles.

Bobbyhi,
PowerEffects exhuast? Hmmm, I have been debating on whether or not to go with B&B or PowerEffects. How do you like yours? If you have a chance I would GREATLY appreciate it if you could record a sound bite, inside and outside (rear) of your car with some good rev ranges? It would be great fun for us here and I could finally make a sound decision,... ha,... sound decision.... :rolleyes: Thanks very much either way!

[bobbyhi]

I would like to help with the sound but with 8" of snow that just fell I have put the car in hibernation. No battery, wheels off, etc. I'm not even sure if Power Effects is still in business. A couple of threads here indicated that they may be starting up again???? The have a very mellow sound that can be adjusted down. I have never run with them "closed". Their web site has the sound track on it. Do a search for them and listen. They came on the car when I got it. Don't have headers but that is on the Christmas list along with P & P. Have to decide if I want the cats or long headers. Doesn't seem like too much loss of RWHP with the cats.

[Jeffvette]

Bobbyhi,
PowerEffects exhuast? Hmmm, I have been debating on whether or not to go with B&B or PowerEffects. How do you like yours? If you have a chance I would GREATLY appreciate it if you could record a sound bite, inside and outside (rear) of your car with some good rev ranges? It would be great fun for us here and I could finally make a sound decision,... ha,... sound decision.... :rolleyes: Thanks very much either way!

Only way you'll find a PE exhaust is used. They haven't made them for years now. Just a FYI.

[tomtom72]

Wow Patton! Glad the only thing that got hurt was the pride!:thumbsup:

I like that "stable boy" analogy. I should think if there is a down side to using our Z's instead of "saving" them it's the dirt they collect on the back end of the car! Cheese & crackers does that car suffer from the dirty butt syndrome or what? Seems like ya can't drive two feet without the back looking like ya don't clean the car at all.

It sure is a pile o work to keep'em ship shape & bristol fashion if you use it though. They sure do look purdy when they are clean though & it's good theraphy too!:thumbsup:

Gonna take my camera when we do our "NYC Christmass Post Card Run" this Sat. If I can figure out how to post'em I'll do it, should be a fun run. We always create the stir when 20 or so vettes invade NYC in a pack! NYPD is very understanding towards us...we get away with parking that diplomats don't even get away with. As usual, I'll be the lone Z in the caravan!:mrgreen:

[Patton]

Bobbyhi,
Jesus, you poor bastard. Move to the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia and you can enjoy warm weather and garage your vette for not passing smog instead.

Jeff,
I called them last year March-ish and they were still in business. Poor guys, I hate to see 'em go. Who's paying for their website hosting? :icon_scra

Tom,
:sign10: Dirty butt syndrome,... That’s freakin GREAT. That annoys the SHlT outta me, my car is WHITE. Or how about after you have dried everything after the wash and you shut your door only to have a sh1t load of water squirt out from every crevasse that you couldn't possibly cram a towel into. After you've cursed and moaned and dried it up, you even think of moving that car at all and water pours out from the crevasses around the tail lights and runs down the back of your car, trailing little bits of dirty @ss that got stuck in there, and then you get to your destination and step back to admire your hard work only to see four nasty dark dirt streaks streaming from the taillights. :censored:

[bobbyhi]

When I'm in CA on business my wife won't let me read the newspaper from that part of the world. Way too left for my way of thinking. I can go on and on but that is meaningless. The winters are getting too harsh on this only body. Got to look further south (someday). I hear ya on keeping the car clean before shows. I got giged a couple of points last summer after I drove thru the rain to get to the show. Bummer.....

[tomtom72]

The hatch window is the worst! Close it and about a gallon of water comes flying out! I use a leaf blower now to blow out the mirrors and the ant. hole and the lic plates and tail lights and the gutter around the hatch glass. It gets most of it & it makes drying the wheels & tires easy too.:thumbsup:

I do hate that the car hides so much water. It's almost as if the car does it to spite you..."so you think I'm dry, huh...well try this on for size chief!"
Ahhh, but we love them so! Why do people call ships she? Because you give & she takes!:mrgreen:

[Aurora40]

I get that dirty back-end too. It's terrible! Even after one drive I can wipe black off the back. I wonder if it's oil, though.

As to water in the body, I use a product called Protect-All's Quick and Easy Wash. It isn't a waterless wash, but it is hoseless (so I can wash in the garage). You need two buckets of water, but you won't get water pooled in the body this way. I am wary of using it on the car if it's really dirty, though.

[buddyboy]

Serious withdrawals here in good ole Indiana. There is not many days here that I can take the Z out. I just polish her up and remember better days. I unhook the battery but start her up at least once a month. I'll be back on the road again in April.

1992 ZR1 #330 White/White

[tomtom72]

I don't know how you guys that live where it really snows do it! At least in this neck o the woods there are some weeks where the salt is gone & the roads are good. At least I can drive it around to get to the interstate so I can clear the cobb webs out. I know how hard it was last year, my first winter with a Z, when after Dec. there was nothing to do except clean it!:cry:

The only bad part of winter driving in my area is the pot holes are out in full force...it's kinda like a mine field. Usually I don't bother after the first salting, too much stress & too many pot holes. I hate salt!

[tomtom72]

I get that dirty back-end too. It's terrible! Even after one drive I can wipe black off the back. I wonder if it's oil, though.

Even the C5's get it but that car's rear doesn't have as many "shelfs" for it to collect on!
I used to wonder about that too because some of the dirt was like moist in spots. Strange thing is that once I did up the breather box the dirt is now dry & I can blow it off. It was almost imperceptable but there were some spots where the CA duster would smear it. I know on I was loosing alot from my box because the corner of the oil pan where the drain exit is was stained & I could see liquid oil in the tube! That was a bad leak! My bolts were not even finger tight!