"drive the hell out of it"

[Vetman]

It sounds like everyone in the club "drives the hell out of their z". How many of you are like me and love driving the z carefully, only occasionally exercising the secondaries to keep the cobwebs out, usually in 3rd or 4th gear?

A second question is are there any members with totally stock cars with no intention of modifying it, other than maybe one of Marc's chip to make the car run better.

If I were computer smarter I would turn this into a survey...... ,maybe one of you can do this?

[Kevin]

http://i.imgur.com/eTaBW0K.png

[Kevin]

http://i.imgur.com/CFmel1P.png

[Kevin]

http://i.imgur.com/oAUuR8e.jpg

[Kevin]

last one...

http://i.imgur.com/bUmgMB3.png

[Dynomite]

I am not sure how Kevin feels about this :D

[Kevin]

I have every intention of having mark port the crap out of mine....but I can't afford that and a divorce lawyer. so that puts an end to that

[PhillipsLT5]

Exercise what secondaries, removed and happy

[We Gone]

It's my understanding if you crank it up and don't exercise the secondary's it will turn into a lemon....

[rhipsher]

Anybody on here that personally knows me knows that I've pushed mine to the absolute limit to where it had no more to give many times and didn't wreck it, Loose control of it or have a tire blow out at the speeds I've had mine up to in the past. I got all of that out of my system years ago and just cruise in it once in a while and admire looking at it in my garage nowadays.
Kevin just do your own top end porting. All it will cost you is your time. A few carbide die grinder bits and some sand paper. No divorce needed. And it will be much more exciting to drive than a stock ZR-1.

[Kevin]

Anybody on here that personally knows me knows that I've pushed mine to the absolute limit to where it had no more to give many times and didn't wreck it, Loose control of it or have a tire blow out at the speeds I've had mine up to in the past. I got all of that out of my system years ago and just cruise in it once in a while and admire looking at it in my garage nowadays.
Kevin just do your own top end porting. All it will cost you is your time. A few carbide die grinder bits and some sand paper. No divorce needed. And it will be much more exciting to drive than a stock ZR-1.

I don't even like eating a sandwich I made myself because it always has blood and bits of my fingers in it...

[yzpilot]

I just look at mine in the garage! I have only put 5 miles on it since I have owned it! But....as soon as the ECM gets here this week....I am down to run with Kevin anytime!! Drive it til the wheels fall off!!

[JThomas]

My car is all stock except for a program from Marc Haibeck, that makes the fans come on earlier and eliminated the 1-4 shift. I pretty much drive mine casually but every now and then I like to remind myself what it was designed for and I have autocrossed it once. The car is too small for me to get serious/comfortable to drive too aggressive, so I save that for my Z06, in a controlled setting, of course. :handshak:

[Racinfan83]

Mine is all stock except for the Haibeck chip as well. No intentions of changing it unless something happens to the cat converters in which case I will do headers and exhaust. I have all the stuff to switch the seats out to 95 Sport seats - waiting for a nice day to do that. (I don't really consider that a "mod" though) And I romp on it about every time I drive it - just not a lot of places around here to do that with all the cops....:cry: Most I've ever been able to get out of it was a short run on a service road and I had to let off at 107 in 3rd..:o

[Paul Workman]

With regard to 7000 rpm, it was Dave McLellan that said (in effect) running the LT5 to 7000 rpm is no problem, "And, the motor will thank you for it!"

One does need to get the secondaries open and then cruise with them open on the highway whenever you can. Otherwise the intake valves get really gummed up and coated with carbon. (Marc spoke of this at Bowling Green a couple years back. Keeping the throttle above 5%(?) after opening them will do it.)

[Blue Flame Restorations]

I run my Turq car through the gears eat least once every time I drive it. The car is just too much fun and brutally loud not to.

The Purple car just gets driven around the 1.3 mile block of my neighborhood every two weeks or so. It's so smooth and quiet that you barely notice it's not an LT1 car. Feels like a Cadillac. LOL

[GOLDCYLON]

Exercise what secondaries, removed and happy

Ditto

[Bob Eyres]

Here's one more vote for "Driving the Hell out of it". I've been doing that for nearly twenty years now.
I can't imagine any other rational reason to own a ZR-1.
You don't have to go really fast, just to the red line in the first four gears. :dancing

[5ABI VT]

I baby mine when its clean. After 5 minutes of driving I kniw theres dust all over it and it will get a wash before it goes out next time.. Its all over from then on lol ! In the few months I've owned my z Ive rolled vs about 15 cars on the freeway and tried to top her out twice and 150 mph say about 190 times :)

[DaveK]

I tend to drive mine fairly sensibly most of the time. There are too many idiots on the road to do otherwise, not to mention the cops around here are not very tolerant (and we have two lots of them - OPP and RCMP. I choose my moments carefully :)

That said, I've had the Z on the track and thrashed it with relish - would do it a lot more if I lived closer to a track :D

Dave

[Hog]

I dont understand how people buy THE premier sports car of the early 90's and cruise around using less than 1/2 of the rev capability.

"Take it easy there, you dont want your pulse to come off idle". Live a little dude.

Kinda stereotypical old guy in a Vette, getting passed by a Prius. I see it every year at Vettefest in my town.
Life is short, powershift while you can.

At least thats my opinion.

[8cam]

Since I drive mine daily, I don't push it hard every time I get in the car...I'd be in jail. But I definitely find an excuse to see redline at least once just about every drive! Last night on the back roads of south GA I found several excuses....

[Kevin]

I dont understand how people buy THE premier sports car of the early 90's and cruise around using less than 1/2 of the rev capability.

"Take it easy there, you dont want your pulse to come off idle". Live a little dude.

Kinda stereotypical old guy in a Vette, getting passed by a Prius. I see it every year at Vettefest in my town.
Life is short, powershift while you can.

At least thats my opinion.

a gallardo, murcialago, M3 and a zr-1 went by a prius on the way to cars and coffee one morning...thought the prius driver was going to have his head explode.

[5ABI VT]

I dont understand how people buy THE premier sports car of the early 90's and cruise around using less than 1/2 of the rev capability.

"Take it easy there, you dont want your pulse to come off idle". Live a little dude.

Kinda stereotypical old guy in a Vette, getting passed by a Prius. I see it every year at Vettefest in my town.
Life is short, powershift while you can.

At least thats my opinion.

I couldn't agree more. Every time I see a pristine 67 or old c3 that everyone drools over.. I think to myself.. the only person who got the real value from that car is probably smiling from heaven up above because he beat the snot out of that car and it put the biggest grins on his face.

[Z51JEFF]

It sounds like everyone in the club "drives the hell out of their z". How many of you are like me and love driving the z carefully, only occasionally exercising the secondaries to keep the cobwebs out, usually in 3rd or 4th gear? ?

Thats me,I dont beat on my car.Its never seen 7000 since Ive owned it,maybe 6500 once.

[Blue Flame Restorations]

Thats me,I dont beat on my car.Its never seen 7000 since Ive owned it,maybe 6500 once.


Jeff, I understand. You just need to buy another one to beat on. LOL

:cheers:

[randy ransome]

I went out yesterday looking for parts for my 91 ZR-1 368 ci. I drove my 95 ZR-1, mostly stock, to pick the parts up.

When I left the parts store a guy in a SS Trailblazer saw me turn behind him, as he was entering the freeway, he jumped down on it and I came by him so fast he almost didn't see me. I looked down and saw 110 MPH as I went by.

I sure he's wondering what the hell just happened. My wife has a SS Trailblazer also, it run good, but it's no competition for my Z.

Love These cars.

[Hog]

I couldn't agree more. Every time I see a pristine 67 or old c3 that everyone drools over.. I think to myself.. the only person who got the real value from that car is probably smiling from heaven up above because he beat the snot out of that car and it put the biggest grins on his face.
I enjoy my driven class car, pulling up beside guys pulling their cars off their trailers with my car all covered with bugs after driving thousands of miles to the show. And seeing them shaking their heads because its a "driven" car.

They arent shaking anymore when after a wash and detail my car brings home the longest distance of show award, while at the same time outscoring their cars.

Then theres the guys at shows that you see them unloading their trailer queens at the hotel, then you are being judged right beside them in the DRIVEN class. You gotta laugh sometimes.

Their is use, and there is abuse. I dont consider taking a car up to its redline abuse, esp with any newer injected engine like the LT5/LT1 etc some would. I do know it sure is fun though.

[Hog]

a gallardo, murcialago, M3 and a zr-1 went by a prius on the way to cars and coffee one morning...thought the prius driver was going to have his head explode.

Now that's what I like to hear, sounds like a fun caravan.
He probably had to do some "breathing exercises " to calm down for yoga class.

[LancePearson]

On my 70th birthday this year I ran it up to 145 mph on a straight road with no cross streets out in the country and had some more in fourth but thought that was enough for the moment. I never get it onto I 295 going North up and over the big Varina Enon bridge which is a long, straight on ramp with three lanes and no gendarmes that I don't get it into three figures in third then slow back down to 70 or so.

It really likes 4-7,000 rpm especially in third and fourth gears.

If I can enjoy this I'd seriously suggest you go see your doctor and get him to put more juice into your pacemaker. I have so much fun running through the gears that I have to remember to breath!

My limit is my reflexes which probably never were good enough for tha probably 185-195 the car could do on a long straight. Good thing I'm not in Wyoming or Montana on those long, straight roads or I'd try it.

Live a little, man, just pick your spot and do it responsibly!

Lance

[tccrab]

I've seen the redline through third many many times but have never seen anywhere near the red line in fourth.
Why?
Because I need a longer "Safe" road. :-D
Otherwise, I'd have "Girlfriend" up to "Where Life Begins" (and ends quickly if something goes terribly wrong) a lot more often.

'Crabs

[LancePearson]

tc, I agree...the road I have is 2.3 miles long with no cross streets, home driveways, etc, nice and flat fairly wide two lane with very little traffic before a gentle turn. I turn left onto it and hit it and I'm too focused to know how many tenths of a mile have gone by when I hit 145 mph but it seems to me to be somewhere around a half to six tenths of a mile. I stay very, very focused on driving and don't look at the instruments much at all. I have a lot of the 2.3 miles left when I lift off and slow back down. I'm not at redline at 145 in fourth and not sure what the rpms were as I just glanced at the speedo and then back on the road as we were covering 211 feet every second.....need a sidekick filming the instruments or logging the data but have not had that. The gal I've dated some gets pissed at around 90 and 145 would give me a wet seat on the passenger side to clean up later!

[Bob Eyres]

I love the quarter mile, but top-end makes me sweat. I've never gone faster than 175mph.

[Karl]

Pedal to the metal.

[batchman]

I put about 500 miles a year on our beast. About two thirds of those miles are transport to/from events, calmly on the street. When you drive a red Corvette covered in stickers and numbers you do all you can to stay "under the radar".

The rest of those miles are hard enough to consume 4 hubs and 4 tires, about four years running or so. I think maybe I like "driving the hell out of it".

If you're enjoying your car calmly, no problem with that but I like this advice:

You just need to buy another one to beat on.

Cheers,
- Jeff

[QB93Z]

It sounds like everyone in the club "drives the hell out of their z". How many of you are like me and love driving the z carefully, only occasionally exercising the secondaries to keep the cobwebs out, usually in 3rd or 4th gear?

A second question is are there any members with totally stock cars with no intention of modifying it, other than maybe one of Marc's chip to make the car run better.

If I were computer smarter I would turn this into a survey...... ,maybe one of you can do this?

My Yellow 1994 ZR-1 is basically stock. The only mods are a Haibeck chip and a Pioneer Nav system head unit. It is my touring car. 138,000 miles. We have taken many loooong trips in the '94. I have also made several 1/4 mile passes in the car.

Since I have more than 1 ZR-1, the option of leaving the '94 basically stock is easy. The other ZR-1's are modified and each offers very different driving experience.

If I had just one ZR-1, I would port the top end, add a Corsa exhaust, and 4.10:1 rear end. That is the setup on my 1993 and it is a really fun car to drive. I have taken that car on several long road trips and made about 100 quarter mile runs at the drag strip.

Bottom line: The more you drive your ZR-1, the more you will enjoy it.

Jim