2002 Chevrolet Corvette Z06: Beastly in Traffic?

There is no replacement for displacement.

get in, sit down, shut up and hang on.

Gregnv, "there is no replacement for displacement"

except vast reduction in weight and, of course, gearing :)

+1 joefrompa.

Also, there is something call "technology"... 70s small block V8 vs. today's high end V6? I'll pick the later any day, everyday, thank you very much.

The Z06 is a really light vehicle, especialy compared to more modern cars. It has great gearing also. Thank you very much.

And exactly how did you come to the conclusion that this LS6 is short on technology?

Rather, if you look at the facts:
HP
Torque
Drivability
MPG
Engine size
Engine weight
Engine cost
Engine durability
Maintenance requirements

It would appear the LS6 is the real engineering achievement. An M3 gets worse mpg from a smaller engine, for example. With results like that, just how important are things that you would consider a "technological advantage?" Doing more with less is real engineering, not filling up a marketing brochure with fancy-sounding bullet points.

I'll let someone else create a fancy-sounding bulleted list for you (because my list above isn't fancy or BS or fluff).

All I'll say on it is that don't you think at least the head design in combination with the engine controls MUST be an achievement? After all, there isn't any variable anything in this thing. It has just a single cam. Regular port fuel injection, etc. It has torque at 1000rpm. It pulls hard to the fuel cut (6600rpm). What's your problem?

By the way, the engine architecture dates *all the way back* to 1997. So ancient.

@ joe and louis

And aerodynamics. As for modern vs old school, I'll take a Tipo 251. 4.4 L V12, 6 Weber dual carbs, 347 bhp.

In my experience the only downside to driving a C5 or C6 Corvette in S. CA traffic is that awful front overhang. I found myself having to be very careful with speedbumps, driveway and the inevitable potholes (this time of year) that most cars have no problem with.
The clutch isn't bad at all and all that torque makes it easy to almost leave it in 2nd and forget it.

I'd love to have this kind of torque in traffic. My Miata requires more gas from a stop unless I want to let the clutch out really really really slowly.

"Also, there is something call "technology"... 70s small block V8 vs. today's high end V6? I'll pick the later any day, everyday, thank you very much."

So you'll sacrifice simplicity, reliability, and the ability to work on the engine for......the same power?

@louiswei: Would you pick the "high end v6" even if the fuel economy was no better and torque curve was worse? The Z06 was rated at 19city/28hwy, 405hp, 400lb-ft back in 2002.

Not even considering the superior power & torque curve, let's compare those fuel efficiency #s to some high end 6 cyl cars of '02 (all figures are pre '07 EPA rating):

Acura NSX: 17/24
Porsche Boxter S: 18/26
Porsche 911 Carrera: 18/26
BMW M3: 16/23

With that said, I agree 100% that "technology" can be a replacement for displacement. But that technology needs to show measureable improvements to that list above that kevm14 provided.

Was I comparing "high end V6" against the Z06's V8?

I think I said it pretty clearly:

Also, there is something call "technology"... 70s small block V8 vs. today's high end V6? I'll pick the later any day, everyday, thank you very much.

Did I mention Z06 in there anywhere?

That sentence was just a reply to gregnv's "There is no replacement for displacement" comment.

V8 over a V6?????????????...someone has a little envy.

My M5 SMG is the worst in traffic. The clutch overheated in the NYC grind but only on a 105 degree day, still clunky though.

With the exception of Toyota's 2GR-FSE (IS350 & GS350), the majority of the "modern" motors have serious carbon buildup issues due to the fact that the valvetrain is no longer cleaned by detergents found in gasoline. The 2GR-FSE actually employs both forms of injection and thus has 12 injectors.

Unlike the IS350, many IS250 owners report that around 50k miles their cars begin to randomly stall while stopped at traffic lights. This requires a valvetrain cleaning which usually offsets the need to do a full head rebuild just long enough so that the car is out of warranty.

Of course the IS250 is not the only car to do this and in fact almost every direct injection engine suffers from this problem.

While direct injection has proved to be a great at providing increased power and amazing efficiency, it is clear that due to the strict government efficiency regulations, the consumer has once again had to pay the price of adopting an untested technology.

I'm not really sure why toyota chose to double the injector count on the 3.5L V6 motors, but they must have known something otherwise they would not have cut the reliability of the injection system in half for no reason.