Active Handling or ????

[froggy47]

I've been looking for a late model 1990+ Vette for about a month now. ZR1 or Grand Sport or Z06.

Tried an 02 Z06 today at a local dealer. About 7000 miles on it, red, wanted about 46K as I recall.

Two questions.

After we got it all warmed up, I told the sales guy I was going to WOT redline in 2nd to see how it pulled compared to the ZR1's. He smiled. Long on ramp to I15 N in Escondido, CA. There was one car in front that I let go while I took my time & as I turned onto the ramp it was clear for about 1/4 mile.

I ran it up to 5000 in first & banged second & floored it. Started to go a little sidways when the tires broke loose, no big deal as I corrected but then the engine seemed to die or start firing on 4 cylinders. I backed off the accelerator & it cleared.

Is this what "active handling" does or is that engine having serious issues? I was expecting something more sophisticated than just dialing back the power. The sales guy said the active handling was ON. The ZR1's just keep on pulling as long as your foot is in it. Up to the driver to keep it straight.

Second question

The steering on both ZR1's that I drove seemed almost truck like at slow speeds in that it seemed VERY heavy to turn the wheel. Both were stock as far as rims & tires. The Z06 seemed pretty normal, maybe a little less power steering boost than my Suburban but not heavy like the ZR1's.

The ZR1's seemed about as powerful as the Z06, I think they rev a little higher. The Z06's seemed quieter & tighter - like no rattles or squeaks.

When we got back to the dealership I was smiling.

Thanks for any help.

 

[MsSchroder]

I ran it up to 5000 in first & banged second & floored it. Started to go a little sidways when the tires broke loose, no big deal as I corrected but then the engine seemed to die or start firing on 4 cylinders. I backed off the accelerator & it cleared.

Is this what "active handling" does or is that engine having serious issues?

Hi Froggy. this does not sound like active handling to me. The way I have heard it described and have encountered it once or twice, it that the car selectively applies the brakes to one or more wheels, depending on the direction you are heading and the direction that it has calculated that you INTENDED to go. Unless you were hitting the rev limiter, what you describe does not sound right.

also 46K sounds a bit high to me?

maybe some other z06 owners will chime in here...

 

[c4c5specialist]

HI there,
Your Zo6 test drive was good. You broke the tires loose, and the traction control kicked in. The drop in power, was the throttle closing, so that the wheels stopped spinning.
Absolutely normal.
As for the steering, yes, the ZR1 will have alot heavier steering than the ZO6, as the Z06 has Magnasteer, which will give you better feel at highway speeds, but give you increased power assist at parking lot speeds. Your Suburban is similar, as this truck has a similar setup, called EVO, or electronic variable orifice.
So with that, you noted all this, and it is all normal, given the different models that you have driven.
While I love both cars, from a financial standpoint, the ZO6 will get my nod. This is due to better availability of parts, and less complexity in the engine.
Have a blast, and yes, the ZR1 will rev higher, but the ZO6 will be less to maintain, and more user friendly to drive.
Allthebest, c4c5

 

[vettepilot]

What C4C5 said above, I would also like to add some info about the feel of the C4 ASR compared to the C5 traction control. The C4 throttle linkage was "hard linkage" in that you are actually pulling a cable with the accelerator pedal, therefore when the ASR activates you can feel the accelerator pedal lift up as the throttle is being retarded due to loss of traction. The C5 is a "fly by wire" system, no direct mechanical linkage, it's all electronic, therefore you will not recieve the feedback when the computer retards the throttle due to loss of traction. The only real feed back is the feeling of lost power, some have confused the rev limiter with that of the traction control being activated... it's quite a different feeling, but to the uninitiated, it could be misconstrued as one or more misfiring cylinders.
vettepilot

 

[froggy47]

HI,

It may have been the rev limiter, to be sure I'd have to drive it again & pay more attention to the tach. I was having so much fun I didn't look.

I did not know how to adjust the hud so it was in my field of vision.

The hud by itself is almost reason enough to go with the Z06 over the ZR1. Lotta cool factor there.

 

[11 Second Momma]

The hud by itself is almost reason enough to go with the Z06 over the ZR1. Lotta cool factor there.

46 is high even for So Cal. There are alot of deals to be had right now

:

 

[FourAndAHalf]

I love gunning the engine when the salesman is in the passenger seat... Did that with the ford f-150 harley davidson, the guy almost had a heartattck

 

[froggy47]

I took a TVR (British www.tvr-eng.co.uk) for a test drive once just outside of Providence RI (approx 1967). I was 18 and thought I really knew how to drive. About 5 miles on the odometer.

We were on I95 taking a freeway off ramp @ 70 mph est. I braked down to about 50 (in third gear) double clutched and grabbed second. WELL second was a pretty low gear in that car, the rear end instantly broke loose & we did a quick 180 degree spin.

I'm now pointing the WRONG WAY on the ramp. Cars are flying by us on both sides. I ask the salesman where the headlight switch was, turned on the brights & drove wrong way back onto I95, hooked a right & blended into traffic to the next exit.

I never saw a guy turn so white so fast. I'll be he still tells the story about the kid who spun the TVR on a test drive.

BTW that car really did handle great, problem was behind the steering wheel.

Sorry for taking the thread a little off topic.

 

[MsSchroder]

That's a funny story... I'm glad it didn't have a bad ending..
It's your thread, I think you're allowed to hijack it if you want