Installation involves replacing a 10A fuse behind the passenger side kick panel and attaching a single ground wire. It really does not get any easier than this. The result is an exhaust system that will please both your wife and your gear head friends.  

One note of concern we recently had to replace the electric solenoid valve that controls the vacuum to the NPP muffler flaps. We have spoken to other people using the M2W controller and surprisingly the solenoid failure is a common occurance. At this time we don't know if the M2W bypass has anything to do with it, but we will keep you posted.

When in doubt as where to start you can't go wrong by adding some personal touches to your Z's interior. Some very simple yet effective ways to jazz up a dull GM interior include:

Resto Mod style center arm rest pad available through Mid America Motorworks. This required the removal of the arm rest lid from the console.

Color coded logo floor mats by Loyd, available from Mid America, go a long way towards perking up the Z's interior.

Colored door handle covers and arm rests are part of the package


    

Stainless Steel and aluminum door, window and misc. switch covers from ACC match the factory alumimum trim pieces

The covers have custom rolled edges and fit seamlessly over the ugly stock silver spokes.  To say the least the new look is light years ahead of the factory set up.

       

                   

As you may have noticed hot rodding is in the midst of a dramatic evolutionary phase. Modern day gear heads have become infatuated with the "show" aspect of their cars. For the most part the factory has taken care of the "go" aspect as can be seen in our very stock Z car.  Winning a trophy at a local car show is replacing the desire to win a bracket race at the local drag strip.

The new need for engine "bling" is a topic for discussion can be further reviewed in our article on the subject Engine Bay Extravaganza. Our good friends at American Car Craft came to the rescue by supplying us with various shiny engine goodies to try on.

Some of the pieces that we are trying on for size include:


ACC stainless perforated alternator cover

fuse box cover

ACC plenum cover




ACC master cylinder cover




power steering cover with Specter chrome braided hose coverings.

ACC Stainless Fuel Rail Covers



ACC Surge Tank Cover with Custom Billet Caps



Stainless Air Intake and Radiator Covers by ACC with Domed Logo Insert

A very neat looking Stainless piece from ACC was used to cover the ugly dry sump cannister

We are also in the process of covering all of the remaining plastic engine bay parts with 3M gloss carbon fiber material.  3M carbon is a low cost alternative to real carbon fiber. It is super easy to install and the results look great. (We will be doing an article on this stuff in a future edition.)

    

   

A nice touch are the chrome hood latches, liner buttons and struts

 
  

The Work in Progress

Avariation on the all stainless steel theme presented itself to us after speaking with the legendary Steve Ray at Airbrush Incorporated.  Steve is one of the most sought after automotive air brush artists in the country.  After speaking to him about our project car he graciously offered to custom paint a set of fuel rail covers for our LS7.  

After installing them all we can say is "wow" the hybrid stainless/paint look is outstanding.  This is like having your cake and eating it too, we now have the option of using an all stainless theme by ACC or mixing it up a bit with Steve Rays art work.

We really wanted this project to be a little over the top so we decided that some lighting effects were needed.  Blue LED's were inserted strategically around the air brushed  "Jake" and cross flag mural on the stock hood liner.

We also placed some blue LED's under most of the perforated stainless steel engine covers. The effect even during the day are dramatic. In an effort to defer any further power drains the LED's are not on the Vettes stock power grid.  They are powered by a small rechargeable 12v battery that is mounted inconspicuously on the front fender well.

I guess we are doing something right as our car has won top honors at most of the shows that we have entered it in.

Let the Games Begin 

As mentioned earlier the ZO6 has an inexhaustible amount of power. The problem that immediately presents itself is getting that power to the ground.  The first hurdle that a newbie Z owner will face is mastering the art of manual shifting.  As in all skills practice makes perfect.  The Z’s short throw shifter will require some getting used to.  

 A banzai first to second shift is explosive.  The revs rise so quickly that there is virtually no time to second guess your decision. You will be at sixty mph in about 3.4 seconds, in first gear. A steady hand and titanium plated steel balls are needed to control a first to second up shift.  There will be a substantial amount of wheel spin on your first up shift.  You can minimize the smoking tires by gradually getting into the throttle on the first two shifts.  This takes some practice and discipline as ones first instinct is to just mash the accelerator pedal and hold on.  A high horsepower to weight ratio car like the Z requires a certain amount of finesse in order to get it motivated.

Don’t always count on the traction assist to bail you out. The enormous power of the Z will easily overcome the factories attempt to reign in the horses. If the wheels of your Z are not pointed perfectly straight you may find yourself going backwards at seventy mph. 

Before you start tinkering with power upgrades learn how to drive the car. You need to develop a consistent shifting technique. Pull straight back on down shifts and push straight up with the palm of your hand on up shifts.  Try not to rest your heel on the carpet while depressing the clutch.  

The short throw shifter makes for a sometimes troublesome second to third up shift during hard acceleration.  If you are not carefully it is very easy to go from second back to first gear.  The scream from your engine as you approach the rev limit of 7500rpm will surely wake you up.  To avoid this frightening situation always push the shifter towards the radio during a second to third up shift.
 
The second hurdle will present itself in the form of traction or more accurately a loss of traction.  The stock Goodyear F1 super car run flats are simply not up to the job of controlling the power of the Z.  The GY’s will break loose without warning. 

In our opinion the most effective way to increase usable power on the ZO6 is to replace the stock rubber. 

The problem for the regular guy is the current price of rubber.  The going price for a new 325 30R x19 run flat will range from $400 to about $500. This price does not include mounting, balancing and disposal charges.  

We took a look at some of the available tire options that are available for the Z. Chevy finally realized that the current Goodyear run flats are simply not suitable for the Z. The 2011 ZO6 will is shod with a new design from Goodyear.  The new Goodyear G:2 super car tires have proven to be an improvement over the old style F1’s.  

A great alternative that we can endorse are the Michelin PS2 run flats.  These are great tires that deliver a substantial improvement in both ride quality and traction as compared to the current generation Goodyear’s.  The only problem with an after the fact installation of the Michelin is the price. They run about $500 each, ouch.  

A sane tire alternative in terms of maximum bang for the buck is the Bridgestone Potenza 05A pole position run flats.  We were given a set of 05A’s to test, and test we did.  The Bridgestone’s totally transformed the basic character of our Z.  The ride is great, and power transfer to the pavement is now controllable.  The Bridgestone’s retail for about $400 each, not cheap but not out of reach. 

The addition of new rubber was like adding another 100 horsepower to our Z. The uncontrollable wheel spin that was an inherent part of the Goodyear’s was gone.  The Z’s 0 to 60 mph time dropped by almost half a second.  The dreaded first to second up shift was accomplished with a minimum of wheel spin.  

The addition of rear and front Bridgestone rubber has totally transformed the ride and handling of the Z.  GM should really be ashamed by the fact that they are still equipping high performance cars with less than acceptable rubber.

There is a definite point of diminishing returns when it comes to power upgrades in the Z06 Corvette. That point is in direct proportion to available traction.  When power levels in a 3100 pound car approach the 500 horsepower mark traction tends to get a little dicey.  

Adding a substantial amount of power beyond the 500 hp mark will not always yield the expected results. This situation can be observed when comparing the zero to sixty mph capabilities of a ZO6 and a ZR1. The ZR1 has a 133 hp advantage over the ZO6. GM claims that the ZR1 is about two tenths of a second faster than the ZO6 from 0 to 60.  This claim is pure GM marketing hype, the reality is that the lower powered ZO6 has more off the line traction and will easily keep up with its exotic cousin in a zero to sixty sprint.  

The point of diminishing returns was realized by a friend of ours who upped the power levels in his 2006 ZO6 to somewhere in the mid 700 hp range.  The car sounds awesome and engine bay is a show stopper.  The problem is that the car has no chance of hooking up on street rubber. The hyper Vette driver often finds himself out gunned in standing start drag races with stock ZO6's.  The tires on a stock Z will always hook up sooner and leave the hyper Vette spinning its wheels.  Depending on his driving skills the driver of the 700 hp Vette may or may not catch the stocker.  Our friend has to run slicks on the street, not a good idea, to avoid embarrassing situations.

That being said we still want more horses for our Z.  We are still trying to decide on whether to go with a normally aspirated LS7 (heads,intake,cam,exhaust and tune) or a blown version via the use of one of the bolt on Roots style superchargers that are all the rage these days. We are leaning towards the blower as we can get an after market drive train warranty from most of the manufacturers.