Best and most disappointing moments to date!

VelocityYellowRules!

VelocityYellowRules!

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As a 4 month old C6 Z06 owner I have had a fair number of interesting experiences with this car. Most recently I was at a stop light in Peace River when a Challenger pulled up along side me and the guy challenged me to "race for pinks" claiming that he had a supercharger and 600 hp. I told him no thanks but maybe when I got a ZR1 instead. Afterward I started thinking that even with 600 hp his cars weighs closer to 4000 lb and I might not come off so bad. For example, the reviews of the 650 hp 2012 Mustang GT 500 find it to be not as fast as a Z06 in the 1/4 mile. So I thought that I recognized this car from my local town of Grimshaw and that when I was going to get my mail I would keep an eye out for it. Sure enough I saw it parked in Grimshaw and so I stopped and went and knocked on the door. When the guy came to the door and I asked him if he was the Challenger owner that I had met that afternoon in Peace River who challenged me to a race he said he was and was he ever looking sheepish! So he came outside and we got talking about our cars and it turns out that he just has a 370 or so hp Challenger RT (ie. no problem here) and we had a good laugh about it. It was sort of funny and even Dodge and Ford owners are probably OK guys in the end, just not with enough taste in cars it would appear.

So OK, now go back to March. It was an early snow melt here and I had the experience of on a few occasions when I was coming back from taking my son to school about 55 km from where I live meeting a silver C6 Z06 on the road. I sort of came to the conclusion that it was probably from Peace River, the nearest large town. So of course as some of you know I became a C6 Z06 owner myself in April. But I always wondered where the silver car was from. My gf even saw it once is the parking lot of a grocery store in Peace River which let further to the thought that it must be a local car.

I had the thought that it would be sort of nice to meet the owner and just to be able to maybe ask some questions and sort of joinly bask in the great taste that we both shared!

Well after going for a walk along the river yesterday with my son I was "cruising main" before heading home and lo and behold I see the silver C6 Z06 parked on main street, with an empty spot to it's immediate left. So I pulled in and parked beside this car and figured I'd wait a few minutes to see if the owner came out and just to meet him and have a chat for a few minutes.

Well the guy eventually came out, my son leaned out the window and told him that he liked his car and he told my son he liked our car - and he got in a drove off!

Now while I wasn't expecting to be invited over for dinner or anything I was actually sort of "gobsmacked" at the experience. I meet other Corvette owners and of course we are always waving enthusiastically to one another and so forth. I mean the guy never even popped his head down to window height to say "hey, how's it going" or anything like that.

I'm not sure why if my expectations for being sociable are so out of line. I mean if I lived in the boonies, where I do, and had a car like this and found another owner of the same type of car I'd be really excited and happy to find a kindred spirit.

I just would have wanted to know a few questions, how long he owned it for, where he gets it serviced, where he finds higher octane gas (I can only find 91 at Shell right now), any problems he's had with the car and that sort of stuff.

I'm a farmer and when we meet a farmer we always talk shop/crops/equipment and so forth and I just was I guess expecting Corvette owners to be the same.

Were my expectations so out of line????? Would you not be more polite if you were somewhere and another Corvette was parked beside you to just take a few minutes to say hello, especially in such a small town of 6000 people where you are likely to run into one another again or see each other on the street????? Almost justifies the reputation that Corvette owners sometimes have of being elitist owners!

How have your experiences been encountering other Corvette owners?????

Cheers,

Garry
 
Gary , there are alot very nice people that own Corvette's , sadly there are some that are just a blemish on the group . Don't let that effect how you feel about the car or other owners. Most of us a pretty down to earth :canada:
 
I live in hope that is the case!

Hi Manny,

I would expect that to be the situation that most Corvette owners would be so happy to talk shop for a bit no matter how rushed they were! Like I said, most Corvette owners I meet we at least wave happily to one another.

But for me, meeting another Z06 owner is unexpected in this part of Canada and a much more significant event so I was just so taken aback by the lack of enthusiasm, the guy has to be more of an introvert than I am it would seem!

I sort of feel lost, maybe expecting a kind of mentoring type of experience maybe or at least some good fellowship. Heck even my doctor has a 2004 Mustang (one of the 40 with the special color shifting BASF paint jobs, the "Mystic Cobra") and we talked so much about our cars we ended up having his receptionist knock on the door to see what the delay and all the laughing was about!

Still excitedly awaiting for the CAI and exhaust controller to arrive!!

Cheers,

Garry
 
Gary,

I'm with Manny on this one. While we've had our C6 06' for nearly 6 years and Manny has been instrumental (mostly mental) to say the least in our need and acquisition of more BHP, I can honestly say that Bonnie and I have met some truly amazing Vette owners and a few not so great ones.

Unfortunately this will be the case in all car brands.
[mob][/mob]
 
Garry if you get down around Rycroft, keep an eye out for a black 87 C4. Heavy Metal lives down there He will talk your ears off about Vette's.
 
Northern Alberta Corvette Owners!

Thanks for the suggestion!

I lived in Spirit River, 6 km away from Rycroft for 16 years so I wonder if I ever met him? I'll have to send him a message to find out.

Terry Woods dad (Woodland south of Rycroft maybe 10 km) has a pair of "His and Hers" C3's as well but I've never seen them on the road, always parked.

I spotted a red C5 in Peace River while walking yesterday too.

Cheers,

Garry
 
I met a 'vette guy (at a race track) a while back and was excited to go talk to him about our rides and was disappointed to get stone walled too. Our conversation went something like this:

- Nice C6, I have a C5
- Ya thanks.
- Have you done any mods to it? Like the changes?
- No it's stock.
- Well those aren't stock brakes there.
- Oh. Ya. I changed the brakes.
- And that isn't the stock exhaust.
- Oh. Ya. I put exhaust on it.
- And it idles different... did you do internal changes?
- Well tuned ya.
- OK... was nice meeting you... bye.
(His brother later told me he did heads/cam/tune.)

This was however my only poor conversation with other 'vette owners. I chalked it up to his being competitive. He runs an undeclared classification and therefore wins.
 
Elitism

Thanks for your comment!

I often wondered if it was maybe his disappintment to there being another C6 Z06 in the neighbourhood and maybe him being sad at someone else having the same car he did. But between Z06 owners I really would have expected a sort of shared bond of not just wanting a Corvette and not being able to afford a ZR1 but this being the next best thing! I know when I was still driving my Datsun 280ZX OMG if I met another owner of any Datsun Z car it was almost a requirement for a 10 or 15 minute conversation over our cars!

Lets face it, you should not be driving a car like this if you DON'T want the attention and for sure don't get it in Velocity Yellow if you feel that way!

Maybe the racing owner was a bit more bashful about talking about what he'd done to the car, but if you noticed everything he'd done I can't imagine that the people at the race who make sure you don't cheat with mods unappropriate for your category not noticing as well!

And sure, maybe with the guy I met, his personality is just like that, he has the taste to buy a Z06 but doesn't want to be bothered with other Z06 owners. Pity that!

Cheers,

Garry
 
Keep the passion alive, Garry -- Not everyone feels it but most of us do.

We see it occasionally when out driving on meeting other 'vette owners: Most wave and smile, some will even stop and chat, while a few treat the experience as if they're driving a Chevette not a Corvette.
A pity but true. Makes one wish they'd give it to someone who would carry on the passion.

That passion is out there -- keep lookin'.:D

C.
 
DrJer said:
I met a 'vette guy (at a race track) a while back and was excited to go talk to him about our rides and was disappointed to get stone walled too. Our conversation went something like this:

- Nice C6, I have a C5
- Ya thanks.
- Have you done any mods to it? Like the changes?
- No it's stock.
- Well those aren't stock brakes there.
- Oh. Ya. I changed the brakes.
- And that isn't the stock exhaust.
- Oh. Ya. I put exhaust on it.
- And it idles different... did you do internal changes?
- Well tuned ya.
- OK... was nice meeting you... bye.
(His brother later told me he did heads/cam/tune.)

This was however my only poor conversation with other 'vette owners. I chalked it up to his being competitive. He runs an undeclared classification and therefore wins.
Click to expand...

HA! That is too funny. I had a conversation with a guy but with Chevelles much shorter than this. His was one of 3 hundred and something as stated on his license plate. I asked what made it rare thinking it was an awesome engine or something and it turned out to be the paint (which is fine) but he said it in such a way that it made me feel like I wasn't worthy to talk with him. I was all ready to talk Chevelles and point out my '66 396 4 speed car but left feeling jipped. So, there are those in every car group.

Me, I can't talk enough about cars and will talk about Corvettes until I can't think straight. If I saw a Z06 and I had one, you bet I would stay to talk for a bit but maybe he was in a real rush, or caught off guard seeing another Z, or something and now that you opened the door and he has had time to think, he'll stop by and talk the next time.
 
Interesting thinking.............

Very good points you make!

He could have been really pressed for time, true. Still even 10 seconds to say something like "oh how terrific to see another individual with such good taste to drive a Z06. I'd like to stay and we can gloat about what great taste we have but my wife just went into labour" and I'd have been fine with that.

I can also see how he would be maybe a bit let down thinking he used to have the fastest car north of Grande Prairie and now has to share that bragging right with someone else..............

To be sure, if I did come across him again, I would wave to be sociable. Maybe next time he'll take up the initative to start a conversation with me????

Also spotted in Fairview but I was going to pick up my son with the Sentra SER, a red C6 Z51, not sure if it is local or just visiting but it sure made me smile. We can't have enough Corvette owners up in the far north........

Owning this car is going to be helping me enjoy the 6 months of snow free time I get to experience right now!

Cheers,

Garry
 
Chat

I tend to chat with everyone. Some are just the opposite and don't talk comfortably to strangers. Perhaps he had important stuff on his mind or was in a hurry. If I see a nice kid at a cruise night, I even let him sit in the car. Does that ever put a smile on a kid's face. Makes my day too. There are all kinds of people out there. If they want to chat, that's fine. If they don't, no big deal. It's not something that I lose any sleep over.
 
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VelocityYellowRules! said:
I can also see how he would be maybe a bit let down thinking he used to have the fastest car north of Grande Prairie and now has to share that bragging right with someone else..............

Cheers,

Garry
Click to expand...

Yah, maybe it will just take a little time for him to get over himself. Good thing you didn't get a ZR1!:rofl:

I'm sure you guys will be talking in no time.
 
We could take bolt on upgrades..............!

I hope you're right Riley P.

My WtM exhaust control arrived (thanks Manny!) and as well I found out much to my dismay that my Snake Charmer arrived in Peace River but for some reason UPS hasn't ever called me. So upon learning this I further discovered that it was actually being handled by a UPS service partner for this area, Puralator, who upon calling UPS are going to "call you tomorrow before 10 am to give you directions on where to pick it up"............

Man service is sure is hard to get.

But at least I'll be able to talk upgrades now if I meet this fellow again!!!!

Maybe I did over-react to the whole thing. But it just left me so deflated to finally meet another Z06 owner face to face and to not have my fantasy "love-in" together about our cars.

I'll live in hope that the next one I meet will better of a more social nature right out of the box.

Cheers,

Garry
 
Upgrades..............

Just picked up my Vararam! Much excitement! But I was confused in that they talked about an increase in top end speed of 7 to 10 mph. The stock Z06 is suppose to top out at 198, the ZR1 at 205, the hp difference being 505 to 638. So how does tapping into another potential, say, 42 hp of the Vararam achieve this?

You've added a Vararam to your Z51, did it really make that much of a difference?

It is showering here right now so I'll be dalyed in adding my new bits but boy I sure can't wait for sun!

Oddly I used to live in 'toon-town myself back in the late 1960's when my dad worked at the university. Nice city, great bridges.

Cheers,

Garry
 
I bought my Vette with the Vararam already installed so I have no before/after experiences and oddly enough, have never been in a stock C5. I took one guy who owns a C5Z for a quick run and from his perspective, he thought my car pulled as hard as his which is cool to hear.

I don't know what Vararam uses to qualify their claims, if it's on a stock car or on a car that has other modifications that make the benefits of using a Vararam greater. Manny may know this but they claim my car can make up to 40 more hp! Sweet!

As for the higher top end on your car, good question! I always thought that outside of a ZR1, all cars obtained their top speed at red line in 5th. So, the Vararam may allow your car to pull in 6th OR maybe it can rev higher (with a tune of course)????
 
40 HP gains from a CAI seems like a real stretch to me. I wonder what's actually getting to the wheels--assuming everything else is stock. 5-12 maybe? Even with headers, I'd think that 40 HP would be tough (beefed up exhaust to match the beefed up induction.

I may be wrong, but even if only 5-12 to the wheels, that's good gains--especially dollar-for-dollar. Would love to see pics of the Vararam installed.

Anyone know if these things wear down easily? How many miles until the need replacing?

I want one--but other things are higher up the list right now.
 
You can check out my unit....er...I mean my intake...um....Vararam....hmmmm....even that sounds bad.....you can check out the section of the front of my car that allows air to go into the engine tonight!
 
Gee, GM says in their brochures that our 2005 C6 has a top speed of 186 mph. If I get one of these super duper air intakes then can I brag that our car will do 196. At 186 mph it takes a huge jump in power to go another 10 mph faster. An air intake isn't going to do it and I very much doubt that you would ever feel the difference at any speed we will be driving. We'd probably have to go to Bonneville to find out. Top speed is irrelevant for all intents and purposes on the street but I CAN take the car to the drag strip and find out what it is capable of in the quarter mile. Does anyone know what can be done to stop the wheel hop. Wouldn't want to break something with all this extra hp that I will be producing.
 

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