Daily driving a ZR-1

[edram454]

yeah,, buy a duplicate...but..... you will start to care over the duplicate and before you know it, you will have two beautiful clean cars waiting for upcoming show events. Ha. Tell me how I know!

ed ramos #3028

[8cam]

I love a dirty car! Just a great excuse to bond and clean it up again. My car lives outside (I know, the horror) but with a 2-car garage my wife gets one bay and the 308 gets the other. Sorry Z, you're roughing it. But you know, it's built well, cleans up well, and runs like a bat outta hell. Why not drive it every single day? Life is too short to drive a boring car.

I bought this car in October last year and other than a couple months where some work happened, it's been my every day driver, airport car, kid shuttle, grocery getter, Home Depot supply runner, you name it, and it just gets better the more I drive it. Most of the problems people have come from cars that aren't driven enough. This car is an American beast. It doesn't want to be babied, it wants to be worked hard!

I do have a few things that need attention, and they will get done. But the basics are solid, and it responds to regular use just like it should. Comfortable, fast, good a/c, reliable, and did I mention fast?

[Racinfan83]

That is cool that it works for you. When I said mine was a "pain" to clean - I meant that literally. I work as a baggage handler, and I have a combo pack of arthritis and carpal tunnel in my hands. Ever seen Deadliest Catch where they talk about "claw hands" - that's pretty much what I have year-round. Sometimes my right hand literally "squeaks" when I open it or try to close it (which I can't make a fist). So cleaning/waxing/etc just kills me. My hands and lower arms were both numb and in pain for over 36 hours after the two coats on the car this weekend - and that was using my Porter Cable DA to apply the glaze and wax - wiped off by hand. So I have to be really careful to NOT get it messed up - the pain of rewaxing is too much.... Sorry for the "whinefest" - just it is what it is....

[We Gone]

I agree who are you saving it for. I'm sure I will never live long enough to see big $ out of them plus how many people get to drive a real super car?

If I had a job I would drive one of mine every day, I have still been able to log about 1k miles on the Blue in the last 7 months and about 3k miles on the Yellow in the last 5 months.

[Racinfan83]

I'm not "saving" it for anybody - I do several shows and I'm "in em to win em"..
While I love driving the car - it hurts me so bad to clean it that takes priority over driving it.

[8cam]

Originally Posted by Racinfan83

That is cool that it works for you. When I said mine was a "pain" to clean - I meant that literally. I work as a baggage handler, and I have a combo pack of arthritis and carpal tunnel in my hands. Ever seen Deadliest Catch where they talk about "claw hands" - that's pretty much what I have year-round. Sometimes my right hand literally "squeaks" when I open it or try to close it (which I can't make a fist). So cleaning/waxing/etc just kills me. My hands and lower arms were both numb and in pain for over 36 hours after the two coats on the car this weekend - and that was using my Porter Cable DA to apply the glaze and wax - wiped off by hand. So I have to be really careful to NOT get it messed up - the pain of rewaxing is too much.... Sorry for the "whinefest" - just it is what it is....

Believe me I get it. While I don't have it as bad as you, 20 years working on computers damn near crippled my right hand and wrist. Using a normal mouse results in searing pain in less than an hour, and without that I can't support my family. I tried different mouse designs, track balls, thumb balls, support pads, even went left-handed for six months trying to let it rest. Nothing worked. Then I found a fricken miracle, Apple's Magic Trackpad. From the moment I switched to it, virtually zero hand/wrist pain, and I can work on my computer 12+ hours a day. Really a lifesaver, allows me to provide for my family.

Waxing still hurts, so I use my left hand there. Usually every weekend, but recent travels and deadlines mean the Z is caked in crap right now. Hopefully I'll be able to give it a proper cleanup this weekend.

[8cam]

Having a little fun with the Z yesterday, my daughter and I co-drove it in an autocross. It took us both a couple runs to get comfortable with the power and grip, but we both got a lot faster by our last run. I was working out on the course during her run group so I had a front row seat and she really pushed it, got it drifting through the high speed section. I loved it, tough to pay attention to my job while trying to watch her. It was an awesome day. I can also say the Z has now been spun twice...and it wasn't me!

The course was really bumpy and that high speed section was in the worst part. I've been autocrossing a long time, but the vette definitely feels different from the other cars I've run - huge grip, but the chassis shakes and rattles more than I expected, a little disconcerting at first. But I learned to ignore it and dropped a ton of time. My best time was 72.8 seconds and my daughter's was 79.2 which I thought was pretty respectable considering the modified cars were running mid-60's. I haven't seen the results yet, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't last in class.

Not bad for a totally stock, 25 year old car running on street tires. The Nittos were pretty good, lots of grip for a street tire, and controllable under power. When my daughter spun, it was lift-throttle oversteer that got her, not the power. Just too hot into the corner.

This is the only pic I got, since we were both too busy during the runs to get any action shots. Gotta love the class.

[edram454]

damn 4-cam you are the zr1 stud. Not only driving your car daily but autocrossing it with you daughter driving it too!! As far as the looseness, it is known that c4's are loose. this car was not initially intended to have a targa top as it was part of the structural rigidity of the car. They decided to make the targa and it loosened the car quite a bit. that is why they respond to body stiffeners, roll bars and camber stiffening rods real well. The targa top is not much of a stiffener for the car since it is just clamped in place.

Even with all the body flex it has it still handles very good. Congratulations in continuing to drive and race your car as intended.

ed ramos #3028

[Roadster]

Hello Mark, I have to say that you are really enjoying your Z, great that you are using it as a "dd". Although I only use mine on the weekends, as my 82 is my "dd", which is used to go just about anywhere.....I have put 52,000 miles on the 82 since March '12, and now approaching 120,000 miles. If I didn't have it the ZR-1 would be my "dd", as they are both fun cars to drive.....
I tend to think that you are enjoying your ZR-1 more than the 308 that is in the garage.......

[OregonDude37]

Enjoy driving our 1990 ZR1 - we try to get it out 2 or 3 days a week weather permitting. Not a true daily driver, but it is not a garage queen either!