Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Leaf Springs vs. Coil Springs

[Mike (themightytoe]

OK,

So my own experience with my 2001 Z06...

Phenomenal handler, in 2001, I don't think there was another factory car
that could out handle it.  Nothing.  Steering feel was not as good as a
Porsche, or a BMW.  Handling on a road course, no question in my mind that
it had no peers, F360, 911 TT, Viper GTS, nada...  Short course, long
course, did not matter, anything short of a full race ready car and even
several race ready cars could not touch a stock Z06 in handling.  Great
balance, big tires, Very stiff chassis and suspension and mostly very
predictable at the limit.  At < 60 mph, that would be an autoX course (at
least in Texas it would be a slow one)...  and I think the Z06 is a pretty
wicked auto crosser also, I recall shredding a set of Supercar tires at
Mineral Wells one day in it and that was a lot of fun, I did not get FTD,
but I was in the top 5.  This is a car that raised the performance bar for
other manufacturers pretty significantly.  

The car's true weak points (in order):  Trans cooling, brake longevity,
engine oiling, interior like playskool, most owners have no clue what they
have in their garage.   

So leaf springs?  Not too bad really, but for a full race kit, you can't
beat the adjustability of a true coilover setup, regardless of the added
weight. 

I think today there are some cars that can hold their own with a C6 Z06 on a
racetrack, but you can still count them on 1 hand.  

That said it is a car that I do not miss as much as I miss the 348, Boxster
or my E36 M3.


BR,
Mike


-----Original Message-----
From: robert_h_bowser [at] juno.com [mailto:robert_h_bowser [at] juno.com] 
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2008 11:33 PM
To: Mike Fleischer
Cc: The FerrariList
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Leaf Springs vs. Coil Springs

As far as this member of the peanut gallery is concerned....

The C5 Z06 (GM leaf springs) is the most incredibly handling car I have ever
been fortunate to drive.  GM really did it right.  But then again, I am not
really a track guy.  I'm a high speed guy.  And when you push that car to
high speeds, it is very stable.  Very forgiving of lousy road surfaces.  On
a very tight track where the speeds are limited to less than 60mph, many
other cars would run circles around it.  On high speed tracks, it would
probably be the reverse. 

I think that there are so many other factors affecting handling that I can't
say that the leaf spring is any better.  Every car is a package.  Good and
bad.  Really depends on the application.  Each car is tuned for a different
audience. 

I've had a Lotus Europa S2, a Jaguar XKE, a Datsun 280Zx, a Ferrari 308GTS,
and a Corvette Z06.  All great cars in their own way, but terrible cars in
other ways.  All different.

Can't see one suspension design as being intrinsically better than another.
Depends on the entire package.  What works for that car.

Bob
'01 Corvette Z06
'78 308GTS 
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