ZO6 3288 Mile Trip Report (added Pics)
 

We took the ZO6 on a trip to visit relatives and friends in Illinois and just got back. I thought some of you might be interested in how things went.

We put a total of 3288 miles on the car on this trip. We took 2 days to drive from Tampa to St. Charles Illinois and got the trip started by attending Bloomington Gold. This leg of the trip consisted of 1185 miles, mostly highway at 80 MPH. We averaged an amazing 26.3 MPG. We had room in the car for 2 large suitcases and stuffed a lot of small things in the cubbies around them. My wife and I are both on the small side and we found the car most comfortable.

We left St. Charles and went to central Illinois making a couple of side trips to the I&M Canal and a windmill farm before spending a week in the Springfield/Jacksonville area to visit relatives and friends. On the return trip to Florida we stopped at the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green Kentucky and at the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg Tennessee and then home.

Most of the trip was on Interstate and local highways but some of it was city and waiting in traffic for highway construction and accident removal. The weather was mixed and we drove several stretches in pouring rain. The ZO6 handled every kind of weather and traffic condition without issue. We averaged 23.7 MPG for the entire 3288 miles.

I hear a lot of complaining about the Goodyear run-flats on these cars but we didn’t experience any problem with them. They were excellent performers in the rain and I can’t discern any additional wear on them from the extended highway miles. They are noisier on some road surfaces but that seems to be more the condition of the road than poor tread design. Some surfaces were very quiet.

This was our first trip to Bloomington Gold since it moved to St. Charles. I couldn’t imagine a golf resort being able to accommodate an event like Bloomington Gold but it turned out to be an excellent place for such a show. The turnout was good but the show wasn’t as large as I remembered from the Bloomington and Springfield venues. We met up with a friend from Detroit that bought his 2008 convertible in the same Nov. timeframe that I bought the ZO6. He took museum delivery and I had mine delivered to Tampa. This was the first time we had the cars together so that was fun. They parked spectators’ Corvettes on the fairways of the golf course which made a beautiful setting. It was like everyone with a Corvette was part of the show. The L-88 parade consisted of about 25 cars, some of which had racing history. I met Dick Guldstrand in person and he drove the L-88 he raced at LeMans in the parade.

The “windmill farm” in central Illinois is amazing. Those things are giants. They stand about 360 ft. tall and the blades are almost 100 ft. long.

We took a barge ride on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. The canal was built to complete a navigable route from New York, through the Great Lakes to the Illinois River where barges could connect with the Mississippi and go all the way to New Orleans. There is a barge at LaSalle, IL. that is pulled by mules just like when the canal was used commercially in the 1800’s. Rides are only $12 and the trip was very informative and enjoyable.

We had been to the Corvette Assembly Plant several times but this was our first time to the Corvette Museum. The dioramas featuring 60’s and 70’s Corvettes were very nice. They had quite a few old Corvette race cars on display which I always find interesting. The main auditorium featured a display of various Indy and NASCAR Corvette pace cars and there was a special display of a 1953, 1963, 1973, 1983 (supposedly the only 83 in existence), 1993 and 2003 on display in the hallway. There were also cutaway engines, a few prototype cars and displays from NCRS and NCCC. At the senior ticket price of $6 this was a bargain.

Another side trip took us to the Jack Daniels Distillery at Lynchburg Tennessee. This was a free tour and was just excellent. It is a beautiful historic place in a wonderful hilly setting and the tour guide was also a part time quality tester (read “taster”). This is the only place you can buy alcohol in this dry county.

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My black ZO6 on the golf course display at Bloomington Gold

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Me sitting in the 2009 ZR1 in the Chevy display

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Dick Guldstrand standing behind his LeMans L-88

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Inside the Corvette Museum

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C5R Engine on display at the Corvette Museum

road trip
 

Sounds like a ride to remember, awsome! Did you run the Z anywhere?:D

Awesome trip in an Awesome ride. I love road trips in the vette. Hope to run my 96 to Texas for christmas (2000 miles round trip)...just have to get the heater working before then or we'll have to take my wife's hyuandi (say it ain't so). It's amazing to have a 500 hp car that gets almost as good gas mileage as my ole 96 with a measly 300. :thumbsup: I did a 3200 mile trip two years ago and averaged right at 25mpg.

Keep on cruising!!!!

I didn't "run the Z" anywhere.

Only got on it on entrance ramps and the open roads in rural Illinois.

My wife is encouraging me to do a track day at Sebring but since I used to race there in a purpose built car on race tires I am a little reluctant to want to run a 505 hp car there on street tires.

Sounds like a great trip,any:pics:

Sounds like a great trip. I think the Jack Daniels could boost the gas octane a few points. :lmao:

:dancer01:

I added a few pictures to the original post.

Awesome write-up....thanx for sharing your trip w/ us.

I have a '09 C6 coupe on order that I intend to use for road trips such as you just completed. I am very tempted to opt for the Callaway package but have a little concern about reliability on long trips...any thoughts??:shrug01:

Callaway's won't have any more of an issue with reliability than a stock C6. They build a very good car and are backed by the GM warrantee. I wish they still offered a twin turbo option like in the late eighties though.