2015 Corvette Z06

Think of all the totalled Z06s there will be right after they're released. That's a ton of power and someone will say, "I want to smoke some tires."

And then they'll turn off the traction control/stability management; why the hell not, the car hasn't been too much of a handful and they're a pretty good driver....

And then pow. We'll have a motor swap for miatas/brz/frs/is300/etc.

In reply to accordionfolder:

Yes! I'm reminded of seeing a Viper club at the Indy 500 track one Saturday. A whole bunch of guys my age and older, my size and heavier showed up. All they wanted to do was burnouts on the straightaway and were scared to travel above interstate speeds on the corners. I saw a bunch of guys do 180*s while attempting straight line burnouts. One idiot even managed to do a 360!

I doubt that Indy has allowed a car club to go faster than 55mph since! And I can't blame them either.

Well, they're apparently listening to people like us who say we want to shift our cars manually. So, that's pretty cool. If the automatic transmission works as well as they say it does, why fight it? They require almost no maintenance. How much does it cost to have clutches changed in a DSG? How often do you have to do it?

docwyte wrote: I have to agree with Joe. I'm on the track with C6 Z06's alot and in the hands of an experienced driver they're stupidly fast. I can only imagine what one with ZR1 type of power will do. Honestly, for those of us who like to take ours cars to the track, a properly equipped base C7 is the way to go. The C7 Z06 will just be too much to handle for 99.99% of us.

Judging by the track days I've been too, there are plenty of people from whom a '91 Miata is too much to handle.

Rupert wrote: In reply to accordionfolder: Yes! I'm reminded of seeing a Viper club at the Indy 500 track one Saturday. A whole bunch of guys my age and older, my size and heavier showed up. All they wanted to do was burnouts on the straightaway and were scared to travel above interstate speeds on the corners. I saw a bunch of guys do 180*s while attempting straight line burnouts. One idiot even managed to do a 360! I doubt that Indy has allowed a car club to go faster than 55mph since! And I can't blame them either.

I did a Viper track day once at Barber and it was probably the scariest thing I ever did. Out of all the ones that were there, maybe two or three could really drive. I did a ride along with one guy and after one lap I wanted out and would not get back in. He was that bad. Jerking the wheel in a 500hp car is not a good idea at speed, and he had no clue what the break pedal was for either.

Anyway, back on point, am I the only one that really does not like the new Corvette? I've seen a few now and there is something fundamentally wrong with the styling. To me it reminds me of the car in Corvette Summer but without all the flames. The C6 was such a great looking car, while the new one just looks goofy. Almost like it was designed by several people, never having had one meeting. I'm sure it's a much better car, and certainly faster, but I'd take a C5 or C6 any day over the C7. Maybe it's just me....

What is the purpose of the break pedal on the Viper ?

The only automatic Corvette I ever saw running on track and he only ran a few laps before the transmission overheat light came on. Hope they have that problem taken care of.

In reply to racerdave600:

I mean, I'll be completely honest when I say the power of my MS3 scares me when put in the context of a track day. I'm there to:

1) have fun

2) not wreck

3) learn

Until I level up greatly, I'll stick to my slow, momentum cars. I always feel bad for 1st timers at HPDEs/track days that have "serious" or high powered cars. Some are ass-hats for sure, but some are peer pressured into overspeeding/outside their comfort zone/etc. If you go slow in a fast car, you'll probably be ribbed a bit; so they end up trying to go fast when they're not ready.

On the Z06, I agree there's a weird mismatch for the zr1 vs z06 now, and we'd probably all get plenty of a handful with the c7 corvette, but my god the new z06 is so much nicer to look at. So sharp and brutal with that hunched, low stance.

In reply to confuZion3: "....how much does it cost to have clutches changed...."

Don't know how much it costs and in the concentric shaft models (Porsche/Audi/VW - others too) there are two clutches -- but according to the manufacturers that spec them, the DSG automated manual trannies are much easier on both the clutches and the transmissions than a traditional manual transmissions because the computer that controls things doesn't make the mistakes that humans do. No left feet riding on the clutch pedal, no missed shifts, no partially engaged clutches during shifts/downshifts resulting in grinding gears, no 6th to 3rd downshifts making the synchros work hard, perfect rev matches on downshifts saving more wear/tear on the clutches and synchros, etc.

Joe Gearin wrote: While I love that they make this......it really is a silly car. Heck, the C6 Z06's 505 hp was ridiculous overkill for the street. You'd have to be a serious asshat to come anywhere close to that car's limits on public roads. So you'll just have to take it to the track to exploit it's capabilities then........ so what are YOUR capabilities? When driving a 505hp car on track, things happen very, very quickly. Although modern Corvettes are incredibly easy to drive fast-- and have nanny systems that will keep all but the most hamfisted drivers out of trouble-- you'd better be on your game if you turn the traction /stability overlords off. The C6 Z06 had capabilities far far beyond the abilities of most drivers---- I know it's limits are beyond mine, and I'm hardly a newbie to performance driving. This new car will amp it up even further. It's a great halo car, but as a real performance machine, it's silly overkill, as are most "supercars" these days. As a toy for Dario Franchitti, now that he's retired.....sure that makes sense. For most of us? Nahhh......it's just a manhood augmentation. Not that I don't like it.......it just doesn't make much sense for 99.9% of the folks who will buy it. A base Corvette makes more sense.....as does an Elise, Miata, or anything else that can be exploited without achieving warp speeds. just my buzzkill .02

CHALLENGE_ACCEPTED. I got used to 400HP pretty goddamned quickly. Saving my pennies for 556.

Joe Gearin wrote: You'd have to be a serious asshat to come anywhere close to that car's limits on public roads. This new car will amp it up even further. It's a great halo car, but as a real performance machine, it's silly overkill, as are most "supercars" these days. As a toy for Dario Franchitti, now that he's retired.....sure that makes sense. For most of us? Nahhh......it's just a manhood augmentation.

Man I'm sorry but this is just bullE36 M3. My dd is a motorcycle with over 170hp and I want more, so I'm get it it this Friday. Trading in my k1200s for a 1300s and I sure am not trying to do it to impress anyone. I'm getting it because it's what I enjoy, in fact it makes a pretty damn good dd for me, but flat gets down with it when I want it to. Now would I dd a new z06 if that we're in the cards? And maybe push it while I'm at it? Hell yeah I would and I'd love every minute of it.

racerdave600 wrote:

Rupert wrote: In reply to accordionfolder: Yes! I'm reminded of seeing a Viper club at the Indy 500 track one Saturday. A whole bunch of guys my age and older, my size and heavier showed up. All they wanted to do was burnouts on the straightaway and were scared to travel above interstate speeds on the corners. I saw a bunch of guys do 180*s while attempting straight line burnouts. One idiot even managed to do a 360! I doubt that Indy has allowed a car club to go faster than 55mph since! And I can't blame them either.

I did a Viper track day once at Barber and it was probably the scariest thing I ever did. Out of all the ones that were there, maybe two or three could really drive. I did a ride along with one guy and after one lap I wanted out and would not get back in. He was that bad. Jerking the wheel in a 500hp car is not a good idea at speed, and he had no clue what the break pedal was for either. Anyway, back on point, am I the only one that really does not like the new Corvette? I've seen a few now and there is something fundamentally wrong with the styling. To me it reminds me of the car in Corvette Summer but without all the flames. The C6 was such a great looking car, while the new one just looks goofy. Almost like it was designed by several people, never having had one meeting. I'm sure it's a much better car, and certainly faster, but I'd take a C5 or C6 any day over the C7. Maybe it's just me....

I agree with the second part. I'm hoping in the next few years to add either a 2016/17 Mustang, or a C6 Z06 to the garage.

iceracer wrote: What is the purpose of the break pedal on the Viper ?

It must be to make something break. It can't be to stop the car; that's the brake pedal's job.

I think I like the looks of the C6 better, the C7's styling is a bit too boy-racerish, but the C7 is a significantly better car and I wouldn't let a few plastic bits dissuade me.

I still think the C7 looks like an American Ferrari. I like it.

With this having 625 hp, they don't even need a ZR1. I believe that many consumers didn't want the Z06 to be the track star, just a high performance version, hence the automatic trans being available and a removable roof.

Manufacturers should make some high performance sports cars with a manual trans and a dual clutch trans. A regular auto trans is not needed.

In reply to racerdave600:

Its a car that either looks great or looks like E36 M3 pending the color you choose.......lets also note that your sentiment is about the same as alot of people when every new generation comes around.

I'm with you Racerdave600, and GameboyRMH--- I can't warm up to the styling of the C7 either, and prefer the looks of the C6--- especially in Z06 form.

To me the new car looks like an angry anime character--- especially from the back. To me, this is not a good thing. I'm sure it's an improved machine, but looks wise, FWIW, it doesn't flip my lid.

And Poopy---- I can totally see you in a CTS-V with 556hp, and I want that for you! .....but keep in mind, the Corvette weighs a THOUSAND pounds less!

In reply to racerdave600:

Look at the bright side - with the introduction of the C7, prices for C6's will really start to drop. I happend to see a C6 Z06 for ~$47K.

http://www.lraautomuseumandsales.com/web/new/Chevrolet-Corvette-2007-Bristol-Pennsylvania/8259366/

I think GM has done a great job with this car. It is hard to believe that you can get true supercar performance for under 100k. Not sure if it was posted hear but look at the praise of the new Z/28. Now imagine that 500 lbs lighter with 125 more horespower. The only thing I wish it had was a true automated clutch system although they say the 8 speed auto will shift about as fast as Porsche's PDK system (we will see about that). Other than that, I love the styling (exterior and interior), the aero package, suspension, brakes, powertrain, wheels etc. I think they were smart having an auto and convertible option. It all equates to more sales (and more posers but who cares). I would love to have a day at the track with this car more so than any other car under 100k right now. Will there be guys there that are faster in a lighter car with less horespower? Probably, but I would have such a grin on my face that I would not even notice. They don't make these cars to turn an average driver into the fastest driver after all...

I think they hit a home run with the C7. I'd love a C7 with the Z51 package. I do prefer the looks of the C6 though. I'd have a tough time deciding between the C6 Z06 and the C7 Z51 if they were in my price range.

official SAE-certified power statistics on the all-new 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06's LT4 supercharged engine said: The 2015 Z06 features a 6.2-liter V-8 engine that will crank up to 650 horsepower and can deliver 650 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,600 rpm.... Just off idle, the LT4 engine produces 457 lb.-ft. of torque, and at 2,800 rpm it's producing 625 lb.-ft.

Knurled wrote:

Adrian_Thompson wrote:

racerfink wrote: Are you with having to pay the 10-15k premium for the dgt? I'm not.

Where does $10-15K for duel clutch come from. There are plenty of affordable cars with duel clutch trans that don't cost an extra $10-15k. Look at the VW Audi lineup for starters.

That is amortized over many many cars. Same with Ford. The Corvette has a unique transmission layout where they cannot get realistic economy of scale.

Not really. The C7 may be different but the c5 and c6 just use normal transmissions (t56 4l60 and 6L60 or 6L80 can't remember the designation of the 6 speed) converted for use in the rear.

They could also just have someone build them a trans like they do with the t56.

They could do it, but I don't see it necessary with the vette crowds.

The old men, plumbers, and women can buy the auto. It's not bad and the last Stat I read said it represented 2/3rd of all vette buyers. The manual is for the manual die hards and racers.

Racers make up a very small percentage of vette buyers and most people that race a vette do it because of he value you get a lot for a small cash outlay (relatively), not because the vette is the best. It's not. It's good for the money. So you have to deal with a manual instead of a fancy dct, doesn't matter still paid less than a gtr/viper/ferrari/porsche\etc.

Rupert wrote: In reply to accordionfolder: Yes! I'm reminded of seeing a Viper club at the Indy 500 track one Saturday. A whole bunch of guys my age and older, my size and heavier showed up. All they wanted to do was burnouts on the straightaway and were scared to travel above interstate speeds on the corners. I saw a bunch of guys do 180*s while attempting straight line burnouts. One idiot even managed to do a 360! I doubt that Indy has allowed a car club to go faster than 55mph since! And I can't blame them either.

Your going out with the wrong viper guys. Half the guys I used to race have gutted gen IVs or ACR-W's and they haul ass. They do get black flagged though now and again.

Also we need multiquote, I love how in all the literature that I have seen about the other cars that make similar power, IE F12/Aventador, but cost 10x the corvette the GT500 is missing at 662hp with only 5.8 liters of displacement.

nicksta43 wrote: 15.5"/15.3" Carbon ceramic brakes?!?! That's pretty big.

It's a Domino's large pizza on every corner.