Billy Wyatt

650/650 hp/tq

C.J. Ichiban

(I know I was lumping in with MB SLS/ Viper/ etc)

randr

Great time and well driven.

Chris Gebhardt is a good barometer hes very consistent both at the Ring, Hockenheim Kurs and GP.

I'm looking forward to the release of the mid-engined Corvette, I suspect GM will do a great job with this car. Porsche has had every chance to give its mid-engined platform the engine it deserved.

In this regard the competition is starting to take the initiative - time waits for no man.

Checkmate

Forget power. Watching the Sport Auto video compared to other runs, its evident GM is now king of chassis tuning as evidenced by the excellent run of the ZL1 1LE.

The entry/exit speeds along with excellent damping control is surely something to behold. Tough to do with a car that has gobs of power and torque as it would be usually unmanageable. In addition, the driver ran in Track Mode where the assists are minimal compared to the other PTM modes.

The C7 Z06 has a Power to Weight Ratio of 5.45 lb / hp which is among the lowest when compared class to class.Not to mention 50/50 weight distribution thanks to a Transaxle (Not a Transmission) setup.

What's most impressive is the price of entry into these cars compared to its German/European rivals. The blue collar hero is surely back with a vengeance.

Para82

Hell yah get some USA

basil2000

The z06 is fast and fun to drive on track. Nothing comes close for the money(other than the zl1 1le). Would love to see what GM would do for a time. Great times to be a car enthusiast.

thebishman

Even in 'Track' mode you have Sport 1; Sport 2, and Race; (along with Dry and Wet), modes to chose from. The PDR data would have shown us which actual mode the car was in.

As for handling: the car is fantastic with an accurate track alignment including the all important rear caster. With the addition of the DSC V2 it's amazing.

KINGSRULE

Interesting. Yesterday I happened to stop by a Chevy dealer to check out the Corvette. Having owned 4 GT3's I'm kind of getting tired of the whole allocation deal. My main initial interest was the quality of the interior and the "feel" of the dealer.

Interior: Really pretty nice. Seats felt good, materials were as good as Porsche. I didn't like the 2 separate cockpit design but not a deal breaker. Didn't check out gauge design. The chrome wheels look cheap

Dealer: Had 3 C7's on showroom floor as well as 2 one year old cars on lot. Dealer seems to be focused on Corvettes. Salesperson was very nice but didn't have a clue about the different models, options. I was asking about the Grand Sport. I was only customer there. U would think a more knowledgeable rep/manager would have jumped in. Several of the guys overheard our conversations. Felt that it was an "up" sales system and I got the person I got. If I had more time I could have driven something but the sense I had was permission had to be granted by a higher up. I did receive a nice comment about my P car as I was leaving.....

I haven't been in a US car dealership in like 30 years....not much has changed.

GrantG

3 laps is only 38 miles. I think most cars can get at least 2.5 mpg on the Ring (except maybe Bugatti Chiron)

Para82

I walked into a Corvette dealer recently and within 3 minutes was offered the keys to test drive the new GrandSport. I politely declined the test drive but they were very courteous and professional. I might return soon and see if they want to make a deal.

Palting

I heard the Z06 overheats on the track. Is that not true anymore?

thebishman

The M7 car for 2017 is now very difficult to overheat on track during a typical HPDE run session. It has a secondary water radiator installed and a larger S/C cover along with different angulation of the I/C 'bricks' that help with heat management. Hence engine oil and water temps are far better controlled and the car won't 'pull' power from high IATs.

Truth be told even 2015/16 M7's are difficult to overheat for most advanced drivers, since we don't tend to be constantly banging up against the rev limiter, and use the huge torque of the car at lower rpms. Very different of course than a GT3/GT3 RS.

The major issue has been and remains with the A8 version of the car which can and will overheat quickly on a road course when left in 'D' mode, or revved to redline in 'M' mode. There is no room for the secondary water radiator in the nose of the car like the M7 version, as there is a secondary transmission cooler already installed in that location. You can, if you know what you're doing, drive the car on the torque curve and 'short shift' to help keep engine oil/water temps out of the 'limp mode' region. You'll still be really quick, but it is frustrating to have to worry about it instead of just getting on with driving at times. A shame as the A8 transmission is an excellent high performance TQ transmission and is very useful on track. Not PDK fantastic granted; but still very good. Also the car is actually quicker in the A8 configuration on most road courses, except for these damn overheating issues.

Bish

montoya

Nice to see a reference lap finally for the Z06. I have the Grand Sport and would agree that the handling is extraordinary, bumps just seem to never ever unsettle the car at speed. My biggest issue in 3 months of ownership is the low end torque- too much of it! I know that sounds stupid, but the extra torque just takes some of the fun away of revving it out with the manual. Of course you're going like stink, but it's somehow not as exciting as revving a lower torque motor to high rpm. Other than that is a really nice sports car, great cruising where it is much quieter and refined than the GT3.

GrantG

Interesting! I guess that explains why some have lost affection for the new turbocharged 911 Carrera and Boxster/Cayman as well...

ipse dixit

Not sure it's the same issue with the 991.2 Carrera and 718s.

The problem with the low end torque of the C7 Z06 is the chassis, which simply can't handle that amount of power.

I don't the same issue exists with the Porsches, which are set up better.