Jawnathin

There is no doubt in my mind the car will still be a great performer at 455hp. The higher numbers sound better, but I don't think 465 or 475 will change performance in any meaningful way.

And if you plan on adding a blower, then stock power numbers aren't really that important. An LT1 with a decent blower setup will be in 600s pretty easily.

JoesC5

Who do you believe, the pretty face or the chief small block engineer? C&D interview at the Detroit auto show. Go to 13:00, on the C&D video. He does not say "at least 450 HP".

Chonger

If you look at the preliminary dyno graphs it is pretty stout across the entire RPM range, especially the TQ numbers. Peak numbers are deceiving. If the car traps 118-120 I would say the car delivers pretty well

Hemi Dave

Wheres the link????????

JoesC5

For those that keep saying the C7 will match the C6 Z06 in performance on the track, how does a 118-120 MPH trap speed compare to the C6 Z06's 125-127 MPH trap speed?

Is that just a rounding error in favor of the Z06?

1985 Corvette

Hey, you never know. I give the C7 a fair shake....will make for a fun comparo. Remember when the C6 ZR1 came out and the C6 Z06 guys were yelling "driver's race!" or "intake and tune and pocket the extra 40 grand"? Could be the same outcome. I love the Z06 but it has been around for nearly a decade if you count some being able to get their hands on them as early as late 2005. Would be a welcomed surprise to see a new generation model very close/extremely competitive with the midrange Corvette of yesteryear. That would definitely shake the "base model is boring" syndrome we associate with Corvette now.

JoesC5

I never said that about the ZR1/Z06 and I don't need a "intake or a tune" to make up for the C7's 50 horsepower shortfall and the extra 100 pounds(more if the Z51 is selected) of pork that the C7 has.

The ZR1 has always been a better performer than the Z06. I own a Z06 and have never made excuses for being slower than a ZR1. Money doesn't come into consideration as far as I'm concerned as you got to pay to play. I elected to pay less money for less performance and that's not a slur on either the Z06 or the ZR1. At least I own up to the fact that my Z06 isn't the King of the Hill after the 2008 model year.

Chonger

I have a C6Z also and never thought the new C7 would be close in performance. Aside from all of the negative threads lately about bad valve guides, the LS7 is just a plain NA beast!! You have the best of both worlds with a motor that has massive TQ across the entire power band and will pull all the way to 7000 RPM's. Mine with bolt on's only pulled 473 TQ SAE on the rollers in the heat of Florida summer. This also a car that weighs less than the new C7.

If the new car traps 118-120 I think it is a win for GM. Of course this is pure speculation on my behalf. The TQ numbers look really good compared to the former LS3 and the 118-120 trap speed seems realistic regardless of peak numbers.

Newton06

I was really hoping the C7 would come in with higher HP #s. My C6 puts 463 to the rollers; guess I will sit on the sidelines to see if a Hi-Po version comes out or look at alternatives from other brands.

b4i4getit

This is actually quite simple. There are many that are just disappointed that their new C7 will not outperform an obsolete 2006 Z06. If only they had waited a year until the C7 Z06 comes out.

JerriVette

The c7 z51 costs 54 grand....

Why would anyone expect or be disappointed this new generation 54 thousand dollar sports car to out perform a much more expensive c6 Z06?

I remember enjoying my modded (cam, headers, gears etc) c5 z06 and when it came time to by a c6.... I saw the price differential for coupe versus a z06 went from 5 grand in the c5 versus 35 grand for the c6.

I dig the c6 z06... It's awesome but to this millionaires opinion and for what my needs are...I saved the 35 grand out of pocket and just paid in cash the then new LS3 z51 coupe.

I can only top out at 190 mph accelerate to 60 mph in 4 flat....and corner at .99 g s...but I have an extra 35 grand in my pocket.

Personally I felt the price differential grew beyond the value equation for me.(jmo)

I am grateful to those who had a different value system and supported both the z06 and zr1 programs. Excellent personal choices I am sure

To continually expect the c7 z51 to exceed the much more expensive and track focused c6 z06 is nonsense.

GM may have created a wonderful track car in the 54 grand z51....but we can all rest assured the Z51 c7 will not surpass the c6 z06 on the track.

JMO.....GM will make people spend more like 85 to 100 grand to have that experience....

That's what they are in business for....MAKING MONEY

JoesC5

have you not been reading this forum for the past year and a half. All I've read from most of the dreamers is how the C7 is going to run circles around the C6 Z06. You know, all the posts about the C7 weighing under 3,000 pounds with some 500 horsepower. Or all the the posts about how the C7's power to weight ratio will be better than the obsolete C6 Z06's. People were pulling all kinds of "facts" out of their asses to support their dreams that the C7 would annihilate the C6 Z06.

I said it from day one, that people were wanting a $100,000 Corvette for $50,000 and I said it wasn't going to happen. Is the C7 a great car for $52,000? You bet your *** it is, but it isn't a Z06. There will be a C7 variant in the future that will upstage the C6 Z06, just as the Z06 upstaged the base C6 Z51, but you will pay for it. It ain't gonna be a base C7 for $52,000.

Supermassive

This sums up my personal beef with the comparison between a C7 and a C6Z06. The other beef I have is that the C6 base model, Z06, and ZR-1 are not in the same league as the C7 as far as looks and technology which make up 2 out of the three things that make a sports car appealing to me. The third being power and handling. Also a 2013 C6 Z06 "STARTS" at $75,590 go for a 2 LZ and you have broken $80k. Of course the C6 Z06 is quite different from the base C6, but the writing is on the wall already that the new C7 chassis is likely to remain unchanged between the C7 Stingray and the Z06. This makes it even harder to justify the likely $80k starting price of a probable C7Z06 since you have to figure out what could justify $25k increase in price if the car isn't substantially different than the Stingray.

Also for those of us who like to tinker, the idea of going FI on the new LT1 is actually quite exciting. FI+E85 + high compression makes for some interesting numbers...trust me I know, I have a 2013 Scion FRS (dont laugh) that I have turbocharged that is capable of making 500+ RWHP on 22lbs of boost. Thats from a 2.0 liter boxer 4 cylinder at 12.5:1 compression ratio on E85...all stock internals. If I can get 100 extra ponies on just regular gas I will be content, but it will be pretty intersting to see what the tuning shops do. The other thin is i can but a twin turbo setup for a Vette for less than $10k and still have $15k to throw at suspension wheels, tires, and racing schools...

If I was retired with no interest in working on cars or racing schools then I would consider blowing my midlife crisis money on a Z06 or a ZR1.

JoesC5

Just another cheap shot aimed at the older folks that have supported the Corvette for years while you bought the rice cakes. At 71 years old, I can't do the things I could just a few short years ago, because of a multitude of medical reasons(which you will have to face down the road) like restoring my 56 vette or maintaining my all original 62,000 miles 64 Vette. I'm pretty much down to doing routine maintenance on my cars like oil changes etc(I do have two 4-post lifts in my garage for such things).

But I still am able to run my C6 Z06 at over 160 MPH at Talladega and push it pretty hard at the twisties such as Tail of the Dragon and the Pig Trail as well as many other avenues.

I don't street race and I don't remember seeing a 2103 Scion running at Talladega or at the many twisty roads I've driven on(along with plenty of other elderly gents in their twin turbo 2007, or Maggie GS, or Maggie Lingenfelter, or several Maggie Callaways, as well as stock Z06's and ZR1's).

And I bet I was building and racing my 1932 Ford 3 window coupe in A/G before you were born. That was back in 1961, while in college. Just because I'm an old Corvette owner/driver now, doesn't mean I didn't do the things you think you are so special for doing today, when I was full of **** and vinegar.

I got old and so will you. Enjoy your youth but don't slam those that have been around the block several times for each time you've been around the block once. We earned our scars.

Funny how we old farts have blown our "mid life crisis" money on our Corvettes yet still are able to have some left over for plenty of things with out having to dig under the couch cushions looking for change in order to pay for them. While I paid cash for my C6 Z06, how many months did it take you to pay for your Scion, or for your new C7(if you can really afford one).

Hemi Dave

...Exactly......

BlueOx

A LOT of old folks THINK they can still drive just fine. Many of us know otherwise. There comes a time when the kids just have to hide the keys for everyone's safety!

1985 Corvette

Not you but when I tell you I almost fell out of my chair when I read that first "It's a drivers race, people!" post back in 2009. And there were quite a few of those posts. I like them both but I hate to see that the whole first page of the Z06 section is dominated by valve drop topics. Giving GM a free pass and telling the buyer to buy the car and then spend another 2+ grand to fix a potential problem is something else.

B-Myster

JoeC5, was this you at Talladega or the Tail of the Dragon?

Bill17601

If you were able to tune your car to 463 then I would think starting with 450. Instead of 430 that could be improved. It is not rocket science. By the way 463 at the rear wheels is a huge increase over stock. My LS3 Dyno tuned with Corsa exhaust gets 400 at the rear wheels and 455 at the crank.

JoesC5

I agree that there were some of those type posts, and they were made by stupid people, same as now.

I'm going with a completely new set of heads from PRC in a couple of months(my warranty runs out in late July). That way I have all new components on a head that I know is machined correctly. Cost is $3,000 + installation. I'm extremely unhappy with GM.