Skullbussa

With the following disappointing pieces of information, I have decided to pass on the Z06 and wait for the spiritual successor of the C6 Z06 (Carbon Package).

1. Supercharger. Parasitic drivetrain loss coupled with heat issues. It is no wonder that all the motorsport elite opt for turbocharging in their race applications as it is a superior technology. Ferrari, McLaren, Formula 1, Porsche, BMW....they have all gone to turbocharging. GM itself has gone on the record to state that they will be moving to turbocharging as they regard it the future. SC's are a fun power-adder (and I have one in my CTS-V) but it really is something you would expect to find in a dragstrip car (one and done) than anything else.

2. Automatic transmission. The 8L90E can upshift in 100ms supposedly. This is great. Unfortunately, there is a lot more to what makes a good transmission than how fast it can upshift. There is a lot of people drinking the GM Kool-Aid on these forums, people who fail to understand the basic principles of what separates a dual-clutch transmission and an automatic transmission. This is something, however, that the engineers at Porsche, Ferrari, McLaren, Nissan, Koenigsegg, BMW, Bugatti, Pagani as well as the actual leaders in transmission development like ZF and BorgWarner agree on: a torque converter automatic transmission does not belong in a sports car.. So why did GM do it? Economies of scale. This transmission will go into Cadillacs, Corvettes, and trucks. For the sake of keeping the price down, GM has made a concession to performance. No such concession was ever made when it came to using the small block pushrod V8, so the comparison there is bunk.

3. Removable hardtop roof. Unless we are talking about carbon fiber tubs, a car derives its structural rigidity from a fixed roof. Making the roof a targa top adds weight to the worst place it can be put on a car. It also makes the chassis less rigid. Does this mean the C7 Z06 is less rigid than the C6 Z06? No, it just means it is yet another compromise.

Which leads me to believe...

GM has left something on the table.

There isgoing to be a track C7 Corvette. It will be fixed roof, it will almost certainly have a DCT, and it might even feature a turbo LT1 (LT5?), but it will almost assuredly come sometime in the next few years. And it will absolutely **** all over this Z06.

Lavender

I'm glad for you! :wooh oo:

Let us suckers enjoy our Z06s with the A8 (im getting manual anyway..) !


Wishing your Good Luck in your adventure searching for DCT

Eagle Ray 7

Why wait?

There are a few race shops that will build the perfect car for a few hundred thousands dollars. Life is short! Get out there and live!

Snorman

Skullbussa...what is your on-track experience and where?
S.

Les

I think that's a good decision.....for you.

Stingray23

Beaz

This

Mdm23

Probably Gran Turismo and Forza.

Michael A

I will personally be getting the manual, but I wouldn't write off the new GM automatic before its even out. GM often has a few tricks up its sleeve. Plenty of people say a sports car shouldn't have pushrods either, but with good engineering, GM has built a car that more than holds its own.

Michael

rbartick

Ok, you don't like the car and have stated your displeasure with the roof and auto numerous times. Can we move on now?

B747VET

Be sure to come back in two or three years, assuming GM builds your little dream car. In the meantime, please do forget to write.

MitchAlsup

Can you name a single street Ferrari of modern production that used/uses turbocharging? or supercharging?

EMINENT 1

They also put a radio in the car. I think the lineup is doomed for you in the future.

oicw

Did they actually state that, or is that your interpretation?

Just because they don't use a torque converter automatic, does not make it inferior. Sometimes decisions are made based on the expectations of their intended market. Likewise, non of those manufactures uses an OHV engine, does that make modern small blocks inferior?

With proper tuning, an auto can be as quick as any DCT in both upshift and downshift. In a DCT, if the algorithm determines you'll need an upshift, but sudden changes require a downshift, it can be SLOWER to respond, because physical gear changes must be made on the second set of clutches.

With an auto, all gears are always engaged, and only hydraulic circuitry changes are needed to make sudden decisions.

Lavender

Ferrari F40

Trackaholic

In many cases I agree.

I agree that the S/C is not optimal for the road course. Adds weight to the front, creates significant heat, and burns ~100+ HP to spin the blower. None of that is ideal.

I agree that the torque converter based auto may not be ideal, but at the same time, I'm not yet convinced it is any worse than a DCT. The biggest issue I see is the heat generated by the T/C, but if GM can run with it locked most of the time, or with plenty of cooling, maybe it won't be a problem. I would prefer the manual for road courses, but for the strip, the A8 is probably better than a DCT because it will be more robust, and for the street I believe the A8 is better than a DCT due to the improved low speed performance. To me this is moot point because I'd take the manual over either just for the fun of shifting (even if I would be slower).

As far as the targa goes, I also agree. Now, I don't necessarily agree with your weight concern, as the targa top is carbon fiber and weighs very little. However, I wouldn't mind the improved structural rigidity of a fixed roof.

Now, I do not think there will be a more track focused version that will be faster than this Z06. I definitely do not feel that turbos belong in a track focused car, as they add delay to the throttle response, wreck the exhaust note, and mask some of the communication between car and driver. One thing I admire about Porsche is that they keep the GT3 normally aspirated, even though it may not be as fast as the GT2 or even Turbo S. Even the C6Z was not as fast around tracks as the ZR1, even though it was the more track focused of the two.

So, I think a pure track version will be normally aspirated and would likely be slower because it will be down on power. It might make up some time due to improved rigidity and lighter weight (because of the fixed roof and lack of S/C), but that won't be enough to overcome the power deficit. I do feel that the C7Z6 reminds me more of the C6ZR1 than the C6Z, but that's basically because of the S/C and the compromises it brings.

I am interested in seeing what other variants GM comes up with.

-T

Guibo

Rumors suggest the revised California might be turbocharged.
http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/n...rbo-2013-11-18

Perhaps an electric drive system could eliminate parasitic losses in a supercharger.

Hirohawa

Skullbusa

You can't make a logical constructive criticism on these boards.

The cool aid brigade is coming for you - and as usual it will be filled with personal attacks, accusations into your background and your lack of taste/wealth/knowledge/track experience, and will get uglier by the post.

What do you expect as you commented on their first born - a car that NO PERSON ON HERE OWNS - OR - has DRIVEN. How dare you?!?

Hirohawa

1987 - total modern example.

How many C7 Z06 are you getting? Are you going to get a pair to match your 2 C7 Stingrays?

zeshawn

call MTI racing and let them install one of their sequential transmissions based on the T56 and TR6060 and still have a clutch! upshift in 30ms.