Standard vs Z51 wheels, breaks, just in case you didnt know
 

Just in case you didn't know the differences between standard and Z51.

Standard:
18" Front
19" Rear
Fitted with road tires
Cast Aluminum
35mm shocks

Z51:
19" Front
20" Rear
Fitted with track tires
Slotted Rotors, bigger front brakes
Forged Aluminum, strong and lighter wheels
45mm shocks


The forged aluminum wheels and bigger slotted rotors alone would make the Z51 package a good deal. Not to mention other goodies. HOwever, it does add some weight.

What do you mean "track tires?" Aren't Pilot Super Sports used for both?

I agree it's crazy that they use the same name for both tires :crazy:

Reading the slides from the Bash it's easy to see why the OP refers to the "road" tire and the "track" tire

The 18"/19" Pilot Super Sport ZP:
- 1G cornering capability
- Lower energy consumption (unique low RR compounds)
- Wear life: UTQG wear rating of 300
- Improve comfort / ride / noise
- Enhanced wet performance
- Optimum Dry/Wet stopping distance
- Pilot Super Sport ZP provides exceptional grip and handling, cornering
ability and progressivity of drive: Total Performance

Corvette Stingray with Z51 Package:
- Tire structure / contact patches optimized for track- critical performance
- Dual-tread compound and pattern for near-racing-slick grip and handling
- Blend of PSS and PSC along with more race technology transfer for serious track performance

How can both be called Pilot Super Sport ZP?



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Anyone know the wear rating on the Z-51 tire?

I'd be curious to see just how much lighter the Z51 wheels could possibly be considering that they're also a full inch larger in diameter all around.
Being forged alone doesn't always mean lighter, although the style/shape (hollow or solid etc.) of the spokes themselves can make the difference of course.
Back in the C5 Z06 era, the cast 2002-2004 rims were actually slightly lighter than the forged 2001 versions (same sizes of course).

According to the video with Jim Mero and the Chassis Engineer (forget his name), the Forged wheels are indeed heavier than the cast wheels due to the size difference. However, the forged wheels are lighter than they would have been if they had been cast. The engineer was saying they went forged in order to save weight and in order to give added space for the brake calipers. They had some cross-section views of the wheels in the presentation and the walls sure looked pretty thin. They also had a cool video of how the wheels are formed.

-T

Forged wheels are lighter in certain aplications due to the fact that forging the metal makes it stronger, hence less materal is needed for desired strength characteristics.

I do not want my Z51 wheel to break... Is this a problem? Is it because they are forged?

Bill, with the Z51 package your C7 will BRAKE beautifully but your wheels will not BREAK :)

Forging provides the needed strength at less weight than the casting process but there is no free lunch thus the higher cost of the forging process.

Base package looks better all the time....unless your planning on really tracking the car at places such as Laguna Seca.

1G cornering, 300 treadwear, better in all kinds of weather, no dry sump which is not needed for a street driven vette, lighter...yep I'll save the 2800 bucks :)

Can you get the Z51 with street tires? Tires aren't cheap & I doubt people want to buy new tires for a new car.

If you could get MSRC without Z51, I'd agree.

Agreed... most folks don't need Z51 but like to have it for bragging rights :D or because they want a fully loaded car regardless as to whether they "need" it or not. There are aesthetic differences too... wheels/spoiler, etc which some may opt for that aren't based on performance.

They are street tires... just a more aggressive compound based on what I have heard. You won't need to replace them but they might wear out more quickly.

For me, the following is a minimum on the options list, to ensure full use of the Driver Selector Mode:

2LT Trim Level (for the HUD)
Z51 Performance Package
Magnetic Selective Ride Control (including Performance Traction Management)
Variable Tuned Performance Exhaust

All I would add to that would be the Sat Nav, the black Z51 wheels & (most likely) the Carbon Flash painted side mirrors & spoiler (a 'Z51-required' option)…

:iagree: I live in New England, have a 160 foot driveway ,thats on north side of house & little sun on driveway , has a 6 degree angle to street ...... slippery when wet .... the weather changes constantly :willy: ... anyways no Z51 for me , I cant be in my Subaru all the time ...................but In April & late fall like to cruise , Corvette road trips to Vermont , New Hanpshire & Maine / dont want to deal with surprise weather with Summer performance tires ...

but the Z51 is a great $$ deal for those who choose it ..just my 2 cents ..

The Dog ( old dog ) woof.................

I agree with the statement that MOST people do not need the Z-51 Performance Package, and I am one of them. My track days (and I had a few) are long gone, and I want the car to cruise, and enjoy during my retirement years. So I think I will forgo the Z-51 option and just enjoy the cruising and driving option at a substantial savings...:rock:

I'm opting out of the Z51 as well, and the biggest reason is weight as some articals on the internet have stated the Z51 package will weigh anywhere from 150-200lbs more :eek:

One thing you stated, which surprised me, is that the base Stingray is capable to pull 1G in corners??? can anyone confirm this is true? If so, that's fantastic for a car that doesn't have a rear sway bar

Well, the I definitely don't need the Z51 package. Except... I WILL have the MSRC (love it in my ZL1), and I need Z51 for that.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c7-g...51-weight.html

see post #4

I dont need the Z51 package either.

But Im getting it! :rock: