[Z06] Z06 Top Speed
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,816
Likes: 16
From: Anchorage Alaska
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10
I believe the top speed is 171mph, and that is where redline in 5th gear occurs. It's a hard value derived from gearing ratios, though it could possibly vary a bit with differently sized tires and such. The car cannot pull in 6th hard enough to go faster than this. (as built from the factory, anyway)
Pro
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 733
Likes: 0
From: Fort Lauderdale FL
Yeah 168 @ redline, 171 @ rev limiter. This was the cause of some confusion early on because journalists would report the top speed as either 168 or 171 and often fail to mention that it was gearing limited and not drag limited, leading to all sorts of wacky talk about FRC aerodynamics, gearing, powerbands, etc.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 5,955
Likes: 161
From: PNW
Yeah 168 @ redline, 171 @ rev limiter. This was the cause of some confusion early on because journalists would report the top speed as either 168 or 171 and often fail to mention that it was gearing limited and not drag limited, leading to all sorts of wacky talk about FRC aerodynamics, gearing, powerbands, etc.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 2,562
Likes: 1
From: (Temporarily) Colorado Springs Colorado
My 02 on the dyno at redline 5th gear speedo read 179 ... many in the past reported actual 5th gear road speed at 179 also.
I found this at http://www.corvettemuseum.com/specs/2002/testing.shtml
Top Speed Wide-Open Throttle
To simulate high-speed, autobahn conditions, Corvette is subjected to a wide-open throttle test on our five-mile circle track at the Milford Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan. Starting with a full tank of gas, the car is driven flat-out at its 171-mph top speed until the fuel tank is empty - approximately 30 minutes. The test validates the car's ability to withstand extreme thermal loads reliably.
But it doesn't say if that was 5th or 6th gear. I believe it was 6th gear.
I found this at http://www.corvettemuseum.com/specs/2002/testing.shtml
Top Speed Wide-Open Throttle
To simulate high-speed, autobahn conditions, Corvette is subjected to a wide-open throttle test on our five-mile circle track at the Milford Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan. Starting with a full tank of gas, the car is driven flat-out at its 171-mph top speed until the fuel tank is empty - approximately 30 minutes. The test validates the car's ability to withstand extreme thermal loads reliably.
But it doesn't say if that was 5th or 6th gear. I believe it was 6th gear.
Last edited by The Wanderer; Jul 3, 2008 at 10:05 AM. Reason: adding additional info
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,071
Likes: 0
From: Goose Creek SC
There are two rev limiters...one cuts fuel and the other closes the throttle. I like to refer to them as a hard and soft limiter. 5th gear is the only one set with the hard limiter at 9000rpm. Instead it uses the throttle limiter which is set to the same RPM hard limit as 1-4 & 6. The purpose to this is so you won't be running at top speed on a fuel cutting and stuttering hard limiter. Instead, the throttle starts closing down and you feel like you hit the aerodynamic wall. I have posted screen shots of these two tables in the past.
Your motor still in one piece?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 5,955
Likes: 161
From: PNW
There are two rev limiters...one cuts fuel and the other closes the throttle. I like to refer to them as a hard and soft limiter. 5th gear is the only one set with the hard limiter at 9000rpm. Instead it uses the throttle limiter which is set to the same RPM hard limit as 1-4 & 6.
Also, I'm pretty sure the C5Z rev-limits out in 5th gear at 170-something, which is nowhere even close to 9000 PRM.
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 85
Likes: 0
From: Biloxi Mississippi
i tested mine out the second day i bought it. 171 on the way home from texas in 5th gear. now after the tune, exhaust, and taller tires...i don't have a clue. i guess it's time to go test it out
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,071
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From: Goose Creek SC
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 5,955
Likes: 161
From: PNW
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 123
Likes: 1
From: Knoxville TN
Who hit 9k on the dyno? While tuning the car with HPTuners, you can see the factory settings for the rev limiter. For all the gears it was 6500 except for 5th gear. It was 9k rpms. What thehammer69 is saying is there is 2 sets or rev limiters. One cuts the fuel and the other cut the air (throttle). Instead of cutting fuel on a high speed run, it cuts off the air and doesn't give you a shutter like you do when you hit the rev limiter in other gears. Now if you hit the rev limiter in 6th gear… you got one bad *** car.
Last edited by BANDIT HPT; Jul 4, 2008 at 06:15 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 5,955
Likes: 161
From: PNW
Who hit 9k on the dyno? While tuning the car with HPTuners, you can see the factory settings for the rev limiter. For all the gears it was 6500 except for 5th gear. It was 9k rpms. What thehammer69 is saying is there is 2 sets or rev limiters. One cuts the fuel and the other cut the air (throttle). Instead of cutting fuel on a high speed run, it cuts off the air and doesn't give you a shutter like you do when you hit the rev limiter in other gears. Now if you hit the rev limiter in 6th gear… you got one bad *** car.
... I guess I mis-read your comment about 9K on the dyno. I see what you're saying. 
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,071
Likes: 0
From: Goose Creek SC
They set it in the hard limit table to 9000rpm. In the ETC (electronic throttle control) table, it is set to the same limit as the other gears on the hard limiter. Therefore, it has a rev limiter, it's just a different type. Maybe I can find my old post as I don't have the screen shots of the two tables on this new laptop of mine.