C5 Tech Corvette Tech/Performance: LS1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Tech Topics, Basic Tech, Maintenance, How to Remove & Replace
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Low gear acceleration

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jun 13, 2020 | 07:14 PM
  #1  
Bstan1009's Avatar
Bstan1009
Thread Starter
Racer
All Eyes On Me
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 366
Likes: 17
Default Low gear acceleration

I dont run my vettes hard esp from 0. I have noticed, however, that in driving my c5 corvette with very little gas it seems to not accelerate as fast as the cars around me, but with equal pressure my 1993 c4 and my BMW e38 both seem to pick up quickly. Once I put a little more gas down the. C5 accelerates faster than all, by far. Just curious if this is just how the car is designed or if an issue. Maybe the borla exaust makes me feel like I'm giving it more gas than I am but it for sure doesn't feel like it.
Reply
Old Jun 13, 2020 | 07:20 PM
  #2  
StingrayRebel's Avatar
StingrayRebel
Acct Suspended APR 2026 by request
 
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 10,367
Likes: 1,272
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
C5 of Year Winner (performance mods) 2019
Default

the throttle response is not the best but it can be fixed with tuning, I wouldn't rush out just to do that but if you have any mods planned you can get that taken care of when you get tuned for the other mods... you also don't need any add on throttle units that are sold by some vendors, an experienced tuner can accomplish the same thing without having to buy anything else
Reply
Old Jun 13, 2020 | 08:53 PM
  #3  
k24556's Avatar
k24556
Drifting
Supporting Lifetime
15 Year Member
All Eyes On Me
Photogenic
Photoriffic
 
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,546
Likes: 210
From: Huntersville, NC
Default

Well with very little gas in the tank, the fuel pump could momentarily have reduced delivery, which will lean things out, and if the car knocks, pull timing. If the car runs ok with a full tank, why not put gas in the tank before you drive.?

Reply
Old Jun 13, 2020 | 09:01 PM
  #4  
StingrayRebel's Avatar
StingrayRebel
Acct Suspended APR 2026 by request
 
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 10,367
Likes: 1,272
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
C5 of Year Winner (performance mods) 2019
Default

I think he means gas as in throttle and not gasoline in the tank lol
Reply
Old Jun 14, 2020 | 08:53 AM
  #5  
wydopnthrtl's Avatar
wydopnthrtl
Drifting
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
Liked
Loved
 
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,550
Likes: 324
From: Mid Ohio
Default

Just as a maintenance item to help rule it out...
- Disconnect the battery
- Disassemble the intake between the air filter and the intake manifold and get MAF and throttle body on the bench.
- Clean the MAF w/a Q-tip and the proper cleaner (TB spray cleaner or electrical contact spray cleaner)
------**be very soft with the MAF wires and let the cleaner and Q-tip fibers do the cleaning. Put no pressure on them**
- Clean the TB w/spray cleaner and an old toothbrush
- Reassemble intake parts (you can reuse the C5 TB gasket)
- Turn headlights on then off (clears any stored memory)
- Reconnect battery.
- Turn ignition on but don't start the engine.
- Floor the throttle twice.
- Key off.

Now the computer will re-learn the MAF signal and you can at least rule out dirty induction parts.
(I do this every 20k miles or so on all my cars. Sometimes its surprising how much better it idles and throttle response is improved)

If that's all good and you still want more. A mail order tune (or local dyno tune) with specific instructions like "I want more tip-in response" will give you that feeling of instant power w/only little throttle input.
(Doug at ECS can give you a very good mail order tune for only $150 I used him and am well pleased (I have personally tuned Fords 10+yrs ago))

Last edited by wydopnthrtl; Jun 14, 2020 at 09:05 AM.
Reply
Old Jun 14, 2020 | 11:03 AM
  #6  
Gordy M's Avatar
Gordy M
Melting Slicks
25 Year Member
Active Streak: 30 Days
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 2,801
Likes: 356
From: Northville, MI
Default

The PCM has some "throttle decay" built into the logarithm, most refer it to throttle lag. With tuning, it can be changed to a more responsive throttle control, but never have a tuner remove all of it because the car will be extremely hard to drive at low speeds like parking or backing up.
Reply
Old Jun 14, 2020 | 03:44 PM
  #7  
tabbruzz's Avatar
tabbruzz
Safety Car
25 Year Member
Photoriffic
Liked
Top Answer: 1
 
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 4,043
Likes: 342
From: Central NJ
Default

Originally Posted by Bstan1009
I dont run my vettes hard esp from 0. I have noticed, however, that in driving my c5 corvette with very little gas it seems to not accelerate as fast as the cars around me, but with equal pressure my 1993 c4 and my BMW e38 both seem to pick up quickly. Once I put a little more gas down the. C5 accelerates faster than all, by far. Just curious if this is just how the car is designed or if an issue. Maybe the borla exaust makes me feel like I'm giving it more gas than I am but it for sure doesn't feel like it.
auto with 2.73 gears ???
Reply
Old Jun 15, 2020 | 11:39 AM
  #8  
Bstan1009's Avatar
Bstan1009
Thread Starter
Racer
All Eyes On Me
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 366
Likes: 17
Default

Originally Posted by wydopnthrtl
Just as a maintenance item to help rule it out...
- Disconnect the battery
- Disassemble the intake between the air filter and the intake manifold and get MAF and throttle body on the bench.
- Clean the MAF w/a Q-tip and the proper cleaner (TB spray cleaner or electrical contact spray cleaner)
------**be very soft with the MAF wires and let the cleaner and Q-tip fibers do the cleaning. Put no pressure on them**
- Clean the TB w/spray cleaner and an old toothbrush
- Reassemble intake parts (you can reuse the C5 TB gasket)
- Turn headlights on then off (clears any stored memory)
- Reconnect battery.
- Turn ignition on but don't start the engine.
- Floor the throttle twice.
- Key off.

Now the computer will re-learn the MAF signal and you can at least rule out dirty induction parts.
(I do this every 20k miles or so on all my cars. Sometimes its surprising how much better it idles and throttle response is improved)

If that's all good and you still want more. A mail order tune (or local dyno tune) with specific instructions like "I want more tip-in response" will give you that feeling of instant power w/only little throttle input.
(Doug at ECS can give you a very good mail order tune for only $150 I used him and am well pleased (I have personally tuned Fords 10+yrs ago))
thank you so much for the detailed advice. I have just completed the steps as described. On first crank the car had a little issue but then it cranked right up and has cranked perfectly since. I have not had chance to actually drive it yet as today is of course 100% chance of rain all day and raining heavy but I will for sure get on road soon to see if it helped. Already seems to have adjusted based on hitting the gas and acceleration response of the engine but driving will tell for sure. I will update later today. Thanks!
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-3

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-5

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-6

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-7

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
story-8

2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!

 Joe Kucinski
Old Jun 18, 2020 | 10:11 PM
  #9  
Bstan1009's Avatar
Bstan1009
Thread Starter
Racer
All Eyes On Me
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 366
Likes: 17
Default

I found out mine is also the 3.15 performance gear axle ratio and not the stock 2.73 axle. I was wondering if doing an intake cleaning using seafoam and hot soak would help alleviate the issue? Anyone?
Reply
Old Jun 18, 2020 | 11:38 PM
  #10  
tblu92's Avatar
tblu92
Le Mans Master
20 Year Member
Conversation Starter
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,375
Likes: 328
From: CA.
St. Jude Donor '13-'14-'15
Default

On all GM cars and trks with the drive by wire throttle YES there is a horrible delay in throttle response
Let's say you are at a stop light and floor the throttle to wide open---You think it's wide open but it's NOT The DBY throttle does not allow the t-body blade to go to 100% until you reach approx 3600 RPM's !!! so before 3600 the throttle is barely cracked open !!! This is a one entry tuning fix--which will make your throttle work as if it were a cable throttle
Reply
Old Jun 19, 2020 | 12:14 AM
  #11  
Bstan1009's Avatar
Bstan1009
Thread Starter
Racer
All Eyes On Me
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 366
Likes: 17
Default

Originally Posted by tblu92
On all GM cars and trks with the drive by wire throttle YES there is a horrible delay in throttle response
Let's say you are at a stop light and floor the throttle to wide open---You think it's wide open but it's NOT The DBY throttle does not allow the t-body blade to go to 100% until you reach approx 3600 RPM's !!! so before 3600 the throttle is barely cracked open !!! This is a one entry tuning fix--which will make your throttle work as if it were a cable throttle
okay so this is normal? that make me feel better if so
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Low gear acceleration





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:15 PM.

story-0
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-1
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-2
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-3
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-5
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-6
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-7
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE
story-8
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette lineup vs the world.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-24 16:12:42


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!

Slideshow: 10 major Corvette problems from the last 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-14 16:37:05


VIEW MORE