corvette safety
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,082
Likes: 0
From: Ma
corvette safety
i am new to corvette, iam going to test drive one today, just was wondering how safe is that car?
what exactly it is made of
and how it drives in rain
iam from boston area, and the car will be pretty much every day driven.
and is there way to put snow tires on, or winter?
thanks
what exactly it is made of
and how it drives in rain
iam from boston area, and the car will be pretty much every day driven.
and is there way to put snow tires on, or winter?
thanks
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,493
Likes: 809
From: West coast CA
i am new to corvette, iam going to test drive one today, just was wondering how safe is that car?
what exactly it is made of
and how it drives in rain
iam from boston area, and the car will be pretty much every day driven.
and is there way to put snow tires on, or winter?
thanks
what exactly it is made of
and how it drives in rain
iam from boston area, and the car will be pretty much every day driven.
and is there way to put snow tires on, or winter?
thanks
With a heavy right foot it can be squirrely in the rain, but with good tires and good judgment it's fine. I don't think snow tires are available in stock sizes, but I have heard of people fitting smaller snow tires. That said, the car really isn't made for snow. It's got wide tires, rear-wheel drive, it's light, and it has very little ground clearance.
There isn't much detailed crash-test data publicly available. The IIHS has not tested one.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 477
Likes: 0
From: Dallas Texas
i am new to corvette, iam going to test drive one today, just was wondering how safe is that car?
what exactly it is made of
and how it drives in rain
iam from boston area, and the car will be pretty much every day driven.
and is there way to put snow tires on, or winter?
thanks
what exactly it is made of
and how it drives in rain
iam from boston area, and the car will be pretty much every day driven.
and is there way to put snow tires on, or winter?
thanks
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,380
Likes: 103
From: Visalia CA
I use mine as a daily driver. No snow of course, and it rains so so. No problems in the rain as long as you aren't going crazy on the throttle. Usually the first rain is the worst as all the road oils and grime are built up. Other than that, have you ever seen the episode of wildest police chases with the black vette trying to outrun the state police in AZ and crashed into the semi, obliterating the car? The guy survived, nuff said. 
Get a 2lt option at least for the side airbags though.
Get a 2lt option at least for the side airbags though.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 6,486
Likes: 1,659
From: Las Vegas NV
Mine is a daily driver, but it never sees snow here in Las Vegas, and I would NOT recommend it for snowy roads... sure it CAN be done, but neither you nor the car will be happy about it. Trust me.
Rain behavior is ok, but like with any lightweight, high-HP car, you have to REALLY be careful... as the horsepower can so easily overcome any available traction even when roads are dry. The Active Handling is a great help, but it cannot change the laws of Physics.
Respect the power, go easy on the throttle in the rain, and you'll be fine.
Cheers,
Kent
Rain behavior is ok, but like with any lightweight, high-HP car, you have to REALLY be careful... as the horsepower can so easily overcome any available traction even when roads are dry. The Active Handling is a great help, but it cannot change the laws of Physics.
Respect the power, go easy on the throttle in the rain, and you'll be fine.
Cheers,
Kent
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,027
Likes: 0
From: The Lost Borough, NYC
i am new to corvette, iam going to test drive one today, just was wondering how safe is that car?
what exactly it is made of
and how it drives in rain
iam from boston area, and the car will be pretty much every day driven.
and is there way to put snow tires on, or winter?
thanks
what exactly it is made of
and how it drives in rain
iam from boston area, and the car will be pretty much every day driven.
and is there way to put snow tires on, or winter?
thanks
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,661
Likes: 3
From: Live in S.Dayton, Work in Cincinnati Ohio
In the rain, the car's fine as long as you respect it for what it is, a 430hp sports car. I've never seen true snow tires, but Goodyear does make an all-season Eagle F1 runflat in the stock Vette size. I've read reports from people who say that it's pretty good in slush.
If at all possible, I'd just avoid snow usage. I use mine here in Ohio a good 8 months of the year and drive it to work probably twice a week.
If at all possible, I'd just avoid snow usage. I use mine here in Ohio a good 8 months of the year and drive it to work probably twice a week.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 455
Likes: 0
From: DFW Texas
As mentioned before, in the rain you have to be REALLY careful. Its a VERY powerful car that happens to be very light. It can get away from you really quick, even in dry weather, so you have to be careful. If you're careful in the rain then you'll probably be okay.
As for crash tested... well, I've seen numerous accidents in these cars, even on this forum where the car has been rolled or totaled and the driver walked away. The biggest problem is the height of the car. You want the frame to absorb the impact in an accident, but other vehicles higher off the ground can easily miss the frame because they are much higher off of the ground. From what I've seen, frontal and rear impacts the Corvette handles pretty well as far as safety goes. Side impacts? Well, let's just say you should pray you're never in one, because likely a side impact in the center of the car and you're body will be doing most of the absorbing if you know what I mean.
As for crash tested... well, I've seen numerous accidents in these cars, even on this forum where the car has been rolled or totaled and the driver walked away. The biggest problem is the height of the car. You want the frame to absorb the impact in an accident, but other vehicles higher off the ground can easily miss the frame because they are much higher off of the ground. From what I've seen, frontal and rear impacts the Corvette handles pretty well as far as safety goes. Side impacts? Well, let's just say you should pray you're never in one, because likely a side impact in the center of the car and you're body will be doing most of the absorbing if you know what I mean.
