Simply just all the extra weight of the GS. Remember the GS is the replacement for the base LS3 Z51's. They have the same horsepower but with all the goodies GM added to the GS it added weight and the wide body is less aerodynamic the then narrow body car. The power to weight ratio gives the advantage to the Base Z51. And even the old LS2 Z51's might give the GS a good run for the money being they were even lighter then the LS3 Z51's I think that match would be very close.

 

You forgot to mention more gears… 6th isn't overdrive anymore!!!

 

(a) C7 is 450 vs. 430-436 in c6 (depending on whom you are listening to).

(b) The GS wide-body is by definition less aerodynamic than the base 'vette. There's a discussion in All Corvettes Are Red about why Dave Hill wanted a 17/18 tire setup (vs. 18/19) for the C5, and aero was a big part of it. He wanted to get the Cd below .30. Keep in mind, a major goal for the C5/6/7 engineering teams is to avoid the gas-guzzler tax, so aero counts big-time.

 

Correction. The C7 is 455-460hp. Not 450.

 

I opened my base 06 C6 up to 150 with ease on the eastern plains of Colorado. Pulled hard to 150, I slowed down only because I was coming up on traffic. Hugged the road and the only way I knew I was going that fast other than the speedometer was the stripes on the road whizzing by. I have to believe the C7 with more power, better aerodynamics, and narrower tires wouldn't run much faster than my C6.

btw I always do the speed limit but when I could see from horizon to horizon, felt the need to open it up!! Gotta love the power of a Corvette!!

 

Depends on gearing but 190+mph sounds about right.

It'll be faster than the base C6 and definitely faster than the C6 GS. The widebody design had more downforce and also more frontal area and drag than the base C6.

The C7 won't have that problem. I doubt it hits the high 190's like the C6Z though.

Doesn't really matter IMO. I like the 60-130 sprint much more. For measuring straight line at speed performance.

 

6th is still an overdrive.

5th, 6th and 7th are overdrives.

 

Correct.

 

True, but I didn't mention that as the C6 Z51 hasn't been available since 2009 as the 2010 GS replaced the earlier Z51.

 

Funny, we have a long causway over two rivers (really more like swaps were they meet) that is over 3 miles long. There are no shoulders on either side of the 2 lane split highway and large trees between opposite directions. When there was no traffic and as the C6 approached about 130 mph and actually was more stabile, the thought of "what excuse do I use if there is a "Bear in the Air" limited my maximum speed! The "I didn't know how fast I was going" doesn't work!! It's go directly to jail and loose your license for 12 months that limits my speed. The 165 mph I reached at the Richard Petty Driving School was fast enough for me! I'll stick with 0 to 60 blasts and off ramp G measurements for the C7 on order!
One last comment re a previous mention that weight is a factor controlling top speed, it is not. Cd and HP are controlling. Weight just defines how long it takes to get there!

 

This is what limits my speed too. I'm worried about 2 factors:

1) Other drivers appearing out of nowhere or animals stepping out into the road.
2) Johnny Law.

 

You can do top speed runs on some large dry lake beds in the Western U.S. I've done it, although not in a Corvette yet. Your car is filthy mess afterwards with the dust, but at least it is legal.

Michael

 

If it is less than 186 mph the C7 is a failure on all levels.

 

Oh, you left out one other one....
Z06/ZR1 owners who are honest with themselves have no problem with the fact that the ZR1 kicks the Z06 in every catagory you mentioned......and more.

 

I live in Saudi Arabia and travel a lot.
Every weekend, I visit my parents which 400 kms away from my house. The roads here are just amazing so its pretty easy for me to hit the top speed of my car (GCSRT8). Thats why I wanna know how much it is!

 

This is a joke right? If this is a serious post, then you are If you are joking then.....

 

It should be a little above the current 186 mph. That's where substantial hp increase is mostly needed, and it didn't happen.

 

I am hoping it is. I don't want a 155 mph limiter on my car, its really annoying to be honest.

But its really weird they didn't release this number :S

 

So are you saying that if the C7 tops out at 187 it's a failure on all levels except top speed? Or just havin fun?



.

 

Because the car isn't done yet.

185-190? Who gives a fk? You aren't going there anyway, are you sport? I don't think you have the ballz, or the $$$$.