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Lateral acceleration comparison

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Old Jun 14, 2015 | 07:42 PM
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Default Lateral acceleration comparison

Has anyone seen a comparison between various C7 configurations on the skidpad? I've seen Z51 cars do 1.08G and Z06 hit 1.16G in road tests, but have never seen a base car with or without the ZF1 option (Z51 wheels and tires). I'm speculating here but the larger front sway bar and added rear bar on a Z51 would cut body roll, and increasing the size of the bar on one end alone would reduce lateral traction by applying more pressure to the inside of the turn (sway bar applying downward pressure on that wheel) which is the tire getting the most stress. However, increasing the bar size on both ends with precision would likely increase it. I don't think larger shocks would impact it measurably as long as the pavement is smooth.

It'd be interesting to compare them, but I suspect the difference between a ZF1 and Z51 would be minimal and think a base car w/o ZF1 would still top 1.0G.

Last edited by iclick; Jun 14, 2015 at 07:53 PM.
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Old Jun 14, 2015 | 08:47 PM
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I have yet to see any performance tests on a "base" car. It is though they don't exist. I love mine, the ride and handling are good, it's plenty quick and fast. Stops well and corners pretty well.
But, hey, it is a nice looking cruiser. Good enough for me.
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Old Jun 14, 2015 | 09:00 PM
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Default Doubtful

I really doubt that a base car with or w/o ZF1 would be able to top 1.0G.
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Old Jun 14, 2015 | 09:06 PM
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This was straight out of the 2015 Chevy Corvette E-Brochure:

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Old Jun 14, 2015 | 09:39 PM
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Thanks for posting that. I assume the base car figure shown was with the standard wheels and tires, so I would expect a car with the ZF1 option would fall somewhere in between the base and Z51. Those numbers are closer than I thought they would be.

Last edited by iclick; Jun 14, 2015 at 09:45 PM.
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Old Jun 15, 2015 | 08:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Mr. Smith
This was straight out of the 2015 Chevy Corvette E-Brochure:[IMG]/cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.corvetteforum.com-vbulletin/1136x640/80-image_5f7d7daf15bf14921548012415cbe1f4aa 08ca24.jpg[/IMG]
I stand corrected but I still would like to see an independent test
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Old Jun 15, 2015 | 10:24 PM
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Originally Posted by iclick
Thanks for posting that. I assume the base car figure shown was with the standard wheels and tires, so I would expect a car with the ZF1 option would fall somewhere in between the base and Z51. Those numbers are closer than I thought they would be.
Skid pad performance is more about tires than anything else. The difference in sway bars might make a very small difference if it keeps the Z51 body a little flatter, or reduces understeer (or oversteer) but probably not by very much. Shocks don't matter, since skidpads are very smooth, brakes don't matter, none of the other performance mods on the Z51 will affect lateral G on a skid pad. If one car or the other was significantly lighter, that could make a difference, but it's not.

So what you're seeing is that the Z51 tire grips a little bit better in steady state conditions. The number doesn't tell you much about how each car handles transitions, braking zones, or acceleration out of a corner.
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Old Jun 16, 2015 | 07:53 PM
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I hit 1.12 g's on my base 'Ray on a mountain road last week.
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Old Jun 16, 2015 | 10:16 PM
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I put Z51 sway bars on my non Z 3lt and the difference is def noticeable in how it corners.
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Old Jun 17, 2015 | 10:01 AM
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Originally Posted by Karlba
I put Z51 sway bars on my non Z 3lt and the difference is def noticeable in how it corners.


Mine too. I also have OEM Z51 wheels and tires. Much better feel in corners with the Z51 mods on my base 3LT 2014.
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Old Jun 17, 2015 | 12:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Karlba
I put Z51 sway bars on my non Z 3lt and the difference is def noticeable in how it corners.
It may corner flatter (which from having done the sway bar mod - I know it does), but that doesn't mean it has more grip around the skidpad or racetrack.
Nor does the fact that the ZF1/Z51 tires just because they have a lower sidewall (they are otherwise the same width 245F/285R) automatically mean they have higher grip - Z51 aftermarket A/S tires have nowhere near the grip of the base 18"/19" Michelin's. Since the Z51/ZF1 tires are a slightly stickier compound than the base tires, that likely accounts for all of the 0.03g difference in handling capability between the base car and the Z51.
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Old Jun 17, 2015 | 08:40 PM
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Managed to hit 1.17
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