felkebg

I read the Motor Trend article on the Grand Sport offer this morning and wondered if any Z06 and Z51 drivers would care to comment on the remark that there were difficulties in putting the power down on the streets using the Z06's 650 HP. They went on to talk about a previous article (written before the GS announcement) where they speculated that the Z06 suspension setup would produce a better blend when matched with the Z51 power train.

I have not driven the Z06 yet but my Z51 has all the giddy up needed to make my heart go pitter pat. A different thread had an owner say that he believed that he would use 80% of the Z51 on the track and 60% of the Z06.

Anyone want to weigh in with your thoughts or experiences?

dovervold

R & T came up with the same conclusion, they preferred the Z51 for the street. Z06 owners will cuss all day long and that they love all the power and would never look back. Z51 owners will claim they have all the power they need. Me, I want to be some where in the middle. Nice cam and LT's should be around 510-520 at the wheel on my 14' Z51. GM should have bumped the LT1 HP on the GS and they would have built the perfect car IMO...

nolove10s

I couldn't agree more. I would trade in my z51 if the gs's had a noticeable bump in power.

heavychevy

The Z06 has soooo much torque, it spins tires with almost laughable ease. Even the sport cups. For the street where you can hardly use much of the power of the Z06, a Z51 is more practical.

However, on the track, the Z06 needs the extra grunt for the tracks with long straights which is the vast majority of tracks in the US. The Z06 is made for combat against the elite of other manufacturers. So overkill for the street is a necessity. That better blend is the GS and it will be a better street car than the Z06, but it won't be the marquee crushing track monster Corvette fans demand from GM. Not enough ponies.

JerriVette

More power for the GS would have motivated more buyers to open up their wallets faster...

Could have been anywhere from 500 to 525 hp...and consumers wouldn't have minded the 1300 dollar gas guzzler tax...

That said the grand sport will be plenty quick as is and will sell great.

VY427

My '16 Z51 feels fast/powerful enough for me, considering the limited opportunities for really getting on it (otherwise, I likely would have got the Z06). That said, I would be more motivated to step up to a Grandsport if it also included a significant power increase (say, 485-500hp). If only to make the car that little bit more appealing on an emotional level, which helps justifiy a trade from an otherwise perfectly fine Corvette.

RonnieC6Z

Jeremy Clarkson, formerly of Top Gear, in 2014, chose the C7 Z51 as his car of the year. He loved it. On the other hand, he really disliked the Z06 for the same reasons that MT gave.

Bucknut2006

My 250hp daily driver is enough for the street 99% of the time. I find that having more power typically lends to take more chances, but not something you have to have. At the track, above 60mph, the extra power can only been seen as a positive if you know how to apply it.

Jus Cruisin

I've never owned a car with too much horsepower or torque. My Z06 isn't the highest hp or torque I've owned but it'll do.

OnPoint

The only people who have problems with the Z06 are those who use the throttle like an on/off switch (which you can get away with on lower powered cars, but not the Z). Learn some basic throttle control and the Z is a hoot to drive.

felkebg

Your post reminded me of a friend who did John Lingenfelter's ~1000+ HP mod to his C5 Z06 and I wonder if the traction nanny (left on) keeps drivers from losing grip but then does it accomplish this by not allowing maximum HP to be applied. Do you ever drive on the street without traction help or would that feel and drive too squirrely to you?

motomanvette

It's accelerating into triple digit speeds where extra HP is needed.

ZEEEE06

blue_bomber697

A 490-520hp NA Grandsport would've been the perfect car. Tons of grip, 3.4-3.5 0-60, mid 11s 1/4 mile, track times likely equivalent (or better) to the C6 ZR1, incredibly well mannered for the street, no overheating issues.

If I hadn't already supercharged my car and bought wider wheels, I would've traded in on that GS immediately.

Corgidog1

My plain old non Z51 is not tracked and is more than enough for me on the streets.

VNAMVET

"Mid 11s 1/4 mile track times"...........I do that now........ Stock 2014 Z-51 A6.

motomanvette

That "dream" Grand Sport would have needed much more than 490hp to equal the 630+HP ZR1 in a straight line.

blue_bomber697

Haha yes there will always be the random amazing runs on some tracks/days, but I was meaning official advertised time. Very few people have run mid-11's bone stock in these cars. At my track, due to ****** DA and track prep, the fastest a Stingray will go there is 12.4 on the best of days.

As fast as a ZR1 on the track, not a drag race. The new C7GS with the Z07 package is already within a second of the C6ZR1 at the Millford Proving grounds Tadge said, so with a bit more hp, it will surpass the ZR1 track times I'm sure.

PLRX

Amen

Jus Cruisin

I kind of remember that statement in another thread...I wonder who wrote that....

There are too many video gamers that buy fast cars and think they can operate it like the joystick,/controller or whatever they are called and blast around wide open.