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MaxP,
No one has asked......How are your roads? Is your driving in the city with rutty roads, expansion joints that thud? Do you want comfort or cornering on the track?
Get what you will be satisfied with, personally I would go with the Z51. I have one and even though I don't track it, I like having what it brings. Had I gone with a base model, I would probably be trying to get it closer to a Z51 now.
For everyday driving there are arguments in favor of the base car for sure. But if you ever like to push the envelope in a car like the C7, the car needs the stouter handling package of the Z51 just to contain the massive torque bomb the LT1 motor can unleash on the rear wheels (ok, what it really could use for that is AWD, but that's another thread).
Plus it looks way cooler with the Z51. From a value standpoint it's the biggest no-brainer in cars today. Biggest downside: if you live in a place like I do (NY) you'll need a second set of all season tires to drive the car for the 10-12 weeks that constitute the coldest part of winter.
A 2016 base 3LT with 19/20 wheels has the MSRC included. Car would be just like my 2LT with upgraded interior surfaces (I have Nav/PDR). I do not track the car and am completely satisfied with the handling on the street. It is better than the C5 Z51 I came from and after some debate and quite a few miles, I have abandoned any idea of installing Z51 sway bars for now. Don't miss the extra few quarts of oil at oil change time nor the eDiff and their potential for other things to go wrong down the road.
Long story short, given your stated planned use, I would recommend the 3LT base. That said, for $1200 more, you might get that money back or more at trade-in (or more likely private sale) if you don't plan to keep it long.
Yeah. They eliminated the ZF1 package that had the 19/20 wheels and Z51 spoiler in 2016 and packaged those options with the MSRC (FE2) for $3495 as opposed to $1995 for the ZF1 in 2015.
Personally, if it were me and my money, I would definitely go for the Z51 and if I could, I'd spring for the 3LT as I really like the 100% Nappa grade leather interior.
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I would have liked the larger wheels however as they really do look much nicer and fill the wheel well more.
The larger wheels have smaller sidewall tires, so the overall diameter of both the base and Z51 wheels+tires from edge to edge are virtually identical (within 0.2") an thus fill the wheel wells exactly the same way.
A 2016 base 3LT with 19/20 wheels has the MSRC included. Car would be just like my 2LT with upgraded interior surfaces (I have Nav/PDR). I do not track the car and am completely satisfied with the handling on the street. It is better than the C5 Z51 I came from and after some debate and quite a few miles, I have abandoned any idea of installing Z51 sway bars for now. Don't miss the extra few quarts of oil at oil change time nor the eDiff and their potential for other things to go wrong down the road.
Long story short, given your stated planned use, I would recommend the 3LT base. That said, for $1200 more, you might get that money back or more at trade-in (or more likely private sale) if you don't plan to keep it long.
On the 3LT, the MSRC is a $3495 option that include the 19/20" and Z51 painted spoiler
Magnetic Selective Ride Control™
Price : $3,495
Includes:
Z51-style spoiler
P245/35ZR19 front and P285/30ZR20 rear, performance, summer-only, run flat tires1
19” front and 20” rear wheels
Z51 without a doubt for me. I went to a corvette car show last year (Shelton vineyards in NC) and was completely surprised on how few z51 cars were there and absultly no 3lt cars out of hundreds of cars.
$1200 divided by 60 months (average time that a car is kept) = $20/month. For $20 month it's worth the peace of mind knowing you got the fully optioned car. I've driven both and around the twisties, the Z51 handles noticeably better.
02-17-2017, 11:12 PM
