patentcad

A lot of you are excited about this new ZR Corvette that's being teased in the auto press that's going to presumably have 700+ bhp. I just read a review of the new Camaro ZL (Z06 motor, 650 hp) that essentially concludes the car really has way too much power both for daily driving or to have so much fun with on public roads, which is my general impression of the Z06. Unless you track your car, where do you really drive these cars? I can barely open up the stock Stingray, I really have to judiciously pick my spots even with that car to be reasonably safe and to keep my driver's license.

I recently found out the C7R race car has less bhp than the Z06 albeit at a lighter weight (491 hp @ 6000 RPM. Weight: 2745 lbs). Mostly it's marketing to a male dick measuring mentality I suppose. Nothing wrong with that, I'm as guilty as the next guy, I want to know my car is really fast. But really, how often am I going to unleash my car to launch from 0-100 in <9 seconds?

These cars (even a stock Stingray) are faster than some race cars were 15 years ago. And mostly they're selling them to AARP idiots like me who have rarely been on a race track. I'd say all things considered it's a testament to Corvette owner maturity and common sense that half of them aren't smoldering lumps of melting fiberglass on the roadside.

I'm trying to get used to it after two years of Corvette ownership (I had a C6 prior to the C7), but I'm very careful about how I apply power in this car. I've never had a car that had so much power you could corkscrew the rear end of the car by dropping a torque bomb the rear wheels : ).

I gotta take GM up on this Fellows school deal to improve my chances of surviving Corvette ownership.

It's a long standing sports car philosophy that it's more fun to drive a less powerful car like a Miata @ 80%+ all the time than a Corvette @ 40% because it's just too fast for your local roads. I suppose, but I did get the Corvette because it's also fun to have your own personal hyperspace button, I love having a car with so much effortless power. I'd agree with many car magazines and many of you that the Grand Sport strikes a good balance, and for the rest of us the Z51 is supercar enough.

This is a recent development, they're selling moderately priced sports cars ($50K-$150K) that have performance similar to a Ferrari F40, arguably the first real supercar. The old F40's numbers are similar to a Z51, and I'm sure the C7 would turn faster lap times, it pulls considerably higher skidpad #'s:

C/D TEST RESULTS:

Zero to 60 mph: 4.2 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 8.3 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 13.5 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 12.1 sec @ 122 mph
Top speed: 197 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 218 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 1.01 g

brettmess24

Your going to anger all the ZO6 owners

Splitter

You can never have enough!

ttay3

and I'm not a Z06 owner . . .

1SG_Ret

Your points are all valid IMO. I have more fun w/ my 2015 Mini Cooper S w/ the JCW tuner package around town than I do w/ the C7. Yeah, C7 is cooler and way faster, but the go kart playfulness of the Mini trumps that in traffic and around town. Goes back to "slow car fast or a fast car slow".

Heck, looking at some 4 door sedan's performance numbers now and they are 0-60 in less the 4 second range and somewhere in the 13 sec 1/4 mile range times. Those numbers are better than most of the 60's muscle car I grew up with and lusting after. AND they get great gas mileage to boot!

I'd never begrudge anyone buying the car of their dreams. One has to realize that there is a "super-car" market and to stay competitive in it each manufacturer has to up their ante. So I fully expect to see HP's continue to climb as well as performance.

Most will be driven as blvd cruisers w/ the occasional 0- to 10MPH over the posted speed limit in less than a heartbeat. (Which can be fun too).

Ernest_T

I sorta agree with you, that's why I was okay buying a base Stingray. The comparison to the C7 is somewhat invalid since there are rules they have to abide by in the class they chose to race in.

Mike Campbell

Ah ha! So you're the guy in the Mini zipping back and forth between lanes on 41!!! Not me, I just like to see an opening and leave all the herd in the dust!

jivor

I definitely agree with the OP. I find 460HP plenty fun. My car is my DD, so it has be somewhat pragmatic, which thankfully the Corvette is.

I guess everyone has their limit, their comfort zone, etc.; some people like driving a rocket ship and need that brutal boost of power.

We can ask what is too much or why not get the most you can, but ultimately there is so much variation in opinion, any attempt at a fixed number is moot.

rmorin1249

I tend to agree with the OP, but hey it's America, you can buy what you want. The current HP race is kinda crazy IMHO unless maybe you live in Germany or you track your car. I am no expert but from what I have read the ZO6 is way more than anyone needs for a street car and it has issues on the track in stock form. That said, hey if you want it and can afford it and the insurance, go for it. GM will love you. If the ZR1 does have 700+HP I am sure there will be enough folks that will have to buy it because it is what it is.

fugly1

There is another thread now in which the OP argues it's silly NOT to get the Z06 over the GS because of the extra HP. To each his own.

dvilin

With the speed limits we have you can make an argument just about any of today's cars are too much.
But there is nothing like having that power at your disposal for those times you can give it a bit of exercise.
The Z06 for now is the top of the Corvette HP heap and that is always a good place to be.

murtro

What I find truly frightening is that in 15 years these 600 - 700 hp cars will be cheap enough that snot nosed teenagers (like I was) will be able to buy one as maybe their very first car...and get into and put others into life threatening danger in a heart beat!

If you buy one - make sure you don't wind up selling to an inexperienced driver in the future for the sake of all of us.

patentcad

It would be interesting to hear from somebody who has had both a Stingray and then a Z06. Is the extra power in the Z06 a plus? Do you get frustrated because it's harder to drive the car anywhere near or approaching its limit on the street?

I didn't drive a Z06, I only rode in one, and for a couple of reasons that led me to choose a Stingray with the Z51. I'm just basing my thoughts on how hard it is to unleash 460 hp on the street let alone 650 hp. But what do I know? One thing I've learned is that you get used to the power of the car you have and then at some point you catch yourself thinking 'another 75 hp wouldn't suck' : ). Boys will be boys I suppose.

obxchartercaptain

People will always want the biggest and baddest around. For as long as there were things that moved fast including HUMANS...we RACED THEM. Now, having said that and having been driving Fast Cars since the 1950's, the ONLY thing that stopped me from having the BIGGEST AND BADDEST was my pocket book. And, to answer your question is the Z06 to much....NO IT'S NOT....But, like some like to say...it's the MOST BANG FOR THE BUCK. And, this is from someone who is 72 and really drives his Corvette like it was intended to be driven...of course....depending on the traffic conditions.

aj98

You have to admit, there is nothing like it, and at times, its tough to drive anything else...

I must be a secret attention hoe - and you all know we do get attention

Patentcad - the 110 hp difference between my C5 and C7 took a lot of getting used to - and if I drive either for an extended time before switching back, th difference can still surprise me - I would imagine its no different from a C7Z51 to C7Z06.

Definitely has a lot more punch you back in the seat brute force...but I enjoy the G's from twisty curvies much more than just straight line speed.

thill444

Most of this is marketing and companies trying to one-up each other in the horsepower wars. The cost to all this is more and more "sports cars" will price themselves out of the majority of enthusiasts. In order to keep the power down with all this horsepower and get the fastest times these cars also need expensive AWD systems, really expensive tires, expensive dual clutch transmissions, and more computers to drive the car for you to get the best performance.

GTR is the perfect example. When it first came to the states the base MSRP was around $74K. In eight years that price is now almost $110K for a base car.

crazy..

Davids65

I went with the Grand Sport mostly because I love the look! If money was no issue I would have gone went for the Z06 rarely have I heard someone complain that their car has too much power. After buying my car I have done a lot of reading and frankly the reviews seem to make it clear that I made the correct choice. The more I drive my car the more I like it!

Snowwolfe

My previous car was a 2013 supercharged Grand Sport with 650 hp. I sold it to buy a base C7. At the speeds that car was capable of I knew it was only a matter of time before I ended up with a triple digit ticket, maybe a flat bed to the impound lot, etc. Everything happens real fast when you punch the throttle in a car like that and you better be on your a game. I supercharged the car because I was living in CO at the time and due to the thinner air it was the equivalent of running a 510 hp car at sea level. For CO it was the perfect balance of power and car. At sea level, to much for me. Hit the gas under 40 mph and the rears go up in smoke.

The perfect balance of C7 and hp FOR ME would be about 500-525 hp at the crank.

axr6

For this long time SCCA road racer, the stock power of the Stingray is plenty. I did tune the suspension to my preferences, installed wider, stickier tires and the car is a terror with perfectly predictable power and handling over my local winding canyon roads. Given the fairly tight turns I would not be able to apply more power than what I have. Where I could apply more power (straights) I do not because of real fears for a loss of licence/car and jail attendance.

17Z

I am an "AARP idiot" like yourself

I do get what you're getting at...how much is too much.

I used to think 505 hp was huge on my C6Z06. That amount became commonplace with the base C7 until the C7Z06 came out. Could have gotten a GS but since the base Z06 was still at the very edge of my price point, I decided to go the extra mile. That seems about right for me to be one model above the base, and one below the top end aka ZR1. Its not about how much I need, its about how much I can afford. If you're spending 60-70K on a car you've worked hard for, the extra 10-15k doesn't break the bank. 10-15K above that figure starts to become excessive for for any type of vehicle IMO.

What you do with it if anything is up to the operator. I am very satisfied to have purchased the Z06 given all the above. I do not forsee the need for more car with the driving years I have left. The C8 is too late and one generation too far for this old guy. Honestly, I could want no more than what I have.