woodranch

So I own a fantastic 2017 Grand Sport with the ZO7 package. I love it, but always in the back of my mind I question if I should have bought the ZO6. I know ZO6 owners will chime in and I know your car has so much power, which I wonder if I need or will ever use? I am 58 years old and definitely don't track the car and do not drive as fast as I used to. My question to current Grand Sport owners is, if you are plenty happy enough with performance and acceleration? Handling wise, I know the car is great! Do any of you regret not buying the ZO6? Maybe it is my ego and I have not completely opened my Grand Sport up, but I am guessing at my age and not taking the car to the track, this car should to do more then satisfy me. Please other owners who are fast drivers and love performance give me your true, honest, opinions. Thank you...also my last Corvette was a 2102 ZO6... Thank you in advance and looking forward to your responses( I will get killed by ZO6 owners so that is why I need Grand Sort owners to answer . Unfortunately where I live the only time you can feel the true power of your car in the busy city is at 2 in the morning or on the way To Las Vegas . However, maybe my ego is getting the better of me to know I have that extra power in the ZO6. Hoping Grand Sport owners will tell me you have more the plenty of power to give you that adrenaline rush and not worth the extra money! Thanks again!

Borntorun04/17

I took delivery of my 17 GS in late June and LOVE my GS. MY wife at time of ordering comment was get this one right. I knew it had to be the wide body and looked at GS and Z06 and as you see I chose GS. I will get slammed for this but I didn't see the need for extra HP and cost for something I most likely wouldn't use. I'm around your age and will not track . Just use car for fun rides ,cruise nights, shows. Coming from a C5 04 my new GS would have a lot more HP than 04. I love my GS hp, handling, styling of GS. I have no regrets and never second guessed my self, because I got the car I wanted and the one that fit my needs and wants best. Dave

Markamen

I am in the process of building a GS. I am 58 as well and do not plan to take the car to the track. At my age a Z06 scares the hell out of me. I drove my wife's cousins Z06 two weeks ago. Fast as hell. His car is has all of he same options I am getting on my GS. Having that much power was a rush. But when and where will I use it. Pesonal choice. I too will be interested in what current GS owners share.

Compass

I have a 2017 GS myself I like having a naturally aspirated motor. I love the looks of the car and the performance is great I don't have a big ego where I need to have 650 hp. Superchargers are just something that could go wrong in the future. If something breaks off the supercharger and goes into your intake it destroys your motor. I do not fan of the supercharger whistling under the hood I think it takes away from the V8 experience. The Z06 is a little bit faster but really who cares. I'm not out dragracing anybody I got nothing to prove. Enjoy the car you're not missing out on anything

red62vette

I have a GS and don't regret not getting a Z. The Z is great but the GS is very fast, cheaper to buy, possibly more reliable, and more efficient. I plan to put a ton of miles on it so the GS was a great choice for me.

weevy

I have had a 91 ZR1 as well as a 06 Z06 and decided to buy a a 2017 Grand Sport. Money wise, you can get to 640 hp well less than sticker price on a Z. You can get your own mods etc.

I dropped the clutch in the Z06 which had 505 hp and let me tell you, I almost did a 360 on the interstate. That Grand Sport is more than enough for me. It is just good to be back in a Vette

Supersonic 427

I know this question is for GS owners, but I am a former '17 GS owner who now has an '18 Z06. I, like yourself, questioned myself if I should have gone for a Z06 instead of the GS. This especially, because I came from a '16 Stingray. The GS was more aggressive looking than the Stingray and handled better, however the GS was not a huge difference in feel over the Stingray. The Z06 is a HUGE difference that you can always feel whether driving fast or slow! It is all that torque way down low that makes this car a blast to drive!

Kevin A Jones

I love the looks of the wide-body so drove and considered both and decided on the GS and have absolutely no regrets.
The GS runs and handles incredibility strong and I didn't see the need for the extra HP.

DALE#3

The GS will get you in the same amount of Trouble the Z will.
The savings will give you more cash for the attorneys to get ya back on them twisty's sooner than later.
You got the Fat Look with plenty for the street...
Ha..I got pulled over for not stopping fast enough..2 Pedestrian's approached a crosswalk...Should've stopped sir...No one in front or behind me...You had time to Stop

MHE-Plex

This is a good question. I'm totally happy with my GS.

I have not previously owned a Z06 like you have though. I would probably agree with supersonic 427 if I drove a Z06 , I admit.

with that said though I am completely and totally happy and have not second-guessed myself. For even money I believe I would have gotten the Z06. However, I would have worried about the supercharger breaking and what the repair cost would be. I suppose for $2000 or less I would have stepped up but for me it was not worth $20,000 as the GS is already far superior and beauty and speed than anything I have ever owned. Plus there is something I like about having a naturally aspirated car that is as fast as ours is.

my thoughts about the Z07 package are similar.

I tentatively plan to go to Spring Mountain. I might go to a track sometime just to legally exceed the speed limit in my car. Otherwise I will not be tracking.

spinkick

I got a GS because I thought I wouldnt have as much fun with 650 hp. The car just cant be pushed on the street so i was afraid id feel like i was always holding back. The GS is bad enough. I'm sure the 650 hp is fun though

woodranch

Thank you all again ,but my main question is the Grand Sport powrerful enough for the most owners? Do any of you feel the Grand Sport is not fast enough, have enough tongue or wish you regret not getting the ZO6?

Gearbox22

I bought my 17 M7 GS after tons of test drives and talking with my friends with the Z06. And IMHO, the GS is the best all around car for the street. The Z06 can easily overpower the chassis and requires a lot more attention powering out of turns or driving it at WOT and not ending up sideways. Now don't get me wrong, you can get into trouble with the GS as well, but much more manageable and recoverable. Plus I tend to let my friends drive my car and for the lesser skilled driver in a Z06, it could cause an issue. That, coupled with the stories of the car overheating after a few hot laps or even getting caught in traffic, I think the GS makes more sense for the street. Now with this said, if you truly crave more power, you can sneak up to it or surpass it but adding a supercharger onto your existing GS. I spoke with the guys at Edelbrock at the Carlisle show and depending which stage you buy and how you tune it, you can get 500 to 862 HP. I was told the Supercharger is a more robust design than the stock Z06 unit and does not develop the heat the stock unit does. And the various stages, 1, 2 & 3, all use the same supercharger and the increased HP is obtained with different pulleys and tunes. So, you can start from the bottom with a modest increase to 500 HP and up it should you feel you want more. But honestly, 460 HP is more than enough to have fun with on the street and still keep your car, person, and license intact. Just saying.

dmhines

I bought my GS purely for looks, style and sunny day cruising. Except for the Ego trip of the Z06 i saw no reason to spend the extra $$$.

L1FRDOG

2017 Grand Sport (M7 - Long Beach red - LT2) I absolutely love the car. As I said before and continue to say... I can go to jail just as quick whether I have 460 or 650HP... 460 has yet to make me feel inadequate . I have been to Ron Fellows/Spring Mountain and frankly after that and the high temps in July I have nothing but great props for the GS. The Z06s were beasts there, but the heat beat them down horribly. So bad that I felt very bad for my tracking buddies who were driving the Z06s and could not get more than 1-2 laps in before going into limp mode. Anyway... I am not here to debate that issue, I can only say I personally witnessed it. The GS's were track beasts in their own right... 5-6K RPOM in 114 degree Nevada heat with AC on full (I actually thought about turning it down because I was getting TOO cold).


Would I get a Z06? No.... however I am seriously considering the 627 Callaway... but why? I don't know and it is currently just a thought.


Deeds, Not Words

Jaylars

Bottom line up front- I am as happy or even happier now with the GS as I was when I had my first Chevy, a 66 Chevelle SS in High School.

No regrets so far. Been enjoying it since mid July and nearly 3k miles later still happy. I never really considered a Z06, but understand the need for one if you track the car or have an active wrench hobby. My plan is to wait about 2 years or so and see if I want/need a Maggie or Edlebrock SC. For now, I'm content. I'm 50 and semi-retired so this is a fun toy right now, not a passionate hobby or daily driver.
Reference the "fast drivers and performance", only the respectable Hellcats/392s/Scats and GTs and a few Euro sports tend to slow down or catch up to check me. I never indulge the ricer/fart can crowd.
Of course they look at the side vents first to read Grand Sport instead of Z06 and then proceed to open their loud mouths in contest... which or course, I occasionally do join in the serenade. Although, I think the same thing would occur if the side vent read Z06 and not Grand Sport. Have fun with it, at least until the C8 come out.

SLOWRYDE

Took delivery of my 17C7 Grand Sport on 3/25/17 and have enjoyed every minute in it. I have owned (2) 600 hp cars before this one and already new I didn't want that much power again. The cars with that much power are great and can be fun for sure. I just wanted to be able to get into the throttle more and have control of the car and not be going at ludicrous speeds. The 460hp is more than enough to get this 3400 lb car around at 100+ mph very easily.

I can't give you an answer to how fast it is because what's fast enough for me may not be fast enough for you so it's too subjective to answer definitively. I will say, I've never gotten out of the car after some spirited driving and felt it was 'slow'.

RFZ

if my c7 gs had my c6 z06 ls7 i would think i died and went to heaven. that said, i have been driving fast high powered vehicles on street, track and racing for a long time. i was faster in my c6z than the guys i know with c6 zr1. my main problem is over driving. slow in fast out is a driving technique i know in my head very well just have hard time implementing.
my driving reflexes are not what they used to be, i am now 60, the c7 gs was the best choice for me. it is so well balanced and easy to drive fast. now i have not driven a c7 z06 and the ediff may make a big difference in what i dont like about big hp and posi diffs. i have learned a long time ago that i dont have to have the highest hp available. in fact i would destroy a very high percentage of c7 z06 owners on a track in my gs because most of them have never been on one.

individual driving ability is what i have found to be the biggest factor in how fast one is. not necessarily the car or hp.

the gs is a very well balanced car . 650 hp in a car that i mainly drive on the street was not important to me.

finally if one is serious about being on track a lot, you should have a dedicated track car. period.

Strake

Happy ! No regrets. Plenty of power for me to enjoy as is.

Ddc017

Love my 17 GS. It's an incredible car and taking it off the lot for $55k+t&t was a no brainer. I'd be lying though if I said a Z06 wouldn't be better. But being 27 and spending 4 days on the road as a consultant I feel like I made the right choice. My dad had a CTS-V though so I have had a taste of the power and sometimes wish I had a Z06. Maybe in a few years if we ever get the mid engine. Until then I'd say the GS is the best bang for your buck and better than 99% of the cars you see on the road!