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I ordered my 2016 Z-51 1 year to early !!! I had no idea that Grand Sports were coming out for 2017 and if i did i would have GS. I like the look of the wide body, the Z06 grill, rear spoiler and wheels and do not need the extra HP. The only problem i would have is color. No Laguna Blue for 2017
I bought mine because of the heritage of the GS. With that being said, the only color option for me was blue, white stripe and red hash.
Although I bought mine primarily for the larger tires that I thought my C7 Z51 lacked when I first drove it in October 2013, the Grand Sport heritage was also a factor as noted by my license plate.
Can see the Blue but the Zora's original Grand Sport did not have fender stripes!
Two Great Books For Any Grand Sport Owner. Read Before Mine Was Delivered and Made My License Plate Decision!
I have no desire for any forced induction engine....and I don't have the need for 650 HP or even want to be tempted with that much power since I only drive on the streets and local rural roads. But I wanted the wide body. Extremely happy with my Grand Sport....love the balance, handling, and the very ample power it provides. I'm a very happy camper with my Grand Sport.
Simple for me, the price over a Z51 equpied the way I wanted it was not much different, I like the wide body look, and had no need for the higher horsepower.
I could very well have bought the GS if it was available at the time I bought the Z06 because it was for my wife's retirement. There was no way I was buying a base Corvette.
I love supercharger and turbo'd vehicles. Enough that I will likely twin turbo my 502ci Camaro. The car I traded in on the Corvette was a supercharged Roush Mustang.
On the Grand Sport did the splitter and sideskirts get installed at the dealer, factory, or can you have them leave them off? Thanks.
It's a Dealer install so you could ask to not have them put on.
In my case it was not an option because of the many pebbles on our rural roads. Installed full length carbon fiber side skirts soon after I got my 2014 Z51 as the GM rocker plastic protection was marked in a few weeks! Once installed I removed the GM plastic and after 3 years when I sold it, the rocker panels looked new! So I ordered the optional GM carbon fiber Stage 2 aero package for the Grand Sport that includes full length side skirts and splitter (mine are painted carbon flash.) I watched as the C7 Tech installed mine drilling 13 holes per side and inserting the special GM rivets.
The wife is seldom a passenger as we use her SUV when we go out. I also seldom have my sound system off as it drowns out the tire/road noise. The other day, we were just going somewhere locally so we took the Vette. I shut off the sound system. On the way back from dinner she asked what the noise was especially when we passed a section near our home where a gravel road intersects our paved road. There are many pebbles pulled onto our paved road. It sounds like a tambourine! The front tires toss pebbles that hit the bottom of the carbon fiber side skirts. But in 11 months there is not one mark on my rocker panels or the rear fender lower brake duct vent opening. They do the job! The Skirt undersides are unfinished carbon fiber so no damage. Will remove the little bit of GM plastic above the brake duct on a warm day as it is also mot marked.
The Stage 2 aero option comes with carbon flash painted rear spoiler extensions on the ends. I replaced the Stage 2 winglets that come on the splitter with that option with carbon flash painted Stage 3 Winglets. They and the ACS front splash guards help integrate the look of the Spats.
Your Car Your Choice.
Stage 3 Winglets Help Integrate the look of the Spats.
ACS front Splash Guards are somewhat wider and are deeper than GM. Worth it for protection and also help integrate the Spats look.
Started looking at the Stingray w/Z51 with mag ride, then fell for the wide body of the GS/Z06. A quick build on the Chevrolet site made it clear that the a GS was the right buy for me. LOVE the wide body and wheels/tires.
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09, '14-'15-'16-'17-'18
Originally Posted by wrecker3
I ordered my 2016 Z-51 1 year to early !!! I had no idea that Grand Sports were coming out for 2017 and if i did i would have GS. I like the look of the wide body, the Z06 grill, rear spoiler and wheels and do not need the extra HP. The only problem i would have is color. No Laguna Blue for 2017
Just about the same story with me.
...But we have the last year of the best color for the Corvette...
Last edited by ExRedRacer; 03-18-2018 at 10:12 PM.
I’m a handling fanatic. I wanted excellent fade-free braking. I don’t care for F/I (the weight, heat...). That said a GS/Z07 was the answer. I will probably have the engine worked over in the future 550+HP (of course it’ll stay N/A ).
Last edited by 2cnd Chance; 03-18-2018 at 07:41 PM.
I love wide-bodied cars so in the Stingray w/ Z51 package vs Grand Sport looks battle, the GS wins for me hands down. The Grand Sport wasn't much more so it was a relatively easy decision after that.
I was shopping for a Z51 at first. I also wanted the MRC. When I found out it was standard on the GS and the bigger wheels, tires, brakes, fenders and aero were only $4000 more, the decision was easy.
I chose the GS because I didn't want a car that would overheat on the track (road courses). The GS does great on the track and doesn't have any overheating issues.
I drove the Stingray Z51, GS and Z06, chose the GS and have never looked back.
I really like the performance features of the GS, and loved the driving experience it delivers on a winding country road. I'm crazy about the wide-body look so that was also a strong determining factor.
Just didn't see the need for the Z06's extra 190 or the additional $14,000 over the GS. But to each their own.
03-18-2018, 03:27 PM
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