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Thankfully, the OP is getting the reality of what the GS is. Unless he's a hot n heavy street racer, or a track rat - there's no need to waste that kind of money. The Stingray does it ALL on-the-streets for all intents and purposes. The OP's Stingray also has MSRC. As does mine! There's nothing else needed on the streets and highways.
Not disagreeing but if that is the case what the OP should get is a base Stingray. That is where you save the money. I bought my base 2017 Stingray 1LT M7 brand new for $46k when they were doing the 20% off deals last year. The base (non-Z51) is the best deal, add sway bars for $350 if you feel the rear end flops around too much and call it a day. It is a great GT car.
However, if the OP is looking at getting a Z51 Stingray like you have then from a price perspective the GS is the better buy.
First as you have the Stingray and NOT the Z51 option the ride is smoother! Don't let anyone tell you adjustable shocks can make up for stiffer springs and a front sway bar that looks like an axle!
I don't think the statement about the stiffer springs on a Z51 with MSRC is true. While the Z51 without MSRC has stiffer springs than the base, the springs are changed back to a rate similar to the base when the MSRC package is added.
People who have added Z51 springs to a base Stingray have stated that the reduction in ride quality was very small or negligible.
It was stated early on that the softest ride was the base with the Z51 set to touring mode being close. The MSRC update may have brought it even closer.
If you are looking for a "'Grand Touring" C7 but would like to be able to turn it up a notch for some Canyon Carving the Z51 with MSRC is a sweet spot.
Moved from a '14 Z51 with MSRC to a 2019 GS and notice very little difference in ride in Tour mode.....(but man, the GS feels like it's on rails compared to the Z51!)
I don't think the statement about the stiffer springs on a Z51 with MSRC is true. While the Z51 without MSRC has stiffer springs than the base, the springs are changed back to a rate similar to the base when the MSRC package is added.
People who have added Z51 springs to a base Stingray have stated that the reduction in ride quality was very small or negligible.
It was stated early on that the softest ride was the base with the Z51 set to touring mode being close. The MSRC update may have brought it even closer.
If you are looking for a "'Grand Touring" C7 but would like to be able to turn it up a notch for some Canyon Carving the Z51 with MSRC is a sweet spot.
I believe the spring rates with MRC are about or exactly the same as without! Have seen a number of posts where they added Z51 sway bars NOT springs. In fact I don't recall seeing any changing springs. A lot easier to add sway bars. Sway bars have little ride affect unless you hit a bump or hole with one wheel.
I have real world experience with my 2014 Z51 without MRC and my Grand Sport with MRC.
Yep, my none MRC Z51 was stiff, partly due to the 45mm Bilsteins versus the base C7 36 mm. It also had a large front sway bar and one in the rear. The base has softer strings, a small front sway bar and none in the rear.(actually the way the single spring is mounted it provides a similar effect to a small sway bar,) I always drove in Sport or Track to get the nannie, steering, throttle , and NPP response they provide.
When I got my Grand Sport tried Touring, Sport and Track. Track rattled your teeth even over our good roads! Sport was definitely stiffer than my 2014 without MRC. So I drove in Touring. (In fact in 2014 Tadge said that was the ride stiffness progression with the base being softest, Z51 with MRC in Touring next, the Z51 without MRC next and Z51 with MRC in Sport being stiffer and Z51 with MRC in Track the stiffest.)
For almost a year I drive my Grand Sport Touring and was unhappy with the throttle response so bought a Vitesse controller. Set at 4 or 5 (out of 9) it was about what I was used to with my 2014 Z51 none MRC set at Sport or Track (which had no affect on ride.) Nannies were also in Touring.. NPP and Steering could be set at always Sport or Track, which I did.
After almost a year I got the MRC upgrade and now drive in Sport. A bit stiffer that my 2014 Z51 none MRC but fine for me. In fact I now don't need the Vitesse throttle controller and like the nannies thresholds. When below 45F I use Weather Mode and you can sure tell the difference where the nannies come in.
Moved from a '14 Z51 with MSRC to a 2019 GS and notice very little difference in ride in Tour mode.....(but man, the GS feels like it's on rails compared to the Z51!)
I also hit 1.2+ "g" lateral acceleration around the fountain at the end on my street- you proably never drive like that. So IMO the base car is a lower cost and probably a better chicie for you and your wife. Heck I'm only 76 but when I get "old" I may not drive that aggressively either!
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Glad to hear I "may" be still pulling 1.0+ G's in 11 years!
(But thought the GS was rated at 1.08 max)
Admittedly I've only had the new GS a day but I can already tell it feels "tighter" on the road, specifically in steering response (I don't have driving mode linked and I was playing in Tour and Eco Modes). Ride wise, it doesn't seem noticeably "bumpier" than my Z51
Glad to hear I "may" be still pulling 1.0+ G's in 11 years!
(But thought the GS was rated at 1.08 max)
Yep, that is the transient at the apex on the turn around the fountain at the end of my street. A sustained "g" in a large circle would be different. I'm reading on the "g" meter which holds the reading just long enough!
Note a grass field on the right side and no home for over 1/4 mile down the street. Seldom any significant traffic. Note, after the fountain the road is split with a wide center divider with grass and plants. I live about 2 miles down that road.
I believe the spring rates with MRC are about or exactly the same as without! Have seen a number of posts where they added Z51 sway bars NOT springs. In fact I don't recall seeing any changing springs. A lot easier to add sway bars. Sway bars have little ride affect unless you hit a bump or hole with one wheel.
You're right about people changing sway bars, not springs. I mean't to say sway bars but typed springs.
I found the link I was thinking about when I made the statement. The front spring rates are the same between the base and Z51 but the rear is a little stiffer with the Z51. The stiffer ride in the Z51 without MSRC is mainly due to the stiffer shocks.
But when MSRC is added to the Z51 the spring rates are actually lower than the base Stingray. So, in theory, you could actually get a softer ride in a Z51 with MSRC.
Link to thread below: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ing-rates.html
This is probably why people with the DSC controller (like me) complained that the ride is too soft with the provided settings when installed in a Z51.
Admittedly I've only had the new GS a day but I can already tell it feels "tighter" on the road, specifically in steering response (I don't have driving mode linked and I was playing in Tour and Eco Modes). Ride wise, it doesn't seem noticeably "bumpier" than my Z51
Yeah it drives like it's on rails. The more curves you throw at it the happier it is. 4000 miles and I never got tired of it.
You're right about people changing sway bars, not springs. I mean't to say sway bars but typed springs.
I found the link I was thinking about when I made the statement. The front spring rates are the same between the base and Z51 but the rear is a little stiffer with the Z51. The stiffer ride in the Z51 without MSRC is mainly due to the stiffer shocks.
But when MSRC is added to the Z51 the spring rates are actually lower than the base Stingray. So, in theory, you could actually get a softer ride in a Z51 with MSRC.
Link to thread below: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ing-rates.html
This is probably why people with the DSC controller (like me) complained that the ride is too soft with the provided settings when installed in a Z51.
Good info. In 2017 the Z51 came with MRC as standard so that is what the those spring rates reflect. In my 2014 Z51 it was an option so my none MRC may have had stiffer springs, I'll see if I can find that info.
What I quoted was what Tadge said in 2014, i.e.:
Softest ride base Stingray
Next Z51 w/MRC set at Touring
Next Z51 w/o MRC
Next Z51 w/MRC set at Sport
Stiffest Z51 w/MRC set at Track
When I got my Grand Sport setting at Sport was definitely stiffer than what I had driven for 3 1/2 years my none MRC Z51. So I drove in Touring. As I said I was not happy with the slow throttle tip-in (or the nannies threshold) compared to what I was used to. Installed a Vitesse Throttle Controller and when set at 4 or 5, (mid way) was about what I was used to.
As noted in the table the Grand Sport spring rates they are significantly higher than the Z51 with MRC, the way the 2017 Z51 came. In addition the front sway bar sure looks larger in diameter as I recall my Z51.
After almost a year when I ungraded the MRC the initial harshness in Sport when I hit a bump was definitely less. That is where I have been driving for almost a year. I no longer need the Vitesse Throttle Controller- happy with the tip-in in Sport. Also like the nannie threshold.
I had set NPP as always Track and Steering as always Sport from the start. No such option for Throttle Response. I am happy with the ride in Sport on our relatively good roads in Eastern SC. It is about the same as my none MRC 2014 Z51, IMO. I do switch to Weather Mode when it's below 45 F that does several things but mainly the nannies come on sooner. If just ~45F in ~ 5 miles I switch back to Sport and all is fine. I used tire pressure to define when they have increased it temp and traction improved.
My wife and I have a '17 Grand Sport 3LT plus extra goodies. I really like the car and it does handle like a dream, extremely fast and looks sweet as it is the Long Beach Red with all the black accents and venting. This is why I bought it. So, in my opinion you pick the car you want to drive and that is it! If you don't like the car you purchased, then trade it in or sell it and try again.
There is ZERO difference in the real world. (other than the cost of tires) Either car is better than 95.9% of the people that buy them. (i'm actually being generous, it's probably more like 99%) You will run out of talent long before you reach the limits of what either car is capible of.
Attending 1 or 2 track days a year doesn't make a whit of difference.
Buy the car you like, and can afford.
Drive said car. (a lot) You don't learn anything by saving the car for the next buyer and admiring the clean, shiny, still new car in the garage.
Had I been interested in tracking my car I would have gone with the GS. No doubt it's built for that. For me the wide body wasn't a must and I plan on putting some miles on my Stingray as a DD and I plan on taking trips with it. I have zero interest in tracking my car. Most of the things that make the GS great on the track just add to the cost of ownership. Things like replacing brakes, rotors, tires and bent rims make it more difficult to justify using it as a daily driver. I think buyers need to be honest with themselves when deciding what car they want and more importantly what needs they have and how they will use it.. I have a Nephew with a GS and he never drives it. He has 600 miles on it over two Summers. He never takes it to the track and doesn't even drive it hard or fast. He looks at it a lot and says the reason he went GS was for resale value .
In 2017 the Z51 came with MRC as standard so that is what the those spring rates reflect. In my 2014 Z51 it was an option so my none MRC may have had stiffer springs, I'll see if I can find that info.
MSRC on a Z51 was still optional in 2017 (and still is).
The first number in the Z51 column in the table is for a Z51 without MSRC. The second number is for a Z51 with MSRC. So, in 2017, the front spring rate on a Z51 without MSRC was the same as a base Stingray but the Z51 without MSRC had a stiffer rear spring rate.
Had I been interested in tracking my car I would have gone with the GS. No doubt it's built for that. For me the wide body wasn't a must and I plan on putting some miles on my Stingray as a DD and I plan on taking trips with it. I have zero interest in tracking my car. Most of the things that make the GS great on the track just add to the cost of ownership. Things like replacing brakes, rotors, tires and bent rims make it more difficult to justify using it as a daily driver. I think buyers need to be honest with themselves when deciding what car they want and more importantly what needs they have and how they will use it.. I have a Nephew with a GS and he never drives it. He has 600 miles on it over two Summers. He never takes it to the track and doesn't even drive it hard or fast. He looks at it a lot and says the reason he went GS was for resale value .
A lot of folks just like to own these cars and look at them in the garage. It becomes more of a pride of ownership thing vs. actually loving to drive the car. All of these Corvettes were meant to be driven in my opinion. Resale value is pretty much pointless, unless maybe 20 years from now when everything is electric and you have V8 enthusiasts looking for cars.
As for the extra wear and tear items, yes they are little more expensive on the GS but if you put a pencil to it you may be surprised. For example, a set of Michelins for the Stingray Z51 cost $1467, a set of Michelins for the GS/Z06 cost $1832, a difference of $365 for a full set. If a GS owner wanted to reduce tire cost a bit and they don't plan to track the car and go absolutely crazy on the street then a set of Michelin AS3s (all season) for the GS cost $1382, $85 less than the OEM Z51 replacement tires. As for brake pads, Stingray $150 for fronts, GS about $225. So yes, it costs a little more but not so much more where you shouldn't buy the GS and daily drive it if that is what you like.
MSRC on a Z51 was still optional in 2017 (and still is).
The first number in the Z51 column in the table is for a Z51 without MSRC. The second number is for a Z51 with MSRC. So, in 2017, the front spring rate on a Z51 without MSRC was the same as a base Stingray but the Z51 without MSRC had a stiffer rear spring rate.
Got it! It was NPP that came with it std!
‘Thanks.
11-14-2018, 08:38 AM
Glad to hear I "may" be still pulling 1.0+ G's in 11 years!
Good info. In 2017 the Z51 came with MRC as standard so that is what the those spring rates reflect. In my 2014 Z51 it was an option so my none MRC may have had stiffer springs, I'll see if I can find that info.
