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I have to disagree with you there. The LT4 makes 200 more foot pounds of torque than the LT1, you are definitely going to feel that!! At any rpm and any throttle position, it's going to be more responsive and feel more powerful than the LT1, without a doubt. To get the same level of acceleration of an LT4 at 25% throttle, you'd probably have to be at 50% throttle or greater in the LT1 (this is just a rough example, but it's just another way of illustrating my point)
Torque just "feels good", that's why the L98 Corvettes felt so much faster than they really were, because they made a lot of torque down low, so the instant you touched the gas things started happening.
I saw the difference right after I put this bad baby in my Z51 Stingray. Used to get in the car with a smile on my face, now get in with a huge grin and feel like the baddest boy on the block! It's fun!
I bought a 2014 Z51 in 2017. Drove it for a few months and then found a great deal on a brand new Collector Edition GS for $68K (sticker was $84K). So I did the swap and ended up with a GS.A lot of people asked me "why didn't you just buy a used Z06 for that money? You basically bought a Z06 without the HP". Yes, that is a true statement. The GS is a Z06 without the power. When I purchased the GS, I asked myself "what am I going to use the car for?". I go to car shows, cruises through the mountains of NC/TN, back road trips, and occasional track days. I do not drag race the car or drive it daily to work or Walmart. I just felt like I didn't need 650hp. On a road course, its tough putting all that power down. I stay with or am faster than a Z06 through the turns portion of a race track but once the backstretch or a straightaway opens up, the Z06 dominates. Driving to a car show on a highway, I can only go X mph. Whether I have 900hp or 90hp, 75mph is the same (you just get there quicker). And when I do drive's in the mountains, it constant gas/brake and you can't mash the throttle. Turns are tight and straights are short.
That being said, I did put on headers, xpipe, TB, CAI, and tune in October. I wanted more power. I bought the GS based on what I was going to use it for. I have no ill-feelings towards Z06 owners. I don't think 650hp is overkill. I am sure if I drove a Z06 and then got back in mine I would think I was driving a Prius. But the GS does exactly what I need it to do based on how I plan on driving it. Absolutely nothing wrong with 650hp but also nothing wrong with the base LT1, it's still a solid amount of power.
I call BS on to much power I don’t use it at full tilt on street but my wife will tell you I have gotten out of the way of wrecks starting to happen with power verses brakes many a time. Had a van start to dance and realized he was rolling over quick jab of gas pedal shoot past looking in mirror watching whole 5 lane expressway shut down cars slamming into each other.
z51vett
Doug
Money or horsepower, we all want just a little bit more (than the next guy).
And you want a little more (than the next guy) for what? Are you racing to the death? For money? Are you trying to get to the hospital before you or your passenger dies? Nope, you want it for bragging rights. And again, if you want the most horsepower and straight line acceleration, you shouldn't be buying a vette anyway because there are many cars that do it better in that regard. Nuff said.
And you want a little more (than the next guy) for what? Are you racing to the death? For money? Are you trying to get to the hospital before you or your passenger dies? Nope, you want it for bragging rights. And again, if you want the most horsepower and straight line acceleration, you shouldn't be buying a vette anyway because there are many cars that do it better in that regard. Nuff said.
Whatever! Actually, I wanted a little more for some added excitement and love working on cars. Don't badger folks who want a little more out of life. People that own a Prius think the same as you about having a 460hp Corvette. Maybe you should consider joining one of those clubs if you feel power is too much (the standard C7 will get you in trouble pretty easy also) and its righteous.
Last edited by MrGary2011; 01-14-2019 at 03:27 PM.
The main reason you feel like you can handle all that power is because of all the torque management built in and the PTM doing its thing. When you go WOT, the throttle body does not. Tuning the torque management out will create an animal that will kill you.
That's part of it though...we've always sought to tame all that power by whatever means we could. The sticky tires, LSD, softer rear springs, or whatever it might be...now it's electronics. Whatever the tool, we always seek to control it. Racing drivers used to have slicks and mechanical means of controlling it with aerodynamics. Now most of them too are relying upon electronics to get the best traction, the best braking and handling. The electronics are often more effective than anything we've ever done before! We now have soccer moms driving 365hp twin turbo automatics with 4 doors that go 0-60 in under 5 seconds. But all of those tools don't make us invincible. Witness the large numbers of SUVs, pickups and other AWD vehicles in bad weather. Take away that traction from them and people, who believe that those gizmos will make them invincible, learn a hard lesson...ice doesn't respect traction control. Hydroplaning doesn't respect AWD, ABS or the rest either. Even with all of the gadgets, we are quite capable of finding ways to negate what they generally allow us to control. At those moments, when maybe only 75 road horsepower is needed for a given speed, it doesn't take much to be too much for conditions if disrespected. But having the opportunity to use all the tools, many of us still want just a little more...to learn to master that extra power and feel like we were the ones to control the beast.
Whatever! Actually, I wanted a little more for some added excitement and love working on cars. Don't badger folks who want a little more out of life. People that own a Prius think the same as you about having a 460hp Corvette. Maybe you should consider joining one of those clubs if you feel power is too much (the standard C7 will get you in trouble pretty easy also) and its righteous.
So your argument is 'whatever' and that the gap between a prius and a c7 is the same (or even similar) as the gap between a base C7 and a z06?
Whatever! Actually, I wanted a little more for some added excitement and love working on cars. Don't badger folks who want a little more out of life. People that own a Prius think the same as you about having a 460hp Corvette. Maybe you should consider joining one of those clubs if you feel power is too much (the standard C7 will get you in trouble pretty easy also) and its righteous.
That's an awesome car you got there. You don't have to defend or argue your choice in power to anyone. Us gear heads who love HP absolutely do it mainly for bragging rights and because we really do enjoy it.
If we look at it from a "we don't need that much" standpoint then we might as well not get a Corvette because we don't "need" one of those either.
01-12-2019, 08:50 PM
