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Brand new to the forum. Have been a Corvette owner on and off my whole life. Now doing the bucket list thing. Have 99 C5 selling and want a used C7 convertible with the most comfortable ride so my wife and I can tour the country. Your best suggestions would help. Thanks
You will lose a lot of luggage space if you don't fold down the convertible top divider panel. You can fold down the panel for more space but then you will not be able to put the top down. I do a fair amount of touring as well. If you look at my avatar, you can see my solution to the lack of luggage space.
Hey Gentlemen, thanks for tips already. I have a possible deal on a 2014 limited edition green with the Z51 option and the 3LT. I m nervous about the Z51 ride being stiff and the maintenance. I like the 3Lt because of the creature comforts . I even have the HUD on my 99 and I like it a lot. I’m worried about the ride. Getting up in age I’ve crossed over to Creature Comforts, sorry, LOL. Do you all think a base Corvette with a 2LT or a 3LT would be the most comfortable ride for touring the country? Thanks Again.
2015 3LT A8 base coupe and lately I've been feeling pretty old. Car rides just fine and seats are comfortable for long drives. The 2014 3LT premier is a very nice car and as you say you've owned Corvettes in the past; this is the best so far, you will be very happy with it.
I have a base 2LT vert and I think the ride is smooth. Also have a C6 with magnetic ride and the ride is fairly harsh, even on the softer setting. The C6 is a coupe and is noisier than the C7 vert. I am also completely happy with the C7 handling although I don't take it to the track.
Base C7 Stingray Convertible optioned out as you wish should be fine, I would suggest 2lt pkg.
Our previous C7 was a '16 base Stingray Convertible without the mag ride, and as my friend Dave said the 2LT is the sweet spot of trim levels. We took it across country twice, and the ride was great. If you're looking for a great cruiser the base C7 is the ticket. There are many excellent pre-owned out there, good luck on your search. And welcome to the forum.
Last edited by Rebel Yell; Feb 13, 2019 at 04:10 PM.
Hey Gentlemen, thanks for tips already. I have a possible deal on a 2014 limited edition green with the Z51 option and the 3LT. I m nervous about the Z51 ride being stiff and the maintenance. I like the 3Lt because of the creature comforts . I even have the HUD on my 99 and I like it a lot. I’m worried about the ride. Getting up in age I’ve crossed over to Creature Comforts, sorry, LOL. Do you all think a base Corvette with a 2LT or a 3LT would be the most comfortable ride for touring the country? Thanks Again.
The Premier Edition 14's come with the mag ride. As I understand that may smooth out the stiffness of the Z51 package. But, I highly suggest you drive it before you buy it to make sure. You certainly don't want to be driving down the road thinking "I wish I..........."
BTW, our now '19 Grand Sport has the same suspension as the Z51 cars. While it's not as smooth as the base cars the ride with the mag ride system is quite acceptable to my wife, and I. But, that's subjective for sure. What we find acceptable, you and your dearest may not.
Hey Gentlemen, thanks for tips already. I have a possible deal on a 2014 limited edition green with the Z51 option and the 3LT. I m nervous about the Z51 ride being stiff and the maintenance. I like the 3Lt because of the creature comforts . I even have the HUD on my 99 and I like it a lot. I’m worried about the ride. Getting up in age I’ve crossed over to Creature Comforts, sorry, LOL. Do you all think a base Corvette with a 2LT or a 3LT would be the most comfortable ride for touring the country? Thanks Again.
It probably has the Mag Ride option and in that case you are good to go...keep it in the TOUR mode and your ride will be ok ... however...not as soft as the BASE Vert....But OK....
Hey Gentlemen, thanks for tips already. I have a possible deal on a 2014 limited edition green with the Z51 option and the 3LT. I m nervous about the Z51 ride being stiff and the maintenance. I like the 3Lt because of the creature comforts . I even have the HUD on my 99 and I like it a lot. I’m worried about the ride. Getting up in age I’ve crossed over to Creature Comforts, sorry, LOL. Do you all think a base Corvette with a 2LT or a 3LT would be the most comfortable ride for touring the country? Thanks Again.
My ex girlfriend was working at the GM Tech Center in 2014 and got a hold of the exact car you described for 6 days on the GM Ambassador program which is a marketing tool. It worked and here I am with a 2014 Z51 convertible. There is a software upgrade for the magnetic ride that the dealership can do for $350. From posts on this forum and from a friend with a 2017 GS, the upgrade significantly improves (plusher) the ride in touring mode. I plan on getting it when my car comes out of hibernation this spring. If the 2014 you are looking at is at a Chevy dealer, see if they can throw in the suspension software upgrade on the deal.
Since your wife's comfort is a key decider, I wanted to share my similar story. I had an 02 C5 Vert...I loved it beyond words, but my fiance said she could never get comfortable. I bought a 2014 Z51 that is pretty much considered a stiff ride cause of the Z51 package and my fiance thinks it's a night and day difference - a huge improvement in terms of comfort...she loves the way the C7 drive and "feels". So, I think any C7 would be an improvement, but I agree a base model will give you the most ride comfort. Since you will be in the car for long trips, I agree that a 2LT optioned car should be the least you should get, unless you also want the best leather offered, then a 3LT is the way to go... Best of Luck!
The Premier Edition 14's come with the mag ride. As I understand that may smooth out the stiffness of the Z51 package. But, I highly suggest you drive it before you buy it to make sure.
I think the mag-ride in Tour is great on my Premier coupe. The updated software reportedly makes it even better. Ride and suspension feel is very subjective. My last vehicle (Nissan 350Z) had a very harsh ride, to the point where the wife wouldn't ride it, but she has no problem in the C7 - its 10X better.
Agree with most others. In fact the Corvette Chief Engineer said in 2014 the softest ride is the base Stingray. He said it was followed by the Z51 with Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) set at Touring, followed by what I had, a Z51 without MRC.
That is logical as the base car has slightly softer springs, a small front sway bar and no sway bar in the rear. (The way the transverse spring is mounted it provides a sway bar affect.) It has 36 mm shocks versus the 45 mm I had on my none MRC Z51.
For comparison, when I got my Grand Sport with similar springs and sway bars to my Z51 had to drive in Touring to get a comparable ride to what I had for 3 1/2 years with my Z51 without MRC. In Track, where I was driving my Z51, the ride was very stiff and rattled my teeth even on our relatively good roads. The issue is in the base car or one without MRC you adjust "drive mode" and several setting change: steering response, throttle control, exhaust tone (if equipped with NPP.) See table below.
I was used to a more aggressive throttle control with my Z51 as I drove at the fasted response option while having zero affect on the ride. I bought a device that allowed me to change the throttle response to match what I was used. to. You can set the steering and exhaust to always be in any mode desired regardless of what drive mode you are in. But not throttle response.
I have a 2014 Base with the F1 suspension which the RPO code says "soft ride" and it is. I just put Michelin All Season zero pressure tires on it and now wish I had put the non ZP. The ZP tires ride a little bit rougher. If I had it to do all over again I would get a Z51 with mag ride control. The 2014 base did not come with MRC as a option, only the Z51. Now you can get it on everything. GS and up has mag ride standard.
The only thing my wife and I do is tour with it and love it. Wonderful piece of machinery.
Last edited by wlittle49; Feb 13, 2019 at 06:40 PM.
I have a 2014 Base with the F1 suspension which the RPO code says "soft ride" and it is. I just put Michelin All Season zero pressure tires on it and now wish I had put the non ZP. The ZP tires ride a little bit rougher.
Did you replace the OEM PSS ZP tires with the AS3s or did you have other non-ZP tires on and then replaced them with the AS3 ZPs?
I replaced my worn PSSs with non-ZP AS3s and did notice a slightly better ride and less noise.
But there are 2 camps on this. Some say that ZP technology has got to the point that there is not a significant difference in ride and noise; and that anything noticeable is due to replacing worn tires with new ones. Others say run-flats ride harsher and are noisier - period. The run-flat versions have less of a tread wear warranty for some reason.
I have never seen any back to back comparisons of new non-run-flat tires and their run-flat versions. I'd sure like to see one if it exists.
Did you replace the OEM PSS ZP tires with the AS3s or did you have other non-ZP tires on and then replaced them with the AS3 ZPs?
I replaced my worn PSSs with non-ZP AS3s and did notice a slightly better ride and less noise.
But there are 2 camps on this. Some say that ZP technology has got to the point that there is not a significant difference in ride and noise; and that anything noticeable is due to replacing worn tires with new ones. Others say run-flats ride harsher and are noisier - period. The run-flat versions have less of a tread wear warranty for some reason.
I have never seen any back to back comparisons of new non-run-flat tires and their run-flat versions. I'd sure like to see one if it exists.
When I bought my 2014 in October of last year it had 21K miles. The rear were OEM tires and of course ZP. The front tires were similar Michelin tires but not run flats. The ride was quite good when I got it but since the tires were getting old I wanted the Michelin AS3's. I debated the run flat or not and finally went with the run flats. I do notice a slightly harsher ride. Not much but just a bit but like I said if I had it to do over I would have a Z51 with mag ride and AS3's non run flat.
Last edited by wlittle49; Feb 13, 2019 at 07:36 PM.
Comfortable C7 ride
Our previous C7 was a '16 base Stingray Convertible without the mag ride, and as my friend Dave said the 2LT is the sweet spot of trim levels. We took it across country twice, and the ride was great. If you're looking for a great cruiser the base C7 is the ticket. There are many excellent pre-owned out there, good luck on your search. And welcome to the forum.
