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Turning in my 2016 Stingray in about 2 weeks off lease. I received my new 2019 GS yesterday and wanted to share my initial experience. First off I love my Stingray and had it since new but 3 years has gone by and it goes back.
The new GS feels the same but different. First off it feels more planted because of the larger tires but the Stingray felt a bit more nimble. Both are great in different ways.
The rear end gearing is also noticeably lower (numerically higher) in the GS.
They both have 460HP but the 2016 seems a bit more hyper. Possibly because the Stingrays tires are so easy to break traction and then it becomes a more visceral experience. The Stingrays engine is also broken in with 26000 miles. The GS has 15 miles.
The Bluetooth in the GS seems to work a bit more reliable then the Stingray.
The Stingrays exhaust pipes are much more shiny then the GS but I will try to metal polish the GS tomorrow.
The GS rides almost as soft in Touring as my base Stingray (Track mode gets hard).
I always liked the body style of the Stingray but the GS is starting to grow on me.
I lowered it within the first hour of having it delivered but it doesn't sit as low as the Stingray (both stock bolts)
My shop did the tint today.
I bought dual racing stripes from VetteStripes but not sure I am going to install them as it has the carbon flash stinger like my Stingray and it looks pretty good.
The brakes are better in the GS
Side note, I bought from Les Stanford (Goran was the salesman both times) and it was a great experience.
I used Reliable Transport (big orange trucks) and although they were $500 more they were very professional and fast.
Here are a few pics.
I will see what other observations pop up over the coming weeks.
Congrats. I went from a base Stingray to GS vert 6 months ago. The GS is definitely more planted and the brakes are fantastic. When you throw the GS into a corner you will really feel the difference between them. The GS inspires more confidence to push it harder if you want.
Sounds like you had the base C7. Be prepared to clean the Grand Sport wheels of excess brake dust every 100 to 150 miles or the dust will not only look bad it was pitting my 2014 Z51 wheels if I didn’t clean it off! Unlike the base C7, the GS comes with brake pads that can be used for Tracking.
After 6 months bought Carbotech 1521 ceramic street pads for the 2014 with ~85% less dust, Great stopping with cold or warm/hot pads and zero noise. Sounds like you lease but the cost will not only allow you to wash the wheels when you wash the car but you’ll get that back when trading in as they won’t deduct for the pitted wheels!
When I sold my 2014 Z51 the wheels looked almost new. Have Carbotech 1521s on my Grand Sport as well. Zero noise, stop at least as good as the OEM pads when cold or hot. In fact, my experiance indicates it may be even better with cold pads on the first stop.
I agree totally with your assessment. Had a base 16 stingray and now a 17 GS. I like the nimble ride of the stingray better. Like your color choice, loose the black wheels, LOL kidding.
Last edited by bjones7131; 03-03-2019 at 03:43 PM.
A white GS is about perfect... CONGRATULATIONS! Couple quick notes:
-The car will sit higher with the same bolt setting because it has stiffer springs (I lowered mine on all 3 immediately too and notice the same)
-I've owned a Stingray, then Z51, and now a GS and yeah, the Z51/GS gearing makes a HUGE difference! Going from a ZL1 1LE to this GS and it doesn't feel significantly slower (and much of that is the gearing).
-As far as GS stripes are concerned, get the carbon flash ones! I have a set that I bought with the points GM gave me for buying the car. On a white GS, they would look amazing and match well. (IMO)
-I agree with your planted vs nimble statement. The grip that you get with the GS is almost unfair haha (almost).
-I've owned a Stingray, then Z51, and now a GS and yeah, the Z51/GS gearing makes a HUGE difference! Going from a ZL1 1LE to this GS and it doesn't feel significantly slower (and much of that is the gearing).
I had a Camaro 2SS, then base Stingray - M7 and now GS vert - M7. I was contemplating a ZL1 before the GS so I am interested to here more of your impressions between ZL1 and the GS. I noticed a big difference in the gearing as well between the base Stingray and GS. The find the low gearing is more fun on the street so you can wind the gears out a bit more. I know you said the GS doesn't feel much slower but do you really not feel that additional 190ft lbs of torque? Are you saying the GS gearing makes and 500lbs makes of a lot of the difference?
I had a Camaro 2SS, then base Stingray - M7 and now GS vert - M7. I was contemplating a ZL1 before the GS so I am interested to here more of your impressions between ZL1 and the GS. I noticed a big difference in the gearing as well between the base Stingray and GS. The find the low gearing is more fun on the street so you can wind the gears out a bit more. I know you said the GS doesn't feel much slower but do you really not feel that additional 190ft lbs of torque? Are you saying the GS gearing makes and 500lbs makes of a lot of the difference?
Thanks.
Hey Bud,
It's a number of things, but the 500lb lighter car with more aggressive gearing (in 1st gear particularly) along with far better traction does make up for quite a bit in the lower gears. This is mostly in feel more than practicality. Reality is that the 0-60 times of the ZL1 and GS are nearly the same, but I found the GS easier to launch (in M6 form for ZL1). The ZL1 clutch is a little odd, and the 1st gear is WAY too tall. When I first got it I stalled it a few times before getting used to how much gas to took to get going. That tall gear is made up for with the extra power for sure, but it isn't as huge of a difference as you'd think (I was surprised).
Now, get into the 60mph+ area and the LT4 really starts to change things. There is no question, the ZL1 is the faster car, but not by much and honestly I just like the vettes better. In a perfect world I'd own both because they are both amazing but alas, it is not haha...
Also, keep in mind I am talking about a ZL1 1LE in manual. If you are looking at a regular ZL1 in auto it's a totally different beast.
Bottom line is that if I was at a traffic light while in my GS and the ZL1 1LE showed up next to me (with me driving that one too to be fair), I would be very, very close.
Turning in my 2016 Stingray in about 2 weeks off lease. I received my new 2019 GS yesterday and wanted to share my initial experience. First off I love my Stingray and had it since new but 3 years has gone by and it goes back.
The new GS feels the same but different. First off it feels more planted because of the larger tires but the Stingray felt a bit more nimble. Both are great in different ways.
The rear end gearing is also noticeably lower (numerically higher) in the GS.
They both have 460HP but the 2016 seems a bit more hyper. Possibly because the Stingrays tires are so easy to break traction and then it becomes a more visceral experience. The Stingrays engine is also broken in with 26000 miles. The GS has 15 miles.
The Bluetooth in the GS seems to work a bit more reliable then the Stingray.
The Stingrays exhaust pipes are much more shiny then the GS but I will try to metal polish the GS tomorrow.
The GS rides almost as soft in Touring as my base Stingray (Track mode gets hard).
I always liked the body style of the Stingray but the GS is starting to grow on me.
I lowered it within the first hour of having it delivered but it doesn't sit as low as the Stingray (both stock bolts)
My shop did the tint today.
I bought dual racing stripes from VetteStripes but not sure I am going to install them as it has the carbon flash stinger like my Stingray and it looks pretty good.
The brakes are better in the GS
Side note, I bought from Les Stanford (Goran was the salesman both times) and it was a great experience.
I used Reliable Transport (big orange trucks) and although they were $500 more they were very professional and fast.
Here are a few pics.
I will see what other observations pop up over the coming weeks.
Congrats, I'm a bit partial to arctic white Grand Sports also.
03-03-2019, 04:08 AM
Grand Sport 24 hour review
They are great cars 
