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You can't go wrong with any of those choices - any Corvette is badass! That said, if you can scrape up the extra coin for the Z, DO IT! It's worth every penny.
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I went with a base C7 without the Z51. I do not track my car so I did not want to spend the extra money for that package. I did get the 2LT option on the car as I wanted a number of the items in that package.
A base C8 won’t have the fun factor of the C7 Z with an M7.
Originally Posted by V Vette
It will be better, better design and propelling the Vette even further!
That’s the plan and I’m hoping the C8 is a great success. However many C6 Z06 and ZR1 owners waited for the higher performance C7 models to be made available before making the switch and I expect the same thing to happen after the C8 is made available. It will be an even harder decision for those of us who enjoy manual transmissions.
Hmm, if you want MRC the difference in a Z51 cost and Grand Sport is only $2800! Don't see why you think you'd need a supercharger to use the wider tires?
I got a September 2013 built Z51 and was a disappointed the tires were a bit anemic! Same width rears as my C6 Z51 with more power and most important, the variable cam timing in the LT1 (that wasn't in the C6 LS3) provides more low end torque. The Z51 is traction limited.
Sold the Z51 after 3 1/2 years and got the Grand Sport NOT because I liked the look of the wider body (heck those spats on the GS and Z06 front fenders are cheap looking.) BUT I got the traction the C7 needed.
The Grand Sport is still traction limited but less so than the Z51. There is a single lane road near the end of my street that goes round a ~75 foot diameter fountain! The higher peak lateral "gs" achieved puts a big smile on my face. Also useful when I merger into the 65+ mph traffic on the 4 lane divided highway when I exit my street.
Frankly, when the Grand Sport came out few Z51's were sold! Kerbeck, the largest Vette dealer, typically selling ~1200 year has not had a Z51 in their inventory (of usually >200 cars) for sevarl years!
Your car your choice but unless you are saving money and not getting MRC or are gong to drive when it's below freezing or in light snow where narrower all-season tires makes sense, might reconsider the benefits of the Grand Sport.
PS: This is a pic of the larger pads on the 6 piston GS front calipers versus the 4 piston Z51- just for some other visual difference!
The one you are not considering was my choice. As mentioned above the GS is the sweet spot in the line up based price, performance and styling. If you want the extra power go Z06 but keep in mind you will have trouble using the power of the LT1 on the street yet alone the LT4. We get "microbursts" of power in these cars as triple digits show up real quick in any of the trim levels.
For the most fun I would tick the M7 box and convertible top. Top down, rowing your own gears, that is about as good as it gets. Good luck.
Hmm, if you want MRC the difference in a Z51 cost and Grand Sport is only $2800! Don't see why you think you'd need a supercharger to use the wider tires?
I got a September 2013 built Z51 and was a disappointed the tires were a bit anemic! Same width rears as my C6 Z51 with more power and most important, the variable cam timing in the LT1 (that wasn't in the C6 LS3) provides more low end torque. The Z51 is traction limited.
Sold the Z51 after 3 1/2 years and got the Grand Sport NOT because I liked the look of the wider body (heck those spats on the GS and Z06 front fenders are cheap looking.) BUT I got the traction the C7 needed.
The Grand Sport is still traction limited but less so than the Z51. There is a single lane road near the end of my street that goes round a ~75 foot diameter fountain! The higher peak lateral "gs" achieved puts a big smile on my face. Also useful when I merger into the 65+ mph traffic on the 4 lane divided highway when I exit my street.
Frankly, when the Grand Sport came out few Z51's were sold! Kerbeck, the largest Vette dealer, typically selling ~1200 year has not had a Z51 in their inventory (of usually >200 cars) for sevarl years!
Your car your choice but unless you are saving money and not getting MRC or are gong to drive when it's below freezing or in light snow where narrower all-season tires makes sense, might reconsider the benefits of the Grand Sport.
JerryU, you know I love your posts. However, the flip side is the GS in my opinion is bloated looking with skirts and splitters that make it look like a Jeep. The base C7 is clean looking, pure corvette. The wider tires will cost more to replace AND the zero to 60 I believe is still the same...Atleast the ZO6 has the HP to cover, But as they say here on CF, to each....
JerryU, you know I love your posts. However, the flip side is the GS in my opinion is bloated looking with skirts and splitters that make it look like a Jeep. The base C7 is clean looking, pure corvette. The wider tires will cost more to replace AND the zero to 60 I believe is still the same...Atleast the ZO6 has the HP to cover, But as they say here on CF, to each....
Esthetics are personal BUT there is a reason Z51 sales dried up with the introduction of the Grand Sport! Kerbeck's lack of essentially any Z51's in inventory for the past 2 years is just an example, they buy what people want!
Frankly I wouldn't drive a C7 without adding side skirts! GM knew the "rock tossing problem" and put heavy clear plastic protection on the rocker panels of the base and Z51. (Note GM did not put plastic protection is on my Grand Sport rockers since it has side skirts!) Granted it's a bit up to where you drive BUT the heavy GM plastic on my rocker Z51 panels was marked up after 1 month! I installed side skirts that not only stopped all rocks hitting the rocker panels, they allowed me to remove the dinged and discolored GM plastic. When I sold the Z51 after 3 1/2 years the rocker panels looked NEW!
Agree some don't like the splitter but the base GS comes with an inexpensive plastic "poverty splitter" and it's easy to remove. In fact, I wanted carbon fiber full length side skirts so ordered the Stage 2 Aero package. That comes with a carbon fiber splitter that does look better, IMO, than the "poverty splitter." My side skirts and splitter are painted carbon flash. I also added Stage 3 Winglets to the splitter and ACS front splash guards that help integrate the front spats, which I agree don't look great! BUT "Form Follows Function" and those wide tires are a definite benefit from my experience (and most car mag road tests!)
The price difference between an equally equipped z51 and a GS is about $3k, and you get a lot of extra stuff for that 3k. You'd be nuts to buy a z51 over a GS unless you don't like the look of the wide body GS.
Now the difference between a GS and z06 is $10-15k, then you need to decide if you need the extra HP or not and if it's worth that price bump.
JerryU, you know I love your posts. However, the flip side is the GS in my opinion is bloated looking with skirts and splitters that make it look like a Jeep. The base C7 is clean looking, pure corvette. The wider tires will cost more to replace AND the zero to 60 I believe is still the same...Atleast the ZO6 has the HP to cover, But as they say here on CF, to each....
Yeah, a GS looks just like a jeep, lol.
If you want bang for the buck, getting a GS over a z51 is a no-brainer which is why z51 sales dried up once the GS came out. For about 3k you get bigger wheels, better brakes, better cooling, side skirts, front splitter, better spoiler, wide body, improved suspension components. And most people don't think a GS looks like a Jeep. Furthermore, if you drive a GS vs a z51 you will feel the difference.
Bought a new base 2018 and drove straight to the drag strip from the dealer to run 11’s.
Have a Z51 now and it’s incredible. Fast and fun. Beautiful details and brakes.
GS wasn’t worth it for me because I don’t track it enough.
I would’ve gotten a Z06 if I could’ve afforded it. But also didn’t want to pay for it being a gas guzzler supercharger. Nor did I want to pay the gas guzzler tax.
If you want bang for the buck, getting a GS over a z51 is a no-brainer which is why z51 sales dried up once the GS came out. For about 3k you get bigger wheels, better brakes, better cooling, side skirts, front splitter, better spoiler, wide body, improved suspension components. And most people don't think a GS looks like a Jeep. Furthermore, if you drive a GS vs a z51 you will feel the difference.
Now the spats on my CJ5 didn't look that bad, especially with my friend sitting in it!
Thought you'd all like these pics better then the one with me!
If you want bang for the buck, getting a GS over a z51 is a no-brainer which is why z51 sales dried up once the GS came out. For about 3k you get bigger wheels, better brakes, better cooling, side skirts, front splitter, better spoiler, wide body, improved suspension components. And most people don't think a GS looks like a Jeep. Furthermore, if you drive a GS vs a z51 you will feel the difference.
Sorry but everyone has there thing. The side skirts looks like jeep side boards and it (GS) just looks bloated to me and no extra Hp. He should get the ZO6...BUT enjoy if you like it! We are all Vette heads!
JerryU, you know I love your posts. However, the flip side is the GS in my opinion is bloated looking with skirts and splitters that make it look like a Jeep. The base C7 is clean looking, pure corvette. The wider tires will cost more to replace AND the zero to 60 I believe is still the same...Atleast the ZO6 has the HP to cover, But as they say here on CF, to each....
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.
We are all Vette heads!
