Hey everyone. I currently own a manual widebody hellcat, and looking at a c7 grand sport. I’ve always thought the GS was the real sweetheart in the line up.

I know I’m looking at an obvious drop in power, but I’m not so concerned about that. I street drive my cars, spirited driving, and enjoy the theatrics.

Can previous or current hellcat owners weight in on there option and decision?

 

Nice car! My neighbor has one in gray. Get yourself a Z06, which looks like a GS, or vice versa, and the drop in power will not be as noticeable...

 

Having a friend with one who came from a Vette, I think the issue is if you want a real sports car or a muscle car... pure and simple. They are not the same by any means. And, of course, some claim to "need" the piddly back-seat of the Dodge. So, you decided which kind of car you want more. All the best, in any event.

 

Don't waste your time with a GS. Not enough power for you. Go Z06, or ZR1 - 650 hp / 750 hp respectively. You'll thank me...

 

I'm going to beg to differ with the previous assessments. While I do not own a Hellcat, I have driven a few and my wife is chomping at the bit to buy one for herself. So, I will state some blatantly obvious stuff but, I'll try to be objective about it. First thing you'll notice is the seating position, followed shortly thereafter by the weight and it's distribution. The Z06 has a 50/50 weight distribution and I believe the Grand Sport is 46/54. With that being said, the chassis of the Hellcat is smooth and comfortable, being adapted from an older Mercedes platform. Whereas the C7's chassis is a lot more buttoned down, albeit nervous at high speeds in stock form. As cliche as this saying is, the Grand Sport will feel like a go-kart on the road, whereas the Z06 will feel like it wants to kill you every chance it gets if you're not careful with the application of your right foot.

Acceleration wise, it will come as no surprise that the Grand Sport will feel slower in a straight line. I will caveat that with saying that you may feel like that won't matter the first time you toss the car through a turn. The turn in, response and ability to put the power down coming out of the turn, repeatedly, is where the Grand Sport shines. It's lighter than the Z06, with a better bias and with a couple of small but meaningful modifications, can really harass a Z06 on a track. The Z06, as I'm sure you well know, is pretty damn quick out the box and will put down some supercar slaying times around a track but, it doesn't come without its shortfalls with respect to cooling and being able to actually put the power down. It'll feel more neutral throughout the turns but, corner exit will be much more tricky.

I would heavily encourage you to take a Grand Sport out for a spin, whether it has the Z07 package or not. If you're pleased with its handling but want more power, consider bolt ons before you consider a Z06. And for perspective, I own a 2019 Z06.

 

Agree with Zo6 100%

 

Thanks for the opinions, that's great. I do need to get out and drive them, but currently none within a reasonable driving distance for me to experience. I feel like my hellcat and my buddies ZL1 are both overkill. Far to much HP for street use through the twisities and back roads. My previous 500HP car was just as fun, hence why I consider the GS.

If i were to look at a z06, is there any differences or noticeable upgrades throughout the c7 life span of the Z worth considering?

 

The short answer is YES. I'm not an expert on Z06 so I'll leave that to the experts but you need to learn about overheating and what changes were made to address that over the years and Manual vs A8 related to this issue. There may be some other items. If you don't get a good answer here, go to the Z06 forum.

 

From a quick look most say 17+, but 16+ also looks like a viable option for me. Keep in mind i don't track the car

 

I never had a Hell cat but my last vehicle was a 2015 Mustang GT manual with a supercharger on it and it ran 11.1 @ 124 mph in the 1/4 mile. I went with the grand sport because I don't plan on drag racing anymore and I actually enjoyed spirited driving my mustang more when it was N/A with just a tune over the supercharger. With that said 3rd gear pulls on the highway were pretty fun but constantly pedaling the car in 1st, 2nd and even sometimes in 3rd due to lack of traction was a little tiresome. Of course the lack of traction even gets worse when you throw in some turns. The grand sport will feel very light, nimble and more confident inspiring when running hard through the winding roads. If you're alI about HP just get the Z06. When I feel the need for more power I will have no problem trading my grand sport in for a Z06 but as of now I'm loving the grand sport!

 

I have both. A 2016 Challenger Hellcat and a 2017 C7 Grand Sport. Very different cars. Obviously, the Grand Sport is the better handling car, but is considerably slower than the Hellcat in a straight line. If you think you will miss the power, go with the Z06. I find the Hellcat to be the better daily driver, although the Grand Sport is acceptable. I went from a C5 to the C7 and immediately noticed that the C7 has less interior space than the C5. You don't say how big you are, but some people have had issues fitting into the C7 and others have complained about the standard seats. Do a search on this forum and you'll find several threads on the these subjects. I strongly suggest you spend some time in a Grand Sport before you make the decision.

 

I have a 2017 Hellcat Charger and a 2017 Z06 coupe. I would also recommend the Z06 over the GS in your case. You'll miss the boost that the GS doesn't have.

 

I went from a Hellcat to a ZO6 and love it.

 

You can land Hellcats on carriers, but their maintenance is expensive.

 

I have owned a Hellcat plus a Scat Pack plus 2017 GS - several C7s and several Z06s = Get the Z06!!!!!!

 

I've also had a scat pack m6 too.

I just find that the majority of my spirited driving happens below 80 mph. I find the mix of cars I drive with(zl1 camaros, hellcats, scat packs, AMG's, 911's etc) we all accelerate to 70-80mph at a fairly similar pace, having all the extra HP doesn't really play into factor.

For instance my Hellcat-70 is just as fast as my buddies 392. Its not till 3rd gear when timing isn't restricted it really opens up.

 

We have a '16 6 speed Hellcat that the wife pretty much dailies 3-4 days a week (the other day she drives her Z51). If I were to do it again I would probably have got a Z06 instead of my '19 GS, that being said I still would rather drive the GS on weekends as the Hellcat is just to tempting to get in trouble and the GS is so fun to legally drive and go around corners FAST! When I want to go fast I still have my 9 & 10 second drag cars to go out to the track, the wife and I are spoiled with fast cars.

 

I have a 2015 Z51 M7 with just a few bolt on mods. For street driving, more than enough to have fun. The stick makes the difference for me!

 

I definitely agree. Still trying to find a C7 GS manual in my area to experience

 

I went from a C6 to a Hellcat, and back to a C7 Stingray.

The Hellcat was an amazing machine, and in a straight line would stomp my current C7, but it wasn't "me" and really wasn't that fun. I know that sounds weird, but from the first day with the Hellcat, I already missed my C6.

Going from a Hellcat Redeye to a C7 GS is going to be a shocking power drop for you, I imagine. Personally, the first time I really got into the throttle of my C7 I thought to myself, "Is that it??" LOL

I still love it though, and wouldn't dream of going back.

I agree with the recommendation on trying to get a Z06.

Good luck!