Short drive in a C7Z...impressions
03-26-2015, 04:55 PM
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Short drive in a C7Z...impressions
Been a Vette owner for 13yrs. Still have the first one I bought new (see sig). Also had a '69 BB car that was really cool, but an altogether different beast, of course.
A local shop owner/manager offered me an opportunity to drive his personal C7Z. We finally had some good weather here in DFW, and I was close by, so I stopped in and had the keys tossed in my direction.
How could I say no, right?
I'm very careful with other people's hard earned belongings, so I did not drive the car extremely hard, or anything like that. I drove it about 7 miles in town at average speeds, and never really opened it up more than just a rolling punch in 2nd gear from 30-70mph or so.
Initial impressions:
-got in and just wanted to drive, and he had the radio on... I couldn't figure out how to turn it off, so I just turned it down (after all, I wanted to drive the car, not listen to tunes). It's a 2LZ, so I'm sure the sound system is decent enough. I'm in my mi-40s, I don't need all the gadgets on the Infotainment system. I have owned my CTSV for almost 3 years, and don't use all those features, either. You could give me the best NAV/Infotainment on the market, and it would be wasted on me. I just need some functionality, not tons of lights.
-immediately noticed that the interior/seating makes it all seem smaller than my C5 (my son has a C6, so I've driven that some, and it is like my C5). I think this is more perception than reality. This car was optioned with the Comp Seats, which were very supportive and snug. I'm 5'6"/160, so I fit pretty easily into anything. I didn't go messing with all the seat settings, though... really just wanted to get into a proper driving position and get the mirrors aligned correctly so I would safely navigate on my drive.
-trunk/hatch area seemed quite large in comparison to my C5, but that probably has as much to do with my car being an FRC and not a hatch.
-looking over the hood, I could immediately tell the car is a few inches wider than my C5.
-after seeing pics of the dash, I had my doubts if I'd like it. Again, I'm old school, and easy to please and don't need a lot of gadgets and visual stimulus while driving. Functionality is most important. Well, I was wrong. The owner had the dash set with the big tach in the center and speed just being a numerical value in the very center of that. Again... not wanting to mess with his settings, I left it alone. But it was extremely pleasing visually and easy to read. I thought things would be too "busy" on the dash, but it wasn't... I like it!
-interior fit and finish was what I expect out of a 2015 model car.
-the owner must have had the exhaust set to Track. I absolutely loved it. The loud cackle just giving it a little gas was great. Again, I didn't play with any of the exhaust modes... I don't even know where to find them. I found it to be an excellent sound. Now... this car has headers and a tune (610rwhp), so it isn't a completely stock exhaust. Does retain the stock NPP cat-back, however.
-braking and handling were excellent...again what I would expect, based on the driving conditions I was able to experience. Certainly never got remotely close to the limit.
-ride comfort/control... very good. Granted, the roads in N. Dallas can be like glass. Fortunately, my short drive included some of that, as well as some areas that weren't perfect. The car is easy to drive, requiring very little "work" on uneven pavement. Steering response is great, and it felt nice and tight... no noise/vibration through the steering wheel, just control.
-acceleration was brisk. Having driven a number of 9- and 10-sec capable cars, I'm jaded, but honest. I punched it in 2nd and did a couple of 30-70 pulls. I was impressed with how well the car hooked up on a _real_ street tire. My C5Z makes more power, and it is lighter, but there is no chance it hooks up remotely close to as well as the C7Z on real street tires (which is why I run Nitto NT05Rs all the time in that one). I did see the "Trac Control" light come on, so it may have been pulling some power to get it to hook...but it accelerated through any minor wheelspin that was present. I can see how guys are getting some 1.7x 60' times on stock tires after heating them up well at the strip. This suspension works well, even if its not set up perfectly for drag racing.
-one slightly unnerving thing I noticed the first time I punched it was that the car seemed to carry momentum after I released the throttle...almost like it took a noticeable amount of time before engine braking occurred. This is odd. I never got the car to redline (not sure what 70mph in 2nd is), but I would have to drive the car to get used to this, especially at higher vehicle and engine speeds. I am guessing this is something programmed in electronically, as I believe some others here have mentioned this issue.
-even though not on a track, my butt-meter is pretty sensitive, and I could quickly tell this car is heavier than the Vette I am used to. This isn't bad, its just noticeable to a driver in tune with things.
-M7 tranny shifted like a knife through butter. Extremely easy to shift with the stock shifter, and the clutch is awesome... a lot like the aftermarket duel clutch unit in my C5Z. A breeze to drive, and would not be a chore in traffic. My C5Z has an aftermarket TR6060 with the C6ZR1 ratios, and 3.42 rear gears, so I felt at home with the gear ratios in this car... 1-4. Never used 7th. In theory, I think it would be great if GM would offer a 7-speed with 5 driven gears, but maybe the spacing would be _too close_ at that point? For another discussion, I know.
Anyway... this probably isn't helpful to anyone, and I had a short drive in a car that wasn't mine, so there's no way I got a complete feel for what this car can do. But it was fun, and I think GM did a great job with the new car. Things that some people might pick at, I will never notice b/c I'm easy to please. I'm way more of a function over form person, and this car has plenty of that.
Still not convinced on A8 vs. M7. The M7 is a great trans, I know that.
A local shop owner/manager offered me an opportunity to drive his personal C7Z. We finally had some good weather here in DFW, and I was close by, so I stopped in and had the keys tossed in my direction.
How could I say no, right?I'm very careful with other people's hard earned belongings, so I did not drive the car extremely hard, or anything like that. I drove it about 7 miles in town at average speeds, and never really opened it up more than just a rolling punch in 2nd gear from 30-70mph or so.
Initial impressions:
-got in and just wanted to drive, and he had the radio on... I couldn't figure out how to turn it off, so I just turned it down (after all, I wanted to drive the car, not listen to tunes). It's a 2LZ, so I'm sure the sound system is decent enough. I'm in my mi-40s, I don't need all the gadgets on the Infotainment system. I have owned my CTSV for almost 3 years, and don't use all those features, either. You could give me the best NAV/Infotainment on the market, and it would be wasted on me. I just need some functionality, not tons of lights.
-immediately noticed that the interior/seating makes it all seem smaller than my C5 (my son has a C6, so I've driven that some, and it is like my C5). I think this is more perception than reality. This car was optioned with the Comp Seats, which were very supportive and snug. I'm 5'6"/160, so I fit pretty easily into anything. I didn't go messing with all the seat settings, though... really just wanted to get into a proper driving position and get the mirrors aligned correctly so I would safely navigate on my drive.
-trunk/hatch area seemed quite large in comparison to my C5, but that probably has as much to do with my car being an FRC and not a hatch.
-looking over the hood, I could immediately tell the car is a few inches wider than my C5.
-after seeing pics of the dash, I had my doubts if I'd like it. Again, I'm old school, and easy to please and don't need a lot of gadgets and visual stimulus while driving. Functionality is most important. Well, I was wrong. The owner had the dash set with the big tach in the center and speed just being a numerical value in the very center of that. Again... not wanting to mess with his settings, I left it alone. But it was extremely pleasing visually and easy to read. I thought things would be too "busy" on the dash, but it wasn't... I like it!
-interior fit and finish was what I expect out of a 2015 model car.
-the owner must have had the exhaust set to Track. I absolutely loved it. The loud cackle just giving it a little gas was great. Again, I didn't play with any of the exhaust modes... I don't even know where to find them. I found it to be an excellent sound. Now... this car has headers and a tune (610rwhp), so it isn't a completely stock exhaust. Does retain the stock NPP cat-back, however.
-braking and handling were excellent...again what I would expect, based on the driving conditions I was able to experience. Certainly never got remotely close to the limit.
-ride comfort/control... very good. Granted, the roads in N. Dallas can be like glass. Fortunately, my short drive included some of that, as well as some areas that weren't perfect. The car is easy to drive, requiring very little "work" on uneven pavement. Steering response is great, and it felt nice and tight... no noise/vibration through the steering wheel, just control.
-acceleration was brisk. Having driven a number of 9- and 10-sec capable cars, I'm jaded, but honest. I punched it in 2nd and did a couple of 30-70 pulls. I was impressed with how well the car hooked up on a _real_ street tire. My C5Z makes more power, and it is lighter, but there is no chance it hooks up remotely close to as well as the C7Z on real street tires (which is why I run Nitto NT05Rs all the time in that one). I did see the "Trac Control" light come on, so it may have been pulling some power to get it to hook...but it accelerated through any minor wheelspin that was present. I can see how guys are getting some 1.7x 60' times on stock tires after heating them up well at the strip. This suspension works well, even if its not set up perfectly for drag racing.
-one slightly unnerving thing I noticed the first time I punched it was that the car seemed to carry momentum after I released the throttle...almost like it took a noticeable amount of time before engine braking occurred. This is odd. I never got the car to redline (not sure what 70mph in 2nd is), but I would have to drive the car to get used to this, especially at higher vehicle and engine speeds. I am guessing this is something programmed in electronically, as I believe some others here have mentioned this issue.
-even though not on a track, my butt-meter is pretty sensitive, and I could quickly tell this car is heavier than the Vette I am used to. This isn't bad, its just noticeable to a driver in tune with things.
-M7 tranny shifted like a knife through butter. Extremely easy to shift with the stock shifter, and the clutch is awesome... a lot like the aftermarket duel clutch unit in my C5Z. A breeze to drive, and would not be a chore in traffic. My C5Z has an aftermarket TR6060 with the C6ZR1 ratios, and 3.42 rear gears, so I felt at home with the gear ratios in this car... 1-4. Never used 7th. In theory, I think it would be great if GM would offer a 7-speed with 5 driven gears, but maybe the spacing would be _too close_ at that point? For another discussion, I know.
Anyway... this probably isn't helpful to anyone, and I had a short drive in a car that wasn't mine, so there's no way I got a complete feel for what this car can do. But it was fun, and I think GM did a great job with the new car. Things that some people might pick at, I will never notice b/c I'm easy to please. I'm way more of a function over form person, and this car has plenty of that.
Still not convinced on A8 vs. M7. The M7 is a great trans, I know that.
Last edited by WA 2 FST; 03-26-2015 at 05:24 PM.
03-26-2015, 05:15 PM
#2
Race Director
Cool insights. Thanks for posting up
