RussC243

I hope this thread can go in a direction that provides some options for those of us that would like the car to track straight... for me that means even giving up some turning ability or traction in some situations (alignment and/or e-dif)

Please more posts
-suggesting (or better yet data) how alignment affects how the car will track when over powered on a straight
-any settings/mods/tests that can be done with the e-dif to see effects

tail_lights

Track mode, traction control off all other nannies on when I lost control. I don't think it's driver error, well, except that the driver is WOT. I raced a FBO head cam and NOS Camaro a few weeks before my incident and had to swerve onto the shoulder to avoid him fishtailing into my lane, the car (C7Z) did it effortlessly and as far as I remember I stayed on the gas the whole time. Car felt like it was on rails, of course, it felt like that too when it decided to go into the ditch

I totaled my first one about ten miles from my house. Although I was on the way back home after driving for over an hour. Cold tires were not my issue. I do wish I knew for sure what it was. I'd love to be confident when I get on the gas. The biggest reason I went with a new car was so I could get after it and not worry because it is under warranty, and now I'm all worried to hit the throttle......

If you haven't experienced the issue consider yourself lucky All I know is there are a lot of guys, some with tons of experience with very high HP cars, that say the C7Z has a mind of its own.

NicD

Experienced what? The rear end kicking out? I do it almost every day I drive this car. LOL Maybe it's because my other cars make more power than this thing but when it does it I'm not surprised by it.

tail_lights

Exactly. Yours does not do (or has not done) what we are talking about in this thread. A good friend of mine who drives 1000+ HP cars (mostly Vettes) all the time has experienced what we are talking about and he says it is different than any car he has driven. Maybe they don't do it all the time or maybe only certain cars do it but it does happen. I think most of us are used to a little 'kick out', key word in the thread title is 'violently'. I seriously hope it never happens to you, me (again with the new car) or anyone else

JoesC5

Five or six years a ago, the owner of the Harley Davidson dealership in Lebanon, MO won a new ZR1 from the NCM.

One morning he was driving it to his shop(ambient was in the low 20's) and he went through a chain link fence, doing an estimated $40,000 in damage to the car.

He claimed that he was looking at the dashboard while "adjusting his supercharger's boost", (you have to laugh out loud at that excuse), and it took off on it's own.

Truth is that the tires were super cold and he goosed it and it did a 360 putting him into the fence.

sunsalem

That's the thing...it happens VERY unexpectedly.

If one is pushing a car, there is a point where the driver can expect some kind of warning the limits of the car are close (i.e., understeer, oversteer, etc.).
This doesn't happen with my Z.
It's either everything is all hunky-dory or it's hold on to my a$$ and pray.
It's a very odd thing and not a confidence-building experience...

Dfwz06

I agree and it's the sole reason that my next car will be a GTR. My c6 z06 was easy to drive…even with 600 at the tires. This thing is violent and unpredictable every time I'm in it.
I love this car, but you must be on your toes when in the gas.

Edwardz

The first few thousand miles in a Z06 can seem a little unnerving. I completely blame the Michelin super sport run flats. I think they get a little hard and break away suddenly anywhere below 50 degrees. Maybe even above that. Given that the car has so much power and torque it's very easily to break those tires away. Perhaps people that are used to driving 1000 hp cars have stickier tires. Some very experienced drivers have crashed their Z06 when getting on them. Last fall I experienced exactly what people are describing. I felt like it was often trying to kill me and I had to be very careful about how quickly I hit the gas.I would even drive in weather mode which helps a little . Then I switched to the Perelli Soto Zero winter tires and it's like night and day. They grip so much better in the corners and off the line you could give it a lot more gas without them breaking loose. From a stoplight it would take off much faster without losing control. Anyone having the issues they're describing should buy a set of cold weather tires. I think you will be pleasantly surprised how much better the car feels with them.

sunsalem

Thanx for the tip.
I'll have to check in to them.

RussC243

you should be banned for having the stang in your lineup. Kidding... a nice selection for you each morning.

Let's just agree that there are cars that generally track straight, some to a lesser degree and some drivers prefer cars that have a better chance of tracking strait.

I know what you mean about not being surprised. After about another 10 tries, It seems if I really concentrate I can get the car to track strait with just steering control. If I am not ready it scares the heck out of me.... probably because I let it get to far from straight. My previous cars seemed to need less concentration.

spearfish25

I'm far more apprehensive about the videos that show spins for no reason during part throttle or turn in under braking. But these guys that rip a 1-2 shift and keep their foot planted as they drive into the wilderness....that's their fault.

Dfwz06

It may be their fault, but still not acceptable. The car should track better.

Edwardz

Maybe a Subaru Impreza (non WRX)
would be better. GTR or Z06 is just too much power not to be on your toes,especially when it's not 85 degrees or higher.

NicD

Oh, well then in that case I'm glad I got the special Z06 and not the normal Z06 like everybody else.

LOL thanks! Personal preference is obviously different and if somebody wants a more stable car then they should probably look into another vehicle that isn't rated at 650 horsepower and 650 ft/lbs of torque.

A spin in any circumstance is caused by a loss of traction through the fault of the driver. It doesn't just happen for "no reason". This is no different then any other car in existence, it's just that the instant torque that this car has at such a low RPM will surprise the hell out of everybody if they aren't ready for it. I really think that's what the issue is, the instant torque that will make a car snap oversteer in a heartbeat especially when at the limit of traction.

I really think that the best thing people can do on this car is to run a stickier tire like a drag radial given the instant torque this car is capable of producing. I've run drag radials on pretty much all of my cars once they start making decent power and this car is right there from the factory. Of course if it's a daily driver and you drive in the rain and other adverse conditions it's probably not the best thing to do but if you want it to stick there really isn't any other way.

sunsalem

I agree.
Some of the videos I have seen seem to bear this out.
Keeping the right foot buried appears to be a dicey thing to do.

OTOH, maybe my driver skills are considerably less than I believe they are.



Man...those are some nightmare-inducing pics.

You make some good points, but there are other cars out there with high torque numbers that don't have nearly the reputation of snap oversteer this car does.

It all makes me wonder if GM's programming of the nannies left something on the table in this regard...

Sure, it would help quite a bit.
Unfortunately, changing to an extra set of wheels and tires whenever weather conditions deteriorate is not a practical strategy with street car ownership.

djnice

That's awesome.

My GS jerks to the right pretty hard too. Especially as temps are getting colder the traction is getting less predictable.

tail_lights

That's too good

I thought about a GTR next..... now I'm not so sure.... Who knows what will be out when I am in the market again. You would think though that those Hellcats with the skinny rear tires and 650+ ftlbs (many believe underrated) would be ditch contenders too. It has to be crazy easy to break those tires loose even with another 1000 pounds on top of 'em

360Lemans

Stability control saved my buddy's new ZO6 C5 why'll learning how to drive it!! The lead corvette is a pro driver showing us the racing line on the Ring. I'm behind him when he spun, I told him great save when we got back. His reply was active handling corrected the skid I was still yelling oh $#@$.

Bill Dearborn

Until proven otherwise I will go with driver error when people run their cars off the road when accelerating. They are spinning both rear tires which totally eliminates lateral traction on those tires. That means what ever a rear tire encounters as it moves forward while spinning can change the grip that tire has or apply a force thus causing a change in direction of the slide. Some tire spin increases traction but once you spin the tires too fast you have lost anything you gained.

Yes, the C7 Z06 has a lot of off throttle torque and it should be used judiciously. The throttle isn't an on off switch.

Bill

MacManInfi

2500 miles on my A8, it has been fine and I romp on it regularly. The closest I have come to putting a car in a ditch was my 2009 GTR on the first night I had it. A real pucker moment and a sharp reminder of how stupid I was being.