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I'm hoping the quality problems will be minor, or fixed with recall.
I think the paint will be much better.
The mid-engine car will not be as fast as the C7 ZR1. Hopefully faster than a base C7. Then, over time, they will introduce the DOHC and twin turbo versions. By that time, they will make the fastest Corvette in history.
Actually, I would prefer the lighter weight of a V6 twin turbo. You can get a lot of power out of those.
I just hope they keep making the front-engine car at an affordable price.
I don't expect the Tremec DCT to be such a big problem
This is a specialty company making the trans.
C5, C6 trans are by Tremec
Not sure about the C7 7 speed.
An example of what they build
• Seven forward speeds
all-wheel drive (AWD) and trans-axle platforms
• Torque capacity of 700 Nm (516 lb-ft)
or 900 Nm (664 lb-ft)
• 9,000 RPM maximum input speed
• Performance oriented gear ratio spread
The C7 also uses the Tremec manual transmission(TR-6070). Also the C7 ZR1 with it's 755 HP and 715 lb-ft of torque uses the same manual transmission as is used in the C7 Z06(TR-6070 with 2.29 1st gear). That transmission is only rated for 635 lb-ft, but GM is still using it behind an engine with 715 lb-ft of torque.
The specs you listed are for the Tremec DCT(that, at this time, is not used in any production car to the best of my knowledge).
It is modular in design but the photo shown on their website shows it to be of a similar design to the present manual in that the power is delivered to the front of the transmission and the power is delivered out the rear of the transmission. This is fine for cars like the Camaro where the transmission is bolted directly to the engine and the transmissions output shaft is directly connected to the car's prop shaft, and the Corvette where the transmission is connect to the prop shaft in front but the transmission's output shaft is also the shaft for the pinion gear in the differential. In the Corvette the power is delivered to the front of the transmission and the power is delivered to output shaft of the transmission in the rear of the transmission. In both cases(Camaro and Corvette) the transmission is mounted between the engine and the differential.
With a mid engine design Corvette, the transmission is not mounted between the engine and the differential, It is mounted behind the differential and the power is delivered from the engine to the front of the transmission, BUT then the power is delivered back to the front of the transmission to the differential. That means a completely different design DCT than what Tremec is showing on their website.
Of course, Tremec could have a completely different DCT designed for a mid engine Corvette, that is not shown on their website, but then would the specs you have shown, still be accurate for that transmission?
I know that one person on this forum has said the mid engine Corvette will have a Tremec DCT, but the CAD drawings show a transmission that looks remarkably like a ZF DCT.
Possibly Tremec is going to produce the ZF DCT for GM under license from ZF, but I don't see that would gain anything. Also possible that ZF has a DCT with higher torque ratings than the DCT used in the Porsche, to better handle the Corvette's torque.
Some people have stated that the DCT, by design, can't handle high torque inputs. But that is not true. DCT's are also used in medium duty trucks that have diesel engines with high torque outputs. It's a design balance between torque capacity and weight. Same as with a standard transmission and an automatic transmission.
People have short memories. I recall all sorts of problems with the first year C7, paint problems, panel gap problem, interior fit problems, electrical problems, the list was practically endless. There was even a sticky with all the problems. I recall pictures of C7s on flatbeds.
Year 1 problems
Year 2 major issues fixed
Year 3 many minor issues fixed
Year 4 generally pretty good
See my post #44. I can speak for MY C7 (now over 4 years old). It has been as reliable as a BRICK. ZERO unscheduled stops, nothing's required fixing, 2 recalls done at oil changes (while I waited). There are numerous threads from folks with 2014's with ZERO problems.
The first year of the C7 saw UNLIMITED amount of trolling by NON OWNERS. Lots of this STILL goes on. The minute Tadge said the C7 obsoleted the C6, it was ON. There were multiple threads (in late 2013/early 2014) started by guys claiming their engines blew, only to find out that not only did the engines not blow, the guy didn't own a C7. There were COUNTLESS examples of TROLLING in the C7 sub-forum
There is NO comparison between the first year C5/C6 and the C7 (in my PERSONAL experience)
I would like to buy an early one if it can be had with a pushrod V8 and a stick.
My 2014 Z51 has 49K miles... leaking injector when new (prior owner) and passenger seat got stuck. Since I've owned it the water pump and belt tensioner have been replaced.
interior is very quiet for a 50K mile car with sriffer non-mag Z51 springs. My wife's 2012 Mercedes ML350'is my quality benchmark and the interior of the C7 has less noises.
The paint is really poor (knew that going in) but I wanted white and wanted to be sub $40K so it hides the flaws. Compared to my 4 prior C5s the C7s lower density SMC has more defects and waviness, there are more paint defects, and the orange peel on vertical surfaces is bad... but it's hard to see on a white car! The worst is the panel gap inconsistencies... it's all over the place. I've had to adjust the whole car to get it on par with my C5s.
Heres the kicker.... the 2019s are no better as far as panel fit. They all have the doors in slightly different spots, the hood to fender gaps vary widely, roof halo to hatch to targa panel varies and headlight fit is all over... BUT!!!! The paint and panels themselves are WAY better. They robot wet sand all the panels now to take the waviness out before they go through an all new paint process.
I just wish GM paid more attention to panel gaps... they market that they do, but they don't... the C7 is harder to assemble given the way the roof halo and hatch are designed, there's more variance in how you can position the quarters and fenders and you can't get to he hood hing to frame bolts once the bumper is on... all makes for more variation.
Hoping the C8 is rad... want silver with red interior this time.
Oh... and lots of new production expertise goes into making them cheaper and easier to assemble, but at the expense of being harder to work on. The C7 has all kinds of push clips and trim clips prone to damage. The bumpers are especially tedious to R&R, but easier for production line. Give me a T15 torx and a 10mm and I can take a C5 apart in 30 minutes blindfolded. C7 needs trim tools and a lot of cursing when you break something!
Oh and don't get me started on their fusion welding brackets and stuff inside the plastic bumpers. Later cars are better, but early C7s I can show you where every fusion weld is from the visible distortion on the outside of the panel if you look for it.
By contrast, my C5 had zero issues in 5 years and 60k miles of ownership. Loved it and as the last year of the C5 they really made that car spectacular. Wish i still had it.
Motor trends 2001 car of the year the 380 HP C5 ZO6.
loose rings; fixed by 2002
Front to rear shocks; fixed by 2004
Standard part failures
Air system rear check valve clogs
Door lock circuit board relays
Temp gauge light connection
Speed sensor wire
Front turn signal light melts
The C8's got to hit the ground running, since, there is a lot of competition. A Z51 500 HP ME keeping up or beating the GT3 and Cayman would be a great start.
Last edited by johnglenntwo; 05-06-2018 at 12:34 AM.
Sorry to have to ask these questions but I don't have much faith that the C8 will be affordable or start as a great car.
I expect GM to play the market game and drag us along with the next best option. example c7, GS, Z06, ZR1.
Do you expect the C8 to start as a better car than any of the C7 models?
How long will it take for a C8 mid-engine to out perform the C7 ZR1?
I suspect it will be at least 3 years and only if they get some sense and offer a Manual Trans!!!
I would like to buy an early one if it can be had with a pushrod V8 and a stick.
My 2014 Z51 has 49K miles... leaking injector when new (prior owner) and passenger seat got stuck. Since I've owned it the water pump and belt tensioner have been replaced.
interior is very quiet for a 50K mile car with sriffer non-mag Z51 springs. My wife's 2012 Mercedes ML350'is my quality benchmark and the interior of the C7 has less noises.
The paint is really poor (knew that going in) but I wanted white and wanted to be sub $40K so it hides the flaws. Compared to my 4 prior C5s the C7s lower density SMC has more defects and waviness, there are more paint defects, and the orange peel on vertical surfaces is bad... but it's hard to see on a white car! The worst is the panel gap inconsistencies... it's all over the place. I've had to adjust the whole car to get it on par with my C5s.
Heres the kicker.... the 2019s are no better as far as panel fit. They all have the doors in slightly different spots, the hood to fender gaps vary widely, roof halo to hatch to targa panel varies and headlight fit is all over... BUT!!!! The paint and panels themselves are WAY better. They robot wet sand all the panels now to take the waviness out before they go through an all new paint process.
I just wish GM paid more attention to panel gaps... they market that they do, but they don't... the C7 is harder to assemble given the way the roof halo and hatch are designed, there's more variance in how you can position the quarters and fenders and you can't get to he hood hing to frame bolts once the bumper is on... all makes for more variation.
Hoping the C8 is rad... want silver with red interior this time.
I take it you do not own a 2019. I do and say you are dead wrong.
Motor trends 2001 car of the year the 380 HP C5 ZO6.
loose rings; fixed by 2002
Front to rear shocks; fixed by 2004
Standard part failures
Air system rear check valve clogs
Door lock circuit board relays
Temp gauge light connection
Speed sensor wire
Front turn signal light melts
The C8's got to hit the ground running, since, there is a lot of competition. A Z51 500 HP ME keeping up or beating the GT3 and Cayman would be a great start.
Going back 20years ? BMW s of the same era had ring issues as 2001 was an era of low friction rings for fuel efficiency...I had a 2001 z06and the dealer world class t3ch fixed the issue in one shop visit which lasted a few days if I remember correctly...
2002 model year solved the issue..
I don’t think could be said of the same era 1999 Porsche 911 to 2008 model year with regards to grenading IMS bearing issue due to engine harmonics of the much respected German brand...
No car is ever perfect..yet durability on corvettes is better than most ..
I see mclaren 12c s costing 130grand on eBay for a reason...check out the cost of repairs that these cars are known for...
Aston martins are brutal with almost no validation process for longer term durability...
The cost of fixing corvettes or even the durability ratings compared to other sports cars of similiar performance....
Makes corvettes god like...lol
I wouldn’t worry about durability of a first year release of a new generation corvette..that’s why the cars come with warranties...
Cost over msrp is often a pain on each new generation corvette release ....or lack of discounts as often exist on the third year of production...
3rd year of production and you can begin to see a 10percent discount if that is what your looking for...
Last edited by JerriVette; 05-07-2018 at 07:40 AM.
I bought a low serial number 1997 C5, an early 2005 C6 and an early 2014 C7. All were really good vehicles. NO major failures and few minor ones. Wait as long as you want. But if you wait two years, you will miss TWENTY FOUR MONTHS OF INCREDIBLE DRIVING EXPERIENCE. Nobody loses but you.
Well said! I have three friends with very early 2014’s that have also been trouble free. Two of them have first year, new gen Cadillacs which have also been greatly reliable.
I bought a low serial number 1997 C5, an early 2005 C6 and an early 2014 C7. All were really good vehicles. NO major failures and few minor ones. Wait as long as you want. But if you wait two years, you will miss TWENTY FOUR MONTHS OF INCREDIBLE DRIVING EXPERIENCE. Nobody loses but you.
Originally Posted by elegant
Well said! I have three friends with very early 2014’s that have also been trouble free. Two of them have first year, new gen Cadillacs which have also been greatly reliable.
Well said! I have three friends with very early 2014’s that have also been trouble free. Two of them have first year, new gen Cadillacs which have also been greatly reliable.
Life is short. I am getting a first year ME.
The 2014 C7 had the Last year of the A6.
The 2015 C7 had the FIRST year of the A8.
The 100% NEW transmission made a lot of people unhappy with their 2015 C7 as it did with my friend with his 2015 Z06 with 7,000 easy miles, pure stock.
My friends 100% NEW A8 after it took a dump when he was over 200 miles from home. Took GM 2 & 1/2 weeks to replace the transmission, and caused my friend a hell of a lot of inconvenience.
In addition to a 100% NEW transmission in the ME Corvette, just about every single item on the car is new, including the location of the engine.
I bought a low serial number 1997 C5, an early 2005 C6 and an early 2014 C7. All were really good vehicles. NO major failures and few minor ones. Wait as long as you want. But if you wait two years, you will miss TWENTY FOUR MONTHS OF INCREDIBLE DRIVING EXPERIENCE. Nobody loses but you.
Well, if your description of an incredible driving experience is just pushing down on the gas pedal and the car doing all the shifting, then fine. However, I am more than sure my M7 C7 will provide an incredible driving experience during that time!
The 100% NEW transmission made a lot of people unhappy with their 2015 C7 as it did with my friend with his 2015 Z06 with 7,000 easy miles, pure stock.
My friends 100% NEW A8 after it took a dump when he was over 200 miles from home. Took GM 2 & 1/2 weeks to replace the transmission, and caused my friend a hell of a lot of inconvenience.
In addition to a 100% NEW transmission in the ME Corvette, just about every single item on the car is new, including the location of the engine.
How quickly they like to forget! I also think some of these people here sticking up for early model reliability are the ones that engineered this crap.
Knowing what I know about auto manufacturing give it three years before I even think of buying a C8.
What a waste, I want it in the first year so I get to enjoy it as the newest model for close to a decade. Learned my lesson buying a C7 4.5 years after it was released. Never again
05-01-2018, 01:23 PM
I also think some of these people here sticking up for early model reliability are the ones that engineered this crap.
