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Besides the potential space for alternate powertrains, it's also the structural spine of the car. That's why it doesn't have huge outboard sills like some other mid engine cars.
The use of that space was leaked in an article in November 2019. It had pics and info. It was posted in the C8 Tech/Performance Forum.
Pic from Article, Data I added from what was published. I "guessed" in was a Grand Sport from Tire Sizes. That was validated a few months ago when power for C8 Grand Sport was shown to be essentially what was leaked in 2019!
The real reason no manual C8! Imagine Corvette diehards learning at the reveal there is no manual trans because of a future battery in that area required. Was best to blame the low volume of manuals and the DCT shift speed benefits.
Note it says the car and light trucks will average 54.5 mpg in 2025 BUT it's by specific car family so the Corvette (Ferrari, Porsche Sports Cars) would "ONLY" need ~40 mpg as would the Silverado! Bet the gal that wrote it is still at the EPA and has just been waiting 4 years to get it implemented!
@waynger is that pic upside down? I assume the coolant pipes are on the bottom so keep heat away from the occupant? Neat to see. Definitely going to have a battery at some point.
@waynger is that pic upside down? I assume the coolant pipes are on the bottom so keep heat away from the occupant? Neat to see. Definitely going to have a battery at some point.
No, coolant lines are at the top, That's what caught my eye. I thought hey lower the CG, but on the hybrid they would have to move them back up. I think the Z06 if its a 5.3 FP crank will be a loser, I am sold on a hybrid though.
The real reason no manual C8! Imagine Corvette diehards learning at the reveal there is no manual trans because of a future battery in that area required. Was best to blame the low volume of manuals and the DCT shift speed benefits.
Yep, one of the few who see why no manual. Funny have said that from early this year and have detailed PDF with lots of documentation BUT the standard shift forever folks still "Play Ostridge" and none have addressed what GM was supposed to do starting in January 2017 to meet those mpg goals that were to become LAW! Here is the PDF: http://netwelding.com/C8_FWD_Hybrid.pdf Lots of detailed info as well as an update a few weeks ago.
These are are some details. First as I found with "why no center air dam on a C7 Z51"- there was GM Marketing Speak re rear brake cooling! Then 2 years later Tadge said it was because it reduced high speed oversteer! Matched what the GM chief aerodynamicist alluded to in a 2013 article! It was obvious to me that "no clutch peddle room," "we can cut a hole in the center structural support were just Marketing Speak. You're right; Performance Sports car buyers don't want to hear gas mileage- the manufacturers are waiting for a "government" to take the blame!
Ferrari's CEO said this year they plan on 60% hybrids n 2022. They decided no standard shifts in 2012 when that EPA doc was written. Porsche is quoted as saying they will have 50% EV sports cars in 2025 (note how the dates coincide with the US EPA dates.) But there are similar low CO2 emissions requirements in Europe they have to meet!
Yep that was the plan as I outline in the PDF some hybrids soon after the C8 was introduced and progressively more until in 2015 even the base would be a hybrid. Yep some low volume products like the Zora could get low mpg but the average Vette had to achieve that goal or a prohibitive fine for the manufacturer. NOPE is wasn't a gas guzzle tax for the owner. No way they were going to allow "rich Corvette owner's" to put CO2 in the air by just paying money!
No, coolant lines are at the top, That's what caught my eye. I thought hey lower the CG, but on the hybrid they would have to move them back up. I think the Z06 if its a 5.3 FP crank will be a loser, I am sold on a hybrid though.
Interesting... must be well insulated as I have felt zero warmth in the console. Have 3,500 miles on my car and a few road trips.
I'm all in for a 5.5 FPC Z06 convertible that screams to 9,000. A hybrid sounds like a nice street car, but it will add lots of mass for trackday use. That said, I'm considering getting another C5 track car to beat up on vs. tracking the C8 further. Hard to drive a car hard on track and take road trips all in the same car.
Fill the void with 200 lbs of weight. The car would handle better I would think. No? Yes?
Car is already very heavy... the hybrid AWD will probably make a fun street car. Wouldn't want one for track. Car already is very hard on front brakes and tires as-is.
Fill the void with 200 lbs of weight. The car would handle better I would think. No? Yes?
I have not seen an instance where adding significant ballast is the path to better handling. The more mass the car has, the more force needed to accelerate, decelerate, or turn. That makes the car slower to accelerate, and puts more strain on tires and brakes, requiring those to be bigger, which adds more rotating mass. Lighter is better.
I have not seen an instance where adding significant ballast is the path to better handling. The more mass the car has, the more force needed to accelerate, decelerate, or turn. That makes the car slower to accelerate, and puts more strain on tires and brakes, requiring those to be bigger, which adds more rotating mass. Lighter is better.
I can be fore racecars with minimum weight rules. You make the car as light as you can, then add ballast back a low as you can in the right spots to hit minimum weight. But that's about the only time.
I can be fore racecars with minimum weight rules. You make the car as light as you can, then add ballast back a low as you can in the right spots to hit minimum weight. But that's about the only time.
Recall another time when Porsche was going broke, had planned to replace the expensive hand built 911 with the 928 and owner's (mostly US folks) cried and wanted their air cooler rear engine car! Porsche hired Toyota engineers to improve the 911 production, which they did. When the new car was was launched it was expensive and Porsche justified by touted a better engine weight distribution by using some expensive titanium rear parts. One of the car magazines found they had added ~50 lbs of weight to the front bumper! Helps specs on front/rear weight distribution but increases polar moment of inertia- not good! Yep even IMSA allowed them to more the rear engine to the middle! We visited US Porsche Racing 2 years ago and saw that engine covered in the rear seat!
Over the years Porsche has engineered a great handling car from an inherently poor balance rear engine location. Unlike the C8's 60% rear weight, the last I was able to find a new Porsche 911 had 64%!
He's a pic of weights used in some older Porsche bumpers!
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.
Center Console is big and empty
