Perhaps that is an advantage of the Z51 with MSRC. I can tell the difference between Tour, Sport, and Track settings on my Z51 with MSRC.

 

I have a non Z51 with MSRC and I can tell the difference between Tour, Sport, and Track settings.

 

I suspect most people can.

 

It’s the same on either car. I didn’t feel anything at Spring Mountain either.
If there’s anything this forum has taught me it’s that a lot of people will feel anything they want to feel, but I bet if you did a blind test you’d find out for sure.

 

Yep, the old placebo effect that all the people with MSRC are just imagining the difference between Tour and Sport. And engineers that tout the benefits of MSRC are just marketing for GM. And the magazine reviews that call it "magical", etc. are just toeing the line.

But luckily you're here to set us all straight.

 

FWIW - My wife can tell when I switch from the passenger seat.

 

I think that is why it is optional on the Z06 as well.

 

There’s a difference between track and tour/sport. But nothing between sport and tour.
I’ve learned reviewers are full of crap 99% of the time.

 

You are far outnumbered in your opinion. Just because you can't tell the difference doesn't mean everyone else can't either.

 

But could the mag ride in sport and tour crush the FE1?

 

I’m almost always outnumbered in my opinion on this forum, but that’s because I’m usually immune to placebo effect and most Corvette owners are usually highly susceptible to it.

 

Hmmm…
Interesting point of view.

I’m certainly not going to argue against your perception of how the MSRC feels to you in the different modes. However, to say that there is zero difference between sport and tour mode is not an accurate statement, even if you personally don’t feel it in ordinary (read: typical) driving on most public roads.

I would never drive my C8 in sport mode in downtown Baltimore. In the twisties on my way to my second house in Martinsville, VA, I can certainly feel the difference in cornering between sport mode and tour mode. So can my wife as a passenger. I’m not imagining the difference.

The difference can be subtle on most public roads, but it is still noticeable. There is a reason Ferrari uses the same shocks on their cars. There is also a reason why GM doesn’t recommend driving in track mode on public roads.

There is no placebo effect with MSRC.

 

Do you ever wonder if you are almost always outnumbered in your opinion that perhaps the other opinions have some validity?

 

This is an interesting discussion. I have to wait who knows how long before I can order a c8, but this is one of the questions I had.

Are the driving dynamics of the base + MSRC comparable to Z51 in any of the driving modes?

I imagine there may be slight differences due to the performance suspension of the Z51 beyond just the stiffness of the dampers. Rigidity can contribute to over/understeer. And how direct does the steering feel in each setup? I’d probably be pretty happy with base + MSRC since I drive spirited on backroads but don’t plan on any track time. Guess I'll find out if there are any constraints when it comes time to order in the future.

 

Some variant of your question has been asked before. Considering MSRC has been an option on Corvette since the C5, it is a fairly simple question to answer.

First, the suspension option codes:
FE1= Base suspension
FE2= Base suspension w/MSRC
FE3= Z51 suspension
FE4= Z51 suspension w/MSRC

I have FE4 on my C8, never experienced any other suspension listed above. However, I’ve had two C5s, one with and one without MSRC, and two C6s, one with MSRC and one without it.

FE1 and FE3 are not going to deliver a ride so stiff that you won’t want to drive the car, so if you decide to save money and go for those options, you won’t have to be concerned about missing out on a must-have.

The cost of MSRC is negligible given the overall price of the vehicle, so FE2 and FE4 are well worth the price. It controls things like body roll going into corners and provides a smooth ride on rough roads with less strain on the car when needed and a stiffer ride when desired.

 

-
First, suggest watching the early Tadge Juechter (Exe Corvette Chief Engineer) 1 hour interview on Autoline Afterhours. He mentions his “biggest fear” (his words not mine) when they were designing the ME Corvette was oversteer in the 60% rear weight car. He recalled the issue with his Dad’s Porsche (probably the late 1960’s considering Tadge’s age.) He said took Porsche decades to solve this issue and they had to get it right the first time-AND THEY DID! In fact there was some early criticism of the C8 slight Understeer. Having a 60% rear weight performance car around that time, like Tadge, I was concerned for the average driver.. It took a different driving skill than most FE cars to deal with the issue. This is the link.

He says very little of what they did to achieve balanced handling except a hint that the chassis can’t act like an undamped spring! The C8 chassis uses 6 large aluminum casings each include many large cast thin baffles to provide stiffness particularly where the suspension mounts. It is very rigid.

If you appreciate handling you would find the Z51 has 21% front and 25% rear stiffer springs than the base car. The sway bar is also stiffer. Tadge also said the suspension bushings are matched to the suspension and the performance tires on the Z51. The larger Z51 brakes also stop faster. A subtle but important difference is eLSD versus the 1960s Positraction of the base car. There was a long “Ask Tadge” forum post where he and the eLSD software engineer provided details.
If interested I summarized their detailed post and included full copies of what they posted plus links to some great videos discussing Positraction and it’s limitation:
http://netwelding.com/eLSD_VS_Posi.pdf

 

@oreobbq - I had the Z51 package on my C5, C6, and C7 without mag ride and my C8 is a non-Z51 with MSRC - so this may be a bit of apples to oranges comparison.

Was the suspension stiffer on my prior Corvettes? Yes but it’s negligible. If you are on a rough road you’ll be able to tell a difference but on a long smooth highway it will ride just fine without MSRC. The only thing I would say is that the shocks in the C8 with mag ride are a whole new technology for Corvette. When I tighten up my C8 suspension to take a spirited ride on twisties I feel absolutely no body roll in it. I did feel body roll in the same curves in my prior Z51 Corvettes even at slower speeds. YMMV

 

Very informative answers, thanks! I've never had MSRC in any form before so when the time comes I'm going to opt for it. Seems like a bargain all things considered, especially since retrofitting it seems unlikely if not impossible.

 

If you’re susceptible to placebo effect you won’t be able to tell of you’re susceptible to it or not if you’re feeling what you want to.

The only way to know for sure is to do a blind test. Do the same twisty road in each mode and see if you can tell a difference. Of course the experiment can be contaminated if you know you just went into sport mode or tour, but you can have your wife change the suspension setting for my mode while you’re not looking to one or the other and see if you can correctly guess it after giving it a test drive.

Or maybe your roads are just far twistier than mine.

 

I am just going to let the post you quoted stand.