Sorry, I might not have time to figure this out on my own:

I want to have a full-time dash cam, front and rear. I got side swiped in my old car a year or so ago, the lady hit me and said I lane changed into her. Fortunately, it was obvious—she hit dead center of my rear tire and fender and scraped all the way across my long front door (coupe), the arbitrator ruled her fault. I got a dash cam after that, and like having it just in case.

I bought a 2026 Stingray 2LT with all the good packages, Z51, lift. I think that gets me the most cameras that come with it. I understand there is a perfmance recording mode for track, which seems to at least get a forward facing view. But if so where's the camera? and can I set it to just loop record my daily driving? I'm aware there is an empty slot for an SD card.

I can move my current dash cam (two channel, with rear camera) to the 'vette. But if I already have that covered I'll leave it in my old car for my friend who's coming to pick it up tomorrow as a bonus.

Thanks

 

The PDR camera in in the rearview mirror housing. Yes, you can set the PDR to always record and overwrite old files if the SD card gets full. Only forward looking - intended for track use.

 

You'll need an aftermarket solution if you want rear facing as well. GM in their infinite wisdom, didn't offer this as a recording option for the backup camera or the rearview camera.

 

Thanks! Alright, I don't want to mess up my pretty car if I don't have to, that will work for me.

 

Too bad, considering that very nice rear-view, but acceptable.

Initially looking at 1LT to keep it within range of other cars I was considering, quickly realized the 2LT was worth it for safety. First drive in it was taking it home two hours in the rain at night and 6-7 freeway interchanges. Even with the visual degradation from the rain, the freeway view on the rear-view was super helpful. So glad I wasn't trying to see things through the slit of a back window.

 

I have no idea what you need.....I am positive I don't need one...

 

Just go to Amazon and buy a 3 channel camera usually one on sale. It will be a little redundant but for protection provides much more then the. Expensjve track camera.

 

FYI. My 2025 SR 1LT has the camera rear view mirror.

 

Yes, the rear camera mirror was made standard on all trim levels starting in 2024:

 

OK, no front and rear camera on the coupe, but the digital rearview is there. I got from either a video or dealer that the rearview was only on the 1LT convertible, but apparently that's wrong. Just the nose and backup cameras are not on the 1LT.

Either way, I wanted front lift and cams, so I bumped up to 2LT (virtually 3LT, because it has GT2 seats and the microfiber steering cover). The 2025 demo i drove was 2LT, I liked the safety features and really glad I stretched. Hopefully I get the car back from the local dealer (bad cell in battery, died first day).

 

Yes, I've a 2-channel from Amazon in my old car since mid-summer (I'm a Vine reviewer, was lucky to have one come up from review—liked it a lot, sells for $90), but I'll leave that for my friend who's coming to buy it off me and haul it away (needs a clutch).

I'll try out the track cam for now, but probably pick up one for at least front/back.

 

1lt has the camera in the mirror. Works great

 

Yes, a dealer told me 1LT didn't have that except in the convertible, not coupe, but I've since figured out that's incorrect, they all have it. Still glad I got 2LT, but certainly 1LT is acceptable if the savings are important, still get helluva car. I was happy to have the side blindspot alert on the first two hour drive home from the dealer in the dark and rain, but it was a must anyway for the lift option.

I virtually have 3LT, with the GT2 seats and sueded steering wheel. From the comparison matrix, it seems the only difference is that you can add some exterior carbon fiber to 3LT but not 2LT. I ended up stretching more than I expected, but I'm really happy with the build. The only addition I'm thinking is the red engine cover to match the red calipers, and I guess I'd want to add engine lighting if I do that. But maybe I leave it understated.

 

I have a 2026 Convertible. Do you have any experience on how/where to mount the rear camera? Also, it says it needs a hard wire kit for extended parking coverage. Is that hard to install?

 

The one I installed on my last car was a 2-channel kit with the main dashcam that I mounted to my windshield (peal and stick double backed foam tape) to the left of the rearview mirror. It had a power cable that I routed across the top of the windshield down the right side, and where the bottom of the windshield met a crease that went into the door jam, and hung a left under my glovebox and then to my cigarette lighter. There was a another wire for the rear cam that plugged into the main unit, and I routed it similarly but routed it where the carpet met the vinyl side pieces. Then back up laong the side of the rear right-hand seat and along the top back, then free run a few inches to meet the rear cam stuck to the back window just above the center brake light. Amazingly, the power and rear camera cables were exactly long enough, and almost completely hidden except the few inches at the rear camera and the power receptacle.

Anyway, these kits come with a plastic tool for wedging the wiring, I didn't need to unscrew anything. it wasn't an expensive camera, and of course you can get 3-channel if you want to record the interior of the car too. I didn't particularly identify this camera as fitting my needs, it just popped up on Vine (I'm a reviewer) as being available (I get a 1099 at the end of the year for the retail value for income tax, but otherwise it's free). The timing was perfect because my car had been hit from the rear side and along half my car by a lady who told insurance that I lane changed into her. Fortunately the arbitrator didn't buy her story, it was visually obvious, but it made me want a camera and luckily one popped up that worked out.

Anyway, I was in the high-end car stereo biz (selling) as a young man, and car interiors are designed to hide wires. So there's usually nothing tricky. If I put in a system, I'd stick rear cam probably low middle of the back window (could be low or high, but low is probably where the wires will be the easiest to hide. The front cam would be high as practical, to the left of the rearview so you cn easily look up and adjust it, and see the video in real time. I havenm't looked at it closely with installation in mind yet, especially with the battery issue from day 1 that just got cleared yesterday. I have an SD car, I think I put it in now and see what the built-in PDR does for me first.

In the pic, you can see the wiring just tucks under the headliner of my Acura. It may look like it takes up a lot of room, but you can see it's a smll fraction of the size of the rearview. Also, they aren't terribly expensive, easy to remove as long as it's in place where you can scape the sticky stuff of with a razor blade (or use acetone or other solvent). And if you're Prime you can probably return it if you pull it out and size it up and you don't like it.

 

I think you're talking about battery conditioning...(and asking a guy whose battery died the first day with a shorted cell—I guess the dealer didn't condition it, lol). In the front truck space, next to the internal trunk release, is a lighter port. The battery conditioner would plug in there, and you'd just trail the wire out the trunk and carefully close the lid on it—I'm pretty sure.

 

Shortly after installing my dashcam (old car), this happened. It's a wide-angle lens, so it was a far closer call that it might appear. I can't believe he didn't hit me, had to have been sub 1-inch, and I wa pretty sure no one was in the right turn lane so i pulled into it to avoid him.

And yes, the music was what I was listening to on my drive home from the gym. It's just a touch of irony that it sang, "crashed a little but hard today, crashed a little too hard today..." right at the moment it could have been true. but I would have been glad to have it on video as his fault.

OK, looks like it won't play inline...

 

Thanks for that detailed response, it Gave me some good insight. My concern is mounting the REAR camera on A C8 Convertible. Not sure where it would mount as you have all the moving parts with the retractable roof and the rear window moves up and down

 

Ah yes, I imagine the convertible complicates things.

 

This thread is great info but wondering if anyone has installed an aftermarket REAR dash camera on a CONVERTIBLE? If so, would be interested on where you mounted it and how the wiring is routed. All the moving parts on the HTC complicate installation.