I think the overall solution from Lou at LG was not heat soak driven - Rather - It solved the design issue to allow for track use (Automatics). It did certainly help with heat soak too.
As it relates to the performance of the C8 Z06 - It seems pretty good thus far to me. We really do not know a lot about it's performance yet, but the released numbers look good. How it compares to other cars that are NA - Not sure yet as it is not out. The comparison that I would like to see is a C7 Z06 Z07 vs C8 Z06 Z07 on equal tires - Same day, same track, same driver testing on a road course, drag strip, etc. The C8 Z06 Z07 will be the fastest NA Corvette ever built to date - That is what was intended when it was released.

 

I will leave the heat soak discussion alone.

For the performance - C7Z vs C8Z - straight line - ironically - as that isn’t the C8Z’s first mission statement - the C7Z will be walked on. I know this because the (much) less powerful C8 is either just holding or beating the C7Z stock for stock in the 1/4.
Weight in the rear has its advantages. As long as the 10.6 is real and isn’t 11.2 or so (which is what a C8 can run) - this will be accurate.

This video is a poor test and tune day - with likely poor DA and prep.


Road course - if - the C8Z truly is a sub 7 minute Nurburgring running car - it will be the same outcome. Lower, wider, mid engine and NA - bigger brakes - more power…heavier - will still be more than enough for a C7Z - especially over time as that stock C7Z will go into limp mode given enough time and heat.

There are many videos of the C8 vs a GT500 - street conditions in a straight line - again due to weight over the rear axle - shorter gearing and overall weight distribution versus the much more powerful car. Many of these front engine big power low torque cars have been shown pretty useless in dig situations on a stock tire. There are many videos of a 1/4 loss for the GT500 - but I think this video - after 14 minutes where he races a C8 in the 1/2 mile is a better example. Winning only about a couple hundred feet from the finish.


If - the C8Z traps 130+ and runs 10.6’s - it will likely trap high 150’s or 160 MPH in the 1/2 mile - which was higher than that GT500 trapped. So for a car not built specifically for straight line work - not too bad. And better than anything a C7Z has ever done stock - despite being 650/650 and FI.

 

When the C6Z06 came out it beat just about every exotic car in straight line performance
Porsche Turbo, lambo Gallardo, Ford GT, etc, etc. Why could they make a lightweight car in 2006 that was faster than everyone else but can't now? Exactly

 

Lol. I’m glad you love your C6Z06. It’s a great car.
I will happily answer your questions.
First - yes - the C6Z was very quick and fast for its time and it was light weight. LS7 is the best sounding cross-plane crank engine GM has ever made in my opinion.

I will first address your first point - why isn’t the C8Z faster (you mean quicker) than everyone else today in a straight line?
First - for production cars it competes with (despite being a road course car) - I actually believe it is in fact the quickest car in its class and price point. It is a GT3 fighter? (despite being much cheaper) - and it is quicker and faster than the 992.1 GT3 (they run high 10’s at 125-126 MPH). So - as I have asked you specifically - correct me if I am wrong - what bone stock cars does the C8Z not beat - 1/4 mile - today? Beware of the price tags as you attempt to list them. You have said the C8Z is average performance wise - and you are unimpressed. So - Let’s hear your list of stock cars that beat it.

Now you will say “oh ya?! - well the 2006 C6Z beat the Gallardo! It’s a much more expensive car!” Yes it did and was. The Gallardo was also pretty much a performance flop until 2010-2013 when VW took more direct control of the designs, engineering and manufacturing. But - again - yes it is was quicker - when Gallardos were running what high high 11’s and low 12’s? And herein lay the challenge. Cars are now running 10’s - many cars - even heavy luxury GT cars like a F90 M5 or E63S. You have the Huracan, Porsche GT and Turbo cars, most Ferrari’s, all Mclarens (including the 9 second 720/765 cars) etc.

The performance level - today - is so far above what the performance level was then - it’s ridiculous. Nurburgring time - mid 7’s to high 7 minutes for the Turbo and C6Z. It’s ancient level performance actually. I’m sure you know - if you have any experience with racing - that every tenth of a second becomes more and more difficult - the quicker you get. It is much more difficult to go from a 10 second car to a 9 second car than it is to go from a 12 second car to an 11 second car.

So it becomes extremely difficult to out do each other as it was back in the day. I do not believe we will ever see again - huge jumps - like you did back those many years ago. The closest we have come is the half million dollar 720S/765 with their high 9 and mid 9 second performance. And that is about 3-5 tenths off of the quickest of everything else. If anything it’s the EVs that have trounced everything to a similar level of the distant past. So to be the yard stick a GTR or C6Z was - isn’t happening. Just as it hasn’t for Corvette since the C6Z - because everything the automotive performance world became hyper-competitive close and no one had that much of an edge despite HP numbers increasing exponentially. High tech improvements for DCT transmissions, traction management and launch control (etc) have evened the field. Cars are routinely running sub 3 second 0-60. Even the 4500 lb F90 M5C. On that note:

Weight.

Simple. Everything is heavy. It’s a moot point. People want luxury and performance - and they are getting it. Mid 10 second 1/4 car and drives like a Caddy. GM went that route using their Ferrari adopted magnetorhelogical suspension into the C6 ZR1. And it was heavier than the C6Z. Heavier helps smooth. Buyers want smooth and power - so weight is added - to everything. It’s just business.

Again - I don’t know why you are in a sub forum about the C8Z if you despise it so much lol - but all of these points you are making don’t equate when you look at context (the time) and actual data.
If you want a super light manual 11 second car - you need to stay where you are at. And it is a great car - as I said above. Modify it with a simple HCI setup and you will be very competitive with a tire and if you can drive with some of the modern cars out today.

Stock - like the C8Z. Not so much.

 

Wow, people still aren't accepting the fact that the reveal is actually over and we got an NA z06 lol

 

^ No is called conversation. You know. The whole reason this forum exists? Sorry you don’t agree with the idea of conversation if it’s not all cool aid drinking.

 

I can’t wait to get my z eventually when my turn comes but I understand certain things. Gm made an over riding design decision by going fpc na and that decision over rode just shut everything else. Once they decided that and that they were not going fi the idea that the performance was going To be good but not best in class amazing like other z06’s before it became very apparent. That decision is why this car isn’t best at everything it’s as simple as that. I understand the cool factor of the sound and I’m in but I also am under no illusions. This car could have been way more potent off but for that over riding decision.

As far as weight goes. These days with everything they have to throw in the cars unless you go full carbon tub you aren’t getting low 3000 ish weight anymore. Corvette can’t do that because of costs.

 

Going to TT setup for the Z06 would have added significantly to the cars cost and weight. It would also have probably required significant changes to the DCT. All of which would have reduced the Z06's effectiveness as a track car.

My guess is that the ZR1 will have the turbos and hopefully a DOHC engine with a longer stroke and cylinder deactivation. Give the people more lower rev torque and get rid of the gas guzzler tax.

 

More weight yes but off set by the extra power from tt. See coming zr1. More cost? Doubtful it works have cost anymore if at all. Less potent track car? Well I’ma sense from the gt3rs style yes in that that high reving and with throttle response I agree but I doubt the zr1 coming will be slower than the z around any track. Trust me.


All that said in excited as hell for this car but I still wish it had what the zr1 will have. Which is why I will probably trade out of it for a zr1. Unless I’m just head over heels for the z.

 

Yeah it makes it hard to even have a conversation when people turn it into an issue of grief, anger, denial as one person wrote and a lot of people insinuate or the we got NA so get over it stuff.

I think it would've been better to have everyone relatively happy vs just one side. My whole question for this thread was just asking why people care for NA if they weren't gonna benefit from it being NA? As in tracking the car which seems to be the main draw to NA. Like I've said, I could care less one way or the other if there was a way to make power without FI I'd be fine with it. Unfortunately FI is really the only way to make significant power currently.

 

Starting to wonder if there will be TT and believing more that a hybrid LT6 is coming. There's some symmetry in an LT2, hybrid LT2, LT6, and hybrid LT6 that makes sense.

 

You might be on to something there bro. I don’t know what to think lol.

 

Where have we heard that the Z06 will have a gas guzzler tax? I must have missed that?

 

Hey man, not arguing with you, just explaining my view on this as I have considered going this direction as well. I'm considering the 570S, Gallardo, Huracan, 430, 458, GT3RS, Turbo S. As pretentious as it is and I can admit that, they all are exotic in name. So even if they don't perform as well as I'd like as well as almost all but one or two being NA they at least have the exotic factor covered while still being "peppy" and fun to drive (I assume ). The C8Z has presence for sure but those have a different kind of presence. Plus I can mod the 570S which is a plus. In a nutshell I'd buy the Lamborghini because it's a Lambo and accept the fact it's NA, I'd buy the C8Z because it's the latest most likely fastest Vette to date and accept it being NA minus a bull on the hood for relatively the same price.

So there's the dilemma, Buy something exotic, more rare or something domestic and slightly better performing depending on which car we're comparing it to, for relatively the same price it seems (minus the Huracan and some Porsches).

 

I actually thought they said there was no gas guzzler tax. Maybe I misheard that?

 

You misheard it. They never said anything about FE.

Just assume it will have have the GG tax.

 

I think what you are missing is that the LT6 achieves something like 110% VE w/o using FI.
That’s pretty damned amazing and a reason why its power output is beyond what the
C7Z was able to accomplish in conjunction w FI and the accompanying equipment needed to support it. The LT6 needs none of that. Its got boost without using boost. 👍🤣

 

I'm not missing that point, I just think they could've done the same thing with boost and then it wouldn't be maxed out at 600ish whp. There's no doubt that the LT6 an impressive feat, my gripe is that that's as good as it's gonna get without fairly major mods and at least pulling the heads. And 600whp in this day and age isn't super great, to me anyway. And as far as comparing it to the C7Z, they could've pushed the envelope with the LT4 as well but didn't need to in my opinion. If they would've dedicated that same development to the LT4 it'd probably have 1000whp from the factory, without a doubt 850whp or so.

 

110% VE?

Insane! Numbers people are overlooking. I'm just glad it finally happened

 

The LT6 and the engineers approach to its design speaks volumes in terms of what their thoughts were regarding the LT4. Just like the FE platform, they were “over their skis” when it came to pushrod. “More development of the LT4”? How many more intercoolers do you want? The Chevy SBC has been “developed” for decades. GM took the leash off the engineers FINALLY and they designed a brilliant motor. Full stop.