The new mid engine will only have around 500 HP?
 

When can we expect the Z06 or ZR1 version of the C8? I love the look of the new C8 but 500 horses is disappointing.

I don't think you understand ME cars.

500HP in a C8 will get you mid 3 seconds 0-60MPH and the quarter mile in the 11's.

That's the base car for $65,000 or less. :thumbs:

This isn't a C7 with Traction issues.

Probably closer to 550 hp. The typical power increase between recent Corvette generations has been about 15% which puts the LT2 at around 530 hp. Add another 20 hp from the shorter exhaust run and improved headers and you're at 550 hp.

Incidentally, on a ME configuration 550hp is quicker than a ZO6, at least at street speeds.

If they manage the weight it will be a beast in ME format! The GT3 has 500hp and it’s a beast.

Massive HP is bragging rights only on the street. Even on many tracks. Especially for the way many use their Corvettes 😁.

Not saying more isn’t fun and cool but 500 HP in a mid engine platform (grip) if the car isn’t too heavy will be WAY more than you could ever need (if we are really being honest) outside of a drag strip or bragging to your buddies at the water cooler.

The HP race is fun and the C8 will have some massive numbers but let’s not suggest 500HP isn’t lots as it is.

Why is it the ones least likely to take their cars to the track demand the most HP? I guess bragging rights, primarily.

Of course it will be 500 or less it's a $60k car. And 3.5 0-60 will be tough. Closer to 4.0 my guess.
It cracks me up folks thinking they're gonna be getting a super car for $60k...lol

You don't know what in hell i'm "likely" to do .

This is not correct. Just looking at the difference between C6 (430 hp) and C7 (455 hp), that is only about a 6 increase. A jump from 455 to 500 is pretty health considering it will still be based on the LT1 with the same displacement.

Interesting. So the C8 with at least 40 more HP(likely more) than the current Sting Ray will be slower 0-60. Is that because a ME sports has less traction than a FE? LOL.

The 2014 C7 Z51 manual does 3.8 and is traction limited. 3.5 is definitely likely if weight is roughly equivalent (3400 lbs).

You're right I don't, but I'm not talking about you or any other single data point. However, I have been observing owners of several generations of Corvettes. You don't hear experienced track folks obsessed with HP, because so many other things are more predictive of great lap times. A great driver in a base C7 can make mince meat of the average Z06 owner on a track. Moreover, the vast majority of Z06 and ZR1 owners will never have their cars on a track.

I'm not talking about street outlaws either, who I have zero respect for.

<the following is not directed at the OP>

IMO it's because they've never experienced what their C6 or C7 (or heck, C5) can do in stock trim. I know many people think that as soon as they mat the throttle to the floor they're at peak power.

I tracked and autocrossed my C5 for years and got to know how a stock LS1/T56 combination feels like. Took our C7 to the NCM track last year and did their lead/follow program. Only a couple of times was I able to get to WOT in 3rd behind the lead car, but as the revs got above about 4000 (IIRC) it became quite lively, almost intimidating (almost).

I have junior and senior high school kids in my class, and those that are car-oriented are always dissing the C7's power compared to the Demon, ZL-1, etc. I laugh and tell them they have NO idea what even 350 hp feels like unleashed. Reality doesn't always measure up to fantasy, but in this case it usually surpasses it!

Have a good one,
Mike

Post up your "source" on the HP figure.

Umm.. 500HP is simply Sh*tloads of power, especially when you consider the torque that the current 6.2 has... for example, top dog Porsches and F**cars have 550-600HP, but 380 ft/lbs torque... not the same. My lowly Z51 has 460Ft/lbs of torque... and its torque that does the work. I suspect nobody will be disappointed.




BTW... since I'm in a "varmity" mood. Can we possibly stop obsessing on 0-60 times? This is meaningless... nobody, and I mean NOBODY, actually drives like this... Serious drag racers instantly modify their cars, so the stock 0-60 time is meaningless to them also.

Some history (for those of you who actually value history), 0-60 began back in the 50's when a typical passenger car would do it in 14-18 seconds, and 60 was just about the fastest that anybody would drive, so it was a relevant measure of acceleration. My '70 BMW 2002 did 0-60 in about 11 seconds, and had a top speed of 105MPH... considered quite sporty in its day. Anything under 10 seconds was considered really quick, and a Ferrari Daytona was about a 5-6 second car.

Today, manufacturers can game this with cheater tires, gearing, launch control, etc... Is the difference between 3.6 and 3.7 seconds really important?

It's easy to get caught up in numbers. Have you ever floored a base C7 from 0 - to 100?

How can "only " and 500HP be in the same sentence? 500 HP is a scary amount in inexperienced hands! It'll get you 0 to trouble in no time. I am by no means a professional driver. I respect what my C7 is capable of doing and if the C8 is able to meet or beat the C7 HP even by a mere 45 HP, I'm fine by that.

Tom Mccahill, an early automotive writer for "Mechanix Illustrated" invented 0-60 in the early Fifities, around the time Eisenhower signed the "Interstate Act" into law. The reason was very specific, the top speed was to be 60 , and Mccahill reasoned that the sooner you could get up to speed and merge with traffic, the safer you would be. I couldn't agree with you more, manufacturers can and do game it to the point where it's probably become meaningless. Maybe a better measurement in today's world is 0-100. At any rate, remember when 500hp used to be a lot? I think it will prove to be more than adequate. At any rate, I can't wait to find out.

While we’re talking HP. I’m wondering how many Z06 owners would “downgrade” to a 500 hp ME car or is the wait for more HP worth it?

The Ford GT350 is $59k and has 526 hp naturally aspirated 5.2L that revs to 8,250...

From Wikipeadia::

The 488 GTB is powered by a 3,902 cc (3.9 L; 238.1 cu in) (488 cc per cylinder, thus the name) all-aluminumdry sump unit of the Ferrari F154V8 engine family.[3] Turbocharged with two parallel ball-bearing twin-scroll turbochargers supplied by IHI/Honeywell and two air-to-air intercoolers, the turbine wheels are made of low-density TiAl alloy often used in jet engines to reduce inertia and resist high temperatures within the turbocharger. The engine generates a power output of 670 PS (493 kW; 661 hp) at 8,000 rpm and 760 N⋅m (561 lb⋅ft) of torque at 3,000 rpm.[7]

561 lb-ft is a lot bigger than your 380 quote from above.

I bet the 500HP C8 will be equally fast or faster than the C7 Z06 on a track. Just my prediction... so maybe not a "downgrade" at all :thumbs: