First and foremost, I want to congratulate the corvette engineering team for producing such an amazing sports car. I am an engineer myself so I love the technical advancements behind this car from the powertrain to the suspension to the aero, etc.
The mid engine platform is such a leap from c7 and is so much easier to drive fast.

I’ve owned my c8z for over a year now, and I just attended the Ron Fellows Spring Mountain z06 owners school. So I wanted to write a post with my thoughts about the car and the school

Things I love about the car:

1. The engine, it sounds incredible and has incredible power
2. The interior design is beautiful and feels premium when you order 3LZ + suede option + stitched seats + stealth trim + carbon fiber level 2.
3. The customization of the driving modes. I leave mine is “my mode” with tour suspension, track brakes, track exhaust, track steering. That way the car starts up and drives with loud exhaust by default. If I need to start the car quiet, you can get in the car and hold down the start button for 7sec and then access the “my mode” menu and then go to stealth exhaust. Then start the car
4. I love the no gimmick, no subscription BS remote start. Allows me to hear the car from outside. All my previous cars were manual and I was never able to do this
5. I love the racing heritage of the brand and how everything on the car is functional and not for looks. All the vents are real and have a purpose
6. The track display is clean and customizable with critical telemetry
7. PDR is awesome and the built in track timer on the dash is wonderful for track days

Things I wish they did different or could improve:

1. I wish there was a display tile where it would display what the clutches are doing, so I could be mindful to avoid the clutches just slipping and wearing out in traffic. I try to limit how much I move around in low gears where I’m applying brake cuz it seems like it is slipping clutch (like manual trans)
2. The brake pedal feel kind of sucks when driving around town. However when I was on the track, I didn’t mind how the brake pedal felt. So I’ll let this slide now that I felt it on the track and it was ok
3. My car showed up with the frunk misaligned. It was rubbing the front quarter panel when you open the frunk and I didn’t realize this until it already left a mark. I had to realign it and now it’s fine
4. My car arrived with some slight scratches on the stealth interior trim. I noticed another car in showroom with same issue, so they should be more careful installing that trim at the factory
5. I never received my model car that was supposed to come with the car
6. I prefer the 2025 interior vs 2026; I feel the 2026 has too many screens + not full set of buttons for AC controls

In a world where emissions, mpg, and crash safety regulations are forcing cars to converge into boring shitboxes, this car is a stark example of what a sports car should be. I am a diehard manual transmission fan, owning a 2000 z28 6spd & 2004 z06 6spd, but I must say this car is wonderful as is. I fully understand why GM went with this design and I’m fine with it. The engine is amazing enough that honestly I don’t miss the manual gearbox in the c8z.

I ordered my car through MacMulkin and they were honest & professional throughout the entire purchase process. I wish every dealer was like them and I highly suggest you consider purchasing your next vehicle through them.

Now let’s talk about the racing school:
It was an amazing experience and really professionally done. All the instructors were knowledgeable and willing to teach you as much as you wanted. From the tire design, to car design, to track lines, etc. EVERYONE SHOULD ATTEND THIS SCHOOL.

I have past track experience and consider myself a decent driver, and I still learned new things in the curriculum. I was worried the owners school would kind of be a waste of my time and was debating about taking Level 1 class instead but honestly the corvette owners school class was a good mix and worth it. My only complaint is I wish I had a few more hot laps but the premise of the class is to kind of get your feet wet with driving the car fast.

I was putting down fast lap times so that also seemed to complicate how they juggle the track groups, because we kept running into the slower group & losing the guys behind me after 1 lap. So I understand the limitations of the class. I threw down some good laptimes tho despite only really getting 1 full hot lap per session.

Some stuff I did:

• Set the autocross track record of 31.1sec
• Ran 1:13.7 on the East Track, which they said was one of the fastest student c8z times they've seen
• Hit 134mph on the East Track front straight which they said was one of the top speeds they’ve seen someone hit on that front straight with c8z (happened during my 3rd session but not on my fastest laps)

Here are youtube videos of my laps & the autocross








Pics of my custom build:

 

My wife’s came 2 1/2 years later. It’s still possible you may receive it.

 

Great job and thank you for your post! you were moving on that track sir!
Glad you came out and enjoyed your experience.

Hopefully, you can join us for a level 1 in the near future!

 

FYI you can just change it to Weather mode and it will start in stealth as well, no need to modify your MyMode setting. As to the brake feel, I actually prefer Sport both on the street and on track. I find Track for the brakes to be completely lacking in any brake feel. I absolutely agree that the Spring Mountain school is well worth it. I’ve got a lot of prior track experience, but hadn’t been on track in a number of years, and it was a great refresher to get me back in the right mindset before doing some more track days. Both my wife and I went (she did Stingray, I did Z06), and she had a blast. I think it also really opened her eyes to what the car can really do.

 

What were the temperatures when you ran at Spring Mountain? 1:13.75 is indeed a good time on the East track.

 

Great review!!
PDR question:
It "learns a track", you set start and away it goes....
But at my track and many others, we start from the "pit out" position, not from the actual start/finish line....
Does the pdr figure this out to get the actual start finish location for exact timing?
First track days coming up....
THANKS!
Cheers!

 

Whatever you set as the start/finish is what it uses. Depending on how close the hot pit is to the track, you may be able to set from the hot pit. I typically just set it when I cross start/finish at the end of my out lap. You only need to do it once.

 

Thanks

~75-80deg?