C7 Corvette

[Cookie Monster]

I think the only reason people are talking shit about the leaf spring setup is because trucks use them and are deemed unrefined and un sporty.

I personally don't give a fuck and think the car is awesome (other than the weird 7 speed manual).

[Eye of the Tiger]

So why the lol?

And in another thread he claims the car isn't "highly developed" enough. FailSPIN.

[hotrodalex]

The racing team apparently doesn't like them, so...

Look, it's like Mac Struts in terms of being a packaging compromise.  A well-engineered compromise, but one nonetheless.  And like with Porsche's use of struts (and BMW's) it works well.

For a street car I guess I don't care, but I find it intriguing, if I were in the market, for them to engineer one with coilovers for racing use.  I think that's the one main reason why I would prefer the Viper.

Still, I'd own one of these.

The racing team constantly adjusts the suspension for every race to get the fastest set up. Production cars don't really need adjustable suspension - most people will just muck it up anyway.

[GoCougs]

So why the lol?

Complex doesn't automatically mean good or "highly" developed.

[sportyaccordy]

I think the only reason people are talking shit about the leaf spring setup is because trucks use them and are deemed unrefined and un sporty.

I personally don't give a fuck and think the car is awesome (other than the weird 7 speed manual).

I don't care either, I love Corvettes. The leaf spring is just an aspect of it I find goofy

[S204STi]

The racing team constantly adjusts the suspension for every race to get the fastest set up. Production cars don't really need adjustable suspension - most people will just muck it up anyway.

Yes, the point about chassis tuning is exactly why I'm not a huge fan.

True, it doesn't matter most of the time. If I want coilovers, I can buy a Viper.

[S204STi]

I don't care either, I love Corvettes. The leaf spring is just an aspect of it I find goofy

No, you see, you tried to make a reasoned argument as to why you don't prefer the OE setup, so now everyone is going to jump up and down screaming about how the car is just fine, ur a noob, etc. Even though you never denied it was a great car.

[S204STi]

Guys, the Corvette's leaf springs are much more complex than a coil; in manufacturing (multiple layers, epoxy, curing), in design (variable rate in a leaf) and in application (acts as a roll bar, dealing with L/R cross talk).

Ask racing drivers how they feel about progressive rate springs. They suck badly when it comes to predicting handling at the limit. Possibly why Vettes have perennially been known as nasty at the limit.

[hotrodalex]

Ask racing drivers how they feel about progressive rate springs. They suck badly when it comes to predicting handling at the limit. Possibly why Vettes have perennially been known as nasty at the limit.

IIRC the fancy shocks help with driving at the limit. Probably why Pobst could take it around Laguna Seca faster than the Viper.

edit: Disclaimer - I'm not saying that is the only reason, just speculating. The super sticky tires probably helped a ton, along with 100 other variables between the cars.

edit #2: Motortrend seems to agree, though.

Regardless, we know the cars are just as quick as each other. It was the SRT's inferior shocks and brakes that prevented Randy from going totally flat in the Viper. Years ago, a Ferrari engineer was explaining to Randy, Angus and I that they (Ferrari) simply couldn't figure out how the Nissan GT-R is able to lap the Nurburgring Nordschleife so quickly. "Oh, I know why," Randy piped up. "Confidence. You can drive it faster because you're more confident." This seems to be exactly the case here with these two muscle-bound freaks.

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/1212_2013_chevrolet_corvette_zr1_srt_viper_gts/viewall.html#ixzz2GbJBR1oB

[LonghornTX]

IIRC the fancy shocks help with driving at the limit. Probably why Pobst could take it around Laguna Seca faster than the Viper.

edit: Disclaimer - I'm not saying that is the only reason, just speculating. The super sticky tires probably helped a ton, along with 100 other variables between the cars.

edit #2: Motortrend seems to agree, though.

Pobst is kind of a homer to me...I would put more emphasis on the tires and the brakes then the suspension (Viper has pretty nice shocks, just not constantly adjustable). MT, like so many people, seem to think that because the cars tires had the same wear ratings that they have equal levels of grip. That is completely wrong, and so they never address the fact that the ZR1 has significantly better tires on it. Good tires make the difference in confidence at the limit.

[LonghornTX]

Hopefully it doesn't end up looking like that...

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

C7 tach.

[S204STi]

I dig. Glad they display oil temp; also, note the oil change interval.

[Payman]

C7 tach.

They cleverly put a C6 image in it.

[68_427]

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Live streaming of the debut on Facebook Sunday at 7pm
http://www.facebook.com/events/193963254080378/?suggestsessionid=1000026666174071357597089

[giant_mtb]

I think the only reason people are talking shit about the leaf spring setup is because trucks use them and are deemed unrefined and un sporty.

I personally don't give a fuck and think the car is awesome (other than the weird 7 speed manual).

My housemate like freaked out when he heard about the 7-speed. He was like "oh my god, you're gonna be shifting SO much!" I was like...how is it honestly THAT different than a 6-speed? Adding one gear isn't gonna require Fast and the Furious numbers of shifts. It's like the difference between a 5- and 6-speed. I'm sure people were freaked out about those, too, but now it's the norm.

[SVT666]

7 gears in a car with a stick is getting kinda crazy.  Even in my Focus with 6 gears I would skip from 2nd to 4th and then to 6th. Just give me an ultra tall 6th.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

The Chevy site is streaming it too.
http://www.chevrolet.com/one13thirteen.html

[GoCougs]

More speeds = quicker + more efficient.

[giant_mtb]

7 gears in a car with a stick is getting kinda crazy.  Even in my Focus with 6 gears I would skip from 2nd to 4th and then to 6th. Just give me an ultra tall 6th.

I'm rather certain that 6th in the Vette is already quite tall, hence its rather good highway mileage. The way I figure/suspect, the 7th gear is about the same as 6th is now - maybe a little taller - allowing for another useable gear for the track and other spirited driving, with the 7th pretty much only useable at highway speeds. This, I am okay with.

[S204STi]

I'm rather certain that 6th in the Vette is already quite tall, hence its rather good highway mileage. The way I figure/suspect, the 7th gear is about the same as 6th is now - maybe a little taller - allowing for another useable gear for the track and other spirited driving, with the 7th pretty much only useable at highway speeds. This, I am okay with.

This.

[SVT666]

With the amount of power the Vette makes, and the fact that very very few people ever take their cars to the track, 7 gears is overkill.

[giant_mtb]

With the amount of power the Vette makes, and the fact that very very few people ever take their cars to the track, 7 gears is overkill.

Alright, well. Go buy an electric car, then. They've only got one gear so you can be free of having options.

[Raza]

I admit, a 7 speed manual does seem weird.  The stick returns to the 3/4 gate, which is the middle of the forward gears.  Going to 7 gears adds a new gate.  I could see a dedicated highway gear, but the Vette has so much power, it could get away with a 4 speed and no one would feel like it didn't fit. 

Hell, until the C6, the Corvette was sold with a 4 speed auto. 

[giant_mtb]

Yeah. A 7-speed is just as awkward as a 5-speed. Which means...it isn't.

[MX793]

I admit, a 7 speed manual does seem weird.  The stick returns to the 3/4 gate, which is the middle of the forward gears.  Going to 7 gears adds a new gate.  I could see a dedicated highway gear, but the Vette has so much power, it could get away with a 4 speed and no one would feel like it didn't fit. 

Hell, until the C6, the Corvette was sold with a 4 speed auto. 

The Corvette's 7MT, like Porsche's, will not use 7 gates.  The Corvette actually had a 7MT back in the 80s.  That gearbox only had 4 gates (+1 for reversse).

[Raza]

Yeah. A 7-speed is just as awkward as a 5-speed. Which means...it isn't.

5 speeds are awkward.  They're missing a gear. 

[Raza]

The Corvette's 7MT, like Porsche's, will not use 7 gates.  The Corvette actually had a 7MT back in the 80s.  That gearbox only had 4 gates (+1 for reversse).

How does it work then?  I've never seen the 911's new gearbox either. 

[MX793]

How does it work then?  I've never seen the 911's new gearbox either. 

I rescind my previous statement about the Porsche box, apparently it does have a 7th gear gate (I thought I had read it didn't).

According to the articles, Chevy will not use 7 forward gates.  There's a couple of different ways to implement it.  The old C4's 4+3 gearbox was a 4MT coupled with a 2 speed automatic secondary box.  2nd through 4th gears had an automatic "overdrive".

Semis are similar in that they utilize a 4-6 speed primary gearbox coupled to a 2-3 speed secondary (or range) gearbox which is also manually controlled.  In semi trucks, which have 10+ forward gears, they use a regular 4, 5, or 6 MT shift pattern which you run through multiple times and you have to also change up the range box.  So a 10 speed would have the same shift pattern as a 5MT.  You shift up to 5th as you would normally, then to engage 6th (aka 1 Hi), you flick a switch on the shifter to select hi-range and shift back into the 1st gear gate and go through the gates again.  In some older rigs, instead of a switch you actually had a second shift lever to control the range box.  I would expect something a little more automated in the Corvette if they go the route of having fewer than 7 gates.