New 2014 Stingray

My opinion is this:

They gave the best "drivers" car that is the slowest on the track, the slowest in the drag race, and the least emotional to drive (by their own admissions) because it's the easiest to drive.

Make sense? Not to me.

Know what's missing from all this? Fun.

 

Lee, the weights you listed are the Manufactuer suggested MAX GVW, not wet or dry weights.

2002 Z06 3118 lbs.
2006 Z06 3130 lbs.
2012 Z06 3,199 lbs.

 

Gm went to cast iron headers for its acoustical value when the car is in Eco mode and activates ACtive fuel management...running in 4 cylinder mode to achieve 30 mpg in the EPA highway fuel tests..

I think motor trend was so miffed that Ferrari and gm (to a lesser degree )did not provide a car to their wide ranging best drivers car test that when they included the f12 and c7.....there was no way in hell they were going to recant their drivers choice...

It doesn't really matter what the reason as the f12 is an amazing super exotic and the c7 is a hell of a sports car in the under 100 grand category..

The 911 4S is a great car too...even if it was the slowest of the three...they all did look amazing on the track together and I enjoyed the review..

 

Well, I am still lamenting the pork on the new C7. Honestly, why tout the advanced aluminum frame that is even lighter than the C6Z06 and then bloat the car up with who knows what to make it 200 lb heavier than the outgoing car? What exactly does the C7 have to justify the increased weight?

I know I am in the minority, but I shall insist on obsessing excessively over weight!

I hope they come out with something for the lunatic fringe, but I fear that too much mass may be built into the car to make a C7 performance version that is light weight, which will make me sad.

Oh well, maybe the Alfa 4C will deliver on weight.

 

I am pretty sure the 427 is a steel frame car and that is the reason it is heavier than the Z06

 

Keith, the engine due to the DFI and V4 engine displacement has added weight, the Steel Driveshaft vs the Carbon Fiber has added weight due to the V4 configuration during highway driving, the 7 speed manual, the new interior (SEATS), etc have added weight. However, let's see what happens when the Z06 comes out. We should be lucky to have only added this much weight with the addition of equipment on the C7, look at the F12's weight figures and that is an aluminum car.

 

3298 for c7 coupe wet

3400 lb wet approximate for the c7 z51 dry sump oil system, larger brakes, wheels, tires, e diff all add weight...

Safety systems add weight...still with a wet weight of 3298 for the standard coupe and another 100 or so lbs for the z51 its still a lightweight targa top coupe with 57 percent greater torsional rigidity over c6 coupe...

I'm impressed with c7 z52 MRC performance.

 

Agree and from what I hear it is much quieter and refined for Highway Driving. I believe the Z06 (or whatever they call it) will be lighter and not as refined.

 

Maybe so but 300 lb overall compared to the C6 Z06 which supposedly has a heavier frame is disappointing to me. I think part of it is the insistence on bigger wheels. I ended up going minus one on my Z06 to 18" dia rear wheels due to better tire selection and the simple fact that 19" wheels just are not needed to clear the brakes.

 

In my opinion this is just a manufacturer knowing its market. After all who buys these cars and what percentage of the base cars will ever see track duty? I also find this pattern of bigger wheels getting really silly. I was on another forum and saw owners putting 22's on Panamera's and they think that makes the car ride better and handle better. As far the best drivers car once again in the real world based on what I saw in that video the Porsche wins. Why? Once again it is the easiest car to drive fast while your texting and talking on your phone.

 

The wheels are bigger than a base C6, but nowhere near as wide as the C6 Z06 wheels. I walked my early '06Z down the assembly line at BG, and that was the earliest/lightest of the Z's, but it was down on features and sound insulation compared to my ZR1....obviously the C7 is taking refinement to another level, and that adds weight, no matter how clever the engineers have been. Hard to believe that '06 Z was hardly heavier than an all CF Carrera GT, and much lighter than any of its contemporaries (F430, FGT, etc....)

Agreed on the 18s. I did the same thing, and the ride and handling were improved, offsetting the annoyance of turning off the TC every time I got in the car due to different wheel diameters.
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Mayor, you need to read about Team Corvettes fastidious use of lightweight materials. The fact they have implemented so much CF, magnesium, and aluminum at this price point is frankly pretty incredible. The manifolds are iron for engineering reasons, and the rest of the motor is lighter than anything at that power level.

 

Correct.

 

Excellent post!

I also find it interesting that the megabuck F12's acceleration is neck and neck with my 2006 Z06 after adding a mild cam, cold air intake, and headers. Nothing else.

 

Sanjay, I cannot wait for the Z06 C7 Version to come out with the new LT-4 Engine based on the new LT-1, it should be dynamite. Saying that, the regular C7 IMHO has to be the biggest bargain for a Sports Car of this decade.

 

One other thing, every Ferrari I have had since my 355, has had to have its Manifold's replaced. It is almost certain on the V8 Ferrari's that at some point there will be an issue on the Exhaust Manifolds. Sanjay you are correct about Team Corvettes fastidious dedication to finding grams of weight to remove from the C7, this started really when Dave Hill's team began the C5 Program back in the mid 1990's.

 

I happened to be driving by the dealership as they were taking delivery of their first Stingray.
It's also the first one in greater Pittsburgh.

Beautiful car!
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Gorgeous!

 

I have examined an all black one also and it is one of those cars whose shape does not translate in pictures, but looks tremendous in person. The best looking vette since the split window. Great shape and detail. Especially the lines of the hatchback.

Chevy dealerships will look real nice with these and LS1's and Z28's all over the place. They are on a roll.

 

+ C7

 

Yes, I know. But it's to put in a lot of other stuff that they NEED to in order to make it a daily driver and not become a real porker.

They are just offsetting other even more severe weight gains. If they really wanted a light weight car, they would have cut back on equipment and extras. But, they know they need all this stuff to sell it as a DD. McLaren did it with almost every component at the car one gram at a time. It's expensive both to invest and to manufacture -- but that's what their customers want. Corvette customers are much more concerned about by the price.

The complaint that it's too heavy is a rather hollow one. Everything can be lighter. People love seats that cool your butt and fancy TFT screens. They like 5 USB ports and 8 speaker sound systems. The new safety and environmental regs require more structure, more technology, and more airbags.

Tell us what goes out first.

As to the headers, the first thing the aftermarket is doing right now is come up with lightweight versions. They may not be as reliable, but they will be lighter and boost HP. It can be done -- but there is a cost.

I don't blame GM for sticking with cast headers. They had a price they wanted to charge for this car and they knew those who wanted more with go to the aftermarket. Why make everyone pay? Why have people with 40K mile cars complain that the headers broke and insist GM pay for them under the EPA laws?

So it's clear that the weight is a direct reflection of both marketing issues and cost issues. People tend to forget that. It's a car that's going to sell 20K units per year for probably 5 years. To do that, you have to reach a pretty wide audience. That's where the compromises set in.

Some hard core fans will lament the weight increase. 90% of the Vette's owners couldn't give a hoot as long as it's fast enough to give them a thrill.

And Chevy knows it.

 

Going over to local dealer to check it out in 10 min...excited...cool car!

 

The C7 (like the C5 and C6) was designed to be a convertible/coupe, the weight difference between a convertible and coupe will be next to nothing (I'm guessing 25 pounds +/-). There is NO additional reinforcement on the convertible chassis.
In reality, the market demands lots of goodies (added weight) coupled with safety standards that are higher, it's going to take a LOT of exotic materials used in a LOT of places on the car to make it measurably lighter. I expect to see that on the high performance model next year, with the resulting big jump in price.

Jimmy