ZR1 is King of the Ring ... again

moderators should combine the 2 threads

 

Ive read the GT2RS did it in 7:18. The viper that ran also did it on the old gear set, I know the car would have a sub 7:20 in it with the 2010 gear set.

 

Probably true but viper is discontinued and i think the porsches are all sold out which makes vette fastest production car in world you can go into a dealership and buy today

 

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/06/whats-wrong-with-this-video-the-day-ring-times-jumped-the-shark-edition/#more-398177

"And now, finally, we have Nurburgring times. The CTS-V is supposedly the fastest sedan around the ‘Ring. Nobody seems to care. If ‘Ring times ever really meant anything to anyone beyond frothy-mouthed teenagers pounding a keyboard in skid-marked underwear, the endless controversy about Nissan’s latest GT-R has more or less killed that goose. The GT-R’s times around the ‘Ring vary by nearly forty seconds, depending on who is driving, which tires were on the thing at the time, and whether or not anybody actually checked the boost controller before the car went out. ‘Ring times are worthless, useless, forgotten. They’re as played-out as the PT Cruiser……so naturally GM has an HHR for us to watch.


I got into a little Twitterversy the other day for suggesting that vehicle engineer Jim Mero is perhaps leaving a few seconds on the table in the above video. He is committing nearly every sin that would prevent a NASA HPDE student from being passed into the fourth level: he shuffles randomly, he leaves his hand on the shifter and one-paws the car through corner after corner like he is profiling on Woodward Avenue, and “smooth” is not the word than any sighted person would use to describe his inputs. Oh well. He got the time, and the stopwatch is blind. It’s not like Chevrolet is going to fly me over there to take a shot at it; they save that kind of PR handjob trip for Motor Trend.

The question is: does anyone care, particularly when the seven-second improvement is almost entirely due to a new set of tires? The ZR-1 is now faster than the Viper ACR, which is faster than the GT-R, which is faster than the 997 GT3, which is faster than the Boxster S, which is faster than your humble author’s 9:15 BTG in an automatic-transmission SLK200. Were I lucky enough to own my personal favorite RIng-wrecker, the Viper ACR, my first thought would be, “Hey, let me get those tires, and I can still beat Vettes.” Or I would do what every sensible trackday driver does and buy the Hoosier R6. Is the ACR still faster around the ‘Ring on equal tires? Almost certainly. Is it faster on every track in the world where top speed isn’t a factor? Absolutely. (The ACR has a big wing on back, you see.)"

 

Doesnt the ACR have incredibly sticky tires already?

pilot sport cups?

 

The author of this article wants the same tires the ZR1 used for the Viper to use, "Were I lucky enough to own my personal favorite RIng-wrecker, the Viper ACR, my first thought would be, “Hey, let me get those tires, and I can still beat Vettes.”

 

i would not want cup tires on a street going car.

 

Amazing. I think a modern F1 would make up most of that time with brakes and handling, not even power. It can go into those turns so deep....

 

btw Congrads to Corvette for a double win at Lemans!

 

i had mpsc's on my gt3 for 4 yrs and 24k mi of all weather daily driving and were fine

 

I think driver is actually Jim Mero a GM suspension engineer and his drive was very impressive. Not perfect perhaps which only means the car is capable of more. Very nice indeed

 

whats the zr1 have? i thought it was the same tire

 

i forgot to breath several times. compared to a previous film of Viper and Vette this was a very smooth film and driver. i did feel that he was 8-9-out of 10 to the edge, sensible and he really had no reason to kill himself. At the Tail of the Dragon i pushed the Viper for maybe 30 min. and had all tires making a noise. I then realized just how old and stupid i was. The Viper is a real hand full.

 

ZR1 is KING of Le Mans

 

Zing!

 

that wing can make a big difference. Just ask WILLIAM H.

 

I think the ZR1 would be faster bcus it has almost as much power & far better traction control

Well at least Corvette is still King at LeMans, C6R GT2 not ZR1 the C6R is naturally aspirated ZR1 is supercharged & probably faster than C6R on the straights at least

Yes, the wing helps a lot in the corners, plus my hood has dozens of louvers which act as winglets for more downforce & the rear diffuser. My Z06 is extremely sticky

 

As a side point - although I no longer have the 1995 C4 ZR-1, I still get the ZR-1 owners email forum.

This lap came up, and almost immediately deteriorated into a now days-long discussion on the correct usage and spelling of ZR-1 versus ZR1, whether Chevy should have used the same name, whether it matters, and so on.

Just so you guys would know - seems like some of the 4-cam oldtimers are a little jealous of this new supercharged car.

 

True, but I don't think there were any that could have done a 6:19.

Fast car for it's day, though - every bit as fast as my Testarossa.

 

To answer your question - I don't know. I only posted that link to thetruthaboutcars.com. My only complaint about the Corvette is its looks. I have no complaint about the performance or the interior, etc. I just want the Corvette to be better looking than it is; however, I guess GM could not care less about its looks as long as it performs so well.

 

This ZR-1 was on the new Michelin Pilot Sport Cup Zero Pressure tires that are an option on the 2012 ZR-1 and Z07 package Z06. The 2008 run (7:26) was on the stock Michelin Zero pressure tires. As far as the driver (Jim Mero), he is quite good and both lap times (7:19 in 2011, 7:26 in 2008) are his. The 2008 run does seem to be smoother (or at least less oversteer out of corners), but for the internet bench racers to suggest that his drive wasn't great...well, we're all geniuses sitting in front of our computers. I think it was a pretty snappy drive by any standards and especially impressive for a NON race car professional.

Jimmy

 

thats a good point about the driver. Perhaps a run w/ the factory driver from the Corvette racing team is in order!!!

 

If memory serves, Jan Mangusson (sic?) did a 7:36 lap a few years ago in a ZR-1 with a passenger and other folks on the track (video showed him passing motorcycles and other cars). I think Chevrolet wants to show a lap time with a more normal (?) person behind the wheel, I think there's little doubt that Jan would be faster than Jim Mero (with NO disrepect to Jim M), but then you have the Nissan GT-R thing where all of the amazing times posted were with a race driver, not a GM suspension engineer.

Jimmy

 

And Corvette is King of LeMans AGAIN

Anybody want to whine about how its "just" a Vette ?