2011 Corvette Z07?

Page 4 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

fbrdphreak

Lifer
Apr 17, 2004
17,555
1
0
I thought the adjustable magnetic shocks were pretty standard in all Corvettes for several years now? There isn't much to upgrade when you can already go from soft as re-fried beans to stiff as concrete in a few ms in real time. Or were those found to be too much of a compromise and dropped for traditional race shocks for the Z06/ZR1?

Hmm I wondered why the Z06 drove like a shopping cart on rail road ties on our crappy lumpy streets here. I thought they all used the magnetic shocks to give both good ride quality on crappy roads and firmness on smooth pavement.
AFAIK, base Corvette's have optional magnetic shocks. Z51 & Z06 suspensions are standard coil over strut design, no magnetic control. ZR1 has special version of magnetic ride control, with unique suspension geometry, sway bars, and lots more.
 

EightySix Four

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2004
5,122
52
91
AFAIK, base Corvette's have optional magnetic shocks. Z51 & Z06 suspensions are standard coil over strut design, no magnetic control. ZR1 has special version of magnetic ride control, with unique suspension geometry, sway bars, and lots more.

You are correct. Though the ZR1's system is FAR more advanced than that in the base Corvette. For example, when stopped and revving with your foot on the clutch, the rear end is lowered to help with grip in case you decide to dump it ;)

Which is why it needs an engine boost to keep up with the other mods... to stay balanced.

The Z06 is already a finely balanced machine. Now you are upsetting that balance with bigger brakes and stiffer suspension without any power increase to use it. :)

I never saw the point of it in the 15 versions of Mustangs with the same stock GT engine either. 16" brakes, 8 piston calipers, 500 way adjustable coil overs, this and that... and the same virgin 260-300 HP engine. It's mostly just for looks and to take money from non car people who don't know any better. Big profit margins on brakes and coil overs, not so much on engine parts; $5000 brake kit costs $1000 to make, $5000 supercharger costs $4000 to make, etc.

Good suspension and brakes can be fun too, but only if an upgraded engine is a given. That's the first thing anyone cares about when you build a car like this.

Sorry, but magnetic suspensions and carbon ceramic brakes are not cheap to manufacture.

Why the fuck does this car need more horsepower than the 500hp LS7? Although their were a lot of rumors of LS7's in testing with cam phasers on them (supposedly good for ~35hp), I doubt it will happen. With the current list of upgrades it will be faster on the street, it will ride better due to the improved suspension, and it will be faster on the track. Sounds like everything a real car guy could ask for.

Fact: 99.9999999% of people in America drive their cars on the street, not the 'Ring.
Fact: 99.9999999% of people in America will not buy this car. Of those that do, a much larger than average percentage of them will drive it on the track.
 
Last edited:

evident

Lifer
Apr 5, 2005
12,130
749
126
No shit. I rode in an IS250 and the dash looked like shit; Fisher Price plastic and gaps that would make an Aveo look good. What are you supposed to be getting for all that money?

and you drive a maserati, right? is250 interior > corvettes any day, but why is this even being discussed?
 
Last edited:

Zargon

Lifer
Nov 3, 2009
12,218
2
76
Why the fuck does this car need more horsepower than the 500hp LS7? Although their were a lot of rumors of LS7's in testing with cam phasers on them (supposedly good for ~35hp), I doubt it will happen. With the current list of upgrades it will be faster on the street, it will ride better due to the improved suspension, and it will be faster on the track. Sounds like everything a real car guy could ask for.


Fact: 99.9999999% of people in America will not buy this car. Of those that do, a much larger than average percentage of them will drive it on the track.

this times 100

no one is buying it for an exotic wood interior.

they are buying it for its track speed or status of having that exclusive of a vette and being badass.
 

KentState

Diamond Member
Oct 19, 2001
8,397
393
126
Why do I always find these threads after 3 pages of discussion?

Anyways, as a new Vette owner, I would like to address the daily driver comment. My main car is an '08 CTS for reference. The Vette does have a stiffer suspension, but is nothing that will "rattle" you teeth out or even cause fatigue on a long trip. We took a 2 hour drive this weekend and my girlfriend commented on how well the car road on the trip. Yes, the interior isn't up there with my CTS, but it's not as bad as people make it out to be.

As far as the ride control not adding anything or the brakes being "heavier", that is simply not true. The ceramic rotors on the ZR1 shave a good amount of weight off the Z06 configure. The ride control according to every review allows the ZR1 to handle in a much more controlled manor than the Z06 even with it pushing 120 more HP. You have to remember that this magnetic ride system allowed the CTS-V to dominate the sedans weighing in at 4200 lbs.

I will also throw out my opinion on the IS. I ride in a co-workers '09 often and it still shocks me to this day that the clock looks like an '80 Timex watch. The interior is upper scale, but some of the designs just look out of place.
 

KentState

Diamond Member
Oct 19, 2001
8,397
393
126
AFAIK, base Corvette's have optional magnetic shocks. Z51 & Z06 suspensions are standard coil over strut design, no magnetic control. ZR1 has special version of magnetic ride control, with unique suspension geometry, sway bars, and lots more.

Ummm, where did you get that any Corvette has coils and struts? They are shock and inverted leaf spring.
 

fbrdphreak

Lifer
Apr 17, 2004
17,555
1
0
I must be really out of the loop on the Vette's suspension. Can anyone link me to a good resource explaining the in's & out's?
 

KentState

Diamond Member
Oct 19, 2001
8,397
393
126
I didn't realize the Corvette has leafs up front too. My bad.

No worries. Guess I just became an owner and have read way too much about the car in the last couple months. The way they are laid out is much different than a pickup truck. The spring runs across the body of the car allowing for full independence of the four wheels.
 

KentState

Diamond Member
Oct 19, 2001
8,397
393
126
And packaging it seems. But it works well in a wide, low slung car ;)

Exactly.

CIMG2219.jpg
 

PricklyPete

Lifer
Sep 17, 2002
14,582
162
106
From all the reading I've done, it appears to have many advantages, with the disadvantages coming mostly from a monetary perspective.

Yes..monetary and possibly packaging in some applications. Also expensive/limited modding...but still very cool.