For those that say Corvettes don't handle well
 

http://wot.motortrend.com/the-10-bes...11-148669.html :wiggle:

Meh. Numbers means squad. All i cared is who wins the actual race and the look. Covertte is far from the best car in races. And it looks like shit to me.

And coming from motortrend which prefers mustang over other cars and they are talking about handling? LOL

Its just like honda guys telling me civic(nots2k or nsx) is the fastest car ... lol

What are you talkin about? Motortrend prefers anything BMW. ha

And wins the actual race? You saw that the Z06 was one of the 3 fastest ever around their figure 8, right?

Corvette has one of the winningest pasts in racing. Not to mention that the C5 C6 cars have dominated LeMans and American LeMans in their respective classes. The C5R and C6R have both been built off of the factory chasis as well.

Don't forget that it took the GTR multiple tries, R-comps, and race pads to beet the Z06 around the ring while it used production tires and brakes.

I've seen plenty of insanely fast corvettes run away from most of the field at a various HPDE's.


I understand the dislike of corvettes and their owners a lot of the time, and looks are subjective, but it's rather hard to argue with their speed and capability.

I was able to keep up with a Z06 in the twisties during a HPDE. The only place he could gain on me was on the straight. He did have a 200 HP advantage after all.

Then no offense, but the driver was balls terrible. Even an older C5Z06 should walk past an RX-8 on a track with no effort. I run with a lot of Corvette's in NASA, they seem to be gd everywhere, but however common they are... in the right hands they are FAST. C6Z06s with just a decent set of tires will give most cars a run for their money.

C5R and C6R vettes have nothing in common with their road counterparts.

Ring times mean very little. The track can be 30 seconds slower or faster during the same month. The GTR looks faster than a porsche gt2 there, the reality is that it isn't.
The last part can't be commented... the 'vette had leafsprings and pushrods whene other cars were using magnetorheogical setups and way better engines..

From this article if you want the rest of the info http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/05/h...tt-and-miller/

This is completely understandable. The ring is a bitch plain and simple. I was just using it as a reference.

I've seen the same thing that blackened has seen at the numerous DE's i've been to (as a photographer for a few buddies) In capable hands i've seen them get around pretty much anything and anywhere on the track.

The components you have stated mean nothing unfortunately... With the type of roll cages they use the chassis is nothing more than an anchoring point to all the various components... and the pick up points etc are all completely different.
I have been very close to these competition 'vettes and they are nothing like their road counterpart.
Like in wrc cars the roll cage is designed to be "part" of all the car's critical chassis points (suspension links etc) so that the chassis becomes part of the roll cage and vice versa. I have some very big pictures of said cars during a 24hrs of spa tune up. I have been there, talked to the mechanics etc.

I have never seen a GTR lap faster than a gt3 rs or let alone a porsche gt2 with equal drivers at the wheels. I have seen GTR faster than f458 italias though, apparently the driver was a useless rich human being in that case :)

The 'vette is regarded as the american status symbol pretty much everywhere in the rest of the world. "Lots of HP from a mediocre engine and crappy handling".
I have to say that I agree completely, even if it is ages ahead of most Vipers.

I have a lot of respect for the Corvette. It might have been outdated before compared to the competition, but the C6 Z06 is a proper sports car.
You can say what you want about the small block and I'll agree that it's not the most sophisticated design, but the fact is that it's reliable and produces a lot of power.

Edit- And for those of you who read Motortrend, you'll realize that they don't pick as their winner the car with the best numbers. They realize that there's more than numbers. They've had to make that clear quite a few times because fanboys were getting mad that their cars weren't getting picked as the best even though the numbers would suggest this be the case.

Interesting article. Anyway, Chevrolet Corvette is the only American sports car i like, if i could just afford it...lol

Who ever said a Corvette can't handle? I'm not a huge fan of any domestic "Sports Cars" but the leaf spring comments always make me laugh. Fast is fast.

Sad that the old farts that buy them usually spec the auto over a manual.

One of the few 'sports' cars that are mostly automatics.

I think a lot of it depends on the driver. In a GTR or 458 or aventador, because of the computer settings and Ferrari's E-diff, anybody can go fast quickly. The Corvette, viper and pretty much anything American made, because it doesn't have those systems, is a lot harder to get the same results from.

My problem with the vette is that the materials used are crap, the seats are terrible, and that it could have been better if the execs didn't opt for those cost saving crappy materials.

If I have the money for a GT-R, there's no way I'd buy a vette instead.

http://wot.motortrend.com/files/2011...s-1024x640.jpg
Try the upper settings... it's SCARY. Too much for me to even remotely feel safe.

Yeah, this drives me nuts. I guess I can't say too much though as the first car I bought with my own money was a 1973 Stingray smallblock automatic. The big thing now is so many cars coming with twin-clutch paddle shifters... even if they are "better" I still can't bring myself to give up the clutch pedal.

Quite a few people say that actually. Or they'll generalize all American made cars by saying that none of them can handle and are only fast in a straight line. Obviously not all American made cars are just fast in a straight line. :SHOCKED:

i always get a chuckle out of these type discussions.
First of all IMHO--cars are not fast. Its the drivers. A driver can be fast or not.
A fast driver can make a slow car go faster. Its not so much the car as it is the driver. I am talking about the twisties--not straight a way power---hell all that is is a drag race.
I have seen miata drivers beat a GTR through the esses for example. GTR had a terrible driver.
The more yall see, the more yall will realize this.
Now this is NOT speaking at the professional driver level--just the adverage Joe monkey wrencher hpde fellow

^^^this

Of course. You can turn everything off and have it be a pure no holds barred beast but then turn everything back on if you're over your head.

Don't get me wrong I am all about Italian sportscars and owning a Ferrari is the ultimate dream.

All I'm saying is a regular person will post faster laps in a GT-R, 458 italia or even an evo X fq-400 around a twisty track than in a Z 06 or even a ZR1.

But OD! Their car's stats MAKE them a fast driver! And since obviously ever other car nearby is always in the hands of a professional driver, it's a direct one for one comparison where the driver doesn't mean squat! It's all about the car itself!



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It's so hard not to get snarky at COMPLETELY subjective debates when people involved don't know what is subjective, or what the word even means. :)

and even if the drivers were "equally matched" how much seat time do they have for THAT car or on THAT track
there are way more factors than just the car and driver skill at play

When I read discussion like this. I think of this.

Good example is the '92 formula 1 season. Senna was the best driver on the grid but because Williams had active suspension on the car, mansell was untouchable.

Same goes for vettel and their superior blown diffuser this year.

OD you're right in identical cars the driver is the deciding factor but electronic aids are so good nowadays in super cars that regular people will be better because of them.

friend of mine has a Z06. Loves his vette. brought my 8 to his house when i first got it and we took it for a run. He said he enjoyed driving it more than his vette.

Does that mean anything? nope. just one man's opinion who owned his Z06 for 2 and a half years and having driven an 8 for the first time and enjoyed it more.

It's all about preference. like someone said earlier, numbers mean nothing.