If there was a Corvette 1LE, these accessories would do it.
The 5th generation Chevrolet Camaro 1LE pulled down several parts from its 580 horsepower brother, the Camaro ZL1. In the same way, the 455-460 hp C7 Corvette Stingray borrows some of the best parts from its big brother, the 650 hp C7 Corvette Z06. All of the details can be found in our former coverage of Chevrolet’s announcement, but the skinny includes the following Z06 parts: radiator fan, aero kit, rear quarter panel vents, front grille, trans oil cooler, prop shaft assembly, carbon fiber underbody braces, and front  brake cooling kit. Just about everything sans the wide body, rims, tires, carbon brake kit and supercharged LT4 V8 engine. In addition, Chevrolet also announced the T1 competition suspension package for non-magnetic-ride-control-equipped Corvettes. After a few laps around one of the many configurations of Spring Mountain Motorsports Park, we can soundly claim that these components make a difference.
Aesthetically, a C7 Corvette Stingray without its stock grille (no “retainer”) is a plus. The Z06 grille will unanimously win a beauty contest against the standard Stingray mouth. And it will also win in functionality. It’s hard to beat a grille design that allows more airflow inward than if there was no grille altogether. This of course contributes to downforce, engine air intake, and cooling. However, our brief laps around the circuit couldn’t really give a good impression on cooling. That’s for somebody with a full day to expend, though Chevrolet claims noticeable improvements on all fronts.
Really, what changes the game here is the T1 suspension system. It’s non-magnetic, and turns the C7 from a well-rounded sports car, to a more focused track star. A Corvette Stingray, or even a Stingray Z51, with a T1 suspension is a caged animal. And should only be set loose on a track. As the name goes, this suspension setup is for the SCCA’s Touring 1 class, and necessary to compete in the Michelin Corvette Challenge.
Before we were able to jump into a Corvette Stingray with a T1 suspension kit ($3,250 a la carte), we were immersed in more standard models. At this point, we’re more familiar with the C7 Corvette Stingray than we are any other performance car out there (we wouldn’t be — the still independently owned and operated —Â GM Authority if it was any other way). For the price, there’s nothing that touches the Corvette Stingray in track performance combined with day-to-day niceties and technology. And it goes without saying that a C7 Stingray on the track is genuinely sublime and a joy to drive. A very competent and predictable chassis with a great balance of power. But again, we’re talking solely of the Stingray here.
The C7 Corvette Z06, in all its performance and glory, has some hinderance. One being that, for the money, you still get that essentially the same interior as the significantly less-expensive base model. Second is that the 650 horsepower and 650 pounds-feet of torque are simply insane power figures for this platform, and performs as such. When you hear people say this car is maxed out, this is what they mean. It’s at the literal bleeding edge of acceptable behavior from the factory. Incredibly capable, yes, as many comparison tests show, but the Z06 can be more than a handful in everyday life. And even if you were to be a track rat with it, there’s going to be heat soak from the supercharged engine one way or another. And while the current Z06 demand may be surprising Chevy, a Stingray is still the model we find ourselves more comfortable in. The balance of all things — power, comfort, handling — align themselves more properly than its bigger badder brother, in our opinion.
Enter the T1 Corvette Stingray. This one’s the one. If the setup of a Z51Â Corvette wasn’t satisfying enough for you, this ought to do it. Expressively tuned for the track, the suspension setup of this car felt significantly different from that of the base model during our time around the track. By that we mean it was stiffer — less yaw, less dip, and less give. The car would hold better on turn-in and track-out. Ultimately meaning that more speed can be carried into a corner, and the power can be put down harder upon corner exit. The passive dampers of the T1 suspension package have been calibrated for both street tires as well as racing slicks. The added assurance of Z06 iron rotors also contributed to closing the gap between having our foot on the gas pedal and off of it. All in all, an improvement over what already has proven to be a sublime sports car.
So, Corvette enthusiasts, take note. You may want the go-fast parts of the 2016 Corvette Z06. And yet you may want the more manageable LT1 power output of the 2016 Corvette Stingray. But more importantly, the race track is your weekend home. Between the Capable Corvette Stingray and the Chevrolet Performance Catalog, a tailored Corvette combination awaits.
Comments
The T1 package is definitely a step in the right direction. Bravo Chevy! Now, do something about this. “Just about everything sans the wide body, rims, tires”. If wider rims and tires improve handling and said wheels need fenders to cover them, then why do something half @$$? Include those things as part of this package or at least an optional add on since anyone interested in the T1 may certainly be interested in purchasing it. I know I would if adding the T1 package. Some might just want a wheel/tire/wide body package all by itself just for looks or future upgrade to the T1.
The cars will fit 305’s on the front, it doesn’t really need them. If you want a widebody you can buy the parts yourself and install them.
I ordered the Z51and the FE4. I’m not interested in T1, whatever that is. I think there’s enough included in the Z51/FE4 package to handle whatever I’m going to throw at the car. I bought a new 2015 Mustang GT and, planning on keeping it forever, I threw a bunch of money in the thing, added a supercharger and all of the supporting suspension parts. Now I’m preparing to sell the wicked fast 670 HP Mustang to help pay for the ’20 Vette that I just ordered. I’m NOT planning on throwing money into upgrading the Vette. I think it should be good enough, bone stock.
Yes! Make a C7 version of the C6 GS. ALL the good stuff without the sky high price and more street friendly performance.
After doing some research on the T1 package I found this and it’s very disheartening.
“Warranty Information
12 months/Unlimited miles on parts only. The T1 Suspension kit is a “parts only” warranty and is “off road use only”, and the remaining vehicle warranty is voided once the parts is/are installed.”
WTF? I have YOUR parts installed and it voids my warranty. Pathetic.
GM engineers and management should be ashame. Why couldn’t the product development specialist at GM design the Corvette C7,all the Alpha base vehicles and all of their trucks and SUVs to have right hand drive (RHD) variants.
All of GM competitors have RHD variants to their products. BMW, Mercedes Benz, Lexus, Range Rover just to name a few. It is very stupid to design world class products that can only be sold in the American Market. Wow.
GM should not be a shame for not making Rhd vehicles. The problem is with your government that still has you driving on the wrong side of the road. Actually I’m going out on a limb here and assuming you have roads.
Well to address the two complaints here.
#1 You are lucky to get what you get with a track intended car. Racing puts a car into loads, stresses and over objects it would never see in real life road driving. Hitting an apect on a curve over a rubble curb is more than a weeks worth of banging around on the street. Generally there are no warranty with race or track parts and for that GM is offering it is very generous.
#2 as for RHD. Well it was a mistake in hind sight but at the time they were not sure they were even foing to be around and or how much money they would have. As it has worked out yes it was a mistake but if things were in much worse shape now it would have been the right thing to do.
The sales from England and Austrailia are limited. Add in a handful for japan and Hong Kong and you really are not talking big numbers. I do not say this to offend but add them up in the big picture.
GM is in a place if everything went wrong it would have been the wrong choice. If everything went right it could always be added in the future.
#1, your comment is BS as usual. People use their Vette’s for track days all the time and they are NOT dedicated track or race cars. You obviously do not own one. People who are NOT dedicated racers avoid the hard knocks of the raised curbs at the apex. Why should my Vette’s warranty be voided for putting the T1 on? Do you void a Z06’s warranty for having the same type of track equipment? Absurd, as is your ignorant perspective.
Sir you need to grasp reality too.
Sure people use their Vettes for track time and even drag racing. But when the video shows up on YouTube or there is signs of owner abuse there is no warranty for them many times.
You do not believe that you should see how many claims get rejected. In fact the WRX owners were crying the blues over not getting new clutches when their names showed up in rankings at Autocross events.
As for avoiding curbs and hard knocks sure the smart ones do but the truth is many are not all that smart.
I work in the performance aftermarket and deal with these people all the time. We generally give people a lot of benefit of a doubt but today so many people abuse the system we slam the door on them like many other MFG do today.
Track time is like owning a race car and things happen under these conditions and if you want to play you have to pay for anything you break.
Few of the Z06 get a lot of track time and if they do GM will take it on a case by case basis. As for a track dedicated car the whole intent is track time. The whole idea of track time is to go as fast as possible and that normally means hitting curbs and even an off the track run. Lets face it if you are not trying hard you will never make a mistake and if you never make a mistake then why are you at the track?
I am sure GM will look at many of these cases and if it is for sure a MFG issue they will cover it but if it is a drive abuse the short warranty gives them some leverage to deal with it.
Another factor is Liability too. The extended warranty could create even more issues than they already face. We would have much more track ready production cars if it were not for Liability issues as it is.
C4E the fact is most people who can afford to track a new Vette a warranty is not an issues as they can afford the car and the repairs. To me you sour grapes appear to be from someone who is out of his price range to play. Hence the C4?
The same for insurance. You track time do not expect your normal coverage to take care of an off at the key hole at Mid Ohio as you bounce off the guard rail in the off camber corner. I see it often some guy goes to the drag strip for a simple run and loses the car hiting second gear and pounds the concrete wall. Sure he drove it there but the insurance stopped at the gate.
Time to stop expecting others to continue to pick up after you when you play. If you want to play in this game you need to learn how to pay. No one rides free!
You can get mad all you like but those are the truths of the situation. Just the way it is.
Read the fine print on most parts from GM Perfromance, Ford Motorsports. Direct Connection and even companies like Porsche. Off Road Use only and no implied warranty.
GM should be given credit for making a car like this period. In the past they would not have even touched this with no warranty at all. To do it with a limited warranty they should be commended.
With comments like this, “Few of the Z06 get a lot of track time”, you show your ignorance once again yet speak with such authority. I do not respect nor accept your reply as YOU have NO idea how many Z06’s see track time or don’t, let alone ANY Vette for that matter.
The bottom line is you break it you fix it.
I spend a lot of time at the track and autocrosses and Zo6 are only there is small numbers.
Chevy sells 40% Z06 in the C7 but the majority never go to the track. Why because most people do not even live near a track. Most Vettes at the track are older ones where people can modify them or buy them reasonable to make them better and not trash a new $100,000 car that is still in warranty.
Yes there are a few idiots on YouTube trashing their cars as we see the crash videos.
Most of my customers are buying C4-C5 models and making them better and taking them out. That is what is mostly at these events.
As for your respect, So what! I am to comment not for your love or approval.
You may hate me for speaking the truth but Chevy is more then generous with the warranty they offer as few track cars get anything.
I assume if you were around in the old Corvette Challenge days you would have expected a full warranty there too?
The intent of this car is to race. Many people will take these cars and go SCCA racing. These will be sold to novice like yourself to go give themselves a thrill but they are not the intended target.
This car has eliminated the electronic suspension that would be the first thing most real racers would take off and to race in a real series.
Most novice would be better off taking a Z06 to the track with all the electronic aids to keep them from wadding up the car in the first place. Also there is a longer warranty and you could possibly lie your way to a warranty claim. ..
In racing you buy it you break it you pay to fix it.
“The bottom line is you break it you fix it.”
No $hit Sherlock. That’s almost as much a NO BRAINER as you are.
My comments regarding Warranty is why does it void the VEHICLE warranty when it may not even matter? When does the Z06 come with any “track day” void in it’s warranty? IT DOESN’T!!! Don’t remember my OP? No one needs your diatribe, get it?
“I spend a lot of time at the track and autocrosses and Zo6 are only there is small numbers.”
Please, enlighten us all on your prodigious track experience and/or how you know such things?
“Chevy sells 40% Z06 in the C7”
Really? Hmmmm……
http://www.corvetteblogger.com/2015/06/29/final-2015-corvette-production-statistics/
“Leading the production was the 2015 Corvette Stingray Coupe. GM built 20,757 Stingray Coupes which accounted for 60.6% of Corvette production. The Z06 Coupe was second with 6,980 built for a 20.4% share. The Corvette Stingray Convertible’s production was 4,830 for 14.1% and finally the Corvette Z06 Convertible total was 1,673 for 4.9%.”
That’s a total of 25.3% Z06’s, targa and convertible, NOT 40% JACKA$$. Certainly NOT who or what goes to the track you delusional @$$. Maybe, just maybe, you can BS and deceive others here but you don’t fool me you deluded @$$hole.
” You may hate me for speaking the truth”
Hate? Nah…, detest is more like it. What “truth” is that?? You speak no truth but unverifiable nonsense. I provide links, you talk $hit.
Sorry my 40% was for the Z07 package. It was small on the phone so yes that was my error. Even at that the lower the production the less likely someone is going to be out track timing a new Z06. So thank you for making my point even easier. Less cars even more less than likely it will be on a Track since only a small percentage of the new cars make it there.
Yes I can see while most Vette owners are pretty nice people but there is always one that sticks out and hurts the rep of all the others. I can see you are that self anointed one.
So you have just over 8K unit as new Z06 so just how many do you assume are being driven at the track regularly. You can remove all the Convertibles because they would not be out there without a roll bar( have you even seen one with a bar yet) Put your number out there and lets just see how delusional you are.
No matter how you slice it only a small percentage of the new Z06 have hit the track. The T1 car will have a higher number because many will go to club racers and SCCA members who want a car like this to build a real race car on. This is kind of their Body in White so to say since Chevy does not offer that yet out side the Camaro.
You really need to get some fiber as your showing.
The real question is how effective are any/all of these “upgrades” with the overheating issues that exist with these cars during track time? The engine coolant, engine oil, 8 spd. auto and power steering have all been reported to overheat when these cars are “pushed” during track time. It’s not an every car/every time situation, but many have been disappointed largely due to the fact that the C7 is a strong capable performer.
Some have commented that GM/Corvette team is somewhat surprised to hear so many people are “tracking” these cars? I tend to agree with that. I think the number of new Corvettes that are participating even somewhat casually in some type of track day event must be up significantly vs any previous gen of these cars. As a result, any system on the car that is more designed for street/cruising, gets exposed at the track where heat management is a big deal.
Ok folks, how come the Lamborghini Aventador LP-750 can hustle around the ring in 6 minutes:59 seconds, but is still blindingly quick in 0-180 mph acceleration test when compared to the Z06.
Yet the Nissan GT-R can hustle around the ring in 7 minutes:08 seconds but can beat the Z06 in 0-150 mph. this translates to GT-R 15:9 seconds vs Z06 17:7seconds. I don’t care what is said about all that supposed track capability, but it would still get it’s ass kick by less powerful and heavier cars.
What I want to see sometime in 2016.
1. An increase in power from 650 bhp to 725 bhp at least, to improved it’s quickness and overall velocity (200mph +).
2. Also, I want to see the ZO6 with the less serious aero-kit driven and instrument tested, to showcase it’s performance.
First, the Lambo costs $401K, is mid-engined, has AWD, AND 740hp so me thinks your comparing a delicious apple to a macintosh. Secondly, the GT-R is AWD as well which may be a contributing factor in getting it’s usable HP to the ground, just like the Lambo but with fewer ponies, albeit. The common denominator between the two you rave over is AWD so getting any more than the existing 650hp the z06 has to the pavement is a real issue with RWD only unless they start using uber expensive tire sizes and compounds OR try an AWD platform for the vette. Due to this, your “want” for 725hp is unrealistic but if you MUST have it, get a z06 and have it tuned for another 50-75hp. Maybe, if they create the Zora mid-engined vette and give it AWD, you’ll get your wish as we all would love to see. Until then, we dream…