That’s right — we’re driving the 2017 Corvette Grand Sport today at the Atlanta Motorsports Park (lucky us). So, while we’re here getting our wheel time at the track, feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments section just below, and we’ll do our best to answer them.
Slotting between the Corvette Stingray and Corvette Z06, the 2017 Corvette Grand Sport combines a lightweight architecture, a track-honed aerodynamics package, Michelin tires and a naturally aspirated engine to deliver exceptional performance.
The 2017 Corvette Grand Sport features the following content:
- Performance:
- Michelin Pilot Super Sport summer tires
- Specific Grand Sport wheel design, 19×10 inches in the front and 20×12 inches in the rear
- Brembo brake system
- Standard Magnetic Ride Control, specific stabilizer bars and unique springs
- Standard electronic limited-slip differential
- Available Z07 package that carbon ceramic-matrix brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport 2 Cup tires
- Powertrain:
- 6.2L V8 LT1 engine rated at 460 horsepower (343 kW) with the dry-sump oiling system and active exhaust
- Seven-speed manual transmission with active rev match and available eight-speed paddle-shift automatic with specific performance calibration
- Exterior:
- Track-focused aero elements
- Specific front fender inserts
- Z06-style grille
- Wider rear fenders
Comments
I am debating between the new 2017 718 Porsche Boxster Base and a 2017 Corvette. If you have driven both, how do they compare. The Porsche dealer told me that the 718 handling is far superior.
All dealers lie. Don’t trust them, and cut them out of the buying picture whenever possible.
Do your homework. Research intensely. Test drive both cars on roads of your choosing and when you see fit. If dealers insist on being in the car with you, tell them not to say a word or practice any tired and scripted sales pitch. Don’t give dealers anything to make them ask questions of you. You’re there to research, not listen to them make a ptich.
Only by your testing and cutting out the impartial and untrustworthy dealer with their sales pitches will you know if the 718 handles better than the Corvette. Anecdotes are not trustworthy. They aren’t usable in courtrooms, so they shouldn’t have any value in a dealership showroom floor.
Sounds like you go to the wrong dealers. Blanket statements on people as a whole don’t do anyone a service.
Blanket statements are wrong, of course. Except when they are true. I have bought cars from dealers several times, and so have many of my friends. I have yet to hear or experience a dealer sales rep who actually knows anything about the car. I even had a Lexus rep assure me the RC F has better Nurburgring times than an M4 and an ATS-V. I showed him the evidence from reputable mags, and he was like “they’re all paid ads, I tell the truth.”
Sorry for the ego trip, but it helps my point. I have a Masters degree from Oxford, my wife has a PhD from Hopkins. The sales rep knew that. He still went ahead and drew a cartoon frown on a blank sheet and said to us, “I want to turn your frown upside down” and then he turned the paper around…
The biggest dealer in the Washington DC area had a huge ad campaign “We will give you 125% of Kelley Blue Book for your trade!” so we went in. The sales rep looked at our trade-in, and proceeded to get freakn Autotrader (not KBB) up on his screen and said our car was only going to qualify for what turned out to be 60% of KBB. I asked about the ad, he said “that’s just to get you here”.
Which transmission does the C7 Corvette Grand Sport have.. the 7-speed manual with rev matching or is it the 8-speed paddle shifting automatic; do you think there will be a day when Chevrolet will consider opting for just an automatic especially as almost every talking head has said of how great the 8-speed automatic is supposed to be that the tester will often leave the transmission is drive instead of attempting to shift gears with the paddles.
These are the key questions I would like answers to:
1. What is the effective ground clearance of the Grand Sport?
2. Can you get other than summer tires with the car? I am not going to be racing the car, so if it is limited to summer tires only, it is a deal breaker for me.
3. Is the Grand Sport lower in ground clearance than the regular C7?
1. The same as the Z06
2. Grand Sport comes with Pilot Super Sports on the base and Sport Cup 2 tires with the Z07 pack. All seasons/winters are on you.
3. Couldn’t get a clear answer.
Too bad about not having option to select all season tires with the car. I will more than likely not buy the GSM, or any Vettes I can’t use year around. That is why I sold my last C7 Z51.
I purchased a ’16 Z51, 3LT 7 speed last fall….first corvette since my ’69 350hp convertible. Recently owned Porsche ’10 GT3RS which I tracked for three years, before selling last year. I have only taken to track once, but was hitting same marks as my RS, so I’m pretty satisfied with the purchase. Had I the opportunity to purchase the grand sport, I would have, as I don’t need the Z06 challenges. I would recommend not getting the carbon ceramic brakes if you plan to track, as they are a very expensive repair, and are meant for the street only.
Are the seats in the GS as bad as the regular seats in C7 ? I owned a 2016 C7 & the seats in it were HORRIBLE. The side bolsters on the seat cushion were so tall they would put my legs to sleep after about 20 minutes of driving. The optional Competition Sport bucket seats were even WORSE. This is the ONE area that Chevrolet failed with the C7. All other areas are great. You would figure IF Chevrolet was trying to build the “world class” sports car they claim to be, then this should be an area of focus.
I am debating if i should get 2015 C7 Z 06 or 2017 Grand Sport.
Now here is my questions:
Is suspension on GS as hard as Z 06? i plan to daily drive it.
So you think is better to supercharge GS or jump right into Z 06? I would save money supercharging GS and no overheating problems. I know that even when I supercharge it, its still not Z 06 so when someone looks at it, they will be like ohh… its just normal Vette, not Z 06…
Third, what would you choose?
Can the 2017 Grand Sport be ordered without the big , Z06 style spoiler? I prefer just the small spoiler over the center break light.
My 2017 GS feels like I’m driving
Over baseball’s with the front tires as I’m backing out of my driveway turning to enter the street in front of my house. Is this normal, all other driving and steering conditions are great?