The release of the C8 Corvette was accompanied by much fanfare and no small amount of enthusiasm, but it didn’t take long before tuners decided to up the ante with all manner of power-adders. No surprises there – that’s the way things go with any performance vehicle, especially one as hotly anticipated as the new mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette. But of course, the natural consequence of mods on a new platform are… let’s call them “learning experiences,” as evidenced by the following video.
Recently posted to YouTube by EmliaHartford, the video kicks off with some non-C8 Corvette content, but it’s stuff viewers will still enjoy.
To begin, the video host upgrades a few things on her 1979 Buick Regal Sport Coupe dragster, a vehicle lovingly nicknamed “Mimi.” The host first swaps in a new custom QA1 carbon fiber driveshaft, a component so light, it can be lifted off the floor with a single finger. It’s also rated at an absurd 6,000 pound-feet of torque. The host also installs a set of Mickey Thompson drag radials.
While the new drag tires are being mounted, the host picks up a new transmission filter at a local dealer for some basic maintenance. The host and her C8 Corvette then decide to do a few quick pulls to test out the new twin-turbo kit before heading out on a road trip. And that’s where the trouble starts.
The first pull starts ok, but quickly goes sour when some unsettling noises start emanating from the engine bay. After getting the C8 Corvette back to shop, the crew starts to diagnose the issue. The first guess is something in the valvetrain of the 6.2L V8 LT2 engine, but after further inspection, something deeper is most likely the culprit.
After grabbing a borescope, we get confirmation that detonation grenaded one of the C8 Corvette’s pistons, most likely from the local low-octane fuel. Yikes.
But hey, that’s the way things go when testing the limits of a brand-new car. The host vows to build it back stronger in the pursuit of a nine-second quarter mile. We can’t wait to see it happen.
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Comments
I once broke a valve guide in cylinder seven and it ended up impaled in the chamber of cylinder five.
Unlike the C7 Corvette, it is simply unclear whether it is possible to add a pair of turbochargers and not expect the engine or transmission to fail; everyone will need to wait to see how Chevy adds more performance to the C8 Corvette when they introduce their Z06 in 18-20 months.
it is ridiculous to add so much power to a baseline engine and not expect it to fail!
Of course it failed, add 20-30 it would have been risky, 50 plus percent…..no doubt failure Kids!!!
At the end of the video she states that it actually isn’t a piston and she will reveal the real issue in her next video. You should watch the entire video before writing the article. She literally states “don’t jump to any conclusions” at around the 16:10 mark
The video was updated after it was posted
Why would you put any old gas in it? Description said low octane local gas.
Video said California 93 Octane. Watch the video before you comment.
Who pays her bills??
YouTube Partner Program
To support her hobbies and lifestyle, it would appear she needs at least $250k/yr pre-tax. Are you suggesting YouTube clicks generate that??
With over 500K subscribers to her YT channel, and her vids racking up millions of views, she’s very likely raking in MUCH more than that per year.
Building up and maintaining a luctative presence on YT is the new way for people to make a lot of $$$, but it takes consistently solid content, a lot of work, and lots of attention in order to elevate one’s channel into such lofty standing as Ms. Hartford’s. Channels as successful as hers aren’t merely a hobby or part-time endeavor; they’re a full-time, 24-7/365 job.
No, I’d suggest they generate far more than that.
no one has cracked the engine computer code yet so without changing the engine mapping this is going to happen.
They really should have sent it to late model racecraft it’s where I trust all of my corvette modifications.
Watch some of her content. No cylinders or piston were damaged in the motor. You’re spreading misinformation 😂
Like I told the dude above, the video was updated after it was posted
Watch their video series. It’s really quite good. There are a few parties out there putting twin turbos in the C8 and testing now. It’s not uncommon now to see a controlled 800 to 1000hp in mustangs and Mopar too. In this series, the last video in this series they speculate as to the cause of a noise, but still had some digging to do. They did not yet open the bottom end
JJ
They have and multiple rods are bent. You can’t put serious boost on any NA motors with standard rods. If you do, they bend and break like toothpicks.
must not have heard of Truck variants of the LS motors…specifically the 4.8 and 5.3. 500-1000hp on stock bottom ends and too much boost is a walk in the park for those N/A motors.