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2020 GT500 vs Corvette C8 Z51 which one is faster at willow springs? TIMES!

martinjlm

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I’m still surprised no one else has done something similar yet. It is really a nice feature.

-T
I don’t know if this is true for PDR, but here is the story behind HUD.

For a long time, GM was the only company that used HUD. It was developed by Hughes when GM owned Hughes. Hughes was at the time a military and aeronautics company and HUD was basically aircraft technology adapted to cars. The reason no one else used HUD technology for so long is GM held the patents for key parts of the technology and had exclusive use rights until those patents expired. As soon as they expired, BMW, Mercedes, and a few other brands jumped all over it.
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ZRacerLE

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I can't speak personally for him, but it's a strange clique-y group down there on some days. I don't recall seeing him talk to the GT3 guys, but from my personal experiences, they're all pretty cool, I'm usually running door to door with them. You've got the Beem camp, Miata, Porsche, AE86/BRZ/S2k, Exotic, Vette, Camaro, and Mustang groups, of which some are totally loners, and then track rats like myself just run around and talk to everybody about everything. It's easier when you're in their group and talk about your last session, especially if you were mixing it up out there.
What's a non pro fast time out there for vehicles like these?
 
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Classic Lover

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What's a non pro fast time out there for vehicles like these?
Looks like a gt350r did 128.29. That was probably a pro driver. Looks like Randy did 126.16 in a manual zl1 1le.
 

ZRacerLE

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Looks like a gt350r did 128.29. That was probably a pro driver. Looks like Randy did 126.16 in a manual zl1 1le.
It was pointed out on C6 that randy went faster in the redeye than this kid (not exactly slow) did in these two cars. Reminder of the huge skill disparity between pros and hobbyists.
 

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Timeless

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https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cu...son-between-the-shelby-gt500-and-c8-corvette/


Watch a C8 Corvette Beat a Shelby GT500 on Track


Both cars retail for about $81,000, but one is a lot more accessible.

d24ebffa-1dd8-45fe-9341-b14ec5007392_1573229698.png

BY MACK HOGAN
APR 21, 2020

screen-shot-2020-04-13-at-10-57-29-am-1586789867.png?crop=1.00xw:0.905xh;0,0.png

SPEED PHENOM ON YOUTUBE
If you've got $80,000 to spend and want an American high-performance car, now's a pretty good time to be in the market. In addition to tire-shredding stalwarts like the Camaro ZL1 and Challenger Hellcat, Ford and Chevy have recently launched high-profile, track-ready sports cars. And thanks to a new video by Speed Phenom, we now know how they directly compare on track.

Naturally, we wanted to do this comparison ourselves. But the GT500 wasn't ready during our Performance Car of the Year competition when we had an early C8 to test. And now that both cars are on sale, stay-at-home orders and track closures mean we'll have to wait for an opportunity to do a full R&T comparison.

RELATED STORY
20190923-pcoty-7731-ct-1571145289.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.752xh;0,0.jpg
2020 Corvette C8 Stingray Z51: First Drive

In the meantime, Speed Phenom does a good job of breaking down how they perform. With the caveat that he's got a base model GT500 without the optional Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, he notes that the car struggles for grip more often than the similarly-tired Corvette. It's also less composed through mid-corner bumps, with slower cornering all around. Thanks to its massive horsepower advantage, though, it jets through straightaways.

The C8, meanwhile, benefits from serious mechanical grip. The better-balanced midship car fires through corners and has no problem putting its power down. That makes it more approachable, not surprising given that it's the tamest version of the C8 while the GT500 is stretching the limits of the S550 platform. And as Speed Phenom shows in his lap-time video, those benefits are enough to comfortably beat the Shelby on track.

The Corvette flies around Willow Springs in 1.31.62, picking up enough time in the corners to beat the Mustang's 1.33.22 lap time by a second and a half. Sure, the Mustang would be quicker if it had the optional Carbon Fiber Track Pack, but remember that this is the base Corvette with just the Z51 package. With Grand Sports, Z06s, and ZR1s likely to come, it's pretty impressive that even the base model can stomp the top-end pony car.
 

WesS

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https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cu...son-between-the-shelby-gt500-and-c8-corvette/


Watch a C8 Corvette Beat a Shelby GT500 on Track


Both cars retail for about $81,000, but one is a lot more accessible.

d24ebffa-1dd8-45fe-9341-b14ec5007392_1573229698.png

BY MACK HOGAN
APR 21, 2020

screen-shot-2020-04-13-at-10-57-29-am-1586789867.png?crop=1.00xw:0.905xh;0,0.png

SPEED PHENOM ON YOUTUBE
If you've got $80,000 to spend and want an American high-performance car, now's a pretty good time to be in the market. In addition to tire-shredding stalwarts like the Camaro ZL1 and Challenger Hellcat, Ford and Chevy have recently launched high-profile, track-ready sports cars. And thanks to a new video by Speed Phenom, we now know how they directly compare on track.

Naturally, we wanted to do this comparison ourselves. But the GT500 wasn't ready during our Performance Car of the Year competition when we had an early C8 to test. And now that both cars are on sale, stay-at-home orders and track closures mean we'll have to wait for an opportunity to do a full R&T comparison.

RELATED STORY
20190923-pcoty-7731-ct-1571145289.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.752xh;0,0.jpg
2020 Corvette C8 Stingray Z51: First Drive

In the meantime, Speed Phenom does a good job of breaking down how they perform. With the caveat that he's got a base model GT500 without the optional Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, he notes that the car struggles for grip more often than the similarly-tired Corvette. It's also less composed through mid-corner bumps, with slower cornering all around. Thanks to its massive horsepower advantage, though, it jets through straightaways.

The C8, meanwhile, benefits from serious mechanical grip. The better-balanced midship car fires through corners and has no problem putting its power down. That makes it more approachable, not surprising given that it's the tamest version of the C8 while the GT500 is stretching the limits of the S550 platform. And as Speed Phenom shows in his lap-time video, those benefits are enough to comfortably beat the Shelby on track.

The Corvette flies around Willow Springs in 1.31.62, picking up enough time in the corners to beat the Mustang's 1.33.22 lap time by a second and a half. Sure, the Mustang would be quicker if it had the optional Carbon Fiber Track Pack, but remember that this is the base Corvette with just the Z51 package. With Grand Sports, Z06s, and ZR1s likely to come, it's pretty impressive that even the base model can stomp the top-end pony car.
I’d be curious how a 2020 GT350R would do since he mentioned the suspension and steering (control) is better in the 350R. Cheaper than both a C8 depending options and both NA.
 

SPR1957

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I found this to be a very informative video with some great comparisons. SP will be posting lap times next video but this shows very well how both cars perform on the same track with the same non pro driver. I know YouTube is not hot on this forum right now lol, but you should enjoy this, especially if you plan on tracking you gt500.




Speed Phenom does have some great videos out there and knows how to run that GT 350R to a point that it makes “special music” when he’s running full throttle. Can’t get enough of. That sound and will need to compare my GT 500 if that darn thing gets here!
 

ALUSA

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Here’s Throttle House’s version of the same head2head.

What surprising is that their best lap times table shows the Camaro ss 1le almost putting similar time on Cup 2’s with a ZL1 1LE. You take the long straights away there goes your extra power. Meanwhile the GT 500 is struggling for the grip. Now put some 355 Cup 2’s in the back and 315 fronts, then you might have something.
 

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Epiphany

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Struggling for grip or not, that Base GT500 essentially equaled the ZL1 1LE which was running their Goodyear version of the Cup2. I keep asking to see how much better the Base car is with a Cup2 but we have yet to see any comparison there.

And they kept yammering about -3* camber for the Vette but they also mentioned the dealer adjusted the camber on the GT500 for the track. So how much camber was dialed in? They didn't say. They also said camber plates are standard on the Base GT500 with the Handling Package (1:17 mark) - the confusion escalates...
 

SplawnDarts

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So frequently this sort of thing is all about tires.

The GT500 is heavy though. That chews up a lot of the hp advantage. It shines in power-to-drag. It's about 10% heavier than the base GT and even the Camaro ZL1 1LE. So it really has very little edge on the Camaro power-to-weight. There's not a lot of tracks long enough to take advantage of a high power-to-drag.
 

Epiphany

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GT350's all get a Cup2 (yes, they aren't all the same). The friggin' PP2 gets a Cup2. The CFTP gets a Cup2. The ZL1 1LE gets an Eagle F1 Supercar 3R, comparable to a Cup2 many would argue. For the love of God, can somebody please test the Base GT500 with a tire that doesn't make it fight with one arm behind its back? The 4S tire is good but it ain't no Cup2 on the track.
 

Jmeo

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GT350's all get a Cup2 (yes, they aren't all the same). The friggin' PP2 gets a Cup2. The CFTP gets a Cup2. The ZL1 1LE gets an Eagle F1 Supercar 3R, comparable to a Cup2 many would argue. For the love of God, can somebody please test the Base GT500 with a tire that doesn't make it fight with one arm behind its back? The 4S tire is good but it ain't no Cup2 on the track.
Because it would beat the Corvette, and "nobody" wants that......written.
 
 




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