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Drove a 2020 Corvette Yesterday

NoVaGT

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At my Cars & Coffee, we got a dude we call Corvette Ed. Because Ed loves him some Corvettes.

He ordered his 2020 Corvette day 1, and he received it a few months ago. It's a White 1lt with the only options being some red fender stripes, and the glass (plastic, really) roof panel. The interior is black with some red accents.

It spent 38 days at the dealership with lights lit up all over the dash, issues arose within 50 miles after taking delivery. Lots of codes and lights pertaining to the breaking system (and other things), and it took the dealership a long time to finally find the issue; a tiny bolt on the wheel hub assembly hadn't been tightened down properly, and it caused damage to the hub, and fried the wheel-speed sensor from the heat.

But, they finally figured it out, and now Ed has his Corvette. Ed's happy, and that car is ****ing sweeeet.

Ed's a great guy, so he let a few of us take it or a spin.

These Corvettes have 8 speed DCTs, and they define the car. It's astonishingly smooth to drive, because when the transmission shifts it's instantaneous, there's no pause in the power delivery. Shifts do not register through your butt, just through your ears and eyes (tachometer).....it's a bit disconcerting at first. This makes the car's forward acceleration (I only drove it at low speeds, mind you) feel like an electric car, like there aren't gears being shifted through.

Ed didn't get the Z51 package with the bigger breaks and tighter suspension, nor the magnetorheological shocks. And at least from my impressions, there's no need for those performance options. The car's handling and ride is......again, weird. It's so composed/firm, and yet so smooth riding, that coupled with the way the trans works, it's a magic carpet ride. And that's the standard suspension. Granted, maybe during more aggressive driving the suspension might not be as controlled as I'd like, but it felt just fine in my limited time behind the wheel. And the stiffness of the structure sure is evident, as it feels very tight and rigid.

The interior is much better (and larger) than a C7 Corvette. And the base seats were very comfortable. The interior is just an amazing place to be, you feel like you're at the front edge of the car, looking forward and downward at the same time. It feels like you're up high (because the front of the car is so short and low in front of you), but you're also sitting very low. The LCD dash is amazing (even though Ed hadn't pulled the plastic film off it yet), and the infotainment pad isn't too intrusive once you're behind the wheel.

About the only negative was that the roof is so low, it blocks a bit of your forward/upward vision.

Anyways......my short, slow drive netted some very positive impressions. The driving experience is unlike anything else. Silky-smooth is the best words to describe it.

Another interesting point, is that the base car comes with all-season performance tires. I think they contribute a lot to the smooth ride. NVH in the C8 does seem quite lower.

I'm trying to find a base C8 testing article, to see what numbers they run. I've only found a video/post or two where a base C8 did 0-60 in less than 3 seconds. Many in just over 3. The base car's A/S tires mean they can hook better when it's colder, and the atmosphere is more oxygen rich, meaning more power.
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Strokerswild

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I'm interested in taking one for a drive, in Z51 trim. I saw a couple running around locally toward the end of fun car season in MN, and I think they're far better looking in person than in pictures.

I pondered a C7 GS briefly, but I'm long in the torso so the ergos were a little weird for me. Hopefully the C8 is better.
 

m3incorp

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I hadn't heard of that....of course, I haven't been on the Corvette forum in a while, so it may be so.

Those motors are popping left and right...
 

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GM had a valve spring issue from their supplier and like 2-3 months of builds are having issues In ALL V8 engines, trucks and cars. Some are breaking before they get off the lot. (But ive read on here GT350 engine valves dropping in parking garages at a couple hundred miles but hey throw stones if you want)
 

ice445

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GM had a valve spring issue from their supplier and like 2-3 months of builds are having issues In ALL V8 engines, trucks and cars. Some are breaking before they get off the lot. (But ive read on here GT350 engine valves dropping in parking garages at a couple hundred miles but hey throw stones if you want)
Maybe Ford and GM are using the same supplier? Wonder who it is lol
 

Biggus Dickus

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I would think in an ol' reliable pushrod V8, a valve spring issue would be any easy fix.
 
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NoVaGT

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I'm interested in taking one for a drive, in Z51 trim.
Check out a standard car before you decide on a Z51 car. The base car really is that good.

Figure a C8 standard car is as good as good as a C7 Z51, but it's on A/S tires, which is a plus in my book. Better ride and longer tire life. And if you want a little more sticktion out of a standard C8, just put some MPS4 tires on it.

......I pondered a C7 GS briefly, but I'm long in the torso so the ergos were a little weird for me. Hopefully the C8 is better.
I'm long in the torso too.

The C8 is much roomier than a C7, but my head was close enough to the roof that the roof line blocked a bit of my forward vision where it met the windshield. Not a big deal really.
 
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NoVaGT

NoVaGT

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I would think in an ol' reliable pushrod V8, a valve spring issue would be any easy fix.
Believe it or not, they do have variable valve timing, even though it's a pushrod engine. Not sure how they did that, or which valves can vary, or if it's continuously variable like a Coyote, or more of a 2-step like VTEC.
 

Biggus Dickus

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Believe it or not, they do have variable valve timing, even though it's a pushrod engine. Not sure how they did that, or which valves can vary, or if it's continuously variable like a Coyote, or more of a 2-step like VTEC.
Is it like the Viper's set-up, with a cam that shifts fore and aft?
 
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Balr14

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My oldest son has a C8 on order. His boss has one, so my son borrowed it to show me what he was getting. We all play Xbox games together, so it was cool. I think I have the record for the longest sniper kill in Ghost Recon. Anyway, back to the C8...

I owned a few Vettes back in the 60s and got interested in them again in about 2006. I've driven a fair number of C5, C6 and C7 models since then. I came close to buying a C6 or C7 a couple of times, but couldn't work out a deal. (I'm not much of negotiator). I concur with what NoVaGT has said. The C8 is just an entirely different car than the previous generations. The ride and handling are great, especially over rough roads. The interior room and seats are a considerable improvement. The car feels very comfortable and very composed, not at all skittish like some previous models.

The C8 is definitely better looking in person than in pictures. But, for me it's still ugly. Maybe I'll get used to it in a few years, but I still prefer smoother, softer designs, like a Porsche 991 or 2012 Audi R8.
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