sat in a c6 vette yesterday....interesting

[berettafan]

ran into an old coworker yesterday who had just bought a beautiful (on the outside anyways) black C6 vette. got a chance to sit in it and fire it up. car was beautiful to look at on the outside (even had dark gray wheels) but the interior was pretty cheap looking/feeling.

started the car and it did sound quite nice. blipped the throttle and was not impressed. i know it would dust my car in any speed challenge but the car just didn't rev quickly. i suppose that's what you get with big displacement?

last impression was the car is BIG. i am all the more impressed with people who can really toss those things around and keep control.

he paid $28k (at a pcar dealer...was looking at 911's but couldn't stomach the cost) for the car with 24k miles on it. an awful lot of car for the money i guess. still after getting out of it i think i've lost my affection for them. maybe a drive would be different but a giant car with a slow revving engine didn't really light my fire. bad ass looking though!

he says 'i just couldn't do $80k for a 911'. i said 'popsy, i got two words for you....996 GT3'.

he took notes and says maybe next year.

[Talewinds]

I've been critical of the Corvettes for many years now. The newest ones are not great (acres and acres of gray plastic abound inside, still), but they're getting MUCH better. I do not hate them anymore.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by berettafan

blipped the throttle and was not impressed. i know it would dust my car in any speed challenge but the car just didn't rev quickly.

After having my '88 911, that's what I thought when I got a miata. The miata revs much more slowly than my 911 did. When I first got the 911, it seemed like a racecar to me.

I guess that's why there is no substitute.

Even so, it may not rev quick, but it doesn't have to.

[GG Allin]

Assuming it's only got one, I bet seven more throttle bodies would help it rev faster.

[cashflyer]

Rotating mass will also delay the rev response.

It's a street C6, not a C6R. Heavier flywheel if manual, and spinning a torque converter if automatic. Racers will also use non-counter weighted crankshafts for better response.

I have seen SBCs with very quick response, even on a single carb.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by berettafan

..last impression was the car is BIG.

...a giant car...

Won't dispute your impression (maybe you also think a Porsche is a BIG, giant car? ) but:

The '09 Corvette is 1" shorter, 2 1/2" lower, 1.4" wider and 133 lbs heavier than the '09 Carrera.

I had a 99 C5 6spd hard top for 74k miles (never was a Vette fan but heard they'd gotten much better with the C5 - they had!) and, contrary to your first impression, I was really surprised at how small and nimble it felt; and my previous car was a '95 RX7 TT R1 which was really small and nimble!

A couple weeks ago I drove an '09 Carrera S around some pylons at the local airport (a local dealer event to intro the Panamera). It's nowhere near as spacious inside as a Vette.

Yeah, my Vette's interior was tacky - but I was always looking out the windshield.

However, both the Corvette and Carrera felt like BIG giant cars compared to my current '82 SC.

'09 Corvette Coupe
Weight (lbs)3208
Wheelbase (in.)105.7
Length (in.)174.6
Width (in.)72.6
Height (in.)49.1

'09 911 Carrera Coupe:
Weight (lbs) 3,075
Wheelbase (in.)92.5
Length (in.)175.6
Width (in.)71.2
Height (in.): 51.6

[Chaos Theory]

I find the build quality typical GM no matter If it is an suv or a ZR1. I think that 'tupperware' on the hood looks even cheaper than a Z06 hood, and what's with that crappy little GM emblem on the quarters!? Plastics are even cheaper, and don't even get me started on the interiors.

I want to like corvettes.. I would love a split window or even a 74 stingray, but since the 80's I think 'vettes have gone down hill. They are getting better but I'm personally not convinced.

I want the total package.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by Chaos Theory

I find the build quality typical GM...

All true, but it's difficult to make an agrument that it isn't the biggest bang for the buck.

[carnutzzz]

Why do you need it to rev fast when you're making a ton of torque at 2500 rpm? An old 911 revs fast because it has to.

[azasadny]

If I won the lottery (which is tough because I don't buy tickets), the 1st car I would buy would be the Corvette ZR-1 and the next car would be the Cayman S, then a whole bunch of 911's!

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by carnutzzz

Why do you need it to rev fast when you're making a ton of torque at 2500 rpm? An old 911 revs fast because it has to.

Zzzzzzzzzackly!

My '95 RX7 (a high winder) was as about as quick as my '99 C5 (before I modified it) to 60 mph, but the percieved difference (and I can't figure out why ) to me was that the RX7 felt like a slingshot (wwwwWOW!) whereas the C5 felt like a freakin' catapult (WWWWOW!!!!). But BOTH got from point A to point B at the same time.

But, while it's far beyond my ken as to zzzzackly why, high revving engines are king, if one accepts F1 as the ultimate in such technology.

I would hope that Randy Webb and other informed types would chime in at this point (if I'm, hopefully, not hijacking this thread).

[legion]

The Vettes are also drive-by-wire.

The amount you press down the peddle doesn't matter as much as the speed at which you press down the peddle. If you press the peddle very quickly, it will go WOT before the peddle is fully depressed. If you press it to the floor slowly, it will only open the throttle halfway at best. It requires a different driving style but you can actually get better throttle response once you master it.