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I'm finally going to pull the trigger and get the car I've been dreaming about for too long, but have some pre purchasing questions following quite a bit of research I've been doing.
So I've narrowed down my selection to either a Z051 or Grand Sport, both with either 2lt or 3lt trim levels. Other than higher cost, the only things concerning me about the Grand Sport are:
1) Reports of bent / cracked wheels? How bad is this really?
It happens. However, most wide body cars don't suffer from the problem. It is usually limited to the wide rear wheels. I have owned my 2015 Z06 for 7 years and still have the original wheels. I have used them on track with run flats and have hammered some corner curbs hard and haven't damaged the wheels. It is hard to day if you would encounter the problem or not.
2) Does the much wider rubber generate noticeably more road noise? I'm coming from a 370z which is honestly very poor regarding road noise, so bad that I pick tires based on road noise ratings :-)
Not sure the noise is due to wider rubber or not. I know it varies with road surface and even when I run my track wheels with Pirelli Slicks I can still hear a fair amount of tire noise. Part of the noise problem with a Corvette is your ears are only a couple of feet from the rear wheels with a couple of layers of thin plastic with some carpet between your ears and the tires.
3) On a positive note, do you think the Grand Sport will generally hold it's value better? ??????
Regarding 2LT vs 3LT, I've read up on the spec differences but still have questions.
1) Navigation comes as part of the 3LT spec, but all 2LT's I've seen advertised say they have Navigation also. Are they referring to the subscription OnStar system or do most 2LT have a true standalone Navigation system? I've also read somewhere that cars equipped with PDR have Navigation as part of that package, is this correct?
3LT cars came with On Board Navigation included. On Board Navigation came with the PDE as included equipment. On Board Navigation was an option on 1LT and 2LT cars but the OnStar Navigation was standard on all cars so you don't know if a 1LT or 2LT has On Board Nav without checking yourself. PDE only comes with the On Board Nav so that is a good way to check to see if the car has OnBoard Nav. Look for an SD card port mounted behind the left side of the glove box door in front of the passenger seat. If present then the car has PDR.
2) Regarding durability, is there much difference between the Napa leather on the 3LT vs the Mulan leather on the 2LT? I plan on keeping the car for some time so this is a factor.
Regarding what year to buy.
1) A minor point, but curious when the resolution of the front and rear cameras was reportedly increased? 2018?
The front and rear cameras are for seeing obstacles when parking or backing up. They really don't need any better resolution than they have. The rear camera received an upgrade to provide a wider field of view but I don't know what year that happened.
2) Is there a particular year that brought a noticeable improvement in reliability, particularly regarding the Auto box if I go that route?
Latest year you can afford brings you the latest update in features and updates.
Any help on the above would be greatly appreciated.
Kevin
I had a Z06 coupe and now a base convertible with Michelin A/S tires. The Z06 was quieter - but only when I was running Continental Xtreme Contact tires, the stock Pilot Cup 2's were MUCH louder. I'd totally go GS and run the Continentals - very smooth and quiet.
Nice to be able to do it. Gas saved on accelerating will pay for them in 5 billion miles +-. Will have a set of stock wheels available soon for GS in SW FL after I get my new forged wheels. Will be bare as no tpms tires or centers $1200 cash pick up only. If they do not sell making couch end tables for my man cave.
Oem wheels
I saw a photo of somebody using a GS wheel as a garden hose spool
The complaint I read about regarding the low res cameras was that smaller objects / obstructions could easily be missed. The wider view rear camera sounds like a good upgrade, particularly with the blind spots that sports cars have.
I had a Z06 coupe and now a base convertible with Michelin A/S tires. The Z06 was quieter - but only when I was running Continental Xtreme Contact tires, the stock Pilot Cup 2's were MUCH louder. I'd totally go GS and run the Continentals - very smooth and quiet.
Getting ahead of myself and now talking tire choices, when switching tires to the continentals, other than differences in grip and road noise, did you also notice a differences in handling sharpness, steering response etc? With the 370z I went from oem tires which were known to be a fairly rigid sidewall design, to a different brand tire that had similar grip but a less rigid sidewall design the handling took a significant step backwards (poor high speed stability) as the suspension was designed around a different tire. I’m thinking this if I switched from run flats to non run flats for instance?
I looked at several cars today and Corvette World in Houston allowed me to see various GS’s side by side with the base models and I’m now 100% convinced GS is the way to go. Nothing wrong with the base models looks, just that the GS has the look I personally love more.
I was looking for a base model until I found this '17 Sterling Blue Metallic GS and I fell in love with it immediately. No choice to be made after that!
If you want that killer wide body look it's either a GS, Z06, or ZR1. Z51 is the narrow body. Honestly the Z06 is more power than I need but I love that supercharger noise!
One thing I have noted on the forum over 3 years is the wheel problems 'seem to mostly' come on slowly w/ a warning of low tire pressure. Obviously there is no guarantee that will be the case.
I was looking for a base model until I found this '17 Sterling Blue Metallic GS and I fell in love with it immediately. No choice to be made after that!
Now that’s an interesting color! Nice!
My favorite colors so far are sebring orange, torch red, and the varieties of yellows. Yellow is not my color of choice at all normally, but it works well on the vette.
If you want that killer wide body look it's either a GS, Z06, or ZR1. Z51 is the narrow body. Honestly the Z06 is more power than I need but I love that supercharger noise!
Yeah, pictures don’t do the differences justice, but seeing the different bodies in person brings it home!
My favorite colors so far are sebring orange, torch red, and the varieties of yellows. Yellow is not my color of choice at all normally, but it works well on the vette.
My C2 was yellow, and my C6 was red. I was really looking for another yellow when I saw this one. It was only available in the 2017 model year.
One thing I have noted on the forum over 3 years is the wheel problems 'seem to mostly' come on slowly w/ a warning of low tire pressure. Obviously there is no guarantee that will be the case.
I’ll keep an eye out for one tire losing pressure out of sync with the others thanks!
Some of the Grand Sports I've looked at don't have front splitters and side skirts installed. Is this what GM call "Ground Effects Package ($4k)?
Corvette Word sell their version of this kit for $1,300 and say they use OEM carbon flash paint. Are there any concerns going this route or are their any other high third party items I should consider if I go down this route?
Some of the Grand Sports I've looked at don't have front splitters and side skirts installed. Is this what GM call "Ground Effects Package ($4k)?
Corvette Word sell their version of this kit for $1,300 and say they use OEM carbon flash paint. Are there any concerns going this route or are their any other high third party items I should consider if I go down this route?
At a minimum they should all have the "poverty splitter" which is the plastic/rough finished splitter and 3/4 length side skirts. The Stage 2 package has the carbon flash (painted) or exposed carbon fiber front splitter with small end plates, full length carbon flash or exposed carbon fiber side skirts, and taller rear spoiler winglets (no center section which was Z06 w/ Z07 only).
About a million threads on all the aftermarket versions that are available and why some are cheap and some are not. Definitely a case of you get what you pay for.
Interesting that they should all have some form of splitter and side skirts as the particular Grand Sport I'm looking has none? It's only got < 10k miles and no accident history (on paper at least) so would be surprised if they were already damaged and removed.
Interesting that they should all have some form of splitter and side skirts as the particular Grand Sport I'm looking has none? It's only got < 10k miles and no accident history (on paper at least) so would be surprised if they were already damaged and removed.
The side skirts were shipped loose and installed by the dealer after the car arrived from Bowling Green (BG). There are multiple reports/threads of the dealers forgetting to install them and people needing to go back after the fact once they realized they were supposed to have them. No doubt some slipped through and the owner didn't realize it or didn't care.
The front splitter was installed at BG but way too many people use concrete parking blocks as a bump stop when parking and mess the splitter up. Often times you'll also see the radiator support bracket under the car is scratched or even bent. This doesn't happen 100% of the time, but it's worth the check.
The side skirts were shipped loose and installed by the dealer after the car arrived from Bowling Green (BG). There are multiple reports/threads of the dealers forgetting to install them and people needing to go back after the fact once they realized they were supposed to have them. No doubt some slipped through and the owner didn't realize it or didn't care.
The front splitter was installed at BG but way too many people use concrete parking blocks as a bump stop when parking and mess the splitter up. Often times you'll also see the radiator support bracket under the car is scratched or even bent. This doesn't happen 100% of the time, but it's worth the check.
Great info, gonna use this as part of the pricing discussion, if I get that far with this particular car.
02-03-2023, 06:31 PM
