Red Mist Rulz

Of course they have higher value. They also cost more to start with. The Z51 package depreciates at pretty much the same rate as the rest of the car. If you keep a car long enough for it to depreciate 50%, you'll lose half the price of the car, whether it was Z51 or not. You never get all your money back from any option, including z51.

gdb069

If I am reading the OP correctly: they will order mag ride so that is not an issue. Honestly I have no idea whether mag ride provides any improvement when the car is usually in tour mode, though I do have mag ride. OP also states the car will not be tracked and that corresponds to some of my decisions:
The Z51 package here cost about $7000 plus taxes. There are some upgrades to brakes, exhaust, cooling etc but for non-track you won't need them. There are 2 items I did not want 1) summer tires 2) spoiler.

A friend has the Z51 package and we have swapped cars. We agree that both cars perform very similar and that you would have to be exceptionally sensitive to be able to discern any difference. He basically likes the Z51 for the same reason I do not. My choice, based on never driving the car even close to its limit was to not buy the Z51 package.

As far as resale, my C4 was base and when I advertised it the 5 people who called asked if it was Z51. When informed no, all 5 scheduled an appointment to view and I had to cancel 4 appointments since the first person bought it for asking price.

snarkesor61

Wait. You think the C8 is an investment? Oh boy....

Ssrecy

my HTC rides like crap without mag activated. I think mag ride is one of the most important options to get. Just my 2 cents

Majestic94

My response was to the comment “Z-51 Corvettes hold better value”. That’s absolutely not true. It might sell for more, but it’s because you paid more for it. I researched every feature and trim and none of them held their value. All Corvettes depreciate the same and some features recoup more of their cost than others, but you never get dollar for dollar back (in normal non pandemic times anyway).

I do agree to get what you want, but the rationale that it will hold it’s value better like it’s an investment shouldn’t be one of them.

Majestic94

I take it you haven’t looked. KBB hasn’t had any info on the C8 since it came out.

NADA does for 2020 only and it claims you get $4k for a z51 package. You might think you get more for your car, but your car cost more than it recouped.
You buy stuff because you want them, not because it’s an investment.

JerryU

Yep, by far the best answer from someone who helped design MRC! It's interesting, despite several who were buying none Z51's trying to influence his decision by saying IF NOT Tracking it's really not worth it, he says NO for street driving you can feel the difference!

In addition, with some saying eLSD is not important I did some research and showed it's significantly better than the 1960's Poistraction you get with the base car. Prepared this 9-page PDF with what I found, if interested: http://netwelding.com/eLSD_VS_Posi.pdf

Found something that I had no info on the quantitative values defined by the GM engineer who developed the eLSD software:

• The max locking force on a C6 Posi (all that was available no eLSD) was 88 ft-lbs plus any locking between the rear wheels requires some slipping, that is how it works.
• eLSD can lock either wheel with 1475 ft-lbs and control which or both in milliseconds, as needed.

Yep ~70% of 2020 C8 owners got the Z51 with extra cooling rad, larger brakes, more performance-oriented springs, sway bar and suspension bushings (to match the higher performance Z51 tires per Tadge) as well as eLSD! Only ~5% of Corvette Owner's Track so as I did, most who purchased were NOT Trackers.

Granted it comes with Track capable dusty Brake Pads so as I did for my 2014 C7 Z51, 2017 Grand Sport; for my C8 Z51 had Carbotech 1521 street only low dust pads ready to install when I got it home! As with my C7s wash my wheels ONLY when I wash the car!

StanNH

Thank you all for the comments and for sharing your experiences. There seem to be valid points made for having the Z51, and for not having it. My past sports cars, both Vette and non-Vette, have always had any available performance or sport package on them. My problem here is that I was very impressed with how well the base suspension felt to me. What makes this even more difficult is my inability to test drive a Z51 car.

All that matters to me is the feel of the car under normal and spirited street driving conditions. I am not really concerned with perceived resale value or brake dust. I live in a moderate climate, with no real concerns about snow or ice, so the Michelin summer tires would be fine here. These are what I have on my Porsche, and they are incredibly sticky tires with fairly low road noise.

Since either setup is just a variant of an incredibly capable supercar, I can’t imagine that either choice in any way negatively impacts the joy of driving this car. If, however, the Z51 package enhances what is already an amazing car, I'd go for it. For me, I don’t think I can make a truly informed decision without driving a C8 with the Z51 option. Now, all I have to do is find someone local who has one and will let me drive it.

Again, thanks for all the help.

Warp Ten

What every you decide on..... you won't regret what you end up with. This car is fantastic in any configuration. The Z51 package is also has a styling appeal, with front / rear spoiler and bigger tires and the fun of brake dust on your wheels.

robertbruce

Order without the Z51 package and always ask yourself what if.

Big Lebowski

Based on what you are saying, I’d recommend the Non Z51.

I’m glad you are getting the magnetic ride (I would have argued for that). Coming from a M7 C7 Z06, I was on the fence if I’d ever get a C8. I test drove a Z51 C8 Coupe at a local Car Max and determined 3 things: Yes, I’d be getting a C8, it would need to be a HTC for headroom, and I wanted the Z51.

I took delivery of my ‘22 Red Mist Z51 HTC in October and I couldn’t be happier with it! (other than not being able to drive it in the winter)

You are in SC, if they have any Car Max’s there I’d see if you can find a Z51 and non Z51 to drive back to back. You have to play the “I’m interested” game a little, but we’re talking about a near $100k purchase. Doing so answered all my questions. Some feel that is misleading to Car Max, but that is the nature of the biz AND if they had what I wanted at a fair price, I would have purchased it.

Majestic94

I ordered a non Z-51 and never once asked myself that.

Big Lebowski

Agree… never met a C8 owner disappointed they ordered a Z51. Yes the breaks are dusty but that makes for a fun Saturday afternoon project to swap for ceramic brake pads…which I’m doing in the next month…and adding 20mm spacers…and extended splash guards. Did I mention I’m getting antsy to play with my Corvette in the winter months?

Majestic94

Tires are the same size on all Stingrays.

Majestic94

Have you ever met a Corvette owner disappointed with anything they’ve ever ordered?

On this forum the only regret (if you can call it that) that I’ve ever heard remotely mentioned is a couple coupe owners swapping for HTCs.

MikeinAZ

I don't have the magnetic ride control on the C8 but had it on C7 and almost always left it in sport. I do have z51 and wouldn't go without that. I've never felt the car too soft or undersprung but guessing that's due to z51 pkg as well, its going to be a bit firmer than non z51. I did add Paragon lowering springs and they are said to be 30% stiffer than stock and it did firm it up a tad more but nothing bad.

I drive aggressive at times and love my current set up. If I was going to track the car, I could see magnetic ride being a consideration but I'm happy without it and with z51 pkg.

Korbek

It doesn't add 6k and that's the point. You pay $6300 more for Z51 then your resale value "goes up" by less than that. It is a losing proposition no matter how you slice it.

It put it another way: a 2LT HTC with Z51 is not going to bring MORE than $6300 over a 2LT HTC without Z51. So paying the $6300 (plus sales tax in most states), you are actually losing MORE money at resale than someone who didn't.

The current market may be weird with C8s selling over MSRP used, but again I'd bet my house that two identical cars, one with Z51 and one without, aren't going to see more than $6300 price difference at sale all else being equal.

And as others have said, if youre buying a C8 based on resale value you're doing it wrong. Unless you're one of those jerkoff flippers.

sdurg24

I was always led to believe that larger diameter wheels gave you bigger tires. Have I been wrong all these years?
By the way I’ve posted several times on the relative differences I’ve felt in both Z51 and non Z51C6, C7, and now C8 (which I have 26,000 miles on). Some had Mag rides and some did not. I love the way my Z51s handle and so now I only order my cars with that option. I no longer order the Mag ride even though it’s less expensive than the Z51 simply because I’m not capable of discerning any difference, any difference at all in any of my C6 or C7 cars with that option. Have driven several C7 and C8’s with Mag ride at Spring Mountain. Of course it’s possible that others can tell but I’m not one of them.

Majestic94

I guess I should specify the wheel and tire sizes are the same on all C8’s. The only difference is Z51 gets all seasons and Z51 gets summer only tires.
I’m about to drive about 20 miles over bridges in 25 degree weather so for me the all seasons are a no brainer.

I think an important caveat to handling is that while the C8 in general’s mid engine layout is great, most reviewers usually complain of understeer unless it’s had a track alignment. The problem is the track alignment is so aggressive that it wears out your tires so the track prep guide tells you to set it back to a street alignment when you’re not tracking. Most Z51 owners who aren’t tracking their car are not set up for the optimal handling the car was designed for. You’d probably never notice unless pushing the car hard at track level speeds anyway. The low CG and midengine layout of a C8 means no C8 is going to handle like a boat going around corners in street level driving.

A lot of Z-51 owners complain of brake dust so they swap to lower performing dustless pads, so they’re not taking advantage of the higher performing brakes either. Not that you’d probably notice in street driving anyway and the dustless pads work better in average driving at lower temperatures.

To me Z-51 is a package I always pass on, even when I used to do build and price dream builds with pretend money for previous generations when I was in no shape for buying a new Corvette. Unless of course it was on a wide body Grand Sport.

I have no problem buying more than I need and features I’ll never use (I always opt for Rubicon’s when I buy Jeeps even though I never use 4wd), I just don’t like it when it adds so many compromises to my actual driving usage.
For a Z51 I’d immediately have to swap the pads, tires, keep the street alignment, so then I’d basically just have a $6500 spoiler (that I’m not a big fan of).

I agree on the magride. I don’t like the aggressive track setting, and sport and tour feel identical. People say that it’s still better because it reads the road thousands of times a second and adjust in real-time, but it doesn’t feel anymore comfortable than any other non mag ride sports car or anything else I’ve driven. People with the base suspension don’t seem to complain so I’m not sure magride is really doing anything for me. Next time I’ll drop it.

JerryU

Depends what you mean by bigger! They can actually be smaller in diameter! Easy have to check every time I went with Plus 1s. For example, the front C8 tires are 245/35/19. Switch to a 245/20/20 and it can be smaller diameter! The same width number going from 35 to 20 aspect number:

ASPECT RATIO is the tire sidewall height as a percentage of the width. A high aspect ratio means that a tire has a larger sidewall while a lower one means a lower sidewall.

It was common when the when the tire aspect ratio started at 75 when going to a 50 or 40 for an inch larger wheel for the tire to have a smaller diameter!

EXAMPLE:
TireRack provides all the info on a tire, here are two sizes of a Scorpion AS
235/65/18 (18 inch diameter wheel) Tire Diameter = 30.0 inches
235/45/19 (19 inch diameter wheel) Tire Diameter = 27.4 inches
Note same 235 tire section width, bigger 19" wheel, 65 to 45 aspect ratio = 2.6" smaller diameter.