tome

any real-life experiences out there?

I'm now living in an area where pop up thunderstorms sometimes contain damaging hail to vehicles, so do I want the Suburban taking the hit or the Corvette? Obviously, I will do my best to not get caught out in either vehicle, but it could happen.

Foosh

SMC panels are less vulnerable than metal, but that doesn't mean there won't be some damage. It all depends upon the size of the hail.

Kevin A Jones

I agree with Foosh, it would take some abnormally size hail to damage the SMC panels. It wouldn't dent it, however would have to be large and hit hard enough to crack or split it.

got2bblu

Let the Suburban take the hit. Hail can break your windshield. A few years ago, I had a Chevrolet Trax rental in Denver when a hailstorm caused $5,700 in damaged including the windshield. I was one of the lucky ones in that storm. Other cars and buildings in the area had a lot more damage

rush0142

I get the pop-up storms, it happens. But talking from experience, all it takes is one piece of hail to smash / crack / or totally destroy a window..... I'm guessing the Suburban windows would be a lot cheaper to replace than any window in a new Corvette.

john m

Had a fellow Club member take a hit from a hail storm in a C6 vert No panel damage or broken glass, but the paint showed starbursts where the panels flexed from the hail stones. Insurance paid for a total repaint.

Foosh

Large enough hail stones could also crack the paint.

R23HTC

There was a hail storm in Texas some of the hail went completely through some C7s body panels. I’m sure if you research you can find pics/post from that storm.

Kevin A Jones

Like they say, everything is big in Texas. Including the tales people tell.

Foosh

While in grad school in Austin, TX, I had a car totalled by baseball-sized and larger hail. It broke windows, headlights, tail lights, and side mirrors. Hood, top, and trunk looked as if someone had spent a couple hours working on them with a ball peen hammer. A bunch of car dealers had their entire outdoor stock wiped out. Nothing is going to survive that.

Kevin A Jones

Did anyone die from that storm? Hail doing that degree of damage to a car could certainly seriously injure or kill anyone who got caught out in it.

feeder82

Parking lot at work got hit with a hail storm, the only vehicle in the lot that wasn't damaged was a C5 Vette. The rest of them looked like someone took a ballpeen hammer to them

R23HTC

I remember seeing it as it was posted when I had my 2015! It was near Classic Chevrolet in Grapevine. Not finding it now, but did find a post showing similar damage to a C6 in OK.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ail-storm.html

tome

Thanks for all the informative replies!!!! If the hail were in fact large and I was in the C8 I would try very hard to get under cover, say at a gas station..... Can't imagine the Burb looking like a golf ball though...

Kevin A Jones

If you encounter hail as big as these guys are taking about, you better be more concerned about getting cover for yourself so you don't get beat to death.

Kevin A Jones

https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-hi...ricket%20balls.

GasmanZR1

My 2001 coupe got hit by grape sized hail with no damage.

4thC4at60

Dallas-Ft. Worth has had a couple of major hail storms over the past 10 years that destroyed or severely damaged thousands of cars. I spoke with a guy who removes hail dents from high-end cars. Says he could work year around if he chose to. He says anyone proficient, if they decide to become a true professional at the craft can make a quarter of a mil a year...

https://www.dicklawfirm.com/Blog/202...il-Storms.aspx

Idaho Mark

I'm in Texas and we can and do get hail and many times it's on the large size. I keep an eye on the weather reports and if it looks like a hail day, I leave the fiberglass at home. In fact I had covered parking put in for my employees so their cars are not ovens to drive home in and hail.

Vetteman Jack

I can believe that - golf ball or larger sized hail can hit with tremendous force.