Tsnloiv

I'm looking for a used (or new) C8 convertible and am surprised by how many non-Z51 cars are out there. Why would you want one without it? Also, I drove two of them and I would never get one without the magnetic ride suspension. And BTW -whether or not the car has Z51 is not really clear ion the ads. I should think that would be the first thing after the LT status. Which brings the question: Why would anyone order a 1 LT?

bigmike32172

I'd imagine it comes down to the money thing due to the past 14+ year poor economy.

Phil1098

I have a 1LT non Z51 and I love the car. The bigger question is why do you need more than 1LT. It doesn't come with cloth seats, no A/C, one speaker radio, and crank windows. For me, everything in 2LT is fluff that I don't care about. The ride in non Z51 is firm but not harsh, it isn't too soft and floaty either. I can double any posted speed on any corner, so since it's street driven the car is fully capable of doing anything that anyone should ever attempt, there is no need. If you track the car you need Z51, if you don't you're just trying to impress at C&C.

RiptideHTC

Why would anyone buy used?
Why would anyone buy a base model Corvette?

Roadee

I dont notice any difference from mag ride to non mag ride other than 2k in my pocket.

Spamburger_Hamburger

Asking people to explain their personal preferences/decisions is never going to work out.

Walt White Coupe

Why No Z51?

All Season Tires
Hardened Brake Rotors with Ceramic Pads (no dust, longer life)
Only needed if tacking the car
Softer Ride
$$

Phil1098

The reason there are different trim levels is because believe it or not, people are different. Chevrolet saw that and offered trim levels to cover the wants of all buyers.

StormTrooper R

I wanted black GT2 seats, front lift, NPP and MSRC, and the only car I could find on a dealership lot for MSRP with those features was a 2LT Z51 Stingray R, so I bought it.

I will not track my car and have never been to C&C, so I am definitely not trying to impress anyone…

Phil1098

That's valid, my point was if ordering the car, you simply don't need Z51 for the street. The capabilities of the car are so high that you can't use them on the street. Anyone driving over 7/10ths on the street is an idiot. There is water, oil, ATF, coolant, sand, gravel, dead animals, live animals, pedestrians, bicyclists, etc. that exists on the street and so if you are driving as hard as you can, you have zero safety net and somebodies going to get hurt, killed, or go to jail.

Semifighter18

The premise of your question suggests what everyone should be ordering and driving is what you want, which is ridiculous. I'll answer your first question: Why would anyone want a non-Z51 car? Because they aren't going to track it. You obviously like Mag Ride, but Chevy sells thousands of Corvettes without Mag Ride so clearly it's a good suspension that satisfies a lot of people. Why would anyone order a 1LT? Because they don't want/need the features of a 2LT/3LT. For some the car is a weekend canyon toy and nothing else and a non-Z51/non Mag-Ride 1LT fits the bill perfectly........like mine.

5632

4 people have purchased a new C8 after driving mine. They all have taken my advise and did not purchase a non Z51, non mag ride, non 1LT and non front lift. All these features are a must.

BigKevO

I have a 1LT Z51 NPP MRC. I have had SO many issues with the electronics in my Escalade that I simply don’t trust GM with things like cameras, defrost mirrors, power seats etc. The leather in the Escalade looks like garbage and it was always parked inside so I avoided leather in my C8. I prefer the way my interior looks over the higher trim levels. The only feature I wish I had is heated seats. I consider my C8 a sports car. When we feel like being in a luxury sedan we drive the Mercedes.

Red Mist Rulz

Because on the street the non-Z51 acquits itself very nicely. Especially when equipped with MSRC.

You'll never fade the brakes or overheat engine / transaxle of a C8 on the street, so the larger discs and extra radiator aren't really needed. PTM is really aimed at track use. Ron Fellows instructors recommend the A/S tires for street use, even on the Z51. They say the A/S tires perform about as well on the track as the summer tires for the first 4 or 5 laps, then start to overheat. But on the street you're unlikely to ever get the tires that hot. Especially with MSRC, the non-Z51 corners at limits you shouldn't really approach on the street, while providing a better ride when you want it. It's even within a tick of the Z51 from 0-60. Close enough that you won't notice the difference without a timing system.

The extra features of the Z51 are fine, but don't provide any real benefit on the street. The people who say without the Z51 suspension the C8 handles like a Buick have clearly never driven one.

For me, spending the money towards the HTC, which I use almost every time I drive it most of the year, was far a far better expenditure than a Z51, which I would rarely, if ever, see the benefits of.

16falcon

I don’t like the look of the rear spoiler, especially on the HTC (personal preference, like all of these decisions), there was no spoiler delete when I bought my 2021. I also don’t track my car, so I got a non Z51, with MSRC, NPP exhaust and front lift. I don’t regret the decision for even a second.

sshallen

This, Z51 was the option I knew I would not take even if it were free.

Gotta have at least 2LT, don't want a "fleet" car. Magride and front lift no brainers of course. No "show only" extra weight CF veneers.

(Writing it this way to show that other folks preferences can be dissed offensively, or just chalked up to preferences!)

5632

In Arizona the Z51 is great if for no other reason than the extra radiator.

SneedFeedAndSeed

Because the eLSD is ****

Red Mist Rulz

This summer, with record heat all over the south and southwest, did you hear of a single C8 overheating? Neither did I.

gdb069

I originally specced the Z51, however after discussions with gf regarding form vs function and a little more research we concluded:

Function: better to have Z51 when tracking which we will not do seriously (but some autocross)
Form: Rear Spoiler. she did not like and said it makes the car look like a civic tuner. I will never need that downforce.
Brakes. The brakes are great as is but when tracking every little bit helps. I heard there is more Z51 brake dust and in 2 years comparison the Z51 has a LOT more brake dust.
Tires: The Z51 comes with summer tires and here you need all season between Oct 1 to March 31 . I actually got stopped last year for a check.
Heavy duty cooling, eLSD, etc I did not need.
Performance exhaust: when I first heard the non-Z51 start I jumped. Did not want louder.

2LT has blind side alert and rear traffic alert and in this car where rear visibility is ... lacking its a great feature. (I know its not a Z51 feature). PDR is nice.
3LT basically add some color options I did not want.

So that the analytical thinking we did and the decision.