Read about a new car? Thats the 2024 Giant Piece of Shit

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Read about a new car? Thats the 2024 Giant Piece of Shit

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BabyMauler: Sep 19, 2005

It's weird seeing a car with no rear view mirror on the windscreen. I wonder how many they will sell here in the states?

# ? Feb 27, 2013 05:02

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# ? May 23, 2024 14:51

D C: Jun 20, 2004; 1-800-HOTLINEBLING
1-800-HOTLINEBLING
1-800-HOTLINEBLING

Where do I sign?

# ? Feb 27, 2013 05:11

Residency Evil: Jul 28, 2003; 4/5 godo... Schumi

That looks amazing.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 05:15

kimbo305: Jun 9, 2007; actually, yeah, I am a little mad

Seat Safety Switch posted:

Rear wheel drive should be interesting with that track.

Doesn't that reduce understeer? Not that this will be anyone's driver's car.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 05:53

Zorak of Michigan: Jun 10, 2006

TheFonz posted:

W-hat?

That's not at all what is happening though? The cars with higher horsepower are handling better than they have ever before.

My original remark about the horsepower wars was in this context:

Weinertron posted:

I really hope this gets made because a 350hp $40k C7 would be awesome, but how on Earth will it sell to the carbuying masses when the V8 Mustang and Camaro are both ~420hp?

Poorvette could be more fun to drive than a Mustang GT, and if they can't make it because the market won't see past the GT's 420hp, then to hell with horsepower wars. I intended my remark for that context and not as an indictment of horsepower in general.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 06:06

Bob NewSCART: Feb 1, 2012; Outstanding afternoon. "I've often said there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse."

Zorak of Michigan posted:

Your life may be better than mine but I can't see how I'd get more enjoyment out of a 450hp Corvette than a 350hp version. My S4 is quick enough that the real speed limit is my own courage and I'm not upgrading that.

You have an S4 and you don't beat the poo poo out of it?

# ? Feb 27, 2013 06:29

davebo: Nov 15, 2006; Parallel lines do meet, but they do it incognito; College Slice

350hp, ~3200lbs that did 0-60 in 5 seconds sounds like the C5 I've had for 10 years, but if I could get that in a package that got much better fuel economy with the C7's interior, I might hop on it once my daily driver was paid off instead of waiting 5 years for a proper used C7. This thread has convinced me, horsepower wars are over :colbert:

Edit: or could I just take this 5.3L engine and drop it in a C5, because pop-up headlights 4ever.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 06:39

oRenj9: Aug 3, 2004; Who loves oRenj soda?!?; College Slice

Bob NewSCART posted:

You have an S4 and you don't beat the poo poo out of it?

I think he was just saying that his S4 is plenty fast for him. And that the additional 100hp out of a 6.0L 'Vette wouldn't make the car any more fun because the 350HP version would still have more horsepower than he (and many others) could reasonably use.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 08:20

KozmoNaut: Apr 23, 2008; Happiness is a warm
Turbo Plasma Rifle

Hell, it's rare that I even get to use the full 160hp of my completely ordinary car. It would kill me to drive around on normal roads in something with 3-400hp, knowing that I would hardly ever be able to use that power.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 10:06

cakesmith handyman: Jul 22, 2007; Pip-Pip old chap! Last one in is a rotten egg what what.

gently caress the horsepower wars, that vw would save me £200 a month in fuel. Where do I sign?

# ? Feb 27, 2013 10:57

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

Jork Juggler posted:

Here's an update from an article that is 11 months newer. The future is here, kids, and it will hit 62MPH in only 12.7 seconds.

Hmmm... what's that say about mileage?

autoblog posted:

The car uses a plug-in hybrid system to achieve mind-blowing consumption of just 0.9 liters of diesel fuel consumed every 100 kilometers (and average of roughly 261 miles per gallon).

Dammit, I hate when manufacturers cheat like that. If it gets 261 miles per gallon, you should be able to drive 2610 miles on 10 gallons. If you can't, IT'S NOT 261MPG! I wonder what the plug-in range is and what it actually gets in real-world use? poo poo, you might as well call the Volt a 1,000,000mpg car because all it consumes in 100km is a little bit of lost fuel vapor.

Also, I figured out why it's limited to 75mph. Those were the highest rated donuts they could find. :eng101:

Still, it's super-light-weight and mid-engine/rwd. I wonder how it handles with nice wide sticky tires, and how much extra hp can be eked out of the engine and electric motor with an ECU flash?

grover fucked around with this message at 11:47 on Feb 27, 2013

# ? Feb 27, 2013 11:41

KYOON GRIFFEY JR: Apr 12, 2010; Runner-up, TRP Sack Race 2021/22

Don't know if I missed it, but the 2014 Fiesta is priced. ST @ 21,4 plus delivery. Pretty competitive. Heated Recaros are the only option of note for $1,995.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 13:26

eames: May 9, 2009

That VW XL1 reminds me so much of the Saab 92/93b/96, the rear in particular.
Performance too�

//edit: and weight. and displacement.

eames fucked around with this message at 14:15 on Feb 27, 2013

# ? Feb 27, 2013 14:10

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:

Don't know if I missed it, but the 2014 Fiesta is priced. ST @ 21,4 plus delivery. Pretty competitive. Heated Recaros are the only option of note for $1,995.

The 1.0l I3 turbo is supposed to be dropping as well but I don't see it on the configurator, if it doesn't cost too much more than the base then it might be a nice little 4 door FIAT 500 competitor.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 14:34

OXBALLS DOT COM: Sep 11, 2005; by FactsAreUseless; Young Orc

I'm shocked at how much made it over to production from the XL-1 concept. Though, of course, they're only going to make a handful. But still.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 15:22

Zorak of Michigan: Jun 10, 2006

Bob NewSCART posted:

You have an S4 and you don't beat the poo poo out of it?

It's my daily driver and I bought it new, so I've never gone beyond 9/10ths of its full capabilities, and I usually try to keep it at about 8/10ths. (Well, not deliberately. There was one time I almost missed a turn but decided to go for it, and I had the car wildly oversteering for a moment before the stability control brought it round. That got my heart beating.) My previous car, a 2006 WRX, was not quite fast enough for me to hit my limit of skill and courage. The S4 can definitely exceed that limit. I conclude that outside the track, a hp/lb ratio of about .08 will let the car do anything I'm gutsy enough to do. Therefore, beyond that level, I'd rather manufacturers focus on handling and then on either luxury or price than on piling up more power.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 15:48

Xguard86: Nov 22, 2004; "You don't understand his pain. Everywhere he goes he sees women working, wearing pants, speaking in gatherings, voting. Surely they will burn in the white hot flames of Hell"

KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:

Don't know if I missed it, but the 2014 Fiesta is priced. ST @ 21,4 plus delivery. Pretty competitive. Heated Recaros are the only option of note for $1,995.

Is it odd that the Focus ST is only like 3 or 4 thousand more? I guess you can option the ST up near 30 but it seems odd that they're so close together.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 16:06

DoLittle: Jul 26, 2006

eames posted:

That VW XL1 reminds me so much of the Saab 92/93b/96, the rear in particular.
Performance too�

//edit: and weight. and displacement.

But not fuel consumption. Not a strong point of the 2 stroke Saabs.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 16:10

Voltage: Sep 4, 2004; MALT LIQUOR!

Xguard86 posted:

Is it odd that the Focus ST is only like 3 or 4 thousand more? I guess you can option the ST up near 30 but it seems odd that they're so close together.

I was hoping the Fiesta ST would be closer to 19K, now its just too close to the FRS and Focus ST to justify.

I'm eager to see how much the turbo 3cyl is going to be, that would be an amazing DD.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 16:13

asmallrabbit: Dec 15, 2005

Zorak of Michigan posted:

It's my daily driver and I bought it new, so I've never gone beyond 9/10ths of its full capabilities, and I usually try to keep it at about 8/10ths. (Well, not deliberately. There was one time I almost missed a turn but decided to go for it, and I had the car wildly oversteering for a moment before the stability control brought it round. That got my heart beating.) My previous car, a 2006 WRX, was not quite fast enough for me to hit my limit of skill and courage. The S4 can definitely exceed that limit. I conclude that outside the track, a hp/lb ratio of about .08 will let the car do anything I'm gutsy enough to do. Therefore, beyond that level, I'd rather manufacturers focus on handling and then on either luxury or price than on piling up more power.

If you haven't I highly recommend going to one of the Audi Driving Experience events if they have them in your area. You get to drive S4's and really see what the car is capable of. Total blast.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 18:27

D C: Jun 20, 2004; 1-800-HOTLINEBLING
1-800-HOTLINEBLING
1-800-HOTLINEBLING

Zorak of Michigan posted:

It's my daily driver and I bought it new, so I've never gone beyond 9/10ths of its full capabilities, and I usually try to keep it at about 8/10ths. (Well, not deliberately. There was one time I almost missed a turn but decided to go for it, and I had the car wildly oversteering for a moment before the stability control brought it round. That got my heart beating.) My previous car, a 2006 WRX, was not quite fast enough for me to hit my limit of skill and courage. The S4 can definitely exceed that limit. I conclude that outside the track, a hp/lb ratio of about .08 will let the car do anything I'm gutsy enough to do. Therefore, beyond that level, I'd rather manufacturers focus on handling and then on either luxury or price than on piling up more power.

Thats the problem with the S cars these days. I have an S5, and its a lot of fun to drive, but there is so much grip with the wide sticky rubber and quattro, and the electronics... I havent taken it to its limits because it scares the poo poo out of me, and I dont know what will happen once that line gets crossed, and not sure if I can reel it back in if it happens.

It's the first car that I've driven/owned that I cant get there. RWD cars are a lot easier in that regard.

# ? Feb 27, 2013 21:44

Gatts: Jan 2, 2001; Goodnight Moon; Nap Ghost

Giblet Plus! posted:

http://evworld.com/article.cfm?storyid=427

Considering I find a lot of Chrysler cars to be hideous I don't know how effective he is.

# ? Feb 28, 2013 00:32

Bob NewSCART: Feb 1, 2012; Outstanding afternoon. "I've often said there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse."

D C posted:

Thats the problem with the S cars these days. I have an S5, and its a lot of fun to drive, but there is so much grip with the wide sticky rubber and quattro, and the electronics... I havent taken it to its limits because it scares the poo poo out of me, and I dont know what will happen once that line gets crossed, and not sure if I can reel it back in if it happens.

It's the first car that I've driven/owned that I cant get there. RWD cars are a lot easier in that regard.

Could you expand on this a little more? I'm not exactly sure on what you're saying. Because of the 4wd and the sticky tires it's hard to get the car in a place where you're feeling scared in your car, or?

# ? Feb 28, 2013 04:10

AfricanBootyShine: Jan 9, 2006; Snake wins.

I think what he's trying to say is that because of all the traction, you have to be going at dangerous speeds to slide around. Contrast that with the BRZ/FT86/GT86, which comes with skinny prius tires so you can slide it around at slower speeds.

# ? Feb 28, 2013 04:28

Bob NewSCART: Feb 1, 2012; Outstanding afternoon. "I've often said there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse."

Oh, that's what I thought he was saying but it was weirdly worded so I was a little lost. Yeah, something with some fat sticky tires plus an extremely solid AWD is a car you probably don't want to be sliding around.

# ? Feb 28, 2013 04:53

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

Bob NewSCART posted:

Oh, that's what I thought he was saying but it was weirdly worded so I was a little lost. Yeah, something with some fat sticky tires plus an extremely solid AWD is a car you probably don't want to be sliding around.

I dunno, sliding around at high speeds is pretty damned fun, too, if done properly and in a safe environment. I mean, how can you know what the limit is if you never reach it? Or worse- TC kicks on in bad weather on a gravelly off-camber intersection once and you end up calibrating your butt dyno far too low and driving a high performance car like your grandma drives her buick?

Modern cars- and modern tires- are just plain good. Even the "bad" cars seem pretty damned good. Horsepower wars and new suspensions have definitely improved the marketplace.

grover fucked around with this message at 12:00 on Feb 28, 2013

# ? Feb 28, 2013 11:58

Bob NewSCART: Feb 1, 2012; Outstanding afternoon. "I've often said there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse."

grover posted:

I dunno, sliding around at high speeds is pretty damned fun, too, if done properly and in a safe environment. I mean, how can you know what the limit is if you never reach it? Or worse- TC kicks on in bad weather on a gravelly off-camber intersection once and you end up calibrating your butt dyno far too low and driving a high performance car like your grandma drives her buick?

Modern cars- and modern tires- are just plain good. Even the "bad" cars seem pretty damned good. Horsepower wars and new suspensions have definitely improved the marketplace.

It's fun but like the original S5 dude said, getting that thing to slide due to driving it hard is practically a feat of strength, and it needs to be going dangerously fast to do so.

# ? Feb 28, 2013 14:42

ilkhan: Oct 7, 2004; I LOVE Musk and his pro-first-amendment ways. X is the future.

Zorak of Michigan posted:

My original remark about the horsepower wars was in this context:

Poorvette could be more fun to drive than a Mustang GT, and if they can't make it because the market won't see past the GT's 420hp, then to hell with horsepower wars. I intended my remark for that context and not as an indictment of horsepower in general.

I'd rather have a 350HP C7 than any amount of HP in a Mustang chassis. And I already drive a mustang.

# ? Mar 1, 2013 17:26

Throatwarbler: Nov 17, 2008; by vyelkin

Let's talk about Corvettes some more.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/2014-chevrolet-corvette-stingray-in-depth-with-the-people-who-made-it-happen-feature

quote:

We are now intimate with the 2014 Corvette Stingray. Yep, Stingray. The historic moniker is not being reserved, as we previously proposed, for a later de-powered model, but goes on the base car. And now we know far more than its name. We�ve gazed upon its inner organs, examined its bones, and touched its skin. It all looks extremely promising, and makes the dramatic departure from the C6 that we projected in our January cover story.

Prior to its reveal earlier this year at Detroit�s North American International Auto Show, Chevrolet raised the veil slightly higher, providing limited access to a full-scale exterior model, a mock-up of the interior, the aluminum space frame, and many other components. More important, Car and Driver was granted eight hours with the engineers, designers, and specialists who were finally free to speak on the record about what they�ve been doing for the past three and a half years. When PR pulled the secrecy cork, the experts �bubbled over with enthusiasm and details.

GM made most C7 styling decisions in the wind tunnel (Stingray badge excepted); taillamps eschew pre-Transformers tradition. Top right: Kirk Bennion, Design Manager.
The new Stingray puts chief engineer Tadge Juechter�s stamp on Corvette legacy as firmly as the 1984 C4 did Dave McLellan�s and the �97 C5 did Dave Hill�s. There will be base (Stingray) and Z51 models at launch this fall, and Juechter has packed the car with high-end drivetrain, aerodynamic, and material technologies, giving every C7 an aluminum structure, carbon-fiber hood and roof panels, a composite sandwich floor, and the new 450-hp small-block V-8. Juechter�s been working on Corvette for nearly 20 years, starting as the total vehicle integration engineer on the C5. He was assistant chief on the C6 and got the top job in mid-2006. The C6 was meant to have a shorter run, with C7 development commencing in 2007, but the project stalled, so Juechter stayed busy freshening the C6 with programs including the ZR1 and 427 convertible. Here�s what he and other key members of the C7 team had to say about the new car:

What was it like while the C7 was in a holding pattern?
JUECHTER:
We�d get started, then stopped. Started again, then stopped. As GM moved toward bankruptcy, we kept getting stopped, postponed, and then after bankruptcy we felt like we were on good footing. The Treasury Department looked at the total portfolio of vehicles and quite honestly there were some Corvette fans amongst the consultants and at Treasury. When they saw that it made money . . . they saw that it would be good for everybody to get rolling on the Corvette.

Is this car a more dramatic departure than envisioned pre-bankruptcy, because it's coming later?
JUECHTER:
We wanted a big upgrade, more like the change from C4 to C5 than the evolution from C5 to C6. That was always in the plan. As we got into it, it turned out to be even bigger than we thought. We thought we could take today�s aluminum frame and tweak it. It turns out we had to scrap the whole thing and start over, the technologies had moved on so far. Everything�s so highly integrated that once you take one thing it telegraphs into �others and you can�t just mandate your way in. You�ve gotta say, �Y�know what? We need a blank sheet of paper.�

Right: Ryan Vaughn, Interior Design Manager.
What should people notice looking at the car?
KIRK BENNION, DESIGN MANAGER:
It starts at the front, because it�s not a bottom-breather [with a horizontal cooling air intake under the nose] anymore. We found that bottom-breathers don�t really work all that well when you start to see the speeds that our cars are seeing on tracks. Before we even started the rest of the program, we were having offline meetings about changing the CRFM [condenser/radiator/fan module] position. Instead of leaning the radiator back, we leaned it forward, taking a cue from our race team. Leaning it forward allows us to force-feed the air in, and then dump it out over the top of the hood. This enables the front-end architecture to have more downforce inherently. Now, half the air goes over the top and less than half is spilling out through the sides. That is a big win for us in moving this car to the next level.

JOHN BEDNARCHIK, AERODYNAMICS PERFORMANCE ENGINEER:
Also coming from the way the race team does it, we have coolers for the transmission and differential mounted at the rear. Each is located in a lower outboard corner, with exits in the rear fascia. The air goes in through the inlet that you can see on the top of the quarter-panel and is ducted directly to a cooler. On the driver�s side is the trans oil cooler; the passenger side is the differential cooler.

BENNION:
They�re not just aesthetic things that we bolt on. The hood air extractor�s vanes are shaped and angled to manage airflow, and they tip down as they go back. Another example: Starting with the �56 model, the Corvette always had side coves, and we can�t imagine not having those. But even there, we�ve made them functional. John and I have measured air coming through there, and it is relieving underhood pressure and lowering the Cd of the car.

How did traditionalists respond to those new taillights when you showed the car in clinics?
JUECHTER:
We never clinic�d the exterior. We did clinic the interior, stripped of identification, against a [Porsche] 911, an [Audi] R8, and Nissan GT-R, but we knew people would recognize the exterior for what it was and talk about it, and we didn�t want that.

BENNION:
We wanted to do dual taillamps, which has been a Corvette signature, but something that was unique, that would say �This is a new Corvette.� Not only does it have to say Corvette, but we felt it had to say new Corvette. It�s in the Chevy family, but more dimensional and sculpted. From what feedback we have, the younger group likes these.

The C7 offers a smaller steering wheel, adaptive dash, and seven speeds. Better seats, too. Can we get a hallelujah?
Why does the interior depart from the dual-cockpit heritage cues?
RYAN VAUGHN, INTERIOR DESIGN MANAGER:
We knew we didn�t want to go down the retro path of symmetrical dual cockpits, like a literal interpretation of a �63. We started with this idea of a driver-oriented environment and built up from there. By giving the passenger their own dedicated climate and seat heating/cooling controls, the passenger doesn�t need to reach into the driver�s area. The electronic parking brake is a huge packaging enabler. Without the mechanical brake �handle, there�s room for a more ergonomic console, cup holder, and storage, and it leaves enough room for the shifter and to move your arm in that whole area.

JUECHTER:
The interior is probably the single most upgraded area of the car. It�s a fully wrapped interior; you won�t see any molded-color plastic anywhere. Even the base car is fully wrapped. Even without the leather option or the carbon-fiber trim option, you get high-quality vinyl, cut and sewn, and premium painted surfaces and aluminum trim, with upgraded soft-touch materials. We sent our interior-design folks to the track. We wanted them to understand that the cockpit isn�t just a comfortable and attractive setting but a high-tech working environment on the track. Everything has to function at speed.

We've long complained about Corvette's seats. Please, please tell us you've fixed them.
JUECHTER:
Many of our customers are happy with today�s seats, but there�s a core out there that drives their cars aggressively, including visits to the track, and they�ve been unsatisfied with the level of lateral support. So we put a lot of science into our seats. For the first time, we elected to spend the money and engineering resources on two distinct seats. One, the GT seat or touring-type seat, has improved lateral support over today�s seat but is engineered for long-range comfort. Then there�s a true competition seat. We use a magnesium support frame shaped for lateral support that is firmer than the composite frame we have today. And we�ve got seatbelt cutouts in both seats, so you can put through four-inch-wide, five-point harnesses. We benchmarked Porsche seats that also are produced by Lear, our supplier, and Recaro seats purchased for other GM programs, and we did some scientific evaluation. We scanned those seats and measured the pressure and support on the track. We think you�ll be pleased with both. We�ll advise customers to try the competition seat before ordering it; it�s not going to be comfortable for larger people.

HEAVY HARDWARE: Direct injection, variable valve timing, and cylinder deactivation improve small-block efficiency, though the componentry adds both mass and length.
There's rev-matching on both up- and downshifts in the seven-speed manual transmission?
JUECHTER:
We looked at what others had done, and we�ve added rev-matching on upshifts. We invented and patented this sensor that, when you move the shifter, actually anticipates what you�re going to do. You can move the shifter toward a gate and see on the tach the revs that the system is going to give you, and you can hear it. You can almost play it like a musical instrument. It can also be shut off because sometimes you find that you just want it to act like a traditional shifter. To do that, we use paddles behind the steering wheel like you�d find for shifting an automatic. We also have AFM [active fuel management, or cylinder deactivation] even with the manual, which no one else is doing.

Did you consider a dual-clutch automatic?
JUECHTER:
Nothing available will fit and can handle our torque [estimated at 450 pound-feet]. The same thing with an eight-speed automatic. So we�re staying with a six-speed auto with a torque converter. You can be far more aggressive on cylinder deactivation when you�ve got a torque converter in the car. The number of speeds isn�t everything. We introduced C6 with a four-speed automatic and brought in a six-speed in the second year, and had a hell of a time beating the four-speed on both fuel economy and performance. We operate at high torque, high efficiency across a broad rpm range, so we don�t need more gears. That said, we see the market going to more speeds, so we�ll keep an eye on that and when we can offer genuine improvement in fuel economy with more speeds, we will.
Did you consider other engines?
JUECHTER:
Early on we examined all the alternatives. We looked at a V-6 and V-6 turbo, as well as a smaller V-8. The result wasn�t what you�d expect; it wasn�t better performance and better fuel economy. The Gen V 6.2-liter with direct injection, cylinder deactivation [AFM], and variable valve timing gives us both the performance and fuel-economy gains. A big factor is AFM. If we went to the smaller 5.0 V-8 we looked at, we don�t get enough torque in the 2.5-liter four-cylinder mode to stay in that mode very long. It�s kind of counterintuitive, but the 6.2, running as a 3.1-liter four can be in that mode a lot more often and for longer, so it returns better fuel economy. Similarly, competitors run smaller engines and rev them harder to get the performance. When you spin �em that fast, consumption goes up a lot.

You benchmarked the Porsche 911, the Audi R8, and the Nissan GT-R. Is fuel economy a sales concern in this segment?
JUECHTER:
When I go to Corvette events, the first thing people tell me is not how fast they got there, but what fuel economy they got on the way. The owners care. If you do a survey, it�s not in their top reasons for �purchase, maybe not even the top five, but there won�t be a Corvette if we don�t care about fuel economy.

Right: Here�s the standard seat from Lear, also a supplier to Porsche. Unlike the sport seat (bottom, left), it�s roomy enough for fat guys.
Why do you need a dry-sump in the Z51 Performance package?
JUECHTER:
We�ve got a lot of testing under our belt and we know we�re going to be under 4.0 seconds, 0 to 60. We�ve got improved braking distances, with the base car approaching today�s Z06, and more than 1.0 g in cornering. There�s a lot of g-loading, so a top-flight lubrication system is required.

JOHN RYDZEWSKI, ASSISTANT CHIEF ENGINEER, SMALL-BLOCK ENGINES:
We built a tilt-rig up in Pontiac that�s kind of wild to watch. It creates the same g-loadings you get on a track by tilting the engine side to side and forward and back, all while it�s turning at 6600 rpm. We use a variable-displacement oil pump because a lot of the engine�s technology [AFM, variable valve timing, etc.] runs on hydraulics. There�s more oil flow through the engine and we want to minimize variation in the pressure. The usual pump might flow too much at high speed, too little, maybe, at low revs with a high cornering load. The new engine has a vane pump, not new technology, but it maintains the same pressure whether the oil is cold and thick or hot and less viscous. There�s feedback from the main bearing cap, so it knows exactly what the number-one main bearing is reading and adjusts to maintain that pressure.

Ducts for rear-mounted cooling influenced roof and window shapes; the car wears Dunlop tires for photos, Michelins in real life. Top right: Mike Bailey, Vehicle Systems Engineer, Chassis. Bottom left: Ed Moss, Engineering Group Manager, Structure.
Instead of the previous one-piece, full-length hydroformed frame rails, you've now got a complex assembly of tubes, castings, and extrusions. Why?
ED MOSS, ENGINEERING GROUP MANAGER, STRUCTURE:
There are five major aluminum parts per side. That allowed us to optimize gauges from 2 millimeters [0.08 inch] to 11 millimeters [0.43 inch]. On the C6 Z06, it�s 4 millimeters [0.16 inch] end to end. This [assembly] lets us optimize stiffness not only overall, but locally. So you�ve got an extruded crash structure at the front. Then a casting where the cradle mounts. Then tubing by the cockpit. Then a casting for the rear-suspension cradle, and then the rear crush part.

What else is new down there?
MIKE BAILEY, VEHICLE SYSTEMS ENGINEER, CHASSIS:
Our lower control arms, which are hollow, are cast aluminum, saving about 4 kilograms [9 pounds] of mass. And they�ve gone up in stiffness considerably because we�ve moved the mass outboard, increasing the moment of inertia. With stiffer parts, we can tune in with our bushings better, and, because half of the control arms are unsprung mass, �savings here are extra effective.

MOSS:
The center tunnel is also completely redesigned, and that part�s actually heavier than in today�s aluminum car because we needed the strength for the open-roof car. The overall mass of the metal parts alone is down 99 pounds, from the steel-framed open car to the new aluminum version. Even if you latch a roof into the C7 and compare it to today�s Z06 with the solid roof, it�s more than 50 percent stiffer.

JUECHTER:
And we�ve finally found something better than balsa wood! It�s still a sandwich floor, but it�s a composite material that is stronger and lighter than the wood.
How did you manage to keep the 50/50 weight balance?
BENNION:
The new engine is a little longer, with the variable-valve-timing hardware at the front, which is why the wheelbase is an inch longer. These cars have always been considered by chassis guys to be front/mid-engine cars and now the engine is fully behind the front axle. Moving the coolers and the battery to the back helps.

JUECHTER:
We�re actually better than 50/50, we�re a little rear-biased, getting closer to the race car�s 48/52 front-rear balance.

What's new with the brakes?
BAILEY:
We�ve got two distinct brake systems for two distinct cars. The base C7 has 35 percent more swept area than the base C6. The C7 Z51 has 6 percent more swept area than the current Z06. They�re some pretty awesome brakes. The guys who�ve run mules at VIR are getting lap times competitive with today�s Z06. This is a dual-cast rotor. It�s got an inner [aluminum] web and an outer [cast-iron] rotor and the beauty of this is you can allow for the thermal expansion of the rotor without affecting the hub geometry, so you can make them out of two different materials. We�ve gone away from holes that go through the rotor, because there have been instances of breakage there. New surface slots give you some initial bite that the development engineers say they feel, plus, at speed, they evacuate gasses off the pad.

THEM�S THE BRAKES: Larger rotors and fixed calipers promise eye-bleeding stops; Z51�s dual-cast rotor (shown). Other Z51 markers: rear spoiler and 19-inch front, 20-inch rear wheels, bigger MSRP (not shown).
What's with your devotion to the transverse leaf springs?
BAILEY:
We try not to say leaf. It makes people think of pickup trucks, and it�s not like that at all. It�s an engineered composite spring. It�s got a low CG [center of gravity], it�s light, it provides some anti-roll contribution, and it packages well, enabling a low hoodline. We know there are a lot of aftermarket suppliers for coil-overs for our car, but there�s a difference between that and an actual, true production car when it runs through a validation process.

The magnetorheological shocks are still an option?
BAILEY:
There are three shocks: Standard is this 35-mm [1.4-inch] Bilstein monotube. The Z51 uses a 45-mm [1.8-inch] Bilstein, and Magnetic Ride Control is optional on Z51.

Electric-assist power steering? Really?
JUECHTER:
Yes, electric assist. We reengineered every single part from the wheel where your fingers touch through the tilt mechanism, through the steering shaft, through the solid-mounted steering rack, and after we reengineered that stuff we measured the system and it�s five times stiffer than today�s. Five times! I didn�t believe it; I asked for proof. You get exactly proportional response when you turn the wheel. We�ve got a smaller-diameter 360-mm [14.2-inch] steering wheel. We started C5 at 386 [15.2 inches], then we did a 380 [15.0 inches] and a 376 [14.8 inches], and now we�re down to 360, very close to a true racing size. The trick with the small wheel is getting a good view of the cluster, and everyone expects buttons and control modes located there. And you�ve gotta shrink the airbag and meet driver safety requirements, so there are two big engineering challenges.

ALLOY THERE: Stiffer than today�s steel hydroformed rails, C7�s frame joins aluminum extrusions (A) engineered to absorb crash energy; castings (B) for firm, precise suspension and steering mounts; and hydroformed tubes (C) for weight savings.
Variable effort for the steering is something the driver selects?
JUECHTER:
It�s one of up to 12 variables, so we decided to integrate these controls with the Driver Mode Selector on the console. You choose the mode: weather for snow or rain, eco that will maximize use of AFM, sport for fast road driving, and a setup for track use.

So why is it a Stingray?
JUECHTER:
We didn�t know for sure if we were going to rechristen the car the Stingray. [Vice president of global design] Ed Welburn was extremely strong on this point. He said, �I�m not going to sign off to call it a Stingray until we see how it turns out.� He meant that Stingray is a hallowed name in automotive history, representing a combination of striking styling along with a certain type of design language that kind of evokes a stingray, along with commensurate technology. One of the last decisions we made on the car was whether or not to call it a Stingray, and when we�re all said and done, we went through the technology, the design, and the new interior, and there was no question.

# ? Mar 2, 2013 14:09

anonumos: Jul 14, 2005; Fuck it.

Meh.

# ? Mar 3, 2013 06:17

You Am I: May 20, 2001; Me @ your poasting

anonumos posted:

Meh.

That's a good looking car, even though the Stingray badge looks more like an electric guitar from the 80s

# ? Mar 3, 2013 07:45

Devyl: Mar 27, 2005; It slices!

It dices!

It makes Julienne fries!

Old news man. The new C7 news is the 'vert.

# ? Mar 3, 2013 07:47

Bob NewSCART: Feb 1, 2012; Outstanding afternoon. "I've often said there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse."

anonumos posted:

Meh.

They done good is all that really needs to be said. Thing is beautiful.

# ? Mar 3, 2013 17:31

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

Devyl posted:

Old news man. The new C7 news is the 'vert.

My god that looks good. How much heavier is it than the coupe?

# ? Mar 3, 2013 17:45

ilkhan: Oct 7, 2004; I LOVE Musk and his pro-first-amendment ways. X is the future.

anonumos posted:

Meh.

New wallpaper time.

grover posted:

My god that looks good. How much heavier is it than the coupe?

With the corvette being designed as an open top (targa) car, I dont think theres much/any weight penalty for the convertible versions.

# ? Mar 3, 2013 18:03

Xguard86: Nov 22, 2004; "You don't understand his pain. Everywhere he goes he sees women working, wearing pants, speaking in gatherings, voting. Surely they will burn in the white hot flames of Hell"