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Old 10-02-2013, 11:54 AM   #15
Tony Alonso
 

Join Date: Jan 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bconley2384 View Post
I still dont understand why you would order a 51k car and NOT spend the extra cash for Z51. Even if you dont plan on tracking the car. It's a kin to buying a v6 mustang or camaro. Just a waste.

Z51 makes the car more fun to drive ! Again, all my opinion.
Cost and weight - although a great value for the money, you have a lighter car that is more customizable in the suspension department in the base model. On a track, you would likely miss the Z51. On a street-driven car, it would seem less likely to be noticed, unless you evaluate ride stiffness as part of the "fun-to-drive" equation.
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Old 10-02-2013, 11:58 AM   #16
Stingray
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tony Alonso View Post
Cost and weight - although a great value for the money, you have a lighter car that is more customizable in the suspension department in the base model. On a track, you would likely miss the Z51. On a street-driven car, it would seem less likely to be noticed, unless you evaluate ride stiffness as part of the "fun-to-drive" equation.
^ This plus the polar differences in handling & ride... and of course your personal intended use and subjective preference.

Off topic but here's good reading from a reviewer: http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2...rst-drive.html
I also pasted excerpts from this article, below:
I drove various versions of the 2014 Corvette in Monterey, Calif., sampling the Z51 performance package and the non-Z51 Corvette along with manual and automatic transmissions. One of the biggest takeaways from the drive was how vastly different the Z51 with performance suspension rides from the base suspension. Base and Z51 Corvettes may as well be two completely different cars.

For $2,800, the Z51 package adds invaluable performance features to move the 'Vette as fast as possible around a racetrack, including larger wheels with higher-performance tires, unique chassis tuning and suspension, available Magnetic Ride Control suspension with adjustable firmness and much, much more in terms of performance tweaks.
On the road, this means pain. The Z51 package's ride quality has the subtlety of a battleship in a no-wake zone.

The moment of clarity came with the Z51's huge levels of grip and controllability on the autocross course Chevrolet provided, helped by the Z51's unique Performance Traction Management system that makes the Corvette extremely rewarding to drive fast in closed conditions.

With PTM, five levels of electronic aids — in addition to standard driving modes — rein in the Corvette's immense capabilities for novice drivers. "Experts" can turn them completely off. Looser levels of PTM show how well-balanced the all-new chassis handles throttle and steering input as the car becomes steerable through throttle controls. A new electronically controlled limited-slip differential contributes to the controllability and predictability once the rear end breaks loose, giving huge levels of grip; it's active all the time in Z51 'Vettes with more aggressiveness in track modes.

Dropping the Z51 package transforms the Corvette into a car completely capable of driving cross-country in comfort with a soft ride that's still taut enough to be considered sporty. I would have gladly driven one particularly handsome Lime Rock Green Metallic 'Vette with the base suspension from Monterey back to Chicago — definitely not a move I'd make in the Z51. Both cars use supportive, nicely appointed seats that are a big improvement over the previous car's seats for comfort and body holding ability in the corners; Chevrolet has optional performance seats on the way later this year.

While non-Z51 cars don't have PTM, they do have Weather, Eco, Tour, Sport and Track driving modes. Steering, throttle and stability control effort ramp up in these modes for a sportier drive. Most notable of the changes is the pumped up power steering effort from Tour to Sport, though it's not a particularly good feeling. The car tracks poorly on the highway with the looser steering effort as it doesn't feel matched to the wide front tires that grip every imperfection in the road. Tighter steering in Sport and Track modes prevents the car from darting around, so it tracks straighter at highway speeds.

From my experience with Corvette drivers, they enjoy driving and do a lot of it — whether it's from car show to car show or cross-country on vacation. A base suspension 2014 Corvette is the car those buyers want. Getting to the racetrack may be as far as you want to take the Z51 package.
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