Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 2019 First Test: Out With a Bang

This there is. The zenith The best dog The Chevrolet Corvette C7 755 horsepower no longer ultra . The most powerful and probably the latest variant of the front-engine Corvette

While waiting for the arrival of the mid-engined C8 somewhere in the near future, for the 2019 model year, there are now 28 iterations of the seventh generation Corvette (C7), including the coupe / cabriolet versions of Stingray, Grand Sport, Z06, and now the ZR1. Is it as good as it gets? Is the ZR1 the greatest Corvette of all time?

LT5> LT4

Let's start with what makes the ZR1 the ZR1, namely its powerful LT5 engine. If you like comparisons, the supercharged V8 of this C7 ZR1 more than doubles the power of the V8 of the 1990 C3 ZR1 and 117 more than the C6 ZR1. Based on the venerable LT4 of the Corvette Z06, Camaro ZL1 and Cadillac CTS-V, the 6.2-liter LT5 features a new 95mm throttle body, direct injector and direct injection , an improved crankshaft and a new oil system and a new Eaton compressor. At 2.6 liters, the supercharger is 52 percent larger than the LT4, but when cruising at 80 mph, it only pulls 1 horsepower while providing virtually no boost. On the other hand, it needs 110 horsepower to rotate its root-type helical rotors up to 15,860 rpm to obtain a maximum boost pressure of 13.96 psi near the red line. The LT5 intercooler has about double the LT4's heat exchange capacity, and there are four new heat exchangers (13 "radiators" in total) tucked here and there. Combining all this with the new "halo" hood, the ZR1 has 41% more airflow than the Z06, which is notoriously prone to a motor protection mode that undermines power due to excessive heat . Rest assured, Corvette's "Jake" fans, the two ZR1s we've had showed no heat problems during our instrumented tests (eight consecutive quarter-mile passes followed by a dozen turns of our eighth). Neither of them lost power with hot turns (two sets of three each) at Willow Springs Raceway, where we have already documented problems.

Light the Candle

Bolted to all of this – The American push-button engine (which prefers to swallow the fuel we can not pump in California to 91 octanes) is an optional eight-speed automatic transmission ($ 1,725). In Track mode, enter the PTM program, select Sport 1, press the brake pedal on the floor, press the accelerator in the same way, wait for the speed to stabilize (about 1400 rpm) , then release the brakes. Doing this will produce a bit of wheels that will be monitored / managed throughout the first gear. The best launch control results were from 0 to 60 times from 3.2 to 3.3 seconds and constant quarter shifts from 11.2 to 11.4 seconds at 130 mph – and do not matter. who could do it, several times. Launch control is also good. On the other hand, by turning off all electronic aids and using the "best driver effort" to handle the wheels, there are a few tenths here and a few mph at this location. Surprisingly, it's easy to launch, considering the engine that produces 715 lb-ft of Michelin's torque. The response of the throttle is surprisingly linear, tires so talkative that finding the right progression between acceleration and ultimate acceleration only takes a few learning attempts. Do not get me wrong, it can quickly get out of hand, but there is a friendly cooperation inherent in this car that is missing, say, from a Hellcat of 650 lb-ft of 707 horsepower that just can not put its power down. The ZR1 is remarkable in this way.

Our best efforts resulted in a time of 0-60 of 3.0 seconds on the way to a quarter-mile of 133.1 km / h of 10.8 seconds. Probably due to our 91-not 93-octane fuel, we were slightly behind GM's claims of 2.9 seconds 0-60 time and 10.6 seconds / 134 mph mph. Our best results came from the ZR1 with its optional ZTK Track Performance Package ($ 2,995), which replaces the Michelin Pilot Super Sport ZP (run-flats) with Grippier Pilot Sport Cup 2 ZP tires. The ZTK set also adds a stiffer suspension tuning and greater aerodynamic support strength through a flat landing gear, a front divider with end plates and the like. adjustable high wing. This aerodynamic pack offers 60% more support compared to the comparable Z06 / Z07 Stage 3 configuration. Chevy says he's nets 950 pounds at top speed (212 mph). They also said that Vmax tests on the highway drained the entire fuel tank in 15 minutes. Due to the added support / drag of the ZTK, we had anticipated the "low wing" car to better ride in a straight line, but instead, it was about the initial adhesion of the tires. The high-wing car simply dug in a better grip maintained throughout the first gear, and that's all she's written.

It turns around corners, too

The two fastest Corvettes to finish our course in eight (Grand Sport and Z06 / Z07) equaled 22.3 seconds. Our editors often say that the 2017 Grand Sport was the best-balanced Corvette of all time, with the Z06 / Z07's grip but an ability to use its power that the Z06 / Z07 does not have. His impressive turn proves it. We expected a similar time from the ZR1 duo. However, in the case of a pair of howitzers during a knife fight, they managed to circle our circuit in a bottle in 22.7 and 22.9 seconds. Why? It's just too difficult to use all the power in a parking lot, and there is some nervousness that previous Corvettes have not suffered. A week after the infamous car accident of the Detroit Grand Prix, test pilot Kim Reynolds said, "The brakes are killer, you can drop the hammer virtually at the last second. Turn-in looks like a side suction, but after that, there is a little more understeer than I would like. The Midcorner plug is excellent, then outgoing, the tail goes (in third gear). It goes out in a digital way – it just comes out a notch very quickly and you have to respond very modestly to avoid a tank tank. tendency to "walk the tail", there was not as much lateral grip on the part of the skid track, either. Where the Z06 / Z07 supported 1.17g and the Grand Sport 1.18g, the ZR1 pair scored 1.07g and 1.11g. There is not much difference, but everything is cumulative.

Like a Pro

What the ZR1 was designed to do, is to create records on real racetracks. Fortunately, we have "the fastest runway of the West" at our disposal, and a docile race car driver, too. Randy Pobst has set and reset the production car tour record at Willow Springs so he knows his way. Having recently set a production car tour record in a Corvette ZR1 2019 at Road Atlanta, he also knows his Corvettes. Has the ZR1 set another record on the "Big" track? Unfortunately no, but he passed the last Z06 that he drove there by a significant 1.3 seconds. In order, the top five places currently belong to a Porsche 911 GT2 RS 2018 (1: 21.08), 2018 McLaren 720S (1: 21.75), 2018 Lamborghini Huracán Performance (1: 22.53), Porsche 918 Spyder 2015 ( 1: 23.54), and 2017 Ford GT (1: 23.69). In sixth place with just 0.01 seconds, the 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 with the ZTK package had a lap in 1: 23.70. With Chevrolet on hand to support the effort and three sets of tires sacrificed in the process, it was the best the car could do that day. The low-wing car was just 1.15 seconds behind, its 1: 24.85 was 11th overall.

When asked to compare the ZR1 to the Z06, Pobst said, "The driving is more consistent, especially in the more aggressive ones. fashion. The brakes are still strong, as always, world class. The wing [ZTK] adds stability at high speed. Even the ZR1 without the aerodynamic package is better balanced [than the Z06/Z07] in high speed cornering. "However, he continued with" While the car has a big bump in power [over the Z06] it is still abrupt trying to speed up in the lower gears. Pobst replied, "Fortunately, the improved cooling improves the time of admission, thanks to the pressure exerted by the ZR1. a supercharger and larger intercoolers, as well as coolants and engine oil, to increase the number of vehicles capable of surviving. I have seen stable readings under 220 for water and less than 275 for oil. Still high enough, but much better than the anchored readings of poor Z06. "

Back to Reality

Around the city, the ZR1 draws a host of unsolicited questions from grocery store employees who are picking up their shopping carts, and even more so. air on the road.It is as exaggerated as they come, as it should.On the road, the ZTK not equipped ZR1 rolls as well as all the other Corvette C7 that I have The ZTK is harder, as are the RS versions of the Porsche 911 GT2 / GT3, but the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 2019 has been successful and failed to set performance records, as it is the fastest at 60 mph and the fastest quarter-miler Corvette we've ever tested on the dragstrip, with a Z06 / Z07, also with an eight-speed automatic, it stopped at 60 mph 2 feet shorter than the previous ones Corvettes (a handful of Grand Sports and Z06s) He ran Willow Springs faster No matter what previous Corvette, but it has not managed to establish an absolute record there, on our skidpad, or to complete our list of eight. It is true that the ZR1 is an impressive achievement, costing a whole trunkload less money than those above (and much lower) on Willow Springs' weather list. By the end of the C7 era, it's indeed as good as it gets for a front-engine Corvette. Unless there is a "light" version in the factory or a special special, there are more tips in the sleeves of Corvette engineers. In addition, they are all working on the replacement of the central engine. Indeed, Corvette fans, it's as good as that, warts and everything, which means it's the perfect goodbye for the C7.