2014 C7 Chevrolet Corvette

[Scion1181]

Originally Posted by Diode Dynamics

I'm looking forward to seeing how the new C7 impacts the pricing on C6 Z06's

Nick C.

Yea I can't wait to see how the new C7 impacts c6 Z pricing. Hoping it tanks the price so I can pick one up for a good price.

[reni]

Originally Posted by chrisl

So the car that currently holds second place out of every single production car that Motor Trend has had around Laguna Seca (beating out such cars as the Porsche 911 GT3, the Ferrari 458, and the McLaren MP4-12C) isn't a sports car?

Right, it arguably isn't, at according to the traditional definition. Cars like the WRX, Evo, Mustang can also put down good lap times, and also are not sports cars.

Americans especially seem to like to use the term "sports car" for anything high performance/high HP.

[ZionsWrath]

So what should it be referred to? Track killer? Import and exotic slayer?

[Trashed675]

Originally Posted by chrisl

Why? You don't like the instant throttle response and massive torque a supercharger gives you, and you'd rather have a bit of lag? The only benefits turbos have over superchargers are efficiency (and let's face it, you aren't buying a ZR1 if you care about gas mileage) and peak power capability (and they don't need any more of that).

Large displacement engines with twin scroll/variable geometry turbos and a mild amount of boost will be virtually lag free. Why not have both the power and efficiency? The C7 does have cylinder deactivation after all.

Why do you think AMG/Audi/Koenigsegg, among others, are moving away from superchargers and towards turbos.

I doubt it'll happen with this generation of the Vette, but it wouldn't entirely surprise me if the ZR1(or whatever the new top vette is called) came out with with non belt driven blowers. A guy can dream anyways.

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by chulooz

Where is their parasitic loss on a turbo setup?

You can set a turbo up from 0-30psi, and unlike a SC you can tune the boost in relation to RPMs; and have multiple tunes on the car ready to be changed for when you are just getting groceries, at a stoplight, or at an event.

The restriction in the exhaust? It's usually less than a supercharger but it's not insignificant. A bypassed Roots blower is comparable in parasitic load to a turbo under low load.

Tunes? The adjustment is not as great as you make it sound. All you get to change is allowed boost pressure, which you can do on a supercharger with your foot. There's no reason an electronically controlled bypass can't emulate the behavior of different turbo tunes.

The greatest strength that turbos have is probably modularity; You can strap one onto an engine without special considerations for the manifold since it's smaller and you can just stick it somewhere where there's some space in the engine bay, self contained power source(no belt drive), and it's easy to control the torque since it's a self-regulating system of sorts, no need to think about the interplay between bypass and the main engine throttle. And they're a little more efficient at certain points in the powerband as well as partial boost.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by chulooz

Where is their parasitic loss on a turbo setup?

It takes power to compress the intake charge either way. Power comes from a crank-driven pulley in the supercharger case and from exhaust pressure in the turbo. When a turbo is making boost, it is adding tremendous backpressure in the exhaust, the power from the turbine side driving the compressor side it is not free. It is usually a bit more efficient as off-boost the losses associated with it are less than with most supercharger setups.

You can set a turbo up from 0-30psi, and unlike a SC you can tune the boost in relation to RPMs;

A centrifugal supercharger does have different boost at different rpm, increasing from very little at idle up to a maximum at higher rpm, whereas a positive displacement supercharger gives boost from low rpm. Turbo has the advantage of greater boost control throughout the rpm range, disadvantage of lag.

[ZDan]

Rumor has it that the top C7 will be a smaller displacement turbocharged Z07, btw...

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by ZDan

Rumor has it that the top C7 will be a smaller displacement turbocharged Z07, btw...

That would jive with industry trends.

[LSxJunkie]

Originally Posted by reni

Right, it arguably isn't, at according to the traditional definition. Cars like the WRX, Evo, Mustang can also put down good lap times, and also are not sports cars.

Americans especially seem to like to use the term "sports car" for anything high performance/high HP.

It's a front engine, rear drive, 2 seat coupe. How is that not a sports car? Hell, most 911s still have a back seat.

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by LSxJunkie

It's a front engine, rear drive, 2 seat coupe. How is that not a sports car? Hell, most 911s still have a back seat.

That's exactly what a sports car is...engine placement can of course change, though. The 911, GTR, etc. are GT cars. The Corvette is a sports car and it always has been.

[bakerr6]

saw a blue one today on my way to work. I'm still not the biggest fan of the back end, but the rest looks like sex.

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by ZDan

It takes power to compress the intake charge either way. Power comes from a crank-driven pulley in the supercharger case and from exhaust pressure in the turbo. When a turbo is making boost, it is adding tremendous backpressure in the exhaust, the power from the turbine side driving the compressor side it is not free. It is usually a bit more efficient as off-boost the losses associated with it are less than with most supercharger setups.

..Turbo has the advantage of greater boost control throughout the rpm range, disadvantage of lag.

If the turbo is set up right, the turbine should allow enough bulk flow of exhaust so that a significant proportion of compressor power comes from blowdown. Of course in practice this is often not the case with small turbos and so the turbo setup can be consuming even more power than the supercharger.

Boost control through the rpm range? I feel like this is a weird advantage to be stating; you have to change housings and turbines/compressors to get a different response characteristic.

[chrisl]

Originally Posted by reni

Right, it arguably isn't, at according to the traditional definition. Cars like the WRX, Evo, Mustang can also put down good lap times, and also are not sports cars.

Americans especially seem to like to use the term "sports car" for anything high performance/high HP.

The WRX and Evo have 4 doors though, and the Mustang has a rear seat. The Corvette is (and always has been) a performance-oriented, rear-drive, 2-seat coupe, and I really don't see how that isn't pretty much the exact traditional definition of a sports car.

[ZDan]

There are about as many definitions for "sports car" as there are for "God", so obviously people will disagree.

To me, outright speed has little to do with it. IMO a Triumph Spitfire (slow in every direction) is 1,000,000 times more of a "sports car" than a GT-R.

"Sports Car" to me implies a small, minimalist, lightweight car with pure driving enjoyment being a larger priority than huge power and maximum speed around a track. The Corvette is, to me, more of a supercar.

There are those who consider a 4100 lb. Dodge Challenger to be a "sports car". But whatevs...