How fast will a 2008 corvette go

Other changes include upgrades to the manual and automatic transmissions. GM says the six-speed manual offers more positive gear changes, while the paddle-shifted automatic has new hardware and a new controller that delivers faster shifts when the driver presses the shift buttons on the steering wheel.

New features that were optional in and will be standard include OnStar with navigation, XM radio and mirrors that dim automatically.

The interior also has been made more luxurious with bright trim on the center console and door sills. Production of the Corvette begins in late July with sales scheduled to start in late August.

Chevrolet has not announced prices. Car Life. The reason we were more interested in item 12 is that for years we've regarded the Vette's steering feel as unsatisfactory. It's an annoying trait. Although a Corvette can be driven at ludicrously high speeds around a racetrack—an '07 Vette outran an Audi R8 and Porsche Turbo in our second-annual Lightning Lap runoff at Virginia International Raceway [August ]—it can make even experienced drivers nervous on a challenging public road.

The Porsche , for instance, may not be as quick on the track as a Vette, but it's far more satisfying because it imparts the same level of confidence that one gets from driving a Mazda Miata. Our hope was that, with the "improved steering feel," the Vette would now be as user-friendly as it is fast. To help discover if this were the case, we brought along a model for comparison. The new steering system is mechanically similar to the old car's variable-assist rack-and-pinion arrangement.

The ratio remains the same, but according to Chevrolet engineers, the rack is manufactured with tighter tolerances and roller-element bearings that replace bushings to give less compliance and, ergo, more precision. The variable assist was recalibrated for a more natural buildup of steering forces. We drove the old car first and immediately were reminded of the numb steering we'd noticed before. The effort is light at parking-lot speeds but then abruptly gets heavier with no apparent benefit as the speed rises.

When driving through a turn at moderate speeds, the steering is heavy enough to give the impression that the car is working hard, when in fact it's not. The new car's steering effort increases in a more natural way. It's generally lighter but, at the same time, feels less artificial, like there's less friction in the system. In all, the dynamic chassis control systems are smarter, less intrusive and more adept at making the total driving experience precisely what drivers have come to expect from their Corvette.

Corvette Z06 details. Design — The Z06 has an unmistakable and aggressive appearance, with design cues that include:. For all its race-inspired functionality, the Z06 is designed to be a daily-driveable high-performance vehicle.

To that end, comfort and convenience are held to a very high standard. High-Intensity Discharge lighting, fog lamps, leather seating, dual-zone air conditioning, cabin air filtration and head-up display HUD with track mode and g-meter are standard. The Z06 gauge cluster displays the Z06 logo on the redline tachometer and has a readout on the oil pressure gauge to reflect the higher standard pressure of the dry-sump oiling system.

The seats feature two-tone leather surfaces, with Zlogo embroidery and contrasting stitching. It also provides maximum lateral acceleration of 1. The LS7 reintroduced the cubic-inch engine to the Corvette lineup. It is easily identified under the hood by red engine covers with black lettering. The rpm fuel shut-off limit is 7, rpm. They weigh just grams apiece and besides being lightweight, which enhances high-rpm performance and rpm range, titanium makes the rods extremely durable.

A hydraulic roller camshaft with 0. Very large by production-vehicle standards — even racing standards — they are designed to maintain fast airflow velocity, providing excellent torque at low rpm and exhilarating horsepower at high rpm. The heads feature cc combustion chambers that are fed by huge, mm-diameter titanium intake valves.

They are complemented by mm sodium-filled exhaust valves. The LS7 has a dry-sump oiling system designed to keep the engine fully lubricated during the high cornering loads the Corvette Z06 is capable of producing. An engine compartment-mounted 8-quart reservoir delivers oil at a constant pressure to a conventional-style oil pump pick-up at the bottom of the engine. The pressurized oil feed keeps the oil pick-up continually immersed in oil at cornering loads exceeding 1 g.

Oil circulates through the engine and down to the oil pan, where it is sent back to the reservoir via a scavenge pump. With the dry-sump system, oil is added to the engine via the reservoir tank — which includes the oil level dipstick. The light, four-into-one headers discharge into close-coupled catalytic converters and through two-mode mufflers. The mufflers each feature a vacuum-actuated outlet valve, which controls exhaust noise during low-load operation but opens for maximum power.

At the rear of the LS7 engine, a single-mass flywheel and lightweight, high-capacity clutch channel torque to the rear transaxle. The transmission includes a pump that sends transmission fluid to the front radiator for cooling. Upon its return, the fluid removes additional heat from the differential lube before returning to the transmission.

The six-speed transmission connects to a limited-slip differential, with enlarged ring and pinion gears. Automatic buyers can opt for a slightly shorter axle ratio 2. GM reckons the automatics should trail our Z51 stick by about a tenth to 60 mph, two-tenths and two mph in the quarter. We wheedled and cajoled for a chance to verify these projections using our photo car, but because it was so green miles , GM said no dice.

Relatively short gearing makes it easy to generate smoky burnouts for the camera, but commands judicious throttle input to achieve the optimal hole-shot. For the first few runs, a rev clutch drop generated minimal wheelspin with the tires hooked up at around revs. Because the LS3 is churning out only around horses at that point, better results are obtained by launching the LS3 with another revs and feathering the throttle to hook up at more like rpm, when thoroughbreds are pulling hard.

That approach paid off with a blistering 4.