2020 C8 Corvette Stringray

[mjannusch]

It just got delivered to the dealer about an hour ago. Damn, I might actually be driving this thing tomorrow!

[mjannusch]

I picked it up today, and so far I absolutely love everything about it! The color looks awesome in the sun, though it was cloudy most of the day today so didn't really get to see it in its best light. Different angles reflect different colors, and since there are a lot of angles on the C8 it really pops in the light. It is similar to the pearlescent 3S paints, but there's more of a "hologram" effect in the metal flakes.

The DCT really does shift great. VERY fast and accurate, no jerky movements - just smooth and responsive. I can't beat on it yet until I get through the 500 mile break-in period, but it works great just tooling around and varying throttle to make it change gears. It is strange hearing the exhaust just give a quick little pop when it shifts gears - there's no delay where the exhaust crackles like the C7, and more so our Camaro, does. Just a quick change in the exhaust note and it is already in the next gear.

Magnetic ride control feels a lot smoother than on the C7. It is more responsive, and more compliant at the same time. The ride just feels a lot more "refined". More comfortable, but the car still does exactly what you want it to do. No drama on cornering, the car just pivots and goes where you want it to.

Sitting further forward feels a lot more different than I would've thought. The car really does turn around you, so you feel like you are part of the car, instead of just along for the ride wherever it is going. It is difficult to articulate how it really feels. You just feel more "connected".

The exhaust could be louder and more aggressive. The stock base wheels I got look like crap, but I knew that. All the factory wheel choices look like garbage to me, so I just got the cheapest ones I could, knowing that I would get some nice aftermarket wheels. Now that I actually have the car, I'll order up some wheels soon.

The retractable hardtop is really slick. It works quickly with no fuss at all. Just like the Spyder, you press the button and it does the rest. Unlike my wife's Camaro, it also raises and lowers all the windows along with the top. The rear partition window actually works great. You can get a little more wind flow with it down with the top down, or put it up to reduce the wind a good bit. Rear window up and the side windows up results in very little wind buffeting on the freeway - actually very nice if you want to talk with your passenger. With the top up, you can lower the rear window to get more cabin airflow with almost no change in cabin noise, other than you can hear the exhaust better.

So far, I'm really enjoying the experience. The dealer held up their end of our purchase agreement with no issues at all. I was a bit afraid they were going to try to sneak in some sort of upcharge in financing, but they did it by-the-book.

[aaronatstate]

Sweet car man!

Are you going to do anything with the exhaust to improve the sound?

I also agree that the stock option wheel choices on the C8 are lack-luster at best. So nice looking wheels will really make it look good!

Also as a note, when I first looked at this post on my phone last night, I didn't see the attachment at first, and I was thinking you went all Coop on us and didn't post any pictures

[mjannusch]

I'm not sure if I'd do exhaust or not. I'll just drive it stock for a while and see how it goes. Exhaust on these is expensive relative to the previous Corvettes. Borla's system sounds good, but I think it is like $4k+.

How do you post in-line photos here? Do they have to be linked off a website or something, or can attachments be in-line too?

[aaronatstate]

[quote=""mjannusch""]I'm not sure if I'd do exhaust or not. I'll just drive it stock for a while and see how it goes. Exhaust on these is expensive relative to the previous Corvettes. Borla's system sounds good, but I think it is like $4k+.

How do you post in-line photos here? Do they have to be linked off a website or something, or can attachments be in-line too?[/quote]

I'm pretty sure they have to be a link from a website.

Yeah seems like there is a pretty hefty "C8 Tax" for exhausts. Which is quite strange considering there is less exhaust now in the Corvette than there has ever been

How many more miles till we hit that 500???

[mjannusch]

I put 50 miles on it driving home from the dealership and going for a quick drive with my son. The weather here wasn't great, so I didn't stay out to play for long.

I did put the extended rock deflectors on last night, and I have front radiator protectors and some plastic panels that go over the front strut towers to keep water from collecting there that need to be put on yet. I'll probably get all that on today if I can sneak in some garage time.

I can see why exhausts are more expensive, since there's a lot jammed in a small area in the back of the car, so probably not the easiest to fabricate an exhaust like it used to be. But that's a lot of bread for some pipe and a couple mufflers. If I had to guess, I'll probably end up doing something - but may wait until there are more options. I do like the sound of the Borla S type.



Comparison starts at 1:15.

[ChargerX3]

Man so glad to see that finally show up. I really like that silver. Worth the upgrade?

[mjannusch]

Oh yeah, totally worth it. I was missing my C7 after I traded it in, but really the C8 is so much better in every aspect so far. I made the right choice, for me. There's lots to love about the C7, and the driving experience is totally different - so I'm sure there's quite a few people who will hang onto their C7s. I would've loved to keep mine, but we're running out of garage space. The C8 even has to live in the back garage with the Spyder - I'm sure I'd pay a hefty price if I kicked my wife's Camaro out of the front garage.

[DCIV]

Wow. That’s sexy. Super jealous. You need a grown kid that just causes problems? Me?


Coop

[aaronatstate]

[quote=""mjannusch""]I put 50 miles on it driving home from the dealership and going for a quick drive with my son. The weather here wasn't great, so I didn't stay out to play for long.

I did put the extended rock deflectors on last night, and I have front radiator protectors and some plastic panels that go over the front strut towers to keep water from collecting there that need to be put on yet. I'll probably get all that on today if I can sneak in some garage time.

I can see why exhausts are more expensive, since there's a lot jammed in a small area in the back of the car, so probably not the easiest to fabricate an exhaust like it used to be. But that's a lot of bread for some pipe and a couple mufflers. If I had to guess, I'll probably end up doing something - but may wait until there are more options. I do like the sound of the Borla S type.



Comparison starts at 1:15.[/quote]

I watched that video when Borla first released their exhausts for the C8. Sounds really good. I have the S-type on my RS and love the sound (even though the vids I posted don't do it justice), and my buddy has it on his F150 3.5 EcoBoost and it sounds great there too.

[Duck Vader]

ARH already has headers as well. https://americanracingheaders.com/colle ... te-headers

[mjannusch]

I have to be a little careful on aftermarket performance upgrades, as some of that stuff might not fit the convertible because of the cover panel between the engine and the hardtop. And I'm not really looking forward to ripping the car apart in the short-term.

[alienviking]

Glad to hear the experience is a good one for you. The more I see of the C8 the more torn I am. I spent some time walking around it and I think my conclusion is (non-driving):

It is looks wise an amazing car. But I still struggle with it being a Corvette.

[Duck Vader]

[Chris GTO TT]

The more I see them the less I'm a fan of the look. Also while the performance you get for the dollar is incredible, I also kind of think the Vette has crossed out of the "everyman's" affordable sports car role.

[vr4]

Just don't have the dealership do any 148mph test drives.

[aaronatstate]

[quote=""Chris GTO TT""]The more I see them the less I'm a fan of the look. Also while the performance you get for the dollar is incredible, I also kind of think the Vette has crossed out of the "everyman's" affordable sports car role.[/quote]

I'm the opposite The more I see them, the more I like them!

Also the Vette hasn't really been the "everyman's" sports car since at least the C5. A well equipped C7 is not much less than a well equipped C8 :d ontknow:

[Chris GTO TT]

[quote=""aaronatstate""]I'm the opposite The more I see them, the more I like them!

Also the Vette hasn't really been the "everyman's" sports car since at least the C5. A well equipped C7 is not much less than a well equipped C8 :d ontknow:[/quote]

I suppose. I just feel like it goes from $60k to $75-$80 faster

[mjannusch]

Yeah, if you option it up then it gets expensive. If you just get a 2LT optioned car you get most of the value for less money, around $68k. That's pretty competitive against a lot of sports cars.

[Chris GTO TT]

Yeah if you get a LT2 car with Z51 suspension and mag control its going to be close to $80k. The LT1 car I just built with only the performance options was $69k.