C8 vs NSX comparison

I realize there are a couple of folks on this site that regular drive their cars on the track. My hat is off to them, while it is exciting as hell it is also nerve racking with respect to getting your car messed up. At least that is how I felt following a track day. If I had a car that I only used for the track I might feel differently.
 
I finally had the front end of the bee repainted after 23 years.....The patina of use is a talking point...
 
You have a consistent message. I appreciate that ..One thing I have learned from prime. Not everyone has the same perspectives as me. Acknowledging other folks prisms has helped me in my interaction. I wish to have a "special" edition NC1 if made...I'm patient .

Smart man - you've been around long enough to have seen the wisdom of owning a Zanardi edition NSX. Having a modified car as we both do is great but not the same. I remember thinking when I bought mine ( used in 2002 ) that paying $20K more for a harder riding car that was only a little faster didn't make sense. Now I almost barf when I see what they go for on BAT.
 
UPDATE.

So a friend of mine and I went and checked out a C8 this morning at a dealer.

The "T" top comes with two, a tinted one and a solid color and they can store in the trunk, you lose the trunk space if you store both.

They are light enough for one person to install.

The interior: I like the HUD, not so much the touch screen nor the line of buttons on the center console.

The exterior: Very pointy front, I don't know why. Rear is wide, reminds me of a Testarossa and kind of "busy".

The salesman told me that if I wanted a convertible, I can probably see one in Oct. of 2021, with an 8-12 week lag from order to delivery.

Sooner if I take a cancellation order, he has had a few.

My overall impression is that the NSX is a much better car.

However, the C8 would fit into my plan to use it as a DD.
 
BTW: have you had a chance to drive a C8? If so, interested in hearing your opinion about the car.
I have. Taken from the AlpHaLuxe.com article that I wrote a counterpoint for:

https://www.alphaluxe.com/2020/04/a...rvette-stingray-new-mid-engine-v8-sports-car/

Counterpoint by Billy Johnson

As a car enthusiast, I was excited to see the Corvette switch to a mid-engine platform since the C7 already had the best drivetrain layout for a front engine car; with the entire engine behind the front wheel centerline and a rear mounted transaxle. To improve on that and open the performance envelope further, going mid-engine was the key.

From behind the wheel, the forward visibility was better than I thought it would be. The fender arches frame the road and convey a very exotic and ‘racey’ feeling to the driver. The rear quarter panels don’t look good from the side mirrors and you can’t see anything out of the back, but the rear-view mirror can display the view from the rear mounted camera making that issue irrelevant.

In the post-Jim Mero world at GM, the C8’s suspension and electronic differential tuning has a lot of room for improvement. It’s too harsh over bumps in track mode, yet does not have enough damping to control body movements in roll or heave, making the car feel floaty when pushed. Rear grip is excellent for putting power down but there’s too much safe understeer, especially when trail-braking. The car is not as ‘flickable’ as the C7 and takes some provoking to get it to rotate.

Tremec now has another DCT that rivals Porsche’s PDK (the other is the GT500) which is miles better than the 8 and 10 speed automatics in previous Vettes. While the transmission is fantastic, the sound and volume of the LT2 is mediocre, except on downshifts. Exhausts will be a common upgrade in these cars.

The C8 has a lot of potential. While a little rough around the edges, there is room for improvement in future models and for the aftermarket industry to address. I wouldn’t be surprised to see many of these at HPDE (High Performance Driver Education) events around the country.



Additionally:

It's great to see the C8 go mid-engine. The only real sub-$100K mid-engine competitor is the Cayman S. It's not as refined (it's hard to beat Porsche there) as the Cayman, but the DCT transmission is almost as good, it has a much better SLA suspension front and rear (unlike the Cayman's struts), and the 495 HP V8 isn't very charismatic, but it has way more power and torque than the Cayman.

I don't really like the Ferrari Enzo-styled B-pillar, and the rear fenders seem a bit awkward. But looks are subjective and the car is growing on me. The build materials are nice inside, and I really like the rear-view camera in the center rear view mirror that solves the rear view issue in supercars.

I hear the car is a completely different animal with the 'track alignment' that calls for -3* of front camber. That's pretty extreme for a street car and I suspect there's just no camber gain in the front suspension geometry.

I'm sure now that GM has had more time to work on the suspension programming, they will improve the lack of precision and 'floppiness' while making the ride less harsh. I'd like to see them dial out some of the static steady-state understeer and tune the E-diff a little better to stabilize the car, the way they do on the ZL1 1LE, ZR1, Z06, SS, etc... Hopefully this will be a flashable update, but if not, they may improve the suspension in the MY2022.

Overall, a low-optioned C8 is a great way to get into a mid-engine car, even if it is slower than a 2019+ GT350 on track ;)
 
I have. Taken from the AlpHaLuxe.com article that I wrote a counterpoint for:

https://www.alphaluxe.com/2020/04/a...rvette-stingray-new-mid-engine-v8-sports-car/

Counterpoint by Billy Johnson

As a car enthusiast, I was excited to see the Corvette switch to a mid-engine platform since the C7 already had the best drivetrain layout for a front engine car; with the entire engine behind the front wheel centerline and a rear mounted transaxle. To improve on that and open the performance envelope further, going mid-engine was the key.

From behind the wheel, the forward visibility was better than I thought it would be. The fender arches frame the road and convey a very exotic and ‘racey’ feeling to the driver. The rear quarter panels don’t look good from the side mirrors and you can’t see anything out of the back, but the rear-view mirror can display the view from the rear mounted camera making that issue irrelevant.

In the post-Jim Mero world at GM, the C8’s suspension and electronic differential tuning has a lot of room for improvement. It’s too harsh over bumps in track mode, yet does not have enough damping to control body movements in roll or heave, making the car feel floaty when pushed. Rear grip is excellent for putting power down but there’s too much safe understeer, especially when trail-braking. The car is not as ‘flickable’ as the C7 and takes some provoking to get it to rotate.

Tremec now has another DCT that rivals Porsche’s PDK (the other is the GT500) which is miles better than the 8 and 10 speed automatics in previous Vettes. While the transmission is fantastic, the sound and volume of the LT2 is mediocre, except on downshifts. Exhausts will be a common upgrade in these cars.

The C8 has a lot of potential. While a little rough around the edges, there is room for improvement in future models and for the aftermarket industry to address. I wouldn’t be surprised to see many of these at HPDE (High Performance Driver Education) events around the country.



Additionally:

It's great to see the C8 go mid-engine. The only real sub-$100K mid-engine competitor is the Cayman S. It's not as refined (it's hard to beat Porsche there) as the Cayman, but the DCT transmission is almost as good, it has a much better SLA suspension front and rear (unlike the Cayman's struts), and the 495 HP V8 isn't very charismatic, but it has way more power and torque than the Cayman.

I don't really like the Ferrari Enzo-styled B-pillar, and the rear fenders seem a bit awkward. But looks are subjective and the car is growing on me. The build materials are nice inside, and I really like the rear-view camera in the center rear view mirror that solves the rear view issue in supercars.

I hear the car is a completely different animal with the 'track alignment' that calls for -3* of front camber. That's pretty extreme for a street car and I suspect there's just no camber gain in the front suspension geometry.

I'm sure now that GM has had more time to work on the suspension programming, they will improve the lack of precision and 'floppiness' while making the ride less harsh. I'd like to see them dial out some of the static steady-state understeer and tune the E-diff a little better to stabilize the car, the way they do on the ZL1 1LE, ZR1, Z06, SS, etc... Hopefully this will be a flashable update, but if not, they may improve the suspension in the MY2022.

Overall, a low-optioned C8 is a great way to get into a mid-engine car, even if it is slower than a 2019+ GT350 on track ;)

Thanks for sharing your impressions about the C8.

Sounds like there is quite a bit of room for improvements on the C8, hopefully the GS/Z06 addresses the various issues. My brother in law's C7ZR1 felt very planted compared to the C7Z51 with MRSC that I had driven before, hopefully the improvements between the C8 Z51 and the GS/Z06 will be similar.

BTW: Small world, I met KOTYKB on a flight between SFO to KIX a few years back :)
 
^^^
Great video! As much as I like the C8, I still prefer the NC1.
 
Nice video - looks like he is a convert - think if he would have creeped around in all electric in the parking lots he would love it even more.

That smile that worked it’s way out even when he didn’t want to was priceless.

Spot on the with GTR comments - I tell everyone hopping out of my GTR and into the NSX is like a sledgehammer to a scalpel.

The electric motors and transmission are a game changer.

NC1 is absolutely my favorite snd I somewhat fit in it at 6’5”. ;)
 
The comments on price get old. Seems the $200k entry point with magazine racers is set. Also a comment where people didn’t know about the electric motors. Did they say what the owner paid? No where close to 200.

When someone gets behind the wheel the game changes! How many times did he say “supercar” and “looks like a supercar.”

I’ve also noticed first time drivers typically use the paddles. Maybe on the track manual shifting is better, yet I’ve used my paddles once or twice. Never touch them now. How it operates on its own is magic. It just knows what do, upshifts, downshifts... magic.
 
In retrospect, Acura would have been smart to give all the press reviewers base model cars at $156k back when the NSX first came out (well, I guess there were no iron rotors early on, so $165k). Instead, it seems they were all loaded versions at or just over $200k which set that price point in the minds of the magazines (and therefore the buying public). Would thinking of the NSX as a $150k car have changed anything vs. thinking of it as a $200k car? We'll never know.

And I completely agree with you regarding the paddle shifters. The DCT in the NSX is as perfect an automatic transmission as it could be!
 
GM pushed the $59,995 price point hard for the C8, but you don’t hear much about the average car in the 90’s and 100’s.
 
GM pushed the $59,995 price point hard for the C8, but you don’t hear much about the average car in the 90’s and 100’s.

Wow, is that true? I've never checked pricing on Corvettes, but that's incredible. And is it safe to assume that, unlike the NSX where the options are basically all aesthetic plus-ups, that the $60k Corvette is a stripped-down model?
 
Wow, is that true? I've never checked pricing on Corvettes, but that's incredible. And is it safe to assume that, unlike the NSX where the options are basically all aesthetic plus-ups, that the $60k Corvette is a stripped-down model?

This is true. There will be very few 60k corvettes sold. Most will be optioned to 80+
(Z51, higher trim levels etc ). The hard top convertible is a $7500 option. Still 80k is half MSRP of the NSX

MC
 
This is true. There will be very few 60k corvettes sold. Most will be optioned to 80+
(Z51, higher trim levels etc ). The hard top convertible is a $7500 option. Still 80k is half MSRP of the NSX

MC

Value is certainly undeniable - you can get a relative loaded C8 ($90K) + MachE GT ($60K) for same price as a newer NSX. If C8 came out in AWD hybrid, I would definitely lean more towards C8.
 
So there is a lot of discussion about the upcoming Z06. Will it be the flat plane V8 with 600+ horsepower? Certainly the performance would improve. I suspect that would add $25k to the price if not more before options. With the increase in horsepower one would see ceramic brakes as an add on along with other items. In hybrid form might they go with a V6 and two motors in front along with a motor generator tied to the engine. I suspect this would be $30k more and require a lot more testing. The suspension would require a lot of tuning, but the car would improve in track situations. As long as they are not changing a lot of the bones in the car the change in drivetrains should not be too expensive a proposition? I think GM will do a hybrid for the 'Yes We Can', as well as GM's awareness of the major push into electrification by many auto manufacturers. There are things that electric motors can do that are beyond ICE capabilities-think Vectoring. I have often wondered why we have not seen a four electric motor sports car. You could probably do things with software that are beyond imagination. If nothing else it is an exciting time for sports cars.
 
I have often wondered why we have not seen a four electric motor sports car. You could probably do things with software that are beyond imagination.

Same here, and not just for sports cars. It seemed like the natural evolution of Acura's SH-SHAWD, but now (other than the NSX) they seem to have abandoned that approach completely.
 
Same here, and not just for sports cars. It seemed like the natural evolution of Acura's SH-SHAWD, but now (other than the NSX) they seem to have abandoned that approach completely.

I believe Acura was ahead of the curve with SH-SHAWD. Most people probably did not see the benefits versus the cost/complexity. Kind of the same issue with the Hybrid nature of the NSX. How often have we read various people stating their preference of removing the electric motors because the hybrid car conflicted with their expectations? There are those who own the NC1 who question the hybrid nature of the car. Honda is a unique organization.
 
The NSX is not "ahead of its' time". It is one of the few super hybrids.

I expect Honda to license GM the electric front like GM licensed Honda the mag suspension.

A C8 super hybrid should be bad ass.
 
I believe Acura was ahead of the curve with SH-SHAWD. Most people probably did not see the benefits versus the cost/complexity. Kind of the same issue with the Hybrid nature of the NSX. How often have we read various people stating their preference of removing the electric motors because the hybrid car conflicted with their expectations? There are those who own the NC1 who question the hybrid nature of the car. Honda is a unique organization.
Their systems integration that make the torque vectoring transparent and respond in the way the car should to a given driver command is better than most supercars out there. Having said that, while subjectively impressive from a calibration standpoint, it's objectively not significantly quicker because of all that tech. Compared to cars with similar power and tire (stickyness) it's actually slower around a track than a Porsche GT3 or Shelby GT350R.
 
The Ford gt350 gets 14 mpg city and 21 mpg highway. The GT3 gets 15 city and 20 highway. The NSX gets 21 city and 22 highway. Now I did not purchase the NSX based upon its mpg. Having said that neither Porsche nor Ford can come close without significant investment and technology. You stated that the both the Ford and Porsche are faster on the track. What tract and what were the times?
 
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