2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Read any review of the Corvette and you'll see the same list of compliments and complaints: great performance, terrible interior, or some variation thereof. The Corvette team has an answer to that, and it's called the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray making its star turn at the 2013 Detroit auto show.   It starts at the core of the car. Every 2014 Corvette now features an aluminum frame, not just the higher-performance models. Instead of two uniformly thick, hydroformed rails, the chassis is now made up of five sections using hydroformed aluminum, cast aluminum, and extruded aluminum, with each section tailored to its purpose in strength and stiffness. The result is a 99-pound weight reduction with a 57 percent increase in stiffness. That's 60 percent stiffer than today's Z06 with the C7's removable roof in place, and 20 percent stiffer with the roof out.

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

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2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

Curb weight should be about the same after accounting for other changes. Moving outward, the C7 features redesigned suspension hardware with new aluminum control arms and stiffer links, knuckles, and bushings. The front and rear cradles are now hollow cast aluminum with stiffer attachment points for the suspension. Bilstein shocks are standard and upsized on the Z51 performance model (which returns after a four-year hiatus) for stiffer body control -- or why not spring for third-generation magnetic shocks? Whichever way you go, they hold down narrower 18-inch front/19-inch rear wheels (19 and 20 inches, respectively, and forged on Z51 cars) that improve the turning radius without sacrificing grip. In one of many crossovers from racing development, the same Michelin engineer who designs tires for the Corvette Racing Team now also designs the standard Pilot Super Sport Run-Flats that are unique to the C7.   Behind those wheels are standard Brembo brakes that, while slightly smaller in diameter than before, boast 35 percent more swept area thanks to larger pads that cover more area on the rotor face. Z51 cars get larger front discs (13.6 inches versus 12.6 on the base C7) with 6 percent more swept area than a current Corvette Grand Sport and a lot more bite. Chevrolet says the new Stingray will stop 11 feet shorter than before, putting its 60-0-mph braking comparable with that of the mighty ZR1, which we measured at 94 feet. Things upstream of the wheels have improved as well. In the front end of the current car, Corvette Racing found consistent failure points in the mounts for the steering system. The C7's steering system has been hard-mounted and beefed up, and the support structure is now, according to Chevrolet, 500 percent stiffer. The new electric power steering features a variable ratio and variable resistance for every circumstance.