Actually driven a mid-engine (anything) before?

[Tom_E]

I know what some will say, but I play Forza 7 and 99% of the time drive a Z06. Both in real life and in the game. Yesterday I drove a new model NSX (mid-engine) in Forza 7 and wow what a difference. I'm not too bad with the Z06, but I put the NSX in the weeds a bunch. Is this anything close to what I might experience with the new ME Corvette?

On a side note if any of you play Forza 7 on xbox you are welcome to join us on Wednesday evenings.

[JB]

I had for a decade and wayover a 150 thousand miles a rear mid engine turbocharged alcohol injected Lancia scorpion back in the late seventies and through the 1980s.

the initial turn is direct and ultra quick. Its a totally different driving experience from even the best front mid engine vehicle such as the c5, c6 or even the c7.

performancewise the c7 and c7 grand sport as well as the c7 z06 are far supeior performance vehicles...but from a daily driver and even track experience rear mid engine sports cars especially one such as the upcoming c8 corvette there is an exciting driver experience that is what many would say is transformative in nature.

rear engine vehicles such as porsches 911 and of course the rear mid engine boxster and cayman s are especially enjoyable at 7 tenths on the street...

vehicles without the engine in front feel almost heroic in nature as you just think of what you want the front end of the vehicle to do and the immediacy of the cars reaction is instantaneous.



its a lot of fun and the connection to the vehicle even transcends the connection many speak about with regards to stick shift vehicles...

if you desire to imagine yourself in a formula one type vehicle for the street...rear mid engine vehicles are a good choice...

not taking anything away from total performance vehicles like the c7 z06 etc...because all out track performance and track times...the z06 is almost unbeatable even by many exotics.

the c7 z06 does it all so well. That includes acceleration, top speed, braking and lateral grip. All the ingredients of the ultimate front engine supercar...

i am sure the c8 corvette z51 will not exceed the performance lap times of the mighty c7 z06...

it will take the twin turbo version of the c8 to possibly do that..if at all.

[John]

Thanks Tom_E and JB. I have not driven a mid engine car. I look forward to the ME’s quick and super precise turn in... And more.

[C8Driving]

Really good thread question Tom. I have driven a mid engine car.

[dyoung]

My wife has a new Boxster that I get to wash all the time and drive occasionally. It only has 300 hp and does handle quite well but no better than my 17 Grand Sport.

[bobbytinvab]

I have a gen 1 NSX, 308 Ferrari and drove a Fiero for 20 years. No really 20 years. Obviously the f car And NSX are substantially better than the Fiero. I still have it by the way. I enjoy the mid engine experience and look fwd to a C8.

[Ateupjoe]

I've never driven a mid or rear engine car but many a go kart have I pushed hard on the track! And I did get a 75 mile passenger ride at spirited driving levels in 1987 from Baton Rouge to east New Orleans via I-10 in my buddies brand new Fiero enroute to have me pick up a 67 Bug. Ok I have driven rear engines car.....several VWs if those count.

[JB]

Call any porsche dealer and tell them you are interested in test driving a 911s or boxster/cayman s.... they will roll out the red carpets for you and then go test drive one ...a few quick clover leafs and youll know why they are an iconic brand...

total performance and lateral grip the corvette especially the z06 smokes them yet there is an intangible feeling with regards to turn in thats a hoot...

basically or simply put there is no weight up front so the instantaneous change in direction creates quite the interactive relationship msot sports car owners are looking for...

now add in all of tje corvette virtues of the past and combine that with a rear mid engine and its party time...

seriously if your curious porsches dealers offer a nice test drive and that will offer good insight...as to the benefits...of rear mid engine

[07MontyRed]

I had a 308 for a while. Not really comparable to a C6/C7 since it didn't have much power, but it turned and pivoted very differently than any front-engine car I have ever driven. I assume with all the electronic nannies they put on cars these days that they can make them feel almost any way they want to, but inherently an ME feels different. We shall see what Chevy gives us ... I am eager to play with it.

[[email protected]]

I owned a special order from the factory, Porsche for 6 years prior to RedHot. It was a very well put together car, fun to drive, precise, etc. However, FWIW I much prefer RedHot and its power, torque and overall handling to the Porsche. Incidentally both the Porsche and the Stingray are near 50/50 weight distribution. No regrets.

[John]

I think that the Stingray and the GS are very sensible packages. However, my Z06 unless it is a very warm day and with my tires being very warm/hot, driving my Z06 is a massive and close-to-continual exercise in throttle modulation, or excessive tire spin results. I think day in and day out, at least living in the Pacific Northwest, I am functionally averaging about 550 HP useable HP.

The conversation to the ME is therefore not an issue except for the highest powered C7’s, and for the C8.R. As Maximum Bob noted on AutoLine recently, to get to the next step, there is a need to evolve to a different platform — or for me and others to get common sense and think back about 500 HP being the functional max for an FE.

For those living in hot climates, perhaps the Z06 develops a functional average of 600 HP???

So either AWD or ME (or both) is seen as the future of the Corvette by many. Or going on the public roads with racing slicks (not).

One last thought, is that adding over 100HP from the Z06 to the ZR1 only resulted in a 0-60 time reduction from 2.95 seconds to 2.85 seconds; whereas ME’s and rear engined cars with powers levels around the SR/GS are getting to 60 MPH in an average of around 2.6 seconds, i.e., traction has become the king.

[Ssscooter66]

Thanks for the topic Tom_E ,
I haven't read anything about this yet , first one I've "subscribed" to ...

[JB]

The rear weight bias in the rear mid engine vehicles tends to allow for better traction. Even more so than 50/50 weight dostribution front engine rear transmission vehicles with a torque tube.

braking is imoroved as well.

Add in the opposite of a front mid engine vehicles disadvantage compared to a rear mid engine low polar movement (?) and we can begin to see how truly talented gm engineers were to make the c7 and all its variations grand sport/z06 and zr1 outperform all manner of exotics on the track...

the key to understanding the benefits of rear mid engine design being explored by gm engineers is to truly understand how far the c8 can possibly reach..

sure Im overly enthusiastic yet the combination of gm engineering and what should possibly be the most capable engine placement design leads us to hopefully end up with the best corvette yet...

we re just shooting the breeze and its true this has alwaysbeen a corvette trait...

each new generation surpasses the last in performance...

i believe gm design goals for the most recent corvettes is that the standard model exceeds the total performance envelope of the previous generations one step the ladder...

ir..the standard c7 equaled the performance of the c6 z51. The c7 z51 surpassed the c6 grand sport.

the c7 grand sport surpased or equaled the performance of the c6 z06. The c7 z06 equalled or surpassed the performance of the c6 zr1..

im sure you get my point and I dont believe we will disappointed with the standard c8 z51 or whatever they end up calling heavy duty cooling and heavy duty suspension...i fully expect it to exceed the performance of the c7 grand sport....which by the way equaled the car and driver lightning lap timed runs of the mclaren 570...

gm engineers are truly amazing...

i have complete confidence in the standard c8 to exceed our expectations...in total performance

and as a side note have a really low cowl and really sharp initial turn in...

the c8 corvette is going to set the sports car exotic car world in fire again just like its done with every previous generation

the only wild card will be the 200k dollar tesla sports car coming...

that could be a game changer but at 200 grand...or 250 for the launch edition...it will be quite expemsive and quite rare...

[Tom_E]

Call any porsche dealer and tell them you are interested in test driving a 911s or boxster/cayman s.... they will roll out the red carpets for you and then go test drive one ...a few quick clover leafs and youll know why they are an iconic brand...

total performance and lateral grip the corvette especially the z06 smokes them yet there is an intangible feeling with regards to turn in thats a hoot...

basically or simply put there is no weight up front so the instantaneous change in direction creates quite the interactive relationship msot sports car owners are looking for...

now add in all of tje corvette virtues of the past and combine that with a rear mid engine and its party time...

seriously if your curious porsches dealers offer a nice test drive and that will offer good insight...as to the benefits...of rear mid engine

Hate to admit it, but that's why I drove the NSX in Forza to see if I wanted to go test one in real life.

[Tom_E]

I have a gen 1 NSX, 308 Ferrari and drove a Fiero for 20 years. No really 20 years. Obviously the f car And NSX are substantially better than the Fiero. I still have it by the way. I enjoy the mid engine experience and look fwd to a C8.

Thanks good input! Any idea if the gen 1 NSX is significantly different from the Gen II?