More of the same reports...

[Racer X]

Seems news outlets are sharing the same sources. Obviously the cat is out of the bag. Sounds like a beast however with the engine warping the frame!!

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...me/3149723002/

[Boomer]

The language even seems the same. I wonder if the very high powered version has this issue, why would it delay the 2020 1st year base C8 since the high powered configuration would probably not even be available till year two or three. They would have plenty of time to adjust for it.

[Ripper]

The language even seems the same. I wonder if the very high powered version has this issue, why would it delay the 2020 1st year base C8 since the high powered configuration would probably not even be available till year two or three. They would have plenty of time to adjust for it.

I believe that would be because they would then have two different frames, easier and cheaper to fix it the first time correctly.

[John]

Exactly. GM decided for assembly efficiency, to only build/stock one chassis, etc., to strengthen the frame to meet/exceed ZORA’s requirements and then to use that same massively-buffed frame for even the entry and mid level versions.

GM always designs for its components to exceed it expected maximum demands (short of an idiot driving its vehicles into a brick wall or similar). For example, for the C7 Z06’s transmissions, even though the car was designed 650 TQ, was designed and tested, both the A8 and the M7, to handle over 732 TQ.

GM could well have found the frame twisted on the ZORA version when in spite of their knowing the motor would develop 1,000 pounds TQ, they were subjected the frame to twisting forces of over 1,100 pound pounds (extra engineering margin of safety). Even so, when one frame member bent (could have also been the oposite member on the other side of the frame), they decided to either use a higher grade of metal and/or to thicken/widen/or otherwise upsize it.

And again to use that upgrade frame on all C8 versions. Personally, kudos to GM to finding it during testing, then to use it across the line of even lesser powered C8 versions.

[Boomer]

Thanks Ripper and John. Guess that means I'm gonna have the same robust 1,000 HP frame in my base 500 HP C8!

Great info John. Wonder how "easy" it was to make that mfg change.

[John]

For those who read the wonderful Corvette book about how the C5 was saved from financially caused extinction several times during its development, to its final great reveal — and all accolades that Corvette generation received and deserved during its lifetime, we remember the issue about GM needing to re-do the door impact beams. as a result of some testing failure. Ironically, it was the reverse situation, that its door beams as originally tested, wereso overly-strong that the car did not have sufficient side-impact resistance “crushability,” and thus the testing dummies “died” from traumic forces impacting on them.

What did GM do to fix this literally-critical finding? They entered the testing result data in their Cray Supercomputer and found that it was not that the door beams were too weak, but that they were too strong, immediately using the computer to design the door impact beam to have some give in them. When subsequently tested, the dummies survived the side impact test beautifully.

What specific part or piece was improved in the C8’s frameway earlier in the testing process? What is then determined that it should be instead be heat treated for better strength, be larger, wider, and/orgreater modulus, be of higher grade metal, or ??? Again, I do not think we will ever know.

For sure, I will not give it a thought when I drive my C8. I have full faith that GM has found and fixed during its testing, before it built its first ME customer car, whatever frame changes were needed on its C8 IVERS test cars.

[Boomer]

What specific part or piece was improved in the C8’s frameway earlier in the testing process? What is then determined that it should be instead be heat treated for better strength, be larger, wider, and/orgreater modulus, be of higher grade metal, or ??? Again, I do not think we will ever know.

Maybe combo of those techniques. Who knows?

[Boomer]

Another "More of the same reports..."

Fox news has picked up the story:

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/new-cor...owerful-report

[Racer X]

Saw that one too...

[meyerweb]

These online "news" sources just copy each other. One site reports something, and withing a couple of days you'll see the same story, sometimes the EXACT same story, word for word, all over the internet. You might think that because multiple sites are writing about it they've all independently confirmed it. Nope, that's not how it works any more.

[TtiME]

These online "news" sources just copy each other. One site reports something, and withing a couple of days you'll see the same story, sometimes the EXACT same story, word for word, all over the internet. You might think that because multiple sites are writing about it they've all independently confirmed it. Nope, that's not how it works any more.

And what’s funny if you actually read each article they all site Hagerty or said site they got it from!!

[Meldoon]

Nice to know there is one strong frame......ready for a ZR1 crate motor!?