Mark Reuss’ C8 Confirmations

[John]

Thanks to GM Authority we have a little more information on the C8’s electronic/computer architecture.

Mid Engine Corvette C8 ECU Will Be Under Lock And Key

• BY SAM MCEACHERN
• — JUN 14, 2019

Speaking to Muscle Cars and Trucks, GM president Mark Reuss said the mid engine Corvette C8 will feature the automaker’s new ‘Global B’ digital architecture. This advanced new electrical system, detailed by GM earlier this year, will allow the automaker’s future products to talk and communicate with each other. It will also enable the various systems on GM’s upcoming electric and autonomous vehicles, so it must be secure and safe against cyberattacks. That means the ECU will be encrypted like the 2019 Corvette ZR1’s, except with an even harder-to-crack code.

“(the mid engine Corvette C8 ECU) is very, very well done in terms of being able to connect,” Ruess told MC&T. “But also to have the capacity and capability for things like Super Cruise, AV and EV. That pipeline that is created with Global B and cybersecurity to be part of that is very, very robust.”

For the rest of GMA’s really good article.

http://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/06/...-lock-and-key/

[JB]

A lot of companies pcms are locked tight...meanwhile an early solution is piggyback computers for mods...and eventually the factory computers are unlocked..

personally with 500 hp or 530 Im not looking to void my warranty and besides that modding makes the vehicle a pain in the butt over the long term..

you want more than the factory hp figured usually a few harmless boltons add an insignificant improvement...

thats after three new corvettes with various amounts of mods...

the best, most enjoyable ownership experience was the one with the least amount of mods...

my suggestion is why bother to mod...gm offers over time various levels of hp increases...

over the long run which I tend to do...its better to really close to stock...

these cars for the past few generations top out at between 190 mph to 214 mph...stick...zero to sixty mph between 2.8 and 4 secinds...


really corvette enthusiasts are such great drivers they or want need more performance?

best modification is to the driver...not the car...

want more dial up the version from the factory that suits your needs...

callaway and others gm deems worthy will have the ability to reprogram the ecu...

want more power from the aftermarket...

give callaway your money....they do a fine engineering effort and they have the corvette teams blessing...they will have the ability to reprogram...

eventuallyothers will as well.


ill be the guy not looking to reprogram ...im ok with “only” factory hp levels or I wont buy the car to start with...

i must be getting old...

lack of aggravation of 100,000 miles or more means more to me...


i really dig that 300k validation testing procedures that pretty much only gm puts every design iteration through...

500 hp or more for the standard corvette. Im good...

i decided if it doesnt come in at or over 500 hp ill wait...for ine of the design iterations that does..

the dct is tied to engine performance ....those two units have to be engineered together or modding errors can get very expensive very quickly...

I recommending leave the modding to areas outside the engine and transmission..l

new designs....you as an owner want that warranty...

my only planned mod over the first 30 months 30k miles is going to as long a gmepp warranty i can put on this thing...

ive usually done a total of 7 years 78k miles...with 100 deductible...

the last once cost me the paultry sum of 1450 dollars...for the extra 4 years and 48k miles...

that was one of my smarter moves...

just makes life easier...roll in and let the dealer do what they say needs to be done...

was never much yet with this new technology in the transmission and engine...i want to be covered...


listen to Mark Ruess...

leave the car alone...no mods for you...

when you are out of drivetrain warranty at five years 60k miles if you dont buy the gmepp extended ...then mod your jeart out and by then...itll cost a few hundred to crack the ecu....

believe me there will be pioneers that just have to have modded ecus way-before then..

let them be the guinea pigs...let them have the headaches...

by the ti e you decide you just have to mod...you can either buy a c8 z06 or the ecu tunes will be plentiful...

im staying stock...

(every 20 years i dont listen to my own advice ..li mod heavily and it screws up a perfectly good car)

common sense is often over rated.

[JB]

Btw duramax and the zr1 ecu’s fir five grand can be reprogramed...

and this telematic communication will eventually be able to be blocked for periodic updates if you really want to mod...but my suggestion is just spemd the money on the factory hotrod offered over time...

its less expensive over the long haul and vetter designed for that all important 300k mile validation process i so love.

john when you go to the reveal..the biggest favor you can do for me personally is confirm the c8 went through the 300k mike validation process...and let me know the answer...

that durability that corvette offers as well as its level of performance right out of the box for over 100k miles of use ends up being one of the many fine attributes that transcends the european competition..

[FrankLP]

OI know what you mean JB. I’m at a point where I’ll be spending my time doing things other than modifying my Corvette.

All of the points you bring up are solid, valid points. The one that really resonates with me is “modifying” the driver to increase/improve the performance. I personally am far from being able to meet / exceed the capabilities of the new Corvettes as delivered from the factory.

While I’ve enjoyed spending countless hours modifying/personalizing my Corvettes, I’m at a stage in my life where I budget my time in other ways... but still love driving/enjoying my Corvette.

[Klinn]

best modification is to the driver...not the car...

Quoted for truth!

really corvette enthusiasts are such great drivers they or want need more performance?

In my opinion, almost all those builds you see in car mags with outrageous HP are just people chasing big numbers for the sake of having big numbers. There's nothing wrong with that, I can understand the appeal, but it's not because they actually expect to use the full capability on a regular basis.

My only day-one mod will be trying to find a good quality custom fit car cover to keep the bird "eliminations" off the paint. Not the covers that GM offers, you can get better and in my part of the world (Frozen North) you need better.

I'm fine with having the ECU etc locked up. I'll be less fine if it phones home and GM or the dealer starts complaining that I'm driving the car too aggressively (autocross events).


(note: I used the word "eliminations" since my first three choices were auto-censored out )

[John]

I’m at a point where I’ll be spending my time doing things other than modifying my Corvette. The one that really resonates with me is “modifying” the driver to increase/improve the performance. I personally am far from being able to meet / exceed the capabilities of the new Corvettes as delivered from the factory. While I’ve enjoyed spending countless hours modifying/personalizing my Corvettes, I’m at a stage in my life where I budget my time in other ways... but still love driving/enjoying my Corvette.

YES Frank LP! Absolutely, the best mod of all is the driver improving their driving skills, both on the track or on the street. I got some hot laps from Spring Mountain’s Chief Instructor Rick Malone, and he was far faster in a Z-51 than I in my Z06.

Spring Mountain 100% ahead for me (as it was for my Z06), but as this will be the first mid engine I have ever driven, it is far more critical for me this time.

[VetteStromWing]

Since 95% of the time on my C7 Z51 is on the track, I'll tell you what one of my track school instructors told me that I've found out to be true:
The best way to mod your car to go faster is a good 5 or 6 point harness, and a good pair of thin soled driving shoes. (A pair of wrestling shoes works just fine.)
I can vouch for this recommendation. The only thing else I've done is an MGW short throw shifter, a set of separate wheels and track tires (Toyo R888Rs), and an aftermarket tow hook for the front, (C7s come with it now.), and carbo tech pads and upgraded drilled slotted rotors.
I'll be holding out for a Z06 or hopefully a GS, not for the extra power, but for the improved handling if the C8 follows the C7 timeline.
For me, it's all about the track. I'm a serious "too each their own" guy, but I still can't understand why someone would want 600+HP (or even a lot less) for a DD.
Want to go faster? Brake into the corner later than the next guy.

[John]

Well stated VetteStromWing. Thank you very much. Of course what your instructors and you knew was the step before those critical things, was having the driving become trained/skilled in track driving.

I really like all your comments, but especially keep smiling thinking about your last comment about going faster by braking into the corner later than the next guy.

[FrankLP]

YES Frank LP! Absolutely, the best mod of all is the driver improving their driving skills, both on the track or on the street. I got some hot laps from Spring Mountain’s Chief Instructor Rick Malone, and he was far faster in a Z-51 than I in my Z06.

Spring Mountain 100% ahead for me (as it was for my Z06), but as this will be the first mid engine I have ever driven, it is far more critical for me this time.

I hear ya John. A couple years ago I asked the HPDE Instructor at Raceway Park of The Midlands' Track to drive my car so that I could gauge where I was at as a driver. I asked the instructor to really push the car to its limits while keeping it one piece so I could drive it home. As I rode along, I found that it was a humbling yet gratifying experience.

I was humbled by the gap in skill (between his and mine), but was gratified in experiencing what all my hard work and money (on mods) had achieved for the car... especially when being driven by a more skilled driver.

[ZORA 69]

Who uses that extra power, really?? At local rallyes they are mainly small tracks. I' pay for that warranty, want to keep it