[VIDEO] Here’s Why the 2020 Corvette Stingray is So Fast Off the Line

When Chevrolet announced the eighth generation mid-engine Corvette on 7-18-19, one of the most impressive facts about the car – other than its sub-$60,000 starting price tag – was its 0-60 time of less than 3 seconds.

Chevy didn’t announce the exact time that night but did say the 2020 model will be the quickest-ever Corvette from 0-60.

That’s keeping some pretty impressive company in the base Z51 version.

The previous champion of the 0-60 race used sheer brawn to do the job (among other things), with the 2019 755 horsepower ZR1 holding onto its trophy for just a few short months.

So how did Chevy pull this rabbit out of its hat with a base Z51 2020 Corvette that will produce “just” 495 horsepower with performance exhaust?

Listen as Engineering Explained tells us the reasons for those ultra-quick jackrabbit starts.

Aggressive gearing, especially for first gear launches, was one way to accelerate quickly.

Then there is the constant torque supplied by the new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that basically has no delay during shifts that are accomplished in less than 100 milliseconds, resulting in no periods of zero torque during shifts.

The new Michelin all-season tires, which are a big fat 305mm in the rear, also help supply the traction needed to zoom so quickly to 60.

One overriding factor, of course, is the Corvette’s switch from a front-engine layout to a mid-engine layout that shifts the weight balance to the back and allows those rear tires to do their job more effectively.

While the ZR1 has a 0-60 time of 2.95 seconds, Engineering Explained host Jason points out that it represents the pinnacle of the front-engine Corvette. On the other hand, the C8 is just beginning. Jason believes the new Z51 C8 can turn the 0-6- trick in an astounding 2.76 seconds.

Not bad for a car that costs about half of the 2019 ZR1, huh?

And he believes that a ZR1 version of the C8 could even blast its way to 60 in an astounding 2.5 seconds.

You can get more geeky details about the quickest Corvette ever from Engineering Explained:

Source:
Engineering Explained via Carscoops

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