[Norton]

Looks like a dusty desert environment that is low on traction. If you can’t hook-up, you won’t have the speed. This explains why the Vette was out front at the half mile... it obviously benefits from weight over the drive tires.

As for his aero adjustments... I agree with most... removing the splitter wickers and putting the wing back down will reduce drag. However, I believe he added drag by reinstalling the rain tray. The air entering the front grille escapes easily out the hood vent with the tray removed. I bet the pressure under the hood was measurably higher with the tray in place at the 1/2 mile marker.

I’d say the best 1/2 mile time would occur in a non-dusty environment (good traction) with the rear wing flat and the splitter wickers and rain tray removed.

As for comparing times to previous gen GT500s, you’d have to run the same track/same day to have the same traction/temp/elevation/wind.

Also worth mentioning... some runways are asphalt (least traction) while some runways are grooved concrete (lines cut for water drainage/anti-hydroplaning), which would offer superior traction over asphalt.

I watched it...He raced his C8 and lost but the GT500 was spinning off the line terribly and he never could catch back up. However, in the finish he was doing like 11 MPH faster than the C8 which will lead me to believe if the GT500 hooked up then it would have been a different result.

I agree regarding comparisons being most valid under identical conditions. That said, @Keeno's point is well-taken. When he and I have done the Pikes Peak Airstrip Attack, we've had what was almost certainly WORSE DA (i.e., elevation over 6K ft and ~90 degree ambient temps) along with plenty of dust/wind. Our speeds were ~155MPH from a dig and ~160MPH from a roll, plus or minus a digit or two, so VERY comparable performance to what the "Phenom" and his CFTP achieved.

What I see here is a lot of would have, could have, should have... Despite all the genuflecting to him and his car, a 495HP competitor bested the so-called "Phenom" and his 760HP CFTP, meaning at least one (maybe both) of them aren't necessarily as talented and unbeatable as some believe them to be.

Looks like a ton of Fun! Cool video....

Half mile events are a lot of fun! I've raced against several cars, beating many (Hellcats lol) and losing to a few (McClaren and a crazy fast 'Vette).

They're definitely a lot of fun...
2015 Colorado Mile, launch
2017 Pikes Peak Airstrip Attack, friendly competition

 

[Norton]

I get that you aren’t a fan of the 2020. Quite a few other 13/14 owners feel the same. With any front V8 rear-wheel drive high-horsepower car, it’s all about putting the power to the ground. You can not compare different cars at different races on different days. Traction is a glaringly large variable for the different settings. All you would need to do is line up a stock 13/14 next to a stock 2020 and let them rip. The rest is nothing but speculation.

It would be a fun race! I’d be game to play.

It's no secret I'm not a fan of the 2020. (Truth is, I'm not a fan of the S550 chassis. If forced to choose, I prefer the GT350's apppearance over the new GT500's.) That said, I respect both for what they are - evolutionary steps in the Shelby lineup. What I don't see is the revolution some believe it/them to be. It's also no secret I don't think much of the rich kid with a YouTube channel. His lack of automotive, driving, racing, and life experience are evident in all of his ramblings I've seen. I also dislike unbalanced reporting/commentary. For example, I recall some article about the new GT500 beating a C8 being trumpeted here, with no mention of the obvious mismatch between 495HP N/A and 760HP S/C specimens that makes such a win hardly brag-worthy. Now, we see the "Phenom's" new GT500 lose pretty badly to a C8 at the drag strip. IMO, this is more notable because of the apparent underdog's victory, but responses (so far) are little more than excuses about what MIGHT have been if any number of circumstances were different. With all due respect, that's pretty weak.

I already agreed with you, about comparisons being most valid under identical conditions. I don't think @Keeno or I are trying to say our cars are quicker than the 2020. (It would be pretty sad if they were!) That said, there aren't many racing events that disadvantage cars with 8K+ ft DAs. We happen to live close by the Pikes Peak Airstrip Attack that usually presents this challenge. It's possible, but unlikely, the "Phenom's" event presented similarly challenging conditions. The fact that our cars reached somewhat comparable speeds under ostensibly less favorable conditions does, however, bolster our evolutionary rather revolutionary position. (It may also point to us being at least as "phenomenal" as the "Phenom" at the drag strip.)

Your suggested matchup sounds like fun. I'd be game, if we could work out the logistics. (The TX Mile is still on my bucket list.) Notably, however, I'm now modded to a higher-than-stock power level.

I’m game Tim. Once I get tires this spring. Mine is stock except for the very few mods in my sig. just turned over 9k miles this past summer. May be logistically challenging as I’m not aware of any of these events between TX and KY. Wife may not like it but WTH. You only live once. 😜

I look forward to the video!

 

[Norton]

The bias in your replies clearly comes through. You relish in 2020 GT500 defeats. I must point out that this was not a “drag strip” as you called it. This was an unprepped runway that looked to have dust/dirt blowing around affecting launch traction. If it was in fact a drag strip, the results would have been far different. When traction is lacking, so are the numbers... hence why you can not compare the two different settings, despite the DA difference.

As does yours. Continued excuses are no more valid now than they were a few hours ago. It's also telling that you gloss over the fact that the C8's victory came on the same "unprepped runway that looked to have dust/dirt blowing around." Are you really trying to argue those conditions didn't "affected launch traction" for both cars similarly? It's a shame Ford's new halo Mustang only performs well on "prepped" surfaces, while Chevy's entry level Vette appears to take the adverse conditions in stride. You know little about Colorado, where "dust/dirt blowing around" is the norm. You're right, however, that we didn't measure dust thickness on the "unprepped runway" where we made our runs.

 

[Norton]

So I wonder what the outcome would have been if this would Not have been an entry level 495hp N/A C8, but instead the top dog S/C'ed C8?...............Same conditions for both vehicles, side-by-side? What is the top hp on the C8 now?

I have not kept up with any of the C8 performance (off the assy. line), how well do they perform in straight line sprints, especially the top hp model? I know they will corner carve and brake.......

That's a good question. Unfortunately, it's one to which we won't know the answer for at least a year, maybe two. Chevy is dribbling-out C8 variants similarly to how they did the C7. The (495HP) C8 Stingray debuted this year. It was initially believed the C8Z would be available in 2021 but, thanks to COVID, it's likely to be at least 2022 before it hits the street. Details remain speculative, with articles I've seen opinining the engine will be something between a N/A 5.5L flat-plane crank V8 and a 4.2L twin-turbo setup. HP estimates are equally scattered, with speculation ranging from 600 to 850. IIRC, the current Stingray's performance specs include 0-60MPH in 2.8sec and 1/4-mile in 11.2sec @ 122MPH. Only time will tell how the C8Z compares.

 

[Norton]

I think a hybrid, maybe all wheel drive, will be next up. Some say they've spotted one out in Colorado in camo. Nothing official.... The Z06 seems to be getting delayed. I'm still not thrilled with the C8 but it's a lot of a car for $70,000+/-.

Lots of spy photos, including some from a friend who saw it first-hand on I-70 in the mountains. No indication whether it was hybrid or all-wheel drive, but I've seen less chatter about those possibilities than I have on potential (primary) power plants.

Like you, I'm not a fan of the C8's design either. Makes me happy to have my '13 GT500 and '19 C7Z in the garage.

 

[Norton]

I was thinking about the info. highlighted in Red that you mentioned above ^^^^^^. So are you saying the 495hp C8 Stingray that won the 1/2 mile pull in the video was also Speed Phantoms car (the owner of the 2020 GT500)?

................and if this is what you are saying.......a non-owner of this C8, someone without intimate knowledge of that car, can hop in and put that car into a 1/2 mile standing start pull and do what we see was done in the video? If so, that alone is impressive........

........or am I mistaken in who owned what cars in the video?

Yes, that's what he's saying - I believe both cars belong to the so-called "Phenom." To be fair, however, it's unclear (to me, at least) how much drive time his "friend" has in the car.

 

[Norton]

He just posted a new video. He took the 2020 and C8 to Laguna Seca and was kicked off in the 2020 because it was too loud. Leave it to CA

Leave it to CA to take stupid to a whole new level.

 

[Norton]

So I think you all are misunderstanding the point of 1/2 mile racing. It is not who goes through the trap first. It is who was trapped at the highest MPH at the trap. In this case the GT500 blew the C8 away as it should. 11 MPH faster in the 1/2 mile is saying a lot about the HP difference.

Point in case is most 1/2 mile races have a 200mph club...well I can tell you most cars that I see do 200 MPH in the 1/2 mile do not come out hard or fast...the C8 or an AWD stock GTR might beat them to the trap but they are going 200mph when they get to the trap and that is what 1/2 mile racing is about.

Yes of course it is a fun place to line up with a buddy to see who gets to the trap first but when I had my HC I cannot tell you how many cars like a Tesla P100D beat me to the trap and when the guy came talking smack in the pits I asked to see his slip...142mph to my 153mph...he just lowered his head and walked away. LOL

Standing half-mile 200MPH club members are driving modified cars. The same is true for most standing mile 200MPH club members.

From what I remember, the 2013 662hp GT500 (200mph) took almost a mile to get there with the 3.31 gears........I would guess the 2013 GT500 1/2 mile would trap far less than 200mph..............just for a comparo for the 200mph club..........

A stock 2013 662hp GT500 with the 3.31 gears will not get there (200MPH) in a standing mile, much less a standing half-mile. In stock form, mine did 150-155MPH in the Pikes Peak Airstrip Attack standing half-mile (160MPH from a roll) and 170MPH in the Colorado Mile standing mile. DA was over 8K feet for all runs. (CO Mile staff members estimated an additional 5-8MPH in their TX Mile event, due to lower DA, but I have no first-hand experience there.)

 

[Norton]

Yes, and I believe you are right about the 662 and 1 mile, I was incorrect on that, if I remember correctly it took almost 2 miles to get to 200mph..........

I don't recall details of Ford's reported 200MPH run(s). As I understand his comments in this video, Randy Pobst estimated several miles to be required, depending on DA, of course.