Corvette Performance - C6 Top speed

chevy advertises the top speed of a c6 6spd as 186 mph. how is this possible when a c5 z06's top speed is around 177mph. stock for stock, they have the same gearing, the same tranny, and the z06 pulls harder and breathes better up top, so how is the c6's top speed higher?

One word: AREODYNAMICS

The C6 shares the coupes design in that it has a lower coefficient of drag!

chevy advertises the top speed of a c6 6spd as 186 mph. how is this possible when a c5 z06's top speed is around 177mph. stock for stock, they have the same gearing, the same tranny, and the z06 pulls harder and breathes better up top, so how is the c6's top speed higher?


we've recently gotten a C6 Z51 with coilovers, fullexhaust,big wheels,vararam and tune to do 191mph on video. Could have kept going.

As far as C5 versus C6 up top,...I just don't know. Cause when I has 396.4 rear wheel horsepower a while back, and he had/has 399.8 rwhp we really where neck and neck up to the low180's, high 170's. After that, we'd just run outta room,... We're about the same weight as well but, I HAD A PASSENGER he was by himself. I'm 180, my passenger is an easy 220lbs. The driver of the C6 is about 180/190 ish.

....that was coming back from west palm one night, after the track. Average speed was 120mph, most of the time we were at the high 140's.....and about 6 times over 170.

My non-GM fan in the passenger seat has since converted to being an all out GM fan now.

NOTE** It was late, barely any cars that night,...so nobody freak out.

so a c5 coupe non z06 with the same rwhp numbers as a c6 should be able to go up to 190 also.

and a full bolt on c5 coupe w/ vararam, fullexhuast and tune should be able to 185mph right?

so a c5 coupe non z06 with the same rwhp numbers as a c6 should be able to go up to 190 also.

and a full bolt on c5 coupe w/ vararam, fullexhuast and tune should be able to 185mph right?


In theory. Again, him and I were side by side,...I would inch on him,..then he would inch on me. Neither of us weighed our cars and again,....we were only a couple of HP off from eachother at that time. AND,..I had the passenger...he didn't.

My car, at that time, on roads/nights by myself, I did get well over 180 but would run into a corner,...or just plain outta room. So, I COULD NEVER see how much more she would pull.

A full bolton C5 could probably go 185mph....but,...maybe it would need a little more room to do it. I have never driven a targa coupe at high speed but, I know they're a little more aerodynamic then my car(due to the long slopeing glass in back) so they should be more capable of high(er) speeds. Again...in theory.

When my car had a couple of bolt-ons,...I hit high 170's on plenty of occasions so,...I really don't see why a car with FULL bolt-ons can't hit those speeds.


The vararam is a badass piece,..which I do have on my car.

chevy advertises the top speed of a c6 6spd as 186 mph. how is this possible when a c5 z06's top speed is around 177mph. stock for stock, they have the same gearing, the same tranny, and the z06 pulls harder and breathes better up top, so how is the c6's top speed higher?


The C6 with the Z51 performance handling package is the car that went 186 MPH..those two cars (C5 Z06 and the C6 CP w\Z51) DO NOT HAVE THE SAME GEARING!!...the C6 Z51 has different gearing in the transmission to reach that speed..and a slicker DC than the C5 Z06.. :drive: ..hince the higher top speed produced... In Europe to be considered a "super car" the car has to be able to reach 300 KPH (186 MPH)..GM wanted the C6 to be considered a "super car" in the European market... that is the reason for the change in gearing in the transmission in the Z51 C6 Corvette .. :)

so a c5 coupe non z06 with the same rwhp numbers as a c6 should be able to go up to 190 also.

and a full bolt on c5 coupe w/ vararam, fullexhuast and tune should be able to 185mph right?
But don't beleive the speedo as they are any thing but accurate at that speed. A few years back Autocar magazine tested a C5 in Germany, they officially clocked it at 183mph with two people in the car. They used a V-Box GPS test system. The speedo was apparantly reading over 195mph :lol:

very possible at that speed, in any vehicle. I doubt my car, and my friends vette or off though, as they read the same that night and others.

My R1 did however read 189mph,..187mph on several occasions but, I doubt it was ever close to that speed.