Welcome to the Corvette Forums at the Corvette Action Center!

News: Chevrolet Announces Certified Power Ratings For The New Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

Rob

Site Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
Sep 16, 2000
Messages
13,917
Location
New Hampshire
Corvette
1990 Corvette ZR-1
Chevrolet Announces Certified Power Ratings For The New Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

The FINANCIAL -- When it was introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this year, the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1’s power was estimated at 100 horsepower for each of its 6.2 liters of displacement.

GM Powertrain has completed SAE certification of the ZR1’s supercharged LS9 V-8 and the results exceed the estimate: 638 horsepower (476 kW) and 604 lb.-ft. of torque (819 Nm).

The LS9’s output is nearly 103 horses per liter, or just about 1.7 horses for each of the engine’s 376 cubic inches. It is unquestionably the most powerful automotive production engine ever manufactured by General Motors and enables the Corvette ZR1 to achieve a top speed of more than 200 mph (322 km/h).

"One of the most amazing things about the Corvette ZR1 is the level of refinement that our designers and engineers have attained. Even with all that power, this car has road manners that will allow our customers to enjoy it on the streets as a daily driver, and on the track," said Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper.

The Corvette ZR1 goes on sale this summer. Its 638-hp supercharged engine is complemented in the chassis by heavy-duty components not offered in any other model, including a six-speed manual transmission with race-hardened gears and dual-disc clutch technology that delivers exceptional clamping power and lower inertia, as well as strengthened axle components.

Fuel economy testing has not been completed, but engineers are confident the ZR1 will be the most fuel-efficient 600-plus-horsepower car on the market.

The LS9 engine is hand-built by specially trained technicians at GM’s Performance Build Center in Wixom, Mich. It is a unique, small-volume engine production facility that also builds the Chevrolet Corvette Z06’s LS7 engine and other high-performance GM production engines.

“Developing the LS9 involved more than simply striving for a great horsepower number. Endurance and reliability testing have shown the engine to be robust and low-maintenance, just like other engines in the small-block family,” said Sam Winegarden, executive director, engine engineering for GM Powertrain. “That it is distinguished as the most powerful engine ever from General Motors is a source of immense pride among everyone involved with the LS9.”

Supercharged aspiration

The key enabler of the LS9’s performance is the industry’s first production application of a new, positive-displacement Roots-type supercharger that has a unique four-lobe rotor design. Its design promotes quieter and more efficient performance, while the large, 2.3-liter displacement ensures adequate air volume at high rpm. Maximum boost pressure is 10.5 psi (0.72 bar). It is teamed with an integrated charge cooling system that reduces inlet air temperature for maximum performance.

“The combination of large displacement and the new, four-lobed rotor design broadens the effective range of the supercharger, allowing the engine to make more power at lower rpm and sustain it throughout the power band,” said Winegarden. “The low-end torque is tremendous and the high-rpm charge from the supercharger is simply amazing.”

A raised hood provides adequate clearance for the LS9, while a polycarbonate window in the hood provides a view of the engine beneath it.

LS9 details

The LS9 features many unique design and manufacturing details that support its high-performance nature. They include:

  • Aluminum cylinder block with iron cylinder liners that are finish-bored and honed with a deck plate installed
  • Forged steel crankshaft with a nine-bolt flange
  • Titanium connecting rods and forged aluminum pistons
  • Stronger, rotocast cylinder heads with 2.16-inch (55 mm) titanium intake valves and 1.59-inch (40.4 mm) hollow-stem, sodium-filled exhaust valves
  • Camshaft with 0.555-inch (14.1 mm) lift for excellent idle and low-speed driving qualities
  • A dry-sump oiling system with 10.5-quart (9.9 liters) capacity
  • Integrated oil cooler and piston-cooling oil squirters
  • Intercooler cover visible through the hood window that features ZR1-unique blue accents and “LS9 SUPERCHARGED” embossed on the left and right sides
 
  • Thread starter
  • Admin
  • #2
From AutoWeek:

By DALE JEWETT


The official dyno numbers are in: The supercharged 6.2-liter V8 in the forthcoming Chevy Corvette ZR1 cranks out 638 horsepower.

That's about 20 hp more than the estimates from General Motors' powertrain gurus when they unveiled the new ZR1 and its monster motor last December.

To simplify the math: The LS9 engine in the ZR1 is rated at 103 hp per liter of displacement, or 1.7 hp per cubic inch (6.2 liters is equal to 376 cubic inches, for the old schoolers in the audience.)

All that power will push the Corvette ZR1, which goes on sale this summer, to a top speed of more than 200 mph, GM says. A suggested retail price for the car hasn't been set.

What about the grunt? The official number is 604 lb-ft of torque.

The key to that making all the horsepower and torque is a Roots-type supercharger with four-lobe rotors that sits atop the LS9 engine. A liquid-to-air intercooler is integrated into the supercharger's housing.

The supercharger has a volume of 2.3 liters, with a maximum boost pressure of 10.5 psi. Turning that blower required engineers to fit the LS9 with an 11-rib accessory drive belt.

The engine will be hand-built at GM's Performance Build Center in suburban Detroit, the same plant that hand-builds the LS7 V8 used in the Corvette Z06.

Time for some bench measuring, you say? OK:

-- The 6.0-liter V12 in the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is rated at 620 hp and 448 lb-ft.

-- The 6.5-liter V12 in the Lamborghini Murcielago is rated at 580 hp and 650 lb-ft.

-- The turbocharged 3.6-liter flat six-cylinder engine in the Porsche 911 GT2 is rated at 530 hp and 505 lb-ft.
 
  • Thread starter
  • Admin
  • #3
From Edmunds Inside Line:

2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: 638 Freakin' Horsepower

DETROIT — The 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, which will go on sale this fall for around $100,000, will pack 638 horsepower.

That makes the ZR1 easily the most powerful vehicle General Motors has ever produced and puts the king of Corvettes into a mighty exclusive club. The ZR1 essentially matches the output of the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 and trails the extra-extreme limited-edition Ferrari Enzo by only a smidge. Perhaps, just as important to Chevrolet, is that the ZR1 brings 38 hp more to the American-car smackdown than the new Dodge Viper.

And at an estimated weight of 3,350 pounds, each of the ZR1's horses will have only 5.25 pounds of Vette to carry around. That weight-to-power ratio is closer to the Enzo (5 pounds) than the Viper (5.75 pounds). The Murcielago LP640 saddles each of its horses with almost 6.5 pounds. The ZR1's hp peak comes at 6,500 rpm. Its torque peak of 604 pound-feet comes at a low 3,800 rpm. Passing should not present a problem in the ZR1.

When it was unveiled at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, General Motors estimated that the supercharged, 6.2-liter LS9 V8 would make at least 620 hp. The company has learned a thing or two about under-promising and over-delivering. The LS9 is a strengthened version of the tried-and-true small-block pushrod design, with an Eaton TVS (four-lobe) Roots-type supercharger and twin intercooler unit crammed in the V. Maximum boost is set at 10.5 psi and all of the engine's internals have been upgraded to more robust and/or lightweight parts, including a forged steel crank, titanium connecting rods and forged aluminum pistons. It's fitted with a dry sump oil system and is mated to a stout six-speed manual through a twin-disc clutch.

In the most curious press release line we've read in some time, Chevrolet claims the ZR1 will be the most fuel-efficient 600-plus-hp car on the market today. Um, OK. Guess those upcoming CAFE standards have GM really spooked. In related news: My great grandmother won the national nursing home ultimate fighting championship.

Notably absent from the press release was any boasting about the ZR1 being able to take the production-car lap record at the Nürburgring — something GM had earlier claimed.

What this means to you: With the Viper on the chopping block and the Ford GT but a memory, the Corvette ZR1 will be the undisputed king of American sports cars. — Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit
 
  • Thread starter
  • Admin
  • #4
From the Detroit Auto News:

'09 Corvette has 638 horses, reaches 205 mph

The $100,000 ZR1 sports 6.2-liter V-8 engine and will hit dealerships this summer.

Scott Burgess / The Detroit News

The 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1's supercharged V-8 officially produces 638-horsepower, General Motors Corp. executives announced today. GM completed SAE certification of the ZR1's 6.2-liter LS9 engine and released the results at midnight.

The final tally: 638 horses and 604-pound-feet torque and blistering top speed of 205 mph.

The ZR1 will be built at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant in Kentucky, home to the regular Corvette and Z06.

The LS9 engine will be hand built at GM's Performance Build Center in Wixom.

With a 0-60 time besting the Corvette Z06's 3.7 seconds, the ZR1 enters supercar territory with its power and quickness.

Final numbers have not been released.

The engine's power comes from the four-lobe Roots-type supercharger, the first production application of it.

This premium 'Vette should cost around $100,000 and includes a carbon fiber hood, fenders and parts of the roof -- helping the supercar lose some of its weight.

GM plans to sell 2,000 ZR1s each year after they arrive in dealerships this summer.
 
Thanks Rob. I have already started to save my pennies. As much as I love my 07 Z06, I will drop it like a hot potato if I can get my hands on one of these babies.
 
638 BHP!?!??! WOW. Better then what I was guessing as well. Can not wait to see it in public.
 
In the most curious press release line we've read in some time, Chevrolet claims the ZR1 will be the most fuel-efficient 600-plus-hp car on the market today. Um, OK. Guess those upcoming CAFE standards have GM really spooked. In related news: My great grandmother won the national nursing home ultimate fighting championship.

Notably absent from the press release was any boasting about the ZR1 being able to take the production-car lap record at the Nürburgring — something GM had earlier claimed.
"My great grandmother"...hahahah

And I think the Ring's lap record was just snapped up by the new Nissan GTR. I think.

C'mon, Dodge...Bring it!
 
Has GM released the official weight of the ZR1 yet? I can't imagine the car being heavier than the Z06 by very much.
 
  • Thread starter
  • Admin
  • #9
Has GM released the official weight of the ZR1 yet? I can't imagine the car being heavier than the Z06 by very much.

3350 lbs.
 
I've read that before, but I don't know what it means. And it says "estimated weight"? My 2000 coupe weights 3180 with a blower and a half a tank of gas. With me in it it still only weights 3340. See what I'm getting at? I wish they would just tell us how heavy the car is.
 
I've read that before, but I don't know what it means. And it says "estimated weight"? My 2000 coupe weights 3180 with a blower and a half a tank of gas. With me in it it still only weights 3340. See what I'm getting at? I wish they would just tell us how heavy the car is.

I don't understand what there is not to understand?

The approximate curb side weight is 3,350 lbs. The car weighs slightly more because of the larger brakes, wheels, tires, etc.
 
I still don't see how they can claim the GTR is that fast....

So who's going to loan me $100k?

-Tatortot
 
I don't understand what there is not to understand?

The approximate curb side weight is 3,350 lbs. The car weighs slightly more because of the larger brakes, wheels, tires, etc.
I think he's questioning the use of words like "estimated" and "approximate". Weight is a definite, concrete number. Something weighs XX-lbs and that's what it weighs. The only differences should be the "wet" weight and the "dry" weight.

If you want to know your car's exact weight, feel free to bring your car to my work. Our scale is 100% accurate up to 180,000 lbs and accurate to .001% at 200,000 lbs. :cool :upthumbs
 
What does curb side weight mean? Is that with people in it? With cargo? With fuel? btw, I didn't see the artical with "curbside weight" in it, not doubting you, I just don't remember how it was worded.
 
Amazing. . . . . . . . .

All I got to say is AWESOME, just AWESOME!

Bill :beer
 
Curb weight is the weight if the car with standard options and all fluids full, including gasoline. This does not include passengers and cargo.
 
Those are big numbers. I am going to guess that with another pulley, some headers and some tuning 700 HP is not far away. You know the aftermarket will crack it and they will be tuning them to the hilt.
 
All of this is great news however my dealer tells me that the mark up will be $100 to $200 thousand dollars.;squint: Now if I had $300,000 to spend on a car, as much as I love Vettes I wouldn't spend that kind of money on a Corvette I'd by a Ferrari 599
 
Not me; even if I had the bucks I wouldn't buy foreign. Not sure what I would do with all that HP even if I could afford it.

Bill
 

Corvette Forums

Not a member of the Corvette Action Center?  Join now!  It's free!

Help support the Corvette Action Center!

Supporting Vendors

Dealers:

MacMulkin Chevrolet - The Second Largest Corvette Dealer in the Country!

Advertise with the Corvette Action Center!

Double Your Chances!

Our Partners

Back
Top Bottom