Can a Corvette really be a Corvette if it can't do Corvette things? This is what many are asking about the all new 2024 Chevrolet C8 Corvette E-Ray, with its hybrid set up with a 6.2-liter V-8 powering the rear tires and a hybrid electric motor with 1.9 KwH battery powering the front wheels. Together, this package comes together to make 655 horsepower and gives the Corvette all-wheel drive, but a key question enthusiasts are still asking remains - can it do a burnout?
The E-Ray Can Lit Up Tires, But Not Easily
The short answer is yes, the E-Ray can do a burnout. However, much like Z06 owners have learned, it's not the easiest thing in the world to do and takes a bit of finesse. In order to shred the tires and smoke out the track in an E-Ray you must follow the following procedure. First you must disable traction control, then pull and hold both steering wheel shift paddles, then apply moderate pressure to the brake pedal while simultaneously flooring the accelerator. Once the rumbling V-8 stabilizes at 5,000 RPM, release both shift paddles while maintaining the brake pedal pressure and keeping the accelerator pinned to the floor. If all this is done correctly the front should slowly make its way up the track while the rear shreds the tires. The key here is the brake pedal - too little pressure and the electric motor will engage, giving the Corvette its all-wheel drive back. Too much pressure and the computer will disconnect the eight speed dual-clutch transmission from the engine to protect vital components. Even then with all the weight over the rear wheels, it's only a matter of time until the Corvette gains traction and rockets down the track.
Why So Complicated?
Corvette chief engineer Josh Holder told MotorTrend all the way back in 2020 when developing the Stingray, the team at Chevy debated adding a line-lock system to apply the front brakes, resulting in better burnouts. The team, however, did not factor in the Corvette's Michelin Pilot Sport 4S ZP summer tires which generated so much grip that they pushed the car forward, even with both front wheels fully locked. Even when engineers tried putting the electric motor in reverse, between the power being put out by the 6.2-liter V-8 and the grip from the Michelins, the front tires still found a way to slide down the pavement rather than lock into place. That being said, if you watch the above video from Car and Driver, you'll see a professional driver take the E-Ray and do burnouts, drifts, and even brake stands, it may just take a little more finesse than people are used to. At the end of the day the C8 is a mid-engine monster, not the template for a burnout machine like its front engine, rear-wheel drive ancestors that came before it.