V8 · supercharged
V8
Corvette Z06 sound
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4 more Chevrolet Corvette Z06 sounds and Drive mode are in the free app.
Unlock all sounds freeThe C7 Corvette Z06 sounds deep, loud and slightly mechanical: a lumpy cross-plane V8 burble at idle that turns into a heavy, booming wall of noise under load, with supercharger whine layered on top. Its 6.2-liter LT4 pushrod V8 makes 650 hp, and the recordings below from the Car Sounds app cover the start, idle, revs and drive.
What to listen for
- Start: a loud flare on crank-up as the exhaust valves let the big V8 bark before settling.
- Idle: the uneven, heavy lope of a 6.2-liter cross-plane V8, low enough to feel through the floor.
- Revs: supercharger whine rising in pitch alongside the exhaust as the engine climbs.
- Drive: the deep boom under load and the whine riding over it between gear changes.
Pushrods, cross-plane crank, big displacement
The LT4 is a small-block V8 in the classic GM mold: a single camshaft in the block, pushrods, and two valves per cylinder. Its cross-plane crank fires each bank unevenly, which gives the Z06 the same off-beat lope as other Corvettes at idle.
What sets it apart is size. With 6.2 liters spread over eight cylinders, each combustion event is large, so the exhaust pulses carry a lot of low-frequency energy. That is why the Z06 sounds so heavy at low rpm and why you can feel the idle as much as hear it.
Where the whine comes from
The LT4 is supercharged by an Eaton R1740 TVS unit mounted in the valley between the cylinder banks. Its rotors spin faster as engine speed rises, so the whine climbs in pitch along with the revs and is easiest to hear on light throttle, when the exhaust is quieter.
Forced induction also changes the intake side of the sound. Instead of the open gulp of a naturally aspirated V8, you get a muted intake and a steady mechanical whir, with the exhaust doing most of the talking. The Z06's valved dual-mode exhaust opens up under load, which is when the car sounds its loudest.
C7 Z06 vs. C8 Z06
These two share a name but sound nothing alike. The C8 Z06 uses the LT6, a naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 with dual overhead cams, a flat-plane crank and an 8,600 rpm redline, so it screams high and raspy. The C7 Z06 is the opposite: lower revving, supercharged and cross-plane, with a deep, thumping burble. If the clip you hear sounds like classic Corvette thunder with a whine on top, that is the C7.
Frequently asked questions
Is the C7 Corvette Z06 supercharged?
Yes. The C7 Z06's 6.2-liter LT4 V8 uses an Eaton R1740 TVS supercharger and makes 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque.
Does the C8 Z06 sound like the C7 Z06?
No. The C8 Z06's naturally aspirated, flat-plane 5.5-liter LT6 revs to 8,600 rpm and sounds high and raspy, while the supercharged cross-plane C7 Z06 has a deep burble with supercharger whine.
What causes the whine in a Corvette Z06?
On the C7 Z06, the whine comes from the supercharger's rotors, which turn faster as engine speed rises, so the pitch climbs with the revs.
