As you’re well aware, multiple tuners are currently making the most of the LT2 small-block V8 engine's potential. Exclusive to the C8 Corvette for the time being, the 6.2-liter blunderbuss promises as much as 1,200 horsepower from Hennessey Performance Engineering thanks to a few upgrades and a couple of snails.
Such a ludicrous upgrade over 490 and 495 horsepower for the Stingray and Stingray Z51 also means that the drivetrain needs to be strengthened. This is the cue for Cicio Performance and the Level 6 bolt-in rear axles, developed to withstand 1,500 horsepower or even wilder builds. The larger center bar, bolt-on billet flange, and “proprietary material” for the outer stub are only a few of the highlights.
“These axles are complete and ready to install” according to Cicio Performance. The upgrade costs $1,997.98 for both axles, and Level 6 is the highest level available for the time being. Also important to mention, whatever tuning shop you fancy needs to strengthen the dual-clutch transmission of the C8 Corvette too.
TR-9080 is how Tremec calls the eight-speed DCT, and according to the specifications sheet, what General Motors refers to as the M1L is able to withstand 590 pound-feet (800 Nm) of torque without blowing up, spitting its cogs onto the blacktop. Even more curiously, the RPMs can’t go higher than 7,500 revolutions per minute.
“Wait, doesn’t the LT6 flat-plane crankshaft V8 in the Z06 spin faster than that?” Considering that the Voodoo V8 of the Shelby GT350 and GT350R redlines at 8,250 revs, there’s no denying Tremec and General Motors are strengthening the eight-speed transmission for the upcoming application as well as subsequent models.
Heaven knows when it will roll out and if it will ever happen, but a twin-turbo V8 and an electrified front axle are also expected for the eighth generation of the Corvette. Rumored with close to 1,000 horsepower on deck, the range-topping model has the makings of a hypercar, not an American sports car with supercar-obliterating capabilities.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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