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Use This Secret Code To Disable the AWD in Your Corvette E-Ray for Smoky Burnouts

Arguably one of the hottest cars of the moment, the new Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray has broken another boundary for a ‘Vette by becoming a weather-proof machine with all-wheel drive. This adds up to the mid-engine design of the C8, which is the first in history to have this layout, and it all sounds good, until you start thinking about doing some burnouts, because you can’t, or can you?
Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray 10 photos
Photo: Chevrolet
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Following the usual steps will get you nowhere, because the ICE powers the rear wheels, and the electric motor drives the front ones. But there is a way to overcome this system, and it does require a lot of practice. What’s the perfect recipe for burning some rear-wheel rubber on the hybrid Corvette? The answer came from the model’s chief engineer, Josh Holder, who recently spoke to MotorTrend about the smoky stuff.

First of all, drivers need to disengage the stability control and traction control systems. Subsequently, they will have to pull on both steering wheel paddle shifters, apply moderate pressure to the brake pedal with their left foot, and pin the throttle to the floor. When the V8 stabilizes at roughly 5,000 rpm, release both paddle shifters while maintaining pressure on the brake pedal, and the rear tires will spin furiously, while the car will slightly drive forward.

As long as you will find that sweet spot for the left pedal, the electric motor won’t send any thrust to the front wheels. Push it too much, and the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission will be disconnected in order to protect the components. Not enough pressure on it will activate the motor, and the hybrid Corvette will rocket forward. Thus, as we already told you, you will need a lot of practice to do burnouts in the E-Ray, which won’t be as smoky, nor as exciting, as those of the previous-generation Corvette. But at least it is doable, and that is all that matters, isn’t it?

If you forgot about the power numbers, then we will remind you that the Corvette E-Ray, which can be ordered as a coupe or convertible, has a combined 655 hp (664 ps/489 kW), 495 hp (502 ps/359 kW) produced by the 6.2-liter V8 shared with the Stingray, and another 160 hp (162 ps/120 kW) generated by the electric motor. With 2.5 seconds needed to sprint to 60 mph (97 kph) from rest, this is the fastest production Corvette out there. It is one tenth of a second quicker than the new Z06, and the same goes for the quarter-mile time too, which is rated at 10.5 seconds. The hybrid variant undercuts the Z06 by roughly $1,000, as it carries an MSRP of $104,295. The base Stingray kicks off at $64,500, excluding destination.
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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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