We recently completed our track testing of the redesigned Chevrolet Corvette Stingray LT3 and the Porsche 9ll Carrera S, two high-tech sports cars with distinctively different pedigrees and personalities. While we weren’t surprised that both delivered stellar overall performances, what really blew us away were how good they were at bringing everything to a halt. They are so good at this task that both cars redefined stopping performance on dry pavement at Consumer Reports Auto Test Center.
In fact, no other car has ever stopped shorter than the Corvette, which needed only 107 feet to come down from 60 mph. The 911 is equally impressive, stopping at a nearly identical 108 feet. To put that in perspective, the Chevrolet Cruze—a typical mainstream car—takes 130 feet. So, that sedan tales about one and half Cruze car lengths longer than the Corvette to stop. And when the ‘Vette has stopped completely, the Cruze is still traveling at 25 mph.
Of course, good braking requires great tire grip. The Corvette comes with Michelin Pilot Super Sport, the Porsche has Pirelli P Zero’s—both original equipment versions of our top-rated ultra-high performance summer tires. Impressive grip does come with some limitations, as these summer tires only work well in temperate weather.
Try stopping one of these sports cars in near-freezing conditions, and you might just take back that Cruze. If you are a proud owner of either a new Corvette or 911, and live anywhere but the deep south, you might want to consider parking it in the winter. We strongly recommend that you at least install a set of winter performance tires if you plan on driving it in cold wintry weather. Perhaps the better compromise for most, bridging dry and wet grip with some snow traction capability, would be ultra-high performance all-season tires—a great choice if you want to drive your sports cars on mostly cleared roads in the cold winter climates. (Read: "Beware That Some Performance Tires Can Crack in the Cold.")
Maybe some day all cars will stop as well the ‘Vette and 911. For now, these braking champs set the benchmark.
—Gene Petersen
Full road test videos are available on the model pages.
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