While some customers have been lucky enough to pick up their 2020 Chevrolet Corvettes over recent days, proud owners shouldn’t push the supercar to its limits right out of the box.
The C8 Corvette, just like many other cars, includes a recommended break-in period. For the first 500 miles (804 km), owners are advised to avoid pedal-to-the-floor launches, cruise control, aggressive downshifting, hard stops, driving at one constant speed for extended periods, and the car should be kept below 4,000 rpm. Owners are encouraged to be particularly gentle during the first 200 miles (321 km) and to also avoid hard cornering and braking.
To remind owners to take things easy, Chevrolet has employed a neat trick to the gauge cluster where the redline is reduced to 4,500 rpm. As this video shows, once the car ticks past 500 miles, the tachometer changes and the redline rises to 6,500 rpm.
Also Watch: 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Hits 60 In 2.8 Sec And Does 11.1 Sec Quarter-Mile
Will this prevent C8 owners from pinning the throttle while leaving the dealership? Probably not, as we’ve already seen a couple of delivery videos that show the car can rev out to 6,500 rpm straight out of the box (see the second video), despite the 4,500 rpm redline indicated on the instrument cluster.
Powering the new Corvette is, of course, a 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine with a cool 495 hp and 470 lb-ft (637 Nm) of torque when the performance exhaust system is fitted. Independent testing has shown the car can hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in as little as 2.8 seconds and rocket down the quarter-mile in 11.1 seconds at 123.2 mph (198.2 km/h).