(C8 Corvette) Callaway to the rescue?

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*89x2*
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(C8 Corvette) Callaway to the rescue?

Post by *89x2* »

Interesting story... :thumbs

Callaway May Be Enthusiasts’ Only Hope In Cracking the C8 Corvette ECU

By Patrick Morgan - July 15, 2021

The C8 Corvette ECU seems impenetrable. This has created headaches for tuners, but one might be handed the keys by GM.
There’s a pretty regularly occurring timeline between a vehicle release, and tuners making announcements of record-breaking horsepower. For cars from GM, companies like Lingenfelter and Callaway have a vehicle for less than a month, and already pump out impressive numbers. But this hasn’t happened yet with the C8.

While the pandemic hasn’t done the industry any good, it wasn’t the main reason behind this code-cracking conundrum. Instead, the delay in power adders is due to GM’s “Global B architecture.” GM Authority says you can think of it as the main nervous system in a car. In more modern cars, this means collision avoidance systems are now central to the car’s wiring, rather than just add ons.

So what does that have to do with the C8? Well, the C8 shares this system with the likes of the Cadillac CT4 and CT5. No Big deal. But the reason behind the Global B architecture is to keep all those safety and driver assistant systems connected, and unwanted interference out. That unwanted interference? Hackers.

The fear of a hacker getting into a car’s systems and taking over is a very real thing. And we’re sure the lawyers took a very hard look at the situation and came to the conclusion that everything must be under lock and key.

Tadge Juechter, Corvette’s Executive Chief Engineer, explained the dilemma to Muscle Cars & Trucks. He says, “we want to make sure we’re putting enough firewalls in that we protect our customers every way we can. Unfortunately, that has the side effect of making that hurdle greater for the aftermarket.” Some enthusiast may have felt GM was finally putting a stop to emissions cheating.

While clean air is extremely important, it turns out the locks are in place to prevent a safety issue. It does leave an important question though. Regardless of modifying the ECU tune, what happens for the at-home or independent mechanic? Will they be provided access for the task of simply trying to fix an ECU issue? If they can’t dive into it and find a fix, then the car is essentially bricked until it goes back to GM for repair.

Callaway to the rescue?
Juechter explicitly says, “We’re not going to go give everybody keys to the backdoor into our modules to do whatever they want. We think the best will figure it out.” But this is where Callaway steps in. Callaway builds have been factory-backed for eons, and they supply GM with warranty info. Because of this, Callaway will be the only tuner selected by GM to get assistance. The assistance wasn’t clearly pointed out, but Juechter added, “That’s probably a tough pill for some folks but we have to keep a reasonable workload for us.” After all, if GM is going to warranty Callaway builds, it will have to share some of its secrets.

We’re eagerly awaiting your next move, Reeves.
490CR1
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Re: (C8 Corvette) Callaway to the rescue?

Post by 490CR1 »

Wow, super awesome news for Callaway!!!
1990 CR-1 #9 Callaway SuperNatural 490 Aerobody Viper Blue
1990 CR-1 #10 Callaway SuperNatural 490 Aerobody Guards Red
1993 Callaway SuperNatural 400 Convertible Aerobody
1994 ZR-1 Admiral Blue #64
1994 ZR-1 Admiral Blue #137
1972 White Convertible
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BIGJOHN
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Re: (C8 Corvette) Callaway to the rescue?

Post by BIGJOHN »

Shenanigans

:joker
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