Stingray How-to: Add Z06 fender spats to a car with APR / similar aero with canards
10-16-2016, 04:47 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
Stingray How-to: Add Z06 fender spats to a car with APR / similar aero with canards
Warning: I really like how it turned out, but cutting trim is not for the faint-hearted, or someone after trophies at car shows. My primary goal was function since I have 315 tires up front, and need aero improvement and protection.
Z06 fender spats can be easily added onto a Stingray / Z51 with no aftermarket aero, but what about when you have aero? This is my take on adding these spats onto my car that has full APR Stage 3 aero kit with canards.
Take the wheel off, and start by removing the 3 T15 bolts that hold the front side of the fender (and the canard). Then remove the 7mm bolt at the bottom of the car, holding the air dam. This bolt also holds the end of the fender spat.
Cut the tab by the end of the Z06 fender spat. That tab does not fit onto Stingray fenders. Don't shorten the length of spats, just cut the tab out. I highly recommend using a blade to have clear cuts.
Cut out the outdents around the bolt holes since we need to make it flush to the aftermarket canard.
Also cut the protruding edge of the spats by the bolts. This section pushes the spat away from the APR canards, and we need to make it flush. Just 1-2mm of depth is enough. Don't do too deep, or it will cut through it. This doesn't need to be pretty, since it would be covered by the APR canard.
Let's put it in. Start by the 7 mm bolt at the from bottom by the air dam.
As you can see, the little remaining plastic by the tab we just cut will be used to secure the end using the mud flaps.
Start installing the bolts by the front canard. This is a bit hard, since the bolt length is not enough to easily secure the thread. One trick I did was to use the 7mm bolts by the bottom of the mud flaps. These have same threads, but are longer. I used those 7mm bolts up front, and used one of the fender bolts at that location, which was more than enough. You can also go to your hardware store and find bolts with same thread an a bit longer body. Once you put in one of the bolts, the plastic pieces are put much closer, so you could even use the original bolts at this point (i.e. using only the 7mm from the mudflap is enough; you can use the original bolts for the remaining two locations, once the plastic pieces are sandwiched closer by the 7mm socket bolt).
Once everything seems to fit, go ahead an pull the plastics from the adhesive strips.
OPTIONAL: You can also cut the spat from the middle bolt down, since the area is completely covered by the aftermarket canard. It would also provide more clearance.
DONE!
Z06 fender spats can be easily added onto a Stingray / Z51 with no aftermarket aero, but what about when you have aero? This is my take on adding these spats onto my car that has full APR Stage 3 aero kit with canards.
Take the wheel off, and start by removing the 3 T15 bolts that hold the front side of the fender (and the canard). Then remove the 7mm bolt at the bottom of the car, holding the air dam. This bolt also holds the end of the fender spat.
Cut the tab by the end of the Z06 fender spat. That tab does not fit onto Stingray fenders. Don't shorten the length of spats, just cut the tab out. I highly recommend using a blade to have clear cuts.
Cut out the outdents around the bolt holes since we need to make it flush to the aftermarket canard.
Also cut the protruding edge of the spats by the bolts. This section pushes the spat away from the APR canards, and we need to make it flush. Just 1-2mm of depth is enough. Don't do too deep, or it will cut through it. This doesn't need to be pretty, since it would be covered by the APR canard.
Let's put it in. Start by the 7 mm bolt at the from bottom by the air dam.
As you can see, the little remaining plastic by the tab we just cut will be used to secure the end using the mud flaps.
Start installing the bolts by the front canard. This is a bit hard, since the bolt length is not enough to easily secure the thread. One trick I did was to use the 7mm bolts by the bottom of the mud flaps. These have same threads, but are longer. I used those 7mm bolts up front, and used one of the fender bolts at that location, which was more than enough. You can also go to your hardware store and find bolts with same thread an a bit longer body. Once you put in one of the bolts, the plastic pieces are put much closer, so you could even use the original bolts at this point (i.e. using only the 7mm from the mudflap is enough; you can use the original bolts for the remaining two locations, once the plastic pieces are sandwiched closer by the 7mm socket bolt).
Once everything seems to fit, go ahead an pull the plastics from the adhesive strips.
OPTIONAL: You can also cut the spat from the middle bolt down, since the area is completely covered by the aftermarket canard. It would also provide more clearance.
DONE!
Last edited by X25; 10-17-2016 at 04:33 PM.
The following 2 users liked this post by X25:
cvp33 (11-09-2016),
robert miller (10-17-2016)
10-17-2016, 04:27 PM
#2
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Location: cookeville tennessee
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Man wish you had did this post a few months back, I would have saved a number of $$$ Plus the fit is not 100% from a vendor in here from NY and also big buck for what I really got..
10-17-2016, 04:31 PM
#3
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Thread Starter
I really like how it turned out, but I should warn you guys that cutting stuff is not for the faint-hearted, or someone after trophies at car shows. My primary goal was function since I have 315 tires up front, and need aero improvement and protection.
10-17-2016, 04:34 PM
#4
Pro
Good thread. I probably should have used a sharp edged razor, instead when I did mine I used a dremel and it melted the plastic as it cut. I got the same result, just with a couple more burns than you did.
11-09-2016, 10:54 PM
#5
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How does the car ride and drive with the coilovers on it over the stock set up. Robert
11-09-2016, 11:06 PM
#6
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From my build thread:
TL;DR: The car has been TRANSFORMED!
[The first two (older) videos below are just for reference]
The best I've ever done at this track before today was with Camaro 1LE with full Z/28 suspension, aero, wheels and Trofeo R tires at 305/30/19 square; 1:57.1. Miata closely follows at 1:57.9 (with the supercharged engine).
The best so far for C7 Z51 was admittedly not very good at 1:58.44 (at 85 degrees F), but the main problem was not heat; the suspension setup was just not right. I just could not lay the power down early enough exiting the corners, which prompted me to upgrade rears from 305s to 325s, which also prompted me to upgrade fronts from 275s to 315s for an almost square setup, which ended up completely overwhelming the FE3 suspension not to mention rubbing on all corners, but well, you know that part of the story
And today, I was able to do 1:52.9; my personal best by a mile (-4.2 seconds vs. PB with 1LE)!
There were not many cars attending, and my only competition was a race-prepped Porsche with gutted interior, Hoosiers, and 430 HP engine. I was barely faster than him in the morning. Video above is from the earlier morning session where I was catching up to him, but the gap widened as I got accustomed to the new-found traction and improved suspension setup.
Data
Impressions
[The first two (older) videos below are just for reference]
The best I've ever done at this track before today was with Camaro 1LE with full Z/28 suspension, aero, wheels and Trofeo R tires at 305/30/19 square; 1:57.1. Miata closely follows at 1:57.9 (with the supercharged engine).
The best so far for C7 Z51 was admittedly not very good at 1:58.44 (at 85 degrees F), but the main problem was not heat; the suspension setup was just not right. I just could not lay the power down early enough exiting the corners, which prompted me to upgrade rears from 305s to 325s, which also prompted me to upgrade fronts from 275s to 315s for an almost square setup, which ended up completely overwhelming the FE3 suspension not to mention rubbing on all corners, but well, you know that part of the story
And today, I was able to do 1:52.9; my personal best by a mile (-4.2 seconds vs. PB with 1LE)!
There were not many cars attending, and my only competition was a race-prepped Porsche with gutted interior, Hoosiers, and 430 HP engine. I was barely faster than him in the morning. Video above is from the earlier morning session where I was catching up to him, but the gap widened as I got accustomed to the new-found traction and improved suspension setup.
Data
- Previous best time with C7 Z51: 1:58.44
- Max Speed (GPS): 110.1 MPH
- Avg RPM: 4599
- Avg throttle: 52%
- Avg coolant temp: 216 degrees F
- Avg intake temp: 96 degrees F
- New best time with C7 Z51: 1:52.93
- Max Speed (GPS): 115.9 MPH
- Avg RPM: 4840
- Avg throttle: 56%
- Avg coolant temp: 213 degrees F
- Avg intake temp: 70 degrees F
Impressions
- Car feels smaller now: The car immediately felt very different from the last time. Keep in mind, I tried the car with these tires at the Ridge Motorsports Park with FE3 suspension, so the difference is not just caused by tires. The front bite and turn-in is so much improved, that I actually over-turned into corners in my first few laps, suddenly finding myself being forced to 'open up' the wheel to correct my course. The same happened in brake zones, too. I've actually seen the improved braking of these tires with FE3 suspension as well, but was not able to capitalize on it since there was too much lean when I tried to trail-brake into the turns.
- Colder day, more power: Since it was a much colder day, the engine must have had more power, but this is an NA engine, the difference won't be too much in my opinion. I compared the front straight trap speeds, and most of the gains are from braking late, and starting the straight 1-2 MPH faster. I am not sure about exact impact of temp differences on lap times. That said, we should also note that these tires would likely work better if it was about 20 degrees warmer today, so you get some, and you give some
- More throttle FTW: Look at the average throttle position: 56% vs. 52%! This means, I was able to get away with more throttle throughout the whole track! This is also reflected in the average RPMs. Besides suspension, 325s also make a difference here.
- Almost no rub: The fronts did not rub at all! There was only slight rub at right rear (which is actually the one with the least pre-load), which only seems to happen when I hit the bank at T11.
- Balance: The car felt pretty balanced, so I can say that stiffer front setting of LG sways seem to work very well for square(ish) setups. I was also able to rotate the rear of the car without having to deal with any snap-oversteer, but honestly C7s are always much better behaving than C6s to start with.
- My driving: I will have to re-adjust to the car now that I have much more front bite in turns, can brake later, and put the power down earlier. It has been a challenge to keep up with the changes As such, I'm hoping I will get to improve times more in time. As an example, right after that best lap, I had another lap where the lap timer showed -0.9 up until turn 12, where I overshot it seeing the current lap time (American greed). If I didn't screw it up, I was perhaps talking about a 1:51.9 lap time, which would be even more amazing!
- Conclusion: I am in love with the current setup! The suspension seems to work very well, and I actually can't wait to try it at RMP and see what I can do. The suspension gives me a lot more confidence now, and its feedback also seem to be less delayed, making it easier to push it more. I think this also validates that one can come up with a very competent setup starting with Z51, in comparison to GS Z07, with significantly lower cost. Dare I say it, I think this setup would win over with lower air drag, lower mass, more front bite, and a non-compromised suspension with no cross-talk.
11-15-2016, 04:09 PM
#8
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Thread Starter
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ack-build.html
I got them on eBay for $159 shipped (pair). The seller is actually TrunkMonkeyParts, which is a forum vendor. Looks like their pricing went up a tiny bit.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/161544913520
04-29-2017, 08:15 PM
#9
Above are images of another forum member who installed the wheels spats on his stingray. I noticed you trimmed the wheel spats to be flush and attached them behind the canards. The Z06 has the wheel spats in front of the canards/winglets. I'm just curious to why you put them behind the canards instead of in front of them? Is it because of your AERO pack? I do not have an aero pack, will I stil have to do any trimming? Also, your car is bada**. I'm looking to install the spats next week.....
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.
04-30-2017, 04:56 AM
#10
Sr.Random input generator
Thread Starter
Thanks for bringing this up. This was also brought up in my build thread:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1593912240
In short, if you buy the Z06 style canards from APR, you can achieve what you want : )
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1593912240
In short, if you buy the Z06 style canards from APR, you can achieve what you want : )
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C6ReadySetGo (08-31-2020)
07-27-2019, 03:21 AM
#13
Thanks for this write up -- I should be getting my flares in a few days and the photos in your write up have disappeared. Would very much appreciate if you can repost them. Thanks!!
07-27-2019, 10:53 PM
#14
Sr.Random input generator
Thread Starter
Well I looked, and looks like those pics are deleted forever (I think one of my daughters have deleted one of my archive albums). Sorry!
08-23-2020, 12:43 AM
#15
2020 Update - Cannot See Photos
Warning: I really like how it turned out, but cutting trim is not for the faint-hearted, or someone after trophies at car shows. My primary goal was function since I have 315 tires up front, and need aero improvement and protection.
Z06 fender spats can be easily added onto a Stingray / Z51 with no aftermarket aero, but what about when you have aero? This is my take on adding these spats onto my car that has full APR Stage 3 aero kit with canards.
Take the wheel off, and start by removing the 3 T15 bolts that hold the front side of the fender (and the canard). Then remove the 7mm bolt at the bottom of the car, holding the air dam. This bolt also holds the end of the fender spat.
Cut the tab by the end of the Z06 fender spat. That tab does not fit onto Stingray fenders. Don't shorten the length of spats, just cut the tab out. I highly recommend using a blade to have clear cuts.
Cut out the outdents around the bolt holes since we need to make it flush to the aftermarket canard.
Also cut the protruding edge of the spats by the bolts. This section pushes the spat away from the APR canards, and we need to make it flush. Just 1-2mm of depth is enough. Don't do too deep, or it will cut through it. This doesn't need to be pretty, since it would be covered by the APR canard.
Let's put it in. Start by the 7 mm bolt at the from bottom by the air dam.
As you can see, the little remaining plastic by the tab we just cut will be used to secure the end using the mud flaps.
Start installing the bolts by the front canard. This is a bit hard, since the bolt length is not enough to easily secure the thread. One trick I did was to use the 7mm bolts by the bottom of the mud flaps. These have same threads, but are longer. I used those 7mm bolts up front, and used one of the fender bolts at that location, which was more than enough. You can also go to your hardware store and find bolts with same thread an a bit longer body. Once you put in one of the bolts, the plastic pieces are put much closer, so you could even use the original bolts at this point (i.e. using only the 7mm from the mudflap is enough; you can use the original bolts for the remaining two locations, once the plastic pieces are sandwiched closer by the 7mm socket bolt).
Once everything seems to fit, go ahead an pull the plastics from the adhesive strips.
OPTIONAL: You can also cut the spat from the middle bolt down, since the area is completely covered by the aftermarket canard. It would also provide more clearance.
DONE!
Z06 fender spats can be easily added onto a Stingray / Z51 with no aftermarket aero, but what about when you have aero? This is my take on adding these spats onto my car that has full APR Stage 3 aero kit with canards.
Take the wheel off, and start by removing the 3 T15 bolts that hold the front side of the fender (and the canard). Then remove the 7mm bolt at the bottom of the car, holding the air dam. This bolt also holds the end of the fender spat.
Cut the tab by the end of the Z06 fender spat. That tab does not fit onto Stingray fenders. Don't shorten the length of spats, just cut the tab out. I highly recommend using a blade to have clear cuts.
Cut out the outdents around the bolt holes since we need to make it flush to the aftermarket canard.
Also cut the protruding edge of the spats by the bolts. This section pushes the spat away from the APR canards, and we need to make it flush. Just 1-2mm of depth is enough. Don't do too deep, or it will cut through it. This doesn't need to be pretty, since it would be covered by the APR canard.
Let's put it in. Start by the 7 mm bolt at the from bottom by the air dam.
As you can see, the little remaining plastic by the tab we just cut will be used to secure the end using the mud flaps.
Start installing the bolts by the front canard. This is a bit hard, since the bolt length is not enough to easily secure the thread. One trick I did was to use the 7mm bolts by the bottom of the mud flaps. These have same threads, but are longer. I used those 7mm bolts up front, and used one of the fender bolts at that location, which was more than enough. You can also go to your hardware store and find bolts with same thread an a bit longer body. Once you put in one of the bolts, the plastic pieces are put much closer, so you could even use the original bolts at this point (i.e. using only the 7mm from the mudflap is enough; you can use the original bolts for the remaining two locations, once the plastic pieces are sandwiched closer by the 7mm socket bolt).
Once everything seems to fit, go ahead an pull the plastics from the adhesive strips.
OPTIONAL: You can also cut the spat from the middle bolt down, since the area is completely covered by the aftermarket canard. It would also provide more clearance.
DONE!
I just recently was able to get Z06 fender flares locally as the individual upgrades from the factory ones to carbon ones.
I am looking to do the install and was looking at this post . . . unfortunately the photos are not loading (for me at least).
Any chance we can have them re-uploaded or sent to me before I mess things up?
Regards,
Harvy
08-24-2020, 09:59 AM
#16
Pro
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Location: Orlando, Florida
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Finalist 2020 C7 of the Year -- Modified
I bought pre trimmed specifically to fit a Stingray, but even then I had to cut 1 tab off of the front bottom area.
i would just start trying to line it up and get trimming.
but... I hope they’re nice in carbon flash! And not the plastic finish 👍
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C6ReadySetGo (08-31-2020)
07-06-2021, 04:24 PM
#17
Love these ! Where did you find them pre trimmed? I can't seem to find any carbon flash or pre trimmed for the Z51. Thanks in advance.
07-06-2021, 04:51 PM
#18
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Finalist 2020 C7 of the Year -- Modified
I had them smoothed and painted carbon flash.
I ordered them from the website wrapped in carbon flash vinyl, but it was the worst vinyl, colour and wrapping I’ve ever seen
Last edited by 2019Vette; 07-06-2021 at 04:51 PM.
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C6ReadySetGo (07-06-2021)
