Six of the Z06’s Hottest Features
01-26-2015, 12:53 PM
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Six of the Z06’s Hottest Features
To get a better understanding of exactly what gives the Z06 its edge, we solicited some seat time with Chris Barber, one of only 33 people in all of GM authorized to test anything the company takes on the track.
Read the rest on the Corvette Forum homepage. >>
01-26-2015, 03:45 PM
#2
Melting Slicks
All very interesting.
I guess Brembo and Bosch will be making everyone's brakes and software soon. Kind of sad, in a way. Too bad even one of the world's biggest makers cannot do this in-house. You do wonder how much of this information migrates from brand-to-brand....
I am sure we will never really know, but I'd sure like to see GM's comprehensive Cd, downforce, and rolling friction numbers at various speeds to see how this car does what it does. Also, I would like to see track speeds of identical cars with both sets of tires, the SSs and the Cup 2s, to see how much improvement is from the tires alone.
I guess Brembo and Bosch will be making everyone's brakes and software soon. Kind of sad, in a way. Too bad even one of the world's biggest makers cannot do this in-house. You do wonder how much of this information migrates from brand-to-brand....
I am sure we will never really know, but I'd sure like to see GM's comprehensive Cd, downforce, and rolling friction numbers at various speeds to see how this car does what it does. Also, I would like to see track speeds of identical cars with both sets of tires, the SSs and the Cup 2s, to see how much improvement is from the tires alone.
01-26-2015, 06:04 PM
#4
01-26-2015, 07:55 PM
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St. Jude Donor '14-'15
Aero and tires are a big part of this, barring the other upgrades.
You can never have enough tread or too good of a compound, and a good amount of downforce on the rear is always appreciated. We're fortunate to have the technology behind us on the Z51/MRC and be able to add the braking options, etc. The hard (very hard at the moment) part is getting more rubber under the arches without switching over to the Z06 flares, which requires a dozen (expensive) parts. We're lucky to have so many options for the Z51 with regard to quality aero upgrades, thanks to the very active aftermarket vendors here.
There's no denying this Z06 is an awesome car, but we've also proven how (sorry to re-use this here) awesome the platform, itself, is from the Z51 level built all the way up to monstrous power levels (far greater than my own).
I have my own nits to pick with the design, etc. but there's no denying the absolute bang-for-the-buck factor here for a factory-delivered vehicle, especially in the age of "just give it more horsepower and people will buy it" - there's a lot of careful thought placed into this that goes past a power-plant change.
You can never have enough tread or too good of a compound, and a good amount of downforce on the rear is always appreciated. We're fortunate to have the technology behind us on the Z51/MRC and be able to add the braking options, etc. The hard (very hard at the moment) part is getting more rubber under the arches without switching over to the Z06 flares, which requires a dozen (expensive) parts. We're lucky to have so many options for the Z51 with regard to quality aero upgrades, thanks to the very active aftermarket vendors here.
There's no denying this Z06 is an awesome car, but we've also proven how (sorry to re-use this here) awesome the platform, itself, is from the Z51 level built all the way up to monstrous power levels (far greater than my own).
I have my own nits to pick with the design, etc. but there's no denying the absolute bang-for-the-buck factor here for a factory-delivered vehicle, especially in the age of "just give it more horsepower and people will buy it" - there's a lot of careful thought placed into this that goes past a power-plant change.
01-28-2015, 10:06 AM
#6
Too much going on, with the body of the Z06 for me. Just a few too many cooler ducts that are less than integrated into the body.
I also think a roots based charger in a track oriented car is just not a good match. You would never see a roots based charger going into any track car. Look at it's competition Camaro Z28, Porsche GT3 are all NA high revving motors.
Car and Driver heat soaked the motor in 4 laps, they should have known this from their past experience with the ZR1.
I also think a roots based charger in a track oriented car is just not a good match. You would never see a roots based charger going into any track car. Look at it's competition Camaro Z28, Porsche GT3 are all NA high revving motors.
Car and Driver heat soaked the motor in 4 laps, they should have known this from their past experience with the ZR1.
01-29-2015, 09:08 AM
#7
Turn 12!
01-29-2015, 09:42 AM
#8
Too much going on, with the body of the Z06 for me. Just a few too many cooler ducts that are less than integrated into the body.
I also think a roots based charger in a track oriented car is just not a good match. You would never see a roots based charger going into any track car. Look at it's competition Camaro Z28, Porsche GT3 are all NA high revving motors.
Car and Driver heat soaked the motor in 4 laps, they should have known this from their past experience with the ZR1.
I also think a roots based charger in a track oriented car is just not a good match. You would never see a roots based charger going into any track car. Look at it's competition Camaro Z28, Porsche GT3 are all NA high revving motors.
Car and Driver heat soaked the motor in 4 laps, they should have known this from their past experience with the ZR1.
01-31-2015, 09:26 AM
#10
There is no denying that you in an ideal world you wouldn't build a race motor with a roots based supercharger. It just isn't the best option for consistent lap times, too much heat.
I would have preferred a NA motor like the previous Z06.
I would have preferred a NA motor like the previous Z06.
