Be Careful When Driving Your C6 Corvette Over 150 MPH
Yes, I know what you’re thinking: “What a moronic headline.” I won’t disagree with you. But I’m here to tell you that besides being careful all of the time, you should be extra careful when driving your C6 Corvette at speeds over the magical 150 mph milestone.
According to several Corvette Forum members, the C6 Corvette suffers from a little more aero lift than some of its brethren. If you don’t know what aero lift is, I’ll explain: besides the mechanical goodies your Corvette employs to stay on the road at legal speeds, aerodynamics take over that role at speeds over, say, 80 mph. At 80 mph and higher, all your Corvette does is punch a big hole in the air. Because air doesn’t like to be punched, it fights back, and it typically finds its way underneath your C6.
When air gets underneath your C6, it acts as an invisible force that actually lifts or pushes the car up (or off) the ground. That, my friends, is aero lift. As you can imagine, it’s not a pretty feeling when you’re hauling butt down the track at triple-digit speeds.
Various forum members have expressed their concerns over excessive aero lift in C6 Corvettes, which has prompted most regular track-day participants to install several aero fixtures to reduce such symptoms at high speeds. Some of these fixtures are typically replacement bumpers, hoods, splitters, wings, etc. While some of them are “bolt-on,” others replace entire body sections.
As with most things, opinions abound on whether this is true. So we’re curious; have you ever experienced excessive aero lift in your C6 Corvette, or any ‘Vette for that matter?
Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>
Photos via [Corvette Forum]
