Air dam scraping
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: La Mesa CA
Air dam scraping
I just purchased my first Vette -- an 07 Vert. I want to drop it a little bit -- maybe an inch. Problem is I already scrape when backing out of my steep driveway -- not too bad, but audible. The air dam seems pretty flexible, but I don't want to invest the time and money lowering the car and not be able to get out of my driveway without damaging the car. Does anyone have any advice?
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,023
Likes: 266
From: San Jose California
Scraping the thing won't it even if you lower the car. The air dam is made of some really tough stuff. Seriously. And even if you did manage to hurt it, the cost of replacing the pieces is very low.
If the scraping noise bugs you then you can clip about an inch off of the bottom of the center dam piece which will eliminate the scraping in most cases. Doing so will NOT hurt the cooling or aerodynamics (you aren't regularly doing 125+ are you?
) Several folks here have done this. We did it on my wife's low 2007 vert with no resulting issues whatsoever. Just remember that the (non-Z06) C6 radiator gets fed from underneath and the air dam is part of that system, so you want to keep some of the dam in place.
Z//
If the scraping noise bugs you then you can clip about an inch off of the bottom of the center dam piece which will eliminate the scraping in most cases. Doing so will NOT hurt the cooling or aerodynamics (you aren't regularly doing 125+ are you?
) Several folks here have done this. We did it on my wife's low 2007 vert with no resulting issues whatsoever. Just remember that the (non-Z06) C6 radiator gets fed from underneath and the air dam is part of that system, so you want to keep some of the dam in place.Z//
Last edited by Zoxxo; Sep 13, 2010 at 01:08 PM.
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: La Mesa CA
Thanks. That's what the guy who wants to do the work told me. He says that to get an inch lower, I will need to cut bushings at all 4 corners which he says is not a problem. His quote is $450 for the lowering plus $180 for the alignment. I know the alignment $$ seems high, but he professes to be the best in San Diego. Anybody out there have an opinion?
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
and also just remember that the air dam is a type of early warning that you're getting close, close to potentially doing damage to the radiator supports. look under the front end, those two black painted things are your rad supports. hit that hard enough and it might give a good enough jolt to break them and the radiator itself. just know what you're in for....
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,023
Likes: 266
From: San Jose California
That's insane. No way should you cough up $450 for cranking four bolts. Nope. Find someone else who knows how to do it. My guys here will do all four corners for $50. Yeesh.
That doesn't seem high. A *GOOD* alignment costs some money and is worth it. I'm not sure I'd be expecting much from the guy who charges $112/corner for turning lowering bolts, though (
)
Z//
plus $180 for the alignment. I know the alignment $$ seems high, but he professes to be the best in San Diego. Anybody out there have an opinion?
)Z//
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 940
Likes: 1
From: Long Island NY
That lowering price is insane. Besides that, I cut about 3/4" off all 3 pieces of my air dam with no negative side effects, only positive. Have no fear about trimming it a little, it'll be fine.
SUBVETTE
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,841
Likes: 93
From: San Diego CA
Mine is lowered about an inch or so and scrapes a lot, but I installed a pair of skid wheels from West Coast Corvettes to prevent the rest of the lower bumper fascia from scraping and they work great. I'd see someone else about the fee for lowering. In the San Diego area I'd take it over to Kushan at Excelsior Motor Sports, who does everything Corvette, and lowered and aligned mine. He is a true pro with Vettes.
excelsiormotorsports.com or 858-565-8000.
excelsiormotorsports.com or 858-565-8000.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 4,161
Likes: 12
From: San Diego CA
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
