tunnel plate
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,656
Likes: 112
From: ocean springs mississippi
tunnel plate
want opinions on the benefits of thicker/insulated tunnel plates....anyone have thoughts/first hand expirience with them? did it make a differance? worth the $ ?
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 6
From: Los Alamitos California
St. Jude Donor '09
San
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,656
Likes: 112
From: ocean springs mississippi
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,192
Likes: 130
From: Senoia Ga
tunnel plate
I installed the tunnel insulated plate and the car seems to feel more sturdy or stiffer what ever your preference. It was easy although I have a lift. You do NOT have to remove the entire exhaust system to do it.
I also did it to reduce the interior heat which I think helped.
However, I also installed insulation on the entire car about the same time.
I also did it to reduce the interior heat which I think helped.
However, I also installed insulation on the entire car about the same time.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,656
Likes: 112
From: ocean springs mississippi
I installed the tunnel insulated plate and the car seems to feel more sturdy or stiffer what ever your preference. It was easy although I have a lift. You do NOT have to remove the entire exhaust system to do it.
I also did it to reduce the interior heat which I think helped.
However, I also installed insulation on the entire car about the same time.
I also did it to reduce the interior heat which I think helped.
However, I also installed insulation on the entire car about the same time.
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Melting Slicks
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From: merritt island fl
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Le Mans Master
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From: Midwest
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 16,557
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From: Peoria/Phoenix AZ
C6 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
A quick, but not necessarily scientifically precise test would be as follows.
Put four pucks in place at the standard locations.
Jack up the car at one location until both wheels of that side were off the ground.
Measure and record the distance from all 4 pucks to the ground.
Remove the stock plate, replace with the thicker one, and repeat the above with the jacking puck at the same height.
The difference of the other 3 pucks, if any, will tell roughly if the torsional stiffness has changed.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,049
Likes: 0
From: Texas
I went ahead and had one installed when my headers went on. I questioned the benefit as well, but I can tell you that driving through my parking garage is better now. The garage has random changes in incline and direction of the incline and the car makes significantly less noise now when driving up that thing. Worth $200? Who knows, but that one little factor made me believe and so that made it worth my money. I might add that I didn't expect that factor to improve, which is why I noticed it in the first place. 
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,527
Likes: 34
Tunnel Plate
Unless a person is objective! PLACEBO EFFECT IMO.
Rigidity reinforcement? :-
1. Consider the location of the tunnel. Its at the middle and narrowest part of the already stout C6 frame. Further tied together with webbed aluminum front and rear sub-frames. Not much improvement can be done or felt here for amateurs.
2. Consider the method of tunnel plate fastening. 36 non structural Tiny fasteners secured plate into mostly tacked on sheet metal tangs along both side of the frame.
Heat deflector? :-
Most of the heat is conducted and radiated from the clutch and drive shaft which are located behind the tunnel plate. Try touch the drive shaft even with the car shut down for an hour. Stock tunnel plate is sufficiently serving its purpose.
IMO. Another marketing hype. Unless you make your own, its not worth the money. Then again its your money, go for it if it makes you feel.....that is why so many profile is an advertising bill board.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 13,592
Likes: 187
From: Hudson WI
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Out of curiosity. I made mine out of 3/8" thk. T6. Its 3 times the stock thickness.
Unless a person is objective! PLACEBO EFFECT IMO.
Rigidity reinforcement? :-
1. Consider the location of the tunnel. Its at the middle and narrowest part of the already stout C6 frame. Further tied together with webbed aluminum front and rear sub-frames. Not much improvement can be done or felt here for amateurs.
2. Consider the method of tunnel plate fastening. 36 non structural Tiny fasteners secured plate into mostly tacked on sheet metal tangs along both side of the frame.
Heat deflector? :-
Most of the heat is conducted and radiated from the clutch and drive shaft which are located behind the tunnel plate. Try touch the drive shaft even with the car shut down for an hour. Stock tunnel plate is sufficiently serving its purpose.
IMO. Another marketing hype. Unless you make your own, its not worth the money. Then again its your money, go for it if it makes you feel.....that is why so many profile is an advertising bill board.
Unless a person is objective! PLACEBO EFFECT IMO.
Rigidity reinforcement? :-
1. Consider the location of the tunnel. Its at the middle and narrowest part of the already stout C6 frame. Further tied together with webbed aluminum front and rear sub-frames. Not much improvement can be done or felt here for amateurs.
2. Consider the method of tunnel plate fastening. 36 non structural Tiny fasteners secured plate into mostly tacked on sheet metal tangs along both side of the frame.
Heat deflector? :-
Most of the heat is conducted and radiated from the clutch and drive shaft which are located behind the tunnel plate. Try touch the drive shaft even with the car shut down for an hour. Stock tunnel plate is sufficiently serving its purpose.
IMO. Another marketing hype. Unless you make your own, its not worth the money. Then again its your money, go for it if it makes you feel.....that is why so many profile is an advertising bill board.
Drifting
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 1,952
Likes: 6
From: Palos Verdes Peninsula California
Placebo? 
So a person is going to think the car is stiffer because they want it to be? That is one of the stupidest things I have heard on here. Maybe YOU just couldn't feel a different 
Original poster, I guess you are going to have to make up your own mind on this one.
MANY people on here have given this product a thumbs up. Including myself, and I am not one of those people who are going to endorse a product that doesn't work just because I bought it.
If I didn't notice a difference I would have taken it off and sold it. I don't work for the company, I have nothing to gain by keeping a product on my car that doesn't do what it is supposed to do.
So a person is going to think the car is stiffer because they want it to be? That is one of the stupidest things I have heard on here. Maybe YOU just couldn't feel a different Original poster, I guess you are going to have to make up your own mind on this one.
MANY people on here have given this product a thumbs up. Including myself, and I am not one of those people who are going to endorse a product that doesn't work just because I bought it.
If I didn't notice a difference I would have taken it off and sold it. I don't work for the company, I have nothing to gain by keeping a product on my car that doesn't do what it is supposed to do.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,359
Likes: 6
From: Los Alamitos California
St. Jude Donor '09
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,569
Likes: 4
From: Phoenix AZ
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11
Tunnel plate benefits
I replaced my stock tunnel plate with a 1/4" Elite Mfg. I also used LG Motorsports Heatmaster insulation panel. After the install, there were actually (3) benefits which I noticed.
l. The roof creaking noise was gone--totally.
2. The car felt like it was on a more solid platform (best way to describe).
3. There was a definite temperature difference in the center console i.e. lower temperatures so that my sunglasses weren't hot and my chewing gum chicklets weren't hot. (I love Snickers but I don't keep them in the car. I wolf them down before I get into the car LOL)
As for the heat transfer IMO, I think MOST (not all) of the heat emanates from the exhaust.
I'm happy with the results and consider it a worthy addition.
l. The roof creaking noise was gone--totally.
2. The car felt like it was on a more solid platform (best way to describe).
3. There was a definite temperature difference in the center console i.e. lower temperatures so that my sunglasses weren't hot and my chewing gum chicklets weren't hot. (I love Snickers but I don't keep them in the car. I wolf them down before I get into the car LOL)
As for the heat transfer IMO, I think MOST (not all) of the heat emanates from the exhaust.
I'm happy with the results and consider it a worthy addition.