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FWIW, our 2009 base Z51 has a similar black plastic insert inside the gills, it's easier to see than on a GS.
Considering that the insert adds a little weight and costs a little money, GM wouldn't have kept putting them on the cars if they didn't serve a purpose. But I don't know what that purpose is...
What I don't understand is why the Z06 is vented???
R_W any updates? Did you ever check with the thermal camera?
None yet. Now that the temps are dropping down here, the results will be much more visible on a thermal camera.
Apparently Home Depot rents them out. Expect photo results within the coming weeks.
I've been thinking about doing this too. I think the only reason GM put these on the GS was purely cosmetic, so that you couldn't see all the crap located inside the fenders.
As far as GM having a sense of purpose for doing seemingly illogical things, I would like someone to explain to me the purpose of them putting an airbag warning label on my sun visor, telling me that it would be safer to put my kids in the non-existent rear seat?!
I just don't see how removing these could evacuate anything at all as the fender vents seem to go in to the space inside the fender, not to the engine compartment.
Well, I can see the one on the passenger side when I look down into that area through the battery box, so it clearly opens indirectly into the engine compartment, so I think a lot of air can flow through there from the engine compartment, much easier than outside air can get to the engine air filter on a stock C6, I would add. I'm sure that under hood air will find its way out through the driver's side vent as well, although that would be partially blocked by the windshield washer reservoir. I can't see how removing these baffles would hurt anything anyhow.
And the plus would be removing one (two, actually) more useless piece of glued-on plastic.
I have a base model not a GS. However the insert of my vent does have a small slit so it's not 100% aesthetics. I think it's has to do with equalizing pressure build up out of the fender well at high speeds. Which could create some lift.
I pulled the baffles on mine out to open up the vents. I don't have an empirical data that this helps with engine coolants temps, etc., because I've really never had that problem anyway, but I'm certain that they vent the engine room much better now, especially on the passenger side, which has got to help keep engine compartment temps down, especially when the car is moving.
Only downside is that with the baffles gone, when you're standing towards the rear of the car, you can see things inside of the fender like the windshield washer bottle, which is the most visible, because it's white. I don't care much about that though. If it gets on my nerves too much, I'll just pull the fender and take the WW bottle out and spray paint it black.
Here's a few pictures I snapped of mine:
I vented mine this way. But not for temp issues but for high pressure in the wheel wells
Are you trying to prevent lift during 1/2 or 1 mile runs? For road course work the high pressure is desirable (like all things, to a point). The Gurney flap on the front edge of the fender creates a low pressure area outside of the wheel well such that the high pressure inside the wheel well pushes air out, including the air from the brake ducts, which cools the brakes.
*BUMP*
I hope to secure a thermal imaging camera sometime over the winter in hopes of getting rolling pictures of hot air escaping through the open vents.
I also hope to get rolling shots of someones car who has NOT removed the plastic as a baseline of how much more air is actually escaping.
*BUMP*
I hope to secure a thermal imaging camera sometime over the winter in hopes of getting rolling pictures of hot air escaping through the open vents.
I also hope to get rolling shots of someones car who has NOT removed the plastic as a baseline of how much more air is actually escaping.
Hopefully that works out. I'll see if I can take pics of a buddys car at the next meet to compare his to mine in terms of heat extraction and such. My results may be slightly skewed due to the LG hood, though, but hopefully there will be enough air moving in/around those vents to make a solid determination.
I managed to get some good shots of the car after a drive while it was sitting still. Note: The outside temperature was a pleasant, slightly cool 65* when the pics were taken.
I would still love to get some rolling shots or video to see if the air does actually flow OUT of these fender openings, but initial conclusions lead me to believe there is air being evacuated, at least out of the passengers side fender. Allow me to explain:
After a 30 min drive, this is the passengers side fender:
As you can see, it is a bit toasty in there, thanks in large part to the dry sump tank sitting RIGHT THERE. The fender and door color away from the opening sits at about 80*, where as the fender itself sits at about 90*, and opening to the fender where the plastic was removed and the air appears to flow out is even warmer in the 95* range. This leads me to believe that air is indeed being evacuated. This is not a solid conclusion yet, but it definitely supports the theory.
In contrast, the drivers side fender is much more blocked off with other things in the way besides the oem plastic piece, and it does not appear to flow as much air, if any.
This has me wondering if something can be done to create a better air flow path to evac more heat...
As a silly bonus, I took a few shots of my hood, which is DEFINITELY doing work:
And a great supporting argument for thermal socks for spark-plug wires with aftermarket headers:
At any rate, the research shall continue and results shall be posted as they are acquired!
11-19-2016, 06:59 PM
