UE Triplefi

... or it will be like the C6 generation where the lower end variants will be steel while Z06 and ZR1 gets aluminum treatment?

Stingray23

If the goal of the corvette team is to have as light a car as possible, they will most likely use an aluminum frame.

CPhelps

I certainly hope all C7s will have an aluminum frame. A lot of optimization can take place when you don't have to accommodate two different materials in essentially the same size and shape (the non-removable roof required to hit GM's stiffness goals). An aluminum frame designed from the ground up can be chunkier to have equivalent stiffness to a steel frame, while still reducing mass. IMHO the C6 implementation was compromised because the initial design of the frame was done with steel, and the aluminum frame had to share the same envelope. I hope now that GM has more experience with aluminum frames, they will have the confidence and abilities to use aluminum for all C7s.

NSC5

I hope for and expect all aluminum frame but that is something else we probably won't know until at least January.

Although it is for a totally different style of vehicle I found this presentation on the approach used to lighten the 2013 Cadillac ATS quite interesting. You have to cut through a number of slides concerning the competitive design targets to get to the materials section:

http://www.autosteel.org/~/media/Fil...llac%20ATS.pdf

BlueOx

The fact that GM can now more effectively weld aluminum to aluminum will help this happen in the C7 and lots of other GM vehicles.
http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/n...4_welding.html

I think it is also possible that they could use some mixture of the aluminum, magnesium, steel, NanoSteel, and other materials.

CarBoy

I have it from a not so good source that guarantees me nothing.

He says the frame will be made of NANO-Aluminum, and will be so small that frame can't even be seen with out the use of a telescope.

John T

The number 1 "tidbit" that I was given when I gave a deposit on the C7 was that it was going to have a lot more aluminum in it's construction.

davidwp97

From the April, 2011 issue of 'Vette'
By Walt Thurn
excerpt -



"A new hydroformed frame (for the C6 Z06) was constructed from annealed, 4mm-thick 5745 aluminum alloy. The standard C5/C6 steel frame is 3 mm thick and weighs 502 pounds, while the Z06 frame is 4 mm thick and tips the scales at 392 pounds (22.5 percent lighter). Even better, the Z06 frame is 50 percent stronger in bending resistance and torsional stiffness. Continuing the theme of ongoing improvement, it's also the first car to use laser welding and self-piercing rivets in a mass-production environment. The final result is that the Z06 Corvette tips the scales at just 3,130 pounds.

Because of the car's low production volume, the aluminum frames are built at the Metalsa (formerly Dana Manufacturing) plant in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The completed frames are then shipped to Bowling Green for final assembly. In 2009 the higher-performance ZR1 was added to the Corvette lineup; it uses the same Z06 aluminum frame built at the Metalsa plant."

Do I remember discussion that the $131 million being spent at Bowling Green could include moving the aluminum frame assembly into the plant? We can hope.

David
My C7 Website

millpond

I also remember that discussion...I expect all the Vettes will have an aluminum frame.

MikeG37

I wonder if doing the frames "in bouse", having all models across the line using the same frame, and having a complete redesign based on aluminum from the start will offset the extra cost. The base model will surely need to be more inline price-wise with todays base model, and not a current Z06.

Racer X

I have it on good authority that it will have a new TiAlHe alloy an it will only be 2mm thick and have a mass of 100 kg, but do to a Helium fill of the "air" tight frame it will "weigh less than 10 pounds. They will also be using special tires that have a mylar lining so that they can be filled with Helium. While the unsprung mass is changed very slightly this will make the tire/wheel combination 4 pounds lighter per corner.


They are doing amazing things with technology.

JoesC5

That's going to be one hell of an alloy.

BlueOx

Sure...

John T

This is a great question because if GM began with a clean slate aluminum frame the C7 could be very different from the C6 . From the visible A pillars and hatch on the camo cars this does not appear to be the case.
Did GM utilize the existing Z frames for all models?. My dealer says all models will have aluminum frames so did GM rework Z frames to handle hatch roofs?
We must keep in mind that Cadillac and Corvette are separate and don't necessarily share technology .

4xxk-C7-ZR7

If this the case, will they show a crash test? ( I have only seen one of the C5 and I don't think it did too well. )

red2012

and where would the average person get helium to put in their tires. I am in the helium business and i dont know if you know it there is a very serious helium shortage going on and it is super expensive to buy right now. It wouldn't be a problem for me because i have it at my disposal but for everybody else?. I don't see this happening for the corvette tires.

BlueOx

How the C7 will beat CAFE...

tuxnharley

Naw - they're just gonna use the CAFE credits they get from all the Volts they're selling as loss leaders...................

chaase

I think it is one of the safer bets on the C7 design that all models will have an aluminum frame.

LancePearson

I do not know their volume of sales forecast for the C7 but if it's only 15,000 cars or so they are going to use a combination of oursourced to specification and in house to make parts for final assembly. You can't afford much tooling on 15,000 or less cars forecasts.

When I heard the $131 million I thought that either they were outsourcing a ton or that they weren't making many fundamental changes.

Don't know which. Tooling can be very expensive. Way more than the $131mm I would think.