Anyone remove front pieces?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 755
Likes: 19
From: San Antonio TX
Anyone remove front pieces?
There are black pieces on the front end that protrude down.
One each in front of the front wheels, and one in the center of the front end. They all kind of join together.
From what I see, they do next to nothing, aside from making the front end lower and much more easy to scrape. It looks like they can be easily removed with a few screws.
Has anyone removed these? My car scrapes this black plastic piece coming out of my garage (which is funny because there is barely a slope).
It appears these pieces come off when anyone installs a splitter anyhow
One each in front of the front wheels, and one in the center of the front end. They all kind of join together.
From what I see, they do next to nothing, aside from making the front end lower and much more easy to scrape. It looks like they can be easily removed with a few screws.
Has anyone removed these? My car scrapes this black plastic piece coming out of my garage (which is funny because there is barely a slope).
It appears these pieces come off when anyone installs a splitter anyhow
Last edited by sanantguy; Aug 6, 2015 at 06:40 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2015
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From: Northern Virginia
At highway speeds, they do reduce drag and help with gas mileage. How much, I don't know.
They're also a rubbery material that is designed to scrape. Other than making a terrible sound, that won't hurt anything.
They're also a rubbery material that is designed to scrape. Other than making a terrible sound, that won't hurt anything.
Race Director
Joined: May 2008
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From: Manheim Pennsylvania
They are designed to control airflow under the car. They do enhance down force somewhat. I knocked a similar air dam off another car a few years back, the car seemed to lack some stability without it (high cross winds). It was noticeable enough that I reinstalled it at the first chance.
Last edited by Larry/car; Aug 6, 2015 at 08:53 PM.
Safety Car
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St. Jude Donor '15
Helps with the down force and stability and, even though the car is a mouth breather it helps to direct air flow upward to the engine compartment. This is what I have been told.
I cratered the ones on my C6 and the front end felt light when at speed, replaced them and the car felt more stable.
I cratered the ones on my C6 and the front end felt light when at speed, replaced them and the car felt more stable.
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I've had mine off for more than 15,000 miles. Now, if I hear something scrape, I don't have to wonder if it's okay or something bad. 
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,443
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From: No Longer in CA! NV
Glad you folks are all automotive engineers... They were installed for a purpose, and are disposable and cheap. They help to direct airflow.
They are nearly impervious to wear, innocuous when scraped, and there is no advantage in removing them just because.
The C6 had a similar air dam, also benign to scrape and served the same purpose. No reason to fret over their existence.
They are nearly impervious to wear, innocuous when scraped, and there is no advantage in removing them just because.
The C6 had a similar air dam, also benign to scrape and served the same purpose. No reason to fret over their existence.
E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 34,951
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From: NE South Carolina
Glad you folks are all automotive engineers... They were installed for a purpose, and are disposable and cheap. They help to direct airflow.
They are nearly impervious to wear, innocuous when scraped, and there is no advantage in removing them just because.
The C6 had a similar air dam, also benign to scrape and served the same purpose. No reason to fret over their existence.
They are nearly impervious to wear, innocuous when scraped, and there is no advantage in removing them just because.
The C6 had a similar air dam, also benign to scrape and served the same purpose. No reason to fret over their existence.
The Chevy Volt has an air dam similar to the Vette. Chevy says it's to increase the range when running on the highway on batteries! Many cars have them to decrease drag and improve gas mileage. At high speeds they also increase downforce. The side Air Dams on the Z51 divert air around the tires and have an affect on how air is channeled along the car side.I also agree with your comment about the FANGS! I installed them to help protect the next lowest thing behind the Air Dam! What most call "skid pads" and GM calls a radiator support. In fact the Air Dam is a good indicator your close to hitting those!
I hit and scraped them several times on my Z51 C6. If you think the sound from scraping the Air Dam is bad, when you hit the aluminum "skid pads" it's much worse! If badly damaged the replacement cost is expensive. All I did with my C6 Air Dam is use some sand paper to clean the frayed bottom edge a few times.
Flexible plastic air dams act as a warning before you do real damage and hit the next lowest item, these aluminum skid pads, or what GM calls a radiator support.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2002
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From: Tellico Plains Tennessee
I removed them from my base coupe. I didn't like cleaning them and they always looked dirty. I haven't noticed any change in fuel mileage, cooling or stability and I do like the cleaner lines. I did add a Stage 1 Z06 splitter which also changes the lines. Interesting how the designers decided a full air dam was appropriate for the base but an omission of the center piece was appropriate for the Z51 optioned cars.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 1,056
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From: Chattanooga, TN
I removed them a week ago when I installed my "poverty" splitter (sorry, love that nickname!).
Can't tell a difference without them, other than not hearing that HORRIBLE scraping noise over every little speedbump.
Can't tell a difference without them, other than not hearing that HORRIBLE scraping noise over every little speedbump.
E-Ray, 3LZ, ZER, LIFT
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 34,951
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From: NE South Carolina
I removed them from my base coupe. I didn't like cleaning them and they always looked dirty. I haven't noticed any change in fuel mileage, cooling or stability and I do like the cleaner lines. I did add a Stage 1 Z06 splitter which also changes the lines. Interesting how the designers decided a full air dam was appropriate for the base but an omission of the center piece was appropriate for the Z51 optioned cars.
Note, as mentioned in another post the reduced drag an Air Dam provides becomes significant at highway speeds, that's why one is used in the Chevy Volt, not for added downforce at higher speeds that it can't reach!
Since GM put many thousands of hours into expensive wind tunnel testing of the C7 I figure they know much more than I and left mine on with my newly installed carbon fiber splitter. They help direct the airflow around the front tires and along the side of the car as do the splitter end plates.
Checking splitter clearance in driveway. Flexible Air Dam is still the lowest point by several inches. But next low points are the aluminum skid pads! If you think the Air Dam scraping is a bad noise, wait until you hear aluminum on pavement and see the damage. Air Dam provides a good early warning! See post #14.
Carbon Fiber: Splitter w/End Plates, CF Hood Vent, CF Side Skirts, CF Grill Bar all match the OEM exposed CF Roof.
Last edited by JerryU; Aug 8, 2015 at 07:32 AM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 755
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From: San Antonio TX
They are designed to control airflow under the car. They do enhance down force somewhat. I knocked a similar air dam off another car a few years back, the car seemed to lack some stability without it (high cross winds). It was noticeable enough that I reinstalled it at the first chance.
If it were being conducted using a single blind test then perhaps there would be some validity.
Meaning if you were to drive the car several times, with and without the pieces on there, AND not know if they were actually on or not on, then give your opinion on whether or not you thought something was or was not different.
This also goes for all the sound deadening that guys are doing to their car and then saying "it greatly reduced the road noise" but they didn't take any readings from any devices, etc. Of course they are going to notice a difference!!! whether it is an actual difference or they just perceive it.
In this case. I don't care how those pieces may have directed airflow, or saved gas mileage. The damn car scraped going in and out of my driveway, so it was either alter my house, or alter the car..............the house won.
Last edited by sanantguy; Aug 7, 2015 at 08:56 AM.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 3,941
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From: Northern Virginia
I'm sure GM put that part on there for the following reasons:
1. They wanted to spend more money than necessary, so adding a useless part was a good way to do it.
2. They thought owners would love the scraping sound it makes.
3. They know Corvette owners like to mod their cars, and removing this would be an easy one.
Sure, there's no functional value to it at all, GM just put it on there, well, because....
I'm always amused at the folks who think they know more than GM's engineers, and make aero judgements based on intuition. Sanantguy says Larry's test is invalid because (I guess) it's anecdotal, and then uses nothing but anecdotal evidence to support his decision to remove it.
And he doesn't just know more than GM's engineers. If you read the rest of his posts, in his few short weeks of ownership he knows more than the collected wisdom of the forum. Sure, everyone just imagines the reduction in sound when they apply something like FatMat.
Amusing.
1. They wanted to spend more money than necessary, so adding a useless part was a good way to do it.
2. They thought owners would love the scraping sound it makes.
3. They know Corvette owners like to mod their cars, and removing this would be an easy one.
Sure, there's no functional value to it at all, GM just put it on there, well, because....
I'm always amused at the folks who think they know more than GM's engineers, and make aero judgements based on intuition. Sanantguy says Larry's test is invalid because (I guess) it's anecdotal, and then uses nothing but anecdotal evidence to support his decision to remove it.
And he doesn't just know more than GM's engineers. If you read the rest of his posts, in his few short weeks of ownership he knows more than the collected wisdom of the forum. Sure, everyone just imagines the reduction in sound when they apply something like FatMat.
Amusing.