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Do you suppose my 2016 Z51 air dam center section is a figment of my imagination?
(lol)
Yes someone messed up!
I just don't know if it will matter to leave the center section on or not.
"While at the NCM last week, there were several C7s to look at and a couple to set in. Harlan Charles and others were around to discuss the C7 also. While listening to Harlan talk about the C7 outside the museum, I noticed that the Z51 C7 he was near was missing the center section of the front air dam - the black plastic panels that stick down below and behind the front bumper to keep air from getting under the car. Anyway, I did a quick survey of the 4 or 5 C7s in the area and noticed that every Z51 car was missing the center section of the air dam and all the non-Z51 cars had it.
I asked Harlan about this and was told the the Z51 car got more down force on the nose if the air was allowed under the nose and then vented up and over the hood and out the side vents thus allowing them to put the bigger spoiler on the rear to balance it. The standard C7 gets a full air dam and the small spoiler. Harlan also mentioned that the C7 "breathes" through the nose and not under the nose like the C4, C5 and partially like the C6."
it seems it is removed to allow more downforce on the front end of the z51.
This chart I recorded at spring mountain a few weeks ago, outside temperature was about 75 degrees. 2015 Z51 A8. Gives you an idea of the temperatures after 9 laps.
"While at the NCM last week, there were several C7s to look at and a couple to set in. Harlan Charles and others were around to discuss the C7 also. While listening to Harlan talk about the C7 outside the museum, I noticed that the Z51 C7 he was near was missing the center section of the front air dam - the black plastic panels that stick down below and behind the front bumper to keep air from getting under the car. Anyway, I did a quick survey of the 4 or 5 C7s in the area and noticed that every Z51 car was missing the center section of the air dam and all the non-Z51 cars had it.
I asked Harlan about this and was told the the Z51 car got more down force on the nose if the air was allowed under the nose and then vented up and over the hood and out the side vents thus allowing them to put the bigger spoiler on the rear to balance it. The standard C7 gets a full air dam and the small spoiler. Harlan also mentioned that the C7 "breathes" through the nose and not under the nose like the C4, C5 and partially like the C6."
it seems it is removed to allow more downforce on the front end of the z51.
I have read that. I don't think I'll be doing anymore high speed runs, so I may just leave it. I had also read about it possibly obstructing cooling on the Z51.
This chart I recorded at spring mountain a few weeks ago, outside temperature was about 75 degrees. 2015 Z51 A8. Gives you an idea of the temperatures after 9 laps.
Thanks for posting; this gives me a good comparison to my '15 Z51 A8 last weekend at TWS.....a much faster 2.9 mile track with 80 degrees (full sun) ambient temp. I'm also running a Z06 front grille (no front plate.) and rear air scoops; I was trying to see if the addition air flow would help on cooling. The temps are after 15 minutes of running at 7/10s with my student in the right seat;
I can probably contribute the slightly higher trans temp to running at higher rev's....I was purposely trying see how high I could get the engine oil and trans temps. Note how low the water temp stayed, I feel very good about that one.
Here's the PDR Video; you can see I'm not beating on the car, just taking a nice momentum cruise around the track.
Do you suppose my 2016 Z51 air dam center section is a figment of my imagination?...I just don't know if it will matter to leave the center section on or not.
Well.
IF you do have one, walked over & pinched it?
Then leave it the hell alone.
No one here seems to know one way or the other anyway, including dealer.
Mine has overheated twice the first time in they just checked the fan connecter and gave it back to me. Always overheated when in traffic going really slow. This time in GM had them take the pump off and inspect it plus change the fluid and replace the thermostat. Both times the fan was not running when it overheated. The difference I noticed now is the fan runs a lot more then it ever did and both the digital and analog gauges are only a few degrees different and before they were 20 degrees apart. Now when I'm in traffic I can hear the fan running at high speed and the gauge will drop from 220 to 210 and when its really hot the fan will run a few after I shut the car off which it never did before.
I'm not sure of the purpose of turning the heater on, but now that you have it at home it doesn't make any difference.
Sounds like you have something pretty serious going on with the leaking transmission and the over heating. I would call my dealer ASAP and have it trailered there to have it completely checked out before driving it again. Hopefully your warranty is still in tact.
Running the heater is an old trick for cooling down a car.
Its odd that some Vettes have a heating problem, as described in above posts, and some don't. I have a '15 base coupe, 3LT, A8. I removed the entire dam, all 3 pieces, soon after receiving the car. During a vacation drive in Tequila Flats, AZ in 106 degree heat, driving up and down big hills, with the AC on, my car barely reached 216 degrees. I do have a Z06 grille and maybe that has some effect on it. Of course a failed fan or water pump will cause overheating but some have described perfectly normal driving situations and have an overheating problem. What's with that?
Last edited by Frodo; Mar 19, 2016 at 11:41 AM.
Reason: add car info
Do you suppose my 2016 Z51 air dam center section is a figment of my imagination?
(lol)
Yes someone messed up!
I just don't know if it will matter to leave the center section on or not.
The C7 is a front feeder and not a bottom feeder, so the air dam has nothing to do with supplying air to the engine radiator. they are there for aerodynamics. The Z51 does not have the center section of the three piece air dam, because it has air deflectors mounted on the front lower control arms to supply cooling air to the front brakes. If your Z51 has the center section installed, it's restricting air to the front brakes. That won't hurt anything unless you are tracking your car and the brake rotors are overheating
I'm not sure of the purpose of turning the heater on, but now that you have it at home it doesn't make any difference.
Sounds like you have something pretty serious going on with the leaking transmission and the over heating. I would call my dealer ASAP and have it trailered there to have it completely checked out before driving it again. Hopefully your warranty is still in tact.
The heater core is nothing but another radiator that has engine coolant running through. When you turn on the heater and the fan to full, the air passing through the heater helps cool the engines coolant by moving the removed heat to the car's interior. It increases the surface cooling area beyond the main radiator located in the nose of the car.
Uncirculated water sits in the heater core and hoses when the heat is not turned on. This water is cool since it is not circulating through the engine when the heater is off.
The reason for turning on the heater on is the cooler coolant in the heater core and hoses mixes in with the overheated coolant cooling it down. In other words turning the heater on introduces more coolant into the system.
Makes no difference if you turn the heater blower on high or low. Just turning the heater on introduces the water into the coolant system.
This is why your heater air in the cabin does not warm up until the engine reaches normal operating temperature. The coolant in the engine circulates through the heater core and hoses and this is what the blower uses to introduce warm/hot air into the cabin to warm you up. The blower blows air through the heater core, through your vents into the cabin.
Last edited by Rob4092xx; Mar 19, 2016 at 10:46 PM.
Our 2016 did not come with a center air dam. When I installed the front splitter I reinstalled the left and right air dams in front of the front wheels. Took a slight modification to the air dams to get them back on, but I figured they were put on by GM for a reason so I'll make sure they are in place. We only have 230 miles on it but it has yet to overheat.
Before splitter was installed, wheels and tires off, showing left and right air dams.
Last edited by Randy G.; Mar 19, 2016 at 09:12 PM.
Our 2016 did not come with a center air dam. When I installed the front splitter I reinstalled the left and right air dams in front of the front wheels. Took a slight modification to the air dams to get them back on, but I figured they were put on by GM for a reason so I'll make sure they are in place. We only have 230 miles on it but it has yet to overheat.
Before splitter was installed, wheels and tires off, showing left and right air dams.
Nice red Vette. Z51 has no center plastic dam. Be glad you have no problems.
What's under the covers?
I strongly recommend you not put Water Wetter in. It works great with older coolant and plain water but it doesn't play well with newer, 100k mile coolant that comes with most cars these days. Water Wetter has a life of about 5k miles. You don't want that stuff in your coolant system after it breaks down.
Last edited by Rob4092xx; Mar 19, 2016 at 10:46 PM.
Here is what Redline claims: Reduces or eliminates bubbles or vapor barrier that form on hot metal surfaces to reduce coolant temperatures by up to 20°
Superior heat transfer properties compared to glycol-based antifreeze
Compatible with new or used antifreeze (including DEX-COOLTM and long-life versions) to improve the heat transfer of ethylene and propylene glycol systems
Improves heat transfer and reduces cylinder head temperature
Originally Posted by Rob4092xx
I strongly recommend you not put Water Wetter in. It works great with older coolant and plain water but it doesn't play well with newer, 100k mile coolant that comes with most cars these days. Water Wetter has a life of about 5k miles. You don't want that stuff in your coolant system after it breaks down.
Last edited by traderfjp; Mar 19, 2016 at 11:07 PM.
Had to do this decades ago in stop-n-go construction 
.
