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Today temperatures were in the high 90s. The tar softened and when I drove over the road tar encrusted stones affixed unto the tread. Using a damp paper towel the stones were easily removed, what a pain. The things you do to enjoy a drive in a C7 convertible Stingray. Wish I had pictures of the township commissioners, then I could throw darts at them!
Last edited by Larry/car; Jun 13, 2017 at 10:21 PM.
Isn't living in PA just wonderful ??? I've never lived anywhere that seems to love the tar and chip method to try and eek out another few years on road surfaces.
MY GUESS as to why it's such a popular past time for the townships......
Everything in PA is all about grass roots level governing. The townships all have their road crews who all love to get out and do something constructive, as it's mostly retired guys wanting to get behind the wheel of a truck, or tractor, turn on the flashing roof lights, and this is an easy to achieve goal.... it would be too complicated to have to re pave a road, but spreading tar and chips, heck that sounds like fun..... let's go
Unfortunately for me, we live in a rural area of PA, in Adams County and they REALLY enjoy this pastime. I have to go about a mile and a half to get to a "State" road. 95% of the other roads are all township maintained, tar and chip..... Not to mention, the tar and chip surface is SO rough it likely cuts tire life down by a large percentage, regardless of what type of car I'm in........ especially the C7.
Around here we call that "Hot Patch" and usually the stones are small enough to not cause damage. Other than sticking to your car and making a freaking mess.
In a recent the XPEL thread they say to not use petroleum based products on the film, however to get off "Hot Patch" I do use Tarminator which has petroleum in it. The reason I don't care is that "Hot Patch" has petroleum in it too (it's basically a type of asphalt) and therefor is already eating your film.
Your rockers may be mark free, what do the side skirts look like?
FWIW, put side skirts on soon after I got my September 2013 built Z51 and found GM front splash guards were not helpful. Was able to removed the marked-up heavy GM plastic a few months after when I saw they were working.
Sold the car a few months ago and zero marks on the rocker panels and tops of the carbon fiber side skirts. Could hear pebbles hitting the bottom of the skirts every time I passed a spot where a gravel road intersects with our paved road near my home. The bottom is unfinished carbon fiber so looked no different.
When I bought my new Grand Sport was no question, ordered the Stage 2 aero option that has full length side skirts. Can hear those pebbles hit the skirt bottom every time I pass the intersecting gravel road.
Even without any protection, except standard clear film on rocker panels, I have no stone chips on rockers yet, base Stingray. The OEM tires normally do not pickup and throw stones. I have been keeping speed down (10 mph) and cleaning tire tread successfully with no damage. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I only have just a little over a thousand feet of tar & chips to transverse.
If others were wondering what Chip Seal looks like😳😳😳😳😳. My main road was done yesterday so now I can’t drive the C8😠😠.
What a pain.
What are the best and least expensive rocker extensions?.
EDIT::opps wrong section for a C8 question, my bad🤪.
I am sure some of you have had C7 s and now have a C8?..
Any ideas? Thanks
If others were wondering what Chip Seal looks like😳😳😳😳😳. My main road was done yesterday so now I can’t drive the C8😠😠.
What a pain.
What are the best and least expensive rocker extensions?.
EDIT::opps wrong section for a C8 question, my bad🤪.
I am sure some of you have had C7 s and now have a C8?..
Any ideas? Thanks
GM or anyone's copy of what they call Rocker Extenders are useless, they don't extend anything! Also the only help the front 2/3 area where the issue is behind that!
Here are some pics and the solution:
Solution is copies of GM 5VM Side Skirts. Mine are from C7 Carbon a Forum Platinum Vendor. Had their products on my 2014 Z51 and their rear diffuser on my 2017 GS. My C8 is 33 months old, side skirts look new and zero marks on Rocker Panels etc. I found the same with my 2014 Z51 and added full length side skirts. Ordered the Stage 2 Aero package for my 2017 Grand Sport that had full length CF side skirts (mine painted carbon flash for ~$4000.) Like my 2014, 2017 and now C8 full length side skirts solved the problem!
Thanks JerryU but I can’t spend a lot. Do you think a temp 1/8” rubber flap extended below the splash guard, say 3” to 4”, would prevent the rock chips until the Chip Seal has time to cure?
And I thought only these ******** in PA did this tar and chip. I'm surprised they get away with this. It's dangerous and I don't know why these motorcycle organizations don't lawyer up and get this stopped.
Thanks JerryU but I can’t spend a lot. Do you think a temp 1/8” rubber flap extended below the splash guard, say 3” to 4”, would prevent the rock chips until the Chip Seal has time to cure?
Here are some inexpensive options. I don't have any direct experience with the products BUT there are several suppliers on ebay. That sell 5VM copies in painted ABS. This is my experience and research done on ABS. I bought ABS Stage 3 winglets for my Stage 2 Aero 2017 Grand Sport Splitter as had damaged a painted carbon fiber winglet. GM Stage 3 carbon fiber painted carbon flash where 5 times the price! The painted ABS were a perfect match for the GM CF painted carbon flash.
Turns out ABS is commonly used by car and airplane manufactures. It's what LEGO blocks are made from as it is very durable. It takes paint very well. Frankly have a decision to make for my E-Ray. If I get the GM Ground Effects Splitter it's made of Carbon Fiber. I would get the painted carbon flash. But carbon fiber or C7 Carbon's fiberglass painted carbon flash splitter would crack if hit even modestly. That requires getting the $2400 Lift Option as I have now (and still damaged by splitter a side curb coming out of a parking slot!) So my guess at the splitter price with Lift it will be ~$4000.
There are several selling 2 piece ABS pained splitters for the C8 for ~$200. They will no doubt be made for the C8 Z06 and E-Ray. Then no need for the lift as ABS is more durable so even if scraped won't crack. Also if it is destroyed $200 buys another.
Might consider:
A very inexpensive option is intriguing! As I was looking for ABS Splitters I found these universal 47 inch long ABS Side Skirts. Measuring mine they are in the place where the stons will go. Combined with front splash guards might work fine!
Have no direct experience BUT these ABS Splash Guards extend lower that the GM product and are 5 times less expensive!
Yes, Chip Seal is used locally here in central TX, too. When it's first put down it makes mess of the roads; and it takes well over a month for this crap to seal tight.
Chip Seal is the main reason I pulled the summer tires from the Z51 after I purchased it. The Michelin Z51 summer tires pick up everything.
The previous owner of my C7 installed side skirts similar to those posted in reply 28, on the red C8 and reply 31. They do a great job by keeping a large portion of the road debris from damaging the paint. Obviously, the side skirts can't keep 100% of the stones from striking the paint. And I'm not in love with the disruption to the body style the skirts add. But for me, it's about paint protection, so the skirts remain in place for the protection they provide. As for the summer tires; they are still not an option on these awful roads.
It's dangerous and I don't know why these motorcycle organizations don't lawyer up and get this stopped.
Having ridden motorcycles on many hundreds of miles on chipseal, I can say it's not a problem. There's always the trepidation that comes from not being able to tell the "finished" chipseal from the new stuff, but in my experience they don't remove the construction cones etc. until it has been well compacted and cleaned up.
Chipseal has some serious tire grip (and tire wear). It's far better than running tire snakes all over the road, when they attempt to get a few more years out of failed asphalt before they repave it.
