Runge_Kutta

OK, so what goodies did they add to make a regular C7 into a Z06?

Here's my guess:

Supercharger (obviously)
Compression ratio 10.0:1 or more
Cam-in-cam camshaft
gamma-TiAl connecting rods
gamma-TiAl valves
Titanium exhaust
Brembo carbon composite brakes
Magnesium inner door panels
Lighter/stronger driveshaft
Magnesium engine cradle
Lighter/smaller magnetorheological shock absorbers
Aluminum/Magnesium wheels
Carbon fiber body panels

I am hoping that they get some weight out of the car. Next, I'm hoping that they can keep the price differential between the C7 Z51 and the C7 Z06 small. With C6, this differential got too large. Lastly, I hope they broaden their audience (paying customers) by included options like the automatic transmission and the convertible.

We may see some hints on how GM is going to deal with the upcoming 2016 mileage standards by looking at the Z06. To me, this means getting the eight-speed AT out and ramping up the magnesium sheet metal stamping.

What I don't think we'll see is polycarbonate side or rear windows.

I'd be surprised if they could get more than 100 pounds out of the car.

Kingspoke

It's a safe bet that we will see more use of Carbon Fiber (Viper utilizes 44% CF in their body), perhaps the hatch, roof (or roof panel) & front fenders in addition to the Hood.

WeaponsGradeTorque

will the lighter internals give it a few more hundred RPM of rev range?

I say redline is increased to 7000 rpm.

WeaponsGradeTorque

looks like the possibility of a very special manifold integrated centrifugal supercharger.

Bet it like RPMs and is more efficient than the PD blower. This supercharger may be the answer for heavy track use in keeping heat soak down.

this thing is brilliant.

acrace

Runge Kutta - perhaps the DSSV technology shocks will be used on the Z06 instead of the magnetorheological shock absorbers, particularly in light of GM's comments about being track capable.

TTRotary

That depends on how much they want to spend. The choice of an SC powerplant automatically adds at least 75lb to the front of the vehicle and creates engineering headaches to preserve the weight distr. and keep overall vehicle weight within acceptable parameters. So they have to take that out somewhere up front. The obvious area to remove weight and improve the handling to offset the negative effect of the weight gain, is the wheels.

Carbon brakes are a givem, and weights savings of at least 8ln per wheel relative to the Z51 should be feasible. Moving to non RF tires (MPSCs versus MPSC ZPs) should save another 7lb per wheel and enables better suspension tuning. And then we have the wheels. Carbon wheels may finally be within a reasonable price range due to manufacturing advances, and would knock another 10lb off per wheel. Therefore, in sum total these are huge weight reductions as they are unsprung, and they are not negligible as part of total vehicle weight either.

Removing the power elements for the seats should save another 60lb in total, and with the right carbon seats, that could go up to 75lb saved over the massively heavy stock chairs. I sabed a whopping 60lb in my C6 Coupe by swapping a pair of Sparco Roadsters for the stock seats.

I agree that lexan is probably not durable enough for use, but hardness coatings have improved significantly, and other production cars use it, I believe (Ferrari Scuds?).

Beyond this, the choices are slim. Rear quarters in carbon is about all that comes to mind.

The optimum enginerring solution would have been a Gen 5 7.0L NA with VVT and DI making 575-600, but the LT4 is a better product solution as the power can be upped and the same basic engine used in different cars and applications.

acrace

Polycarbonate/coated glazing (term for plastic windows) has come a long way. Leading company in this space is Exatec, which is wholly or partially owned (not sure) by SABIC (bought GE Plastics a few years ago - producer of LEXAN).

Trivia - Exatec's Michigan automotive development center is in the same industrial complex as GM Powertrain's Wixom facility that handbuilt the LS7, LS9, LS3 dry sump engines.

Shodanusmc

Leave off the base and clear coat! Less weight and no drips!

JockItch

flat bottom steering wheel.

sam90lx

Dodge D100 Van seats. Saves weight!

TTRotary

Good info I wonder if they are the ones who make the after market lexan hatch glas for the C5 and C6.

acrace

To my knowledge, no. I believe that Exatec works with OEMs and doesn't do much (if at all) in the aftermarket.

3 Z06ZR1

Whats the price for all this? I see where they could go for more than the C-6 ZR1 and plus a mark-up over MSRP Hello 140-150k!

Runge_Kutta

• Supercharger (obviously)
  
• Compression ratio 10.0:1 or more - I think that the LT1 was a bit conservative for a SIDI engine at 11.5:1.
  
• Cam-in-cam camshaft - GM has many patents on this and it is relatively easy and cheap to do it.
  
• gamma-TiAl valves & connecting rods - Fred Rozario, a man with his fingerprints all over the 3V engine, has a patent on this. Two things make this more likely than in the past. First, titanium power has gotten cheaper. Second, the alloy is only about half titanium. That further reduces the cost.
  
• Titanium exhaust - I don't know if these low-cost titanium alloys are any cheaper than in the era of the C5 Z06 but I would hope so. TIMET has their "Exhaust XT" alloy specifically for this application.
  
  http://www.timet.com/markets/industrial/automotive
  http://www.timet.com/images/document...pgrades/XT.pdf
  
  
• Brembo carbon composite brakes - This is nothing new but has historically been quite pricey. I'm hoping that all of the Brembo patents implies that the cost is coming down.
  
• Magnesium inner door panels - This is going to quickly become the new normal at GM - http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8454078.pdf
  
• Lighter/stronger driveshaft - I could be wrong on this one but I thought I read that the C7 doesn't use the aluminum MMC driveshaft that C6 used.
  
• Magnesium engine cradle - I believe the current cradle is aluminum. This would be another great place to expand the use of magnesium since they did the same in the C6 Z06 and ZR1.
  
• Lighter/smaller magnetorheological shock absorbers - These things are probably quite heavy. ( http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8470193.pdf )
  
• Aluminum/Magnesium wheels - This seems quite easy ( http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8470193.pdf )
  
• Carbon fiber body panels - no precedent here.
  
• 8L90 Eight-speed automatic transmission - The transmission is available and it can easily handle the torque.
  
• Eight-speed dual-clutch transmission - This may come in MY2016 or so.
  
• Magnesium control arms

acrace

I still think that the Multimatic's DSSV shocks may appear on the C7 Z06. Only two production vehicles use this technology - with one of them being the new Z/28.

Nearly half the LeMans entrants this year used DSSV shocks, as does the Red Bull F1 car. Features includes being cavitation-proof, highly temperature resistant, and with the spools instead of shims, ability to divorce high and low speed damping - all features that are truly "track capable".

We'll see, come January.

RFE-57

A 427 that doesn't explode......

Z06Norway

Torque tube in CF not steel, save how much ? 30 pounds
throw in real race seats.... drop 80-90 pounds total
CF doors, Rear fenders etc. total save 40 pounds
CF rear deck lid and polycarbonate window, save another 30 pounds
Magnesium cradle.... 7 pounds lighter
CF wheels...... 15x4 pounds...... = 60 pounds
CCB brakes.... 10x4 pounds = 60 pounds
CF drive shaft 5 pounds
Titanium rods, cams and magnesium oil pan , oil tank etc. 15 pounds

Add a supersmart SC integrated in block, adds 20-30 pounds ?


They could drop weight by 300 pounds....but will they... afraid not

Regards
Rune

Runge_Kutta

I just want to revisit the idea of TiAl valves and connecting rods. These four documents are by GM people.

http://link.springer.com/article/10....837-012-0310-8 (click "Look Inside")
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2013/0121869.pdf
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20100040500.pdf
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8234788.pdf

Below is DOE funded research on titanium with emphasis on application to automobiles and trucks.

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehicles...der_2011_o.pdf
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufact...production.pdf
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehicles...lau_2011_o.pdf
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufact...um_powders.pdf
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehicles...s-titanium.pdf
http://www.pnl.gov/main/publications...PNNL-19932.pdf

Lastly, here's a snapshot of where technology is in 2013 for many lightweight materials from the viewpoint of getting them substantially into cars and trucks.

https://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehicle...august2013.pdf

rcallen484

Any potential weight loss to be found in differential and/or half shafts?

Runge_Kutta

I have no idea what they're talking about in this patent but there is a 0.1% chance it relates to driveshafts.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20130278016.pdf

Pushrods??