thats a really good example - as I would always be driving our suv to any event that would have mass parking i would not have encourntered the example....this is truly a depends on your situation type of decision.

Today i am on team bypass the lift, but could change any second!

 

I scraped mine leaving the dealership parking lot! I have FEL but didn't engage it. I felt like such a newb! I drove it 600 miles home before I looked at it. There was a slightly rough spot on the underside right in the center. You couldn't see it and I smoothed it out in 5 seconds with a bit of emery cloth. Since then I replaced it with a 5VM Carbon Fiber (fake) that only cost $100. Looks great and I don't care if I trash it. I wouldn't feel that way if I had paid the big money that some of these local sellers are getting.

 

In this case I was going to a concurs car show and wanted to take my C8.
Actually, I take my C8 anytime I can. When I don't take it is because I need to haul something or I need to take more than one passenger. Or if there is snow on the roads.

 

Yes, you can replace a hell of a lot of splitters for the $2600 FEL costs.

 

Reminded of the air dam on my C6 Z51. Scraped a lot. Evey 6 months I would sand off the roughness. Good as new (when viewed by ants the only ones as your wife notes will see it! ) No reason can't do the same with the standard Z51 splitter.

My experience with splitters in pics and plan for my E-Ray.

Added a carbon fiber outer layer splitter to my 2014 Z51 that matched the CF side skirts bought to stop rocks hitting rockers. Scraped the bottom. Can't fix CF!



Wanted full length rockers for my 2017 Grand Sport. Bought the Stage 2 Aero Option that came with CF side skirts AND splitter bought mine for $4500 painted carbon flash. Visible CF was a $1000 more. Note I scraped the Stage 2 Winglets again a side curb so bought these Stage 3 made from ABS painted carbon flash that were 1/3 the price of the smaller but CF Stage 2.

Did not want to replace a $2000 splitter so installed a Scrape Armor Splitter protector.

Worked. It scraped BUT not the carbon fiber which flexed and let the Teflon like Scrape Armor take the abuse.

They sell for the C8. May not be worth the price for the Z51 splitter BUT if you take the step I plan for the E-Ray AND don't have a lift may be worth the cost.


For the C8 bought the Lift Option, only ~$1500 in 2020. I had a 5VM aftermarket splitter and have side skirts. Would not drive in my rural area without side skits. Mostly no shoulders and pebbles on road edge often on the narrow two-lane pavement. Side Skirts stop rocker panel dings. Lift stops scrapes underneath BUT I have scraped on side winglets on concrete curbs parking in malls parking close to where they have trees etc! Now have put my Z51 splitter back on!
So for the E-Ray am getting the Lift (now $2500) and instead of fiberglass or CF, I'm going to buy an ABS splitter, painted carbon flash. It takes paint very well and they are available for the C8 Z06, which is the same as the E-Ray. About $200! ABS is more rugged (what LEGO Blocks are made from) than fiberglass and CF. Can be sanded and repainted carbon flash, or for $200 replaced. Something to consider.

 

I'm on the same boat. Not only because of the extra expense (which is a lot), but the extra weight and complication (more crap to go wrong). Having said that, it's the same situation with the front splitter. I don't want neither that, nor a spoiler, which only adds drag (and lower MPG), and will never need them, as I won't track my car. The other reason I don't want the splitter is it lowers the front ground clearance (due to both its thickness, and sticking further out). On the other hand, if I ever scrape, it'd scrape the expensive bumper cover, rather than the disposable splitter, right? Or is that lowest part replaceable as well, or part of the front bumper? Curious about that, since that answer might decide if I go with FEL or not. I'm not going with the spoiler or splitter, to avoid the extra drag, plus I don't like them anyway. Thank you.

 

If you don't get the FEL then I would stick with the cheap splitters. You're going to scrape. And yes, if you don't have a splitter you're likely going to scrape the front cover. That has got to be pricey.

 

That small spoiler and even a splitter have very little extra drag at 60/70 mph! Now at 150 mph, yep. Even my planned E-Ray gets the same mpg as a standard C8 (per GM.) I also don't Track but getting for the extra hp. I'll use the 2.5 second 0 to 60 when I merge into often heavy traffic going ~70 mph when I leave the stop sign at the end of the rural road I live on. Expect about the same mpg as I get now with my C8 Z51.

RE lift, depends where you live. I have >25 places in town where it's programed to lift. Folks worry about their driveway BUT in my case that is not an issue. But we have many places with driveways to restaurants etc where there are drainage depressions before driveway entrances. Good example in my case FedEx where I bring orders to ship. It's off a 4 lane road with traffic going ~55 mph. IF I stopped my C7 Grand Sport, crawled in at an angle could avoid scraping. But with traffic coming up fast behind would surely be rear ended. With the Lift programmed I now apply the brakes, slow to 20 mph, lift has already raised when I pull in.

Another good example is the 1st scrape with my Grand Sport. Left a 4 lane road crawling up steep driveway in town at ~2 mph at an angle. Could not beck out into traffic the same way. Pulled out slowly and scraped!

 

I paid $1995 for the FEL and I have many locations already programmed into it. It's hilly here and there are many business entrances with gouged concrete/asphalt where people have scraped. I don't scrape. My other four Corvettes did!

 

^^^ This was me as well.

Any low car would have scraped on their crappy old dealership driveway, to be fair.

But like a few mentioned already, nobody would know unless they look under or run their hand on the underside of the splitter.

 

A month after getting my C8.. I went down a driveway that literally shaved off a chunk off my poverty lip. Lucky I bought a CF lip that I also cracked within a month but I fixed it.

 

I just got finished removing my Z51 stock splitter and installing a 5VM I got from Ebay. Took about half hour to install, under 100 bucks and looks great. I have the front lift and always use it. I should be really helpful with the 5VM.