Local Porsche buddy buys C7 Z06 - Car overheats @ HPDE and now 2 bent wheels - Go GM!
 

This is how you win over Porsche people.... buddy, long time Porsche nut, decides to take a chance and buy a brand new 2018 Z06 M7. He has the car out at a PCA event at VIR and overheats it in 15 minutes (he's a fellow instructor). Today he texts me asking about wheel issues as he now has two bent wheels.

GM if you're reading this... this is not how you grow the brand upmarket.

but... but... it's a performance bargain... :D

GM sold the car... that's all they care about. :lol: And, besides both are known issues so... buyer beware. :yesnod:

Yeah didn't you warn him about the over heating and bent wheel issues? :nono:;)

They're not known to someone not in these forums.

I told him I thought the 2017 and up manual would make it through an HPDE in anything other than max summer... guess I was wrong.

2018 porsche GT3. $170K if you lay off the accessory catalog.

2018 zo6/z07 coupe new 1LZ.PLUS PDR, $80k. From my peronal search I knew where every 2018 zo6/z07 was parked at which dealership and what price in May 2019 before I had myself some of that.
4 forged rims $5K
2 1/8 " gm a8 Z06 2018 radiator to replace the 1 inch M7 version. $500
All the aftermarket track rat cooling solutions that put a Z06 on the track and keep it there. $10k

Total 2018 z06/z07investment. $95,500

Still $30k cheaper than a stripper ZR1
Still $74,500 cheaper than a Porsche gt3

The class action suit "gm lied about the z06 being an out of the box racecar" has been in all the funny papers since 2016.

But if you can make the Z06/Z07 a competitive racecar for only $16K more than off the lot new; is there another 650 hp car that can be put on the track for less money?

Nota Bene, danville va (VIR ) had been experiencing record heat, over 90 degrees in late may until jun1, until last weekend's 4 day rain deluge.

I don’t understand. Are you saying it’s acceptable for an $80K production car to have such issues, because you can spend another $17K to get wheels that do not bend and car not overheating?

I'm sorry, but is this REALLY how you justify the overheating issue?

We shouldn't have to spend a DIME on our C7Zs to get rid of the cooling issues. It should have never been delivered to customers with an overheating issue, simple as that.

And don't even get me started on the bent wheels.

Tell your buddy it's not a Porsche. Stop revving it out like a DOHC motor. 17 and up M7s do not overheat even in the beat. Hundreds if not thousands of posts about here. YouTube etc.

I remember a kid saying his auto overheats in California traffic just cruising around. Asked him for pdr vid. Kid posted up a 20 minute vid of gears 1 through 4 downshift each gear and speeds up to 70mph. Over and over again cruising at 40 50mph in 2nd and 3rd gear then going idle in traffic.

If you drive it like a DOHC motor any cam in block engine is gonna run hot and a blown car even more so.

Like that kid. Ask your buddy to upload a pdr vid so we can all watch the magical M7 2018 overheat on track lol. No offense to you but you are also the guy who started the C7 is seas thread aren't you? And have like a 100 C8 threads? Did you have a bad experience with your C7?

So Chevy has never built an out of the box racecar that worked, as stock. Although as an owner I am happy that the engine "shuts down" now instead of failing like the '67 L88. I don't need to buy a minimum 103 octane racing gas to get all the hp out of my c7, like they did for the c2/3 L88. And the 4 forged rims I bought, $3740, amounted to less than 5% of the cars purchase price. People spend more than that putting saran wrap on their cars. So new rims up front wasn't a deal breaker for me. Maybe since I have the original rims too, I might get a lil somethin somethin back from the Class Action Lawsuit, I should live so long, ha ha.

But damn, these cars are cheap fun, and cheap to run, warts and all.

Didn't mean to sound harsh OP. But part if this problem w as s the lack of testing for the A8 cars. So many thought they could buy one and run around the track like it was a dct or pdk and you can't.

Even on the ZR1 forum the autos driven hard in warm weather are running much hotter than the manuals. But the manuals is another story.

Look at poorsha and bill Dearborn and countless others with video proof you can run a full 20 and not run into issues. 17 and up bone stock and 15 16 with gm performance aux radiator only..

Big displacement with a BIG heat pump on top is not a recipe for success on track. Not with the amount of power this car makes not with the downforce it generates and especially not with that tiny blower. Even swapping to a 2300 cools the car significantly. Side by side we have tested this my car logged vs 2300 equipped A8. IATs are 10 15f cooler in the 2300 car vs stock just driving spiritedly. At wot is even more. Makes more power longer.. they really screwed the pooch on the 1700. Should've been a 2300 from the start. Like the LS9.

Having said that. I Just think once your buddy figures out how to use the torque of this engine he will learn 3rd gear instead of 2nd is just as fast same as 4th instead of 3rd.. just can't ring this car out like it's a 7500rpm screamer.

That's why I have some of each, can't go by what what someone else says, everyone drives slightly different and use their cars differently, I'm on my 13th Corvette and 5th Porsche (not pictured) , you can not beat a Corvette for the money, it's a BARGAIN, now the ZR1 pushes that with the price, it has the performance, needs work on the finishing touches, but huge gains over my 16' Z06/Z07 and my 17' Z06/Z07
https://i1233.photobucket.com/albums...psmk3mpybk.jpg

Even the best race car drivers know part of their skill level is determined how not to break the cars...

1. The car was marketed as the most "track capable" Corvette ever... then the overheating started and GM removed those words.

2. Not sure if you guys have ever driven on track, but you are not supposed to have to short shift and baby a car of the caliber of a Corvette Z06; period. It's funny how Spring Mountain's recommendation has filtered out to being repeated on here. They "recommend" that, not because it's idea, but because that's what it takes for the cars not to be in limp mode all the time.

3. The car has a 6,600 rpm redline for a reason... they validate the cars for a reason. All this "justification" because it costs XYZ is silly... the car costs what it costs because it's made by GM who takes advantage of economies of scale and mass production.

4. The 2017+ with the updates shouldn't overheat, period. But his did in 85 degree weather driving at 8/10ths in a HPDE scenario on a track with long straights (VIR) to cool the car down. I guess he needs to get the 2019 ZR1 radiator. More than likely he'll trade it on a C8 if he decides to stay with the brand.

5. The shitty wheels they put on these cars are another story. In the C5 days the Z06 had forged Alcoas and GM made a big deal about it. Then for 2002-2004 they switched to cast wheels, but they were still Italian-made Speedlines and they were even lighter than the Alcoas. Now they have heavy-ass Chinese and Mexican made OEM wheels.

Is that a real slate roof on your 4 car garage? It's gorgeous.

The LT-4 has a 6,500 rpm redline, and 6.600 rpm fuel cut... it doesn't run 8,000 to 9,000 rpm like those DOHC motors you reference.

He never sent me any video... he called me from the track asking what to do. "C7 is seas thread???" Not sure what you mean by that. Yes I am very active in the C8 section as I'm selling my C7 and have two deposits in on the C8. I have never purchased a brand new Corvette (Have had 5 of them) and am very excited about a mid-engine Corvette. My C7 has been a mechanically wonderful car, but cosmetically it has had some issues (panel gaps all over the place (fixed them all), bumper paint chips, orange peel etc.)

My C5s and my C7 have been great cars... which is why I'm a "Corvette guy" for life.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...a956a8bd40.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...c254cbb9f4.jpg

And no offense to Bill... I talk to him online often, he's fast, but not the fastest... he runs very respectable 2:04, 2:05s at VIR. My buddy was running 2:00s... he's been racing cars a long time. Those few extra seconds make all the difference. FWIW I had my C7 Z51 in the 2:02s, but that was on Hoosiers.

What are those things poking out all over your roof? Some sort of rich guy roof bling?

(good taste in cars btw, I'd love to have a Porshe too. It's the ONLY car I like more than the Vette).

That's exactly what they are... "rich guy roof bling" aka "snow catchers" ;) They prevent large sheets of snow/ice from sliding off the roof I think. I was told at one time they were to keep snow on the roof for insulation, but not sure if that's accurate.

Here I thought they were birds ready to dive bomb any clean car coming out of that garage.:rock: BTW - Huntingdon Valley, PA is, at minimum, an upper middle class neighborhood. All those new toys and bling are helping to keep the economy going.:cheers:

The tabs on the roof protect the roof tiles from the snow and ice . They stop the snow and ice from sliding down the roof and taking tiles with it. They also help protect people from getting hit by things - snow, sliding down the roof.

We had them on our house with a slate roof. They come in a few designs.