Eric G

I'm having trouble finding any information about how/where to order the ZR-1 suspension heat shields for my Z06.

Looking to track the car soon and figured the stock heat shields would probably be the best solution. I'll eventually replace my stock brakes with the ZR1 ones anyway. I've seen posts here with people mentioning them, but I've not seen anyone show where you could get them. Any help appreciated, thanks.

Eric G

No one?

wolf8218

Are you speaking of the brake cooling ducts? Or the transmission tunnel heat shield?

I read in some places that the ZR1 brakes are marginally better on the track than the stock Z06 brakes.

Eric G

Sorry if I wasn't specific enough. I'm looking for the parts that shield the tie rod ends and ball joints from the heat of the brakes. I've read here that typically even a few track sessions will crack the bushings from heat. The ZR-1 apparently comes with stock heat shields, the Z06 doesn't unless it has the Z07 package with the carbon ceramic brakes. I saw someone suggest getting them but haven't found them anywhere.

X25

Those heat shields are necessary when you are using carbon-ceramic brakes since they cannot dissipate heat like a steal rotor does, but I'm not sure if you'd need them at all with the standard Z06 brakes. I don't think you'd cook anything besides your caliper paint.

That said, if you'll switch to ZR1 brakes, it makes sense to get them, but then why wouldn't you get them along with the ZR1 calipers? Well, I would actually recommend switching to a big brake kit other than ZR1 brakes since their consumables are a lot cheaper and provide just as much stopping power, but it's up to you of course

BEZ06

Just go to your local Chebie dealer and order them!!

I assume you want them to try to keep from melting your rubber dust boots on the ball joints/tie rod ends. Here's a picture of the ZR1 heat shield that I think you're talking about:




And here's a link to where we have previously discussed this topic:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-t...il-covers.html


It's just a piece of sheet metal, and Tech Contributor Bill Dearborn's "soup can" solution would be just as good.

Bob

Bill Dearborn

I also wrap them with 1 inch wide Thermoctec heat tape. If you don't want to use the soup cans (which get rusty after a while and can have some sharp edges) you can go with the Quantum Motorsports heat shields that look almost identical to those shields in the picture above. Install them on the front and rear. They also shield the ball joint boots.

Bill

Eric G

Those ZR1 heat shields are exactly what I had in mind. Talked with lapponline and they don't make a heat shield to go on the rear. Anyone know if there are ones on the ZR-1 in the rear? Regardless of what avenue I eventually take, seems to make sense to shield the ends from the heat front and rear. I'll at least order some heat tape for the rear. I did read the thread attached, but I was specifically looking for the OEM components.

As for the type of brakes I'll eventually get, it seems that the ZR-1 brakes have less fade issues than any other and that the pads can be the same for track or street. Seems like an advantage to me, and I wouldn't be tracking every weekend or even every month. I'd like to, just not able to. Let me know if my assumptions are wrong. When I was able to find links to ZR-1 brake kits, they were only marginally more expensive than the GT upgrade kit, so it seemed like the carbon ceramics were a better buy there, and last significantly longer while saving some weight.

BEZ06

I know the C6 ZR1 does, and I think that's what you're talking about. The ZR-1 is the C4 car.

Here are a couple pics of the left rear wheel of my ZR1.

The picture below is looking straight down the toe adjusting/tie rod - the front of the car is to the right. You can see the spring for the parking brake, and there are a couple of bolt heads for the bolts through the hat that hold the cc rotor ring on. There is a piece of sheet metal covering half of that top bolt and extending to the left (rear) between the rotor and the rubber boot on the ball joint on the end of the tie rod:




The picture below is from a position a little farther to the rear, and you can see a sheet metal tab between the rotor and the rubber boot - that's the rearward extension of the sheet metal piece in the first picture:




So....yes, the ZR1 has a heat shield on the rear as well as the front!!

Bob

erichg1000

here are the quantum shields i installed recently. along with ducts. can't wait to try them out

AzDave47

Erich, I've seen a couple of pictures of your brake ducting install and it looks like it went fine.

OP, I would not worry much about the heat in the rear brakes for the Z06, but the fronts see lots of heat once you start using track pads, so cooling is important and the Quantum install does have the tab to keep heat away. As you can see in Erich's picture above, he has also installed the ducting from the front of the grill to the (modified) factory duct. It gets much more cool air into the brakes than the factory horizontal scoop that uses the air dam to create a high pressure area under the front of the car (creating lift) to try to get some cooling air to the brakes. The standard C7 brake cooling will get the air from the grill area like the mod that Erich has done. Quantum kit plus 4" inlet brake duct cooling is less than $400. The biggest advantage of that mod to street driving is you can get rid of most of the front air dam and eliminate virtually all of that annoying scraping you get over humps and dips (driveway gullies) with the stock setup.

Dave

erichg1000

well your tips were very helpful. thanks again for taking the time to walk me through it. and i had a good time doing it! it took me a while to realize it, but my dad was right - there is nothing like feeling the reward of your own work

Eric G

Erich,

I like what you've done there, any reason no to tget rid of the stock ducting, looks like you could have gone with just one piece of hose. Or is it to get through the stock hole in the wheel-well? Do you have a thread on how you did that? I had been thinking of doing something along those lines in the future.

AZDave,

So the only reason for the air dam underneath is to build air pressure for the brakes? I was thinking that it was more for overall aerodynamics. I want rid of it as soon as possible if I don't!

AzDave47

Re the air dam, Katech did a study that showed its removal reduced lift on the front of the car. It is needed to create high pressure to get air into the stock brake ducts. I removed the two outer pieces of the air dam, but cut off the center section flush with the bottom of the car after I did the 4" install that Erich has just done. You don't want to totally remove the center section because that will leave a 1" x 30" hole in front of the radiators.

PM me with your normal e-mail address and I can send pictures, a parts list and a write-up on how to do the 4" ducting. Forum member Jim Dillon helped me a lot with doing the install. See: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/auto...-new-look.html for his install.

You can't run the 4" hose all the way to the rotors because it is too wide and would severely restrict the amount of wheel lock you can get. My 295/35-19 Nitto NT-05's even rub the factory molding a little, but the factory scoop is conveniently just 4" o.d. so you can use that part thru the fender liner and then do the Quantum ducting out to the rotors.

erichg1000

The stock ducting (modified, you cut off the bottom where it meets the stock intake hole) allows for a secure and easy way to make the 90 degree bend to point into the rotor. and the quantum spindle accepts 3" hose instead of 4". Clearance is tight in there.

My stock wheels don't rub at all. Wider wheels will rub a bit.

















Relocating the horn is annoying

Eric G

Looks pretty good. Questions I have- Even though I don't have carbon ceramic brakes, I have the 19/20 inch wheel combo as part of the centennial edition. Clearance issues there?

Going from 4 inch hose at the front to 3 inch hose in the wheel well. Wouldn't if flow better if the same size was used? I seem to remember from some fluid dynamics classes that isn't optimal. Might not be a big deal though. Also seems like overall flow through the radiator would be affected, probably minimal as well.

What would be better, this or the Katech ducts that would go from the top of the splitter? Probably no one has tested?

My car is a daily driver, is this going to be very hard to maintain or, done correctly, will it be reliable?
I have already ordered the Quantum kit, so settled there.

erichg1000

If you have thousands of dollars lying around the Katech kit is fantastic!

This does not take any air from the radiator. those 4" intakes are installed in a hole I drilled with a 4" circle saw. Before those holes were there there is just a wall of plastic. This has been done by several people who track their cars with no overheating issues.

In terms of the dynamics, going from 4" down to 3" will increase the velocity of the air. As the diameter of the tube decreases, pressure decreases and velocity increases. Bernoulli's Principle. I don't think increased velocity hurts you here. But again, I have not run mine yet, but it's been done before by other members (like Dave) with great success. If there is any compression of the air then it is more dense and able to carry that much more heat away from it but I don't think any compression occurs.

As far as reliability there are no moving parts, other than the part attached to the spindle duct which flexes as the wheels turn. Also that section is exposed to heat but you are blowing all the heat away This part is easily replaceable, but I don't think it will need replacing. I would say it will be extremely reliable and I know Dave and others would be reporting if there were issues. If you already are getting the spindle duct there is no reason to not take full advantage of high pressure frontal air, and reduce your front end lift at the same time. I used riveted pieces of plastic to seal up the old intake holes.

AzDave47

The 19/20 wheels and tires are just as wide as the 18/19 and even if they don't rub stock, the duct is only about 2" to 2 1/2" wide where there could be rubbing and the 4" hose would definitely rubrub.

I've tracked my car several times since the brake duct install and the air dam modified and haven't had the water temp. get above 220*F, which is just about where it was before.

Eric G

Great information, definitely looking at this. this is the area Corvette racing gets their brake cooling air from so it must be good... Sealing up the old holes would be a concern of mine, good to know how you were able to do it.

AzDave47

I cut plastic covers made from the top of a plastic storage bin, painted it flat black to match the underside plastic and pop-riveted it to that area. It is unseen unless you put your head down on the ground to look at it.

I saw some kits that replace the fog lights, but I didn't like the look and this is virtually unseen unless someone is looking in the grill area for it. The install is neat. JDillon on this forum helped me with the install.