TType85

Went to Vegas this weekend and decided to take the Z. It get's better gas milage than the wifes Jeep Liberty Trip up took 6hrs due to traffic, but I still got 24mpg. Trip back I pretty much put it in 6th set the cruise at 80 and got 29mpg! I love this car!

I need to do something to insulate the tunnel a bit better, that thing gets hot! The 107-110deg heat didn't help that either.

Questions:

While sitting in traffic for near 3hrs in 100 degree temps the temp gauge was getting up to 237-240deg. is this normal? It was still well out of the "red" area. Once moving it was back down to the 220 mark or a little below. I was running the AC.

After a long bit of crusing the clutch pedal seemed much firmer. It actually feels better. What would cause that? I am planning on doing a fluid swap out this weekend (per Ranger's instructions).

rimler

I know that my father-in-laws 2005 Vette hit 235 while in South Dakota last year. Temperatures were up around 100 degrees. But, we were driving through the hills so he was working the car pretty hard, and he had his AC on.

azmusclecar

I took my Z from the desert in Tucson up to the top of Mt Lemmon over the weekend. It was 106 degrees in Tucson and about 83 degrees at 9,000 feet. Going up the mountain the temp climbed to about 230-235 due to a lot of slow traffic. Once I got to open road and was able to mantain 35 mph, the temps dropped. I ran the A/C most of the time just to keep the fans running. It was a great 200 mile trip topped off with a large ice cream cone. The Z didn't break a sweat on the whole trip.

Ranger

Temps seen by TType85 and azmusclecar are completely normal for the circumstances. C5 has two fans; the second one comes on at a bit above 235. Engineered to handle those temps. Once you get moving again the temps fall with the additional air flow to the radiator.

Ranger

indianakid

mine does the samething is this normal not reall sure......kinda wanted to ask the same question

hotwheels57

It doesn't hurt to check between the shroud and the radiator and the a/c condenser to confirm there is no road kill or other harmful debris blocking air flow.

CJR2

Great advice! I did an oil change a few weeks ago and found a bale of hay in the top of the radiator...grass and debris naturally gets sucked into the radiator up underneath at the very top of the radiator.

I also have a racing buddy with a Z06 that boiled his brake fluid on hot day when racing. I am going to a high temp fluid when I bleed the brakes before my next SCCA event.

Hardcorvette

I did the FrostKing mod last year, well worth the effort! You can buy a pre-cut kit, but they are rather expensive.

ptindall

As you know, I practically live next door to you and my temp gauge has never crossed half way. (can't remember what temp that is) I was happily suprised about that with this car since I assumed it would be similar to an F-body that doesn't even turn the fans on until it's vertually burried the needle.

ZeeOSix

I was going to mention this also. There are a few threads around about cleaning out the A/C condenser and radiator, and how much crap was trapped in them. After a good cleaning, the car ran much cooler.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1732275

Also make sure your fans are working like they should when the A/C is turned on.

BobbyG

Chevrolet considers these temps pretty normal.

On a hot day, 95+ degrees, I've seen my Z06 climb to 230 degrees but never much beyond that but I haven't sat in traffic for 3 hours with the air on either.

Personally I think these temps are a pile of crap and are unnecessary. If the thermostat was changed to a 170 or 180 degree and the fans are programmed to come on at 190 you'd never see 200 degrees even on the hottest days, unless of course your radiator was blocked restricting airflow.

TType85

Thanks for the replys. I checked and there is no debris so the temps were just because it was really hot and we were stopped.

Hardcorvette: How well did that kit work and how much does it weigh?

I'm also happy to note, my 01 Z06 in the past 1K miles has burned sero oil!

rustyguns

i had the same temps and i drained my radiator and put distilled water and redline water wetter. theres still some coolant in it, as i did not flush it.

it runs 20 degrees cooler now! phoenix az 110 in the shade!

try it you will love it!

Boosted04Z06

What does that do? Reduce the heat in the car??!

Dustin

CJR2

This product looks promising in keeping debris from getting sucked into the radiator. Does anyone have any experiance with it?

http://www.pfyc.com/pc/VT1051/VTEXT/...or+Screen.html

elemon

Picked one up that looks just like that from another vendor (I like it alot. Have had it on for two years, no vibration or noise of any kind coming from it. I would say it works as advertised).

z06Bigbird

It keeps the ice cream from melting!!

jrh009

My guess is that screen would reduce the available air flow by 50%. If debris gets imbedded in the screen then there wouldn't be much flow left at all.

jay'szo6

Like most have said, those temps seem typical for the situation. I had a 96 LT1 vette that would get pretty hot, upwards of 240. You'd have to turn the A/C on to get the fans to turn on to cool it down.

For the heat coming through the console, I would go with a Elite Engineering Thermal ABS Tunnel Plate. I installed one on my 02 Z and it made a noticable difference. It also helps with the handling of the car too.

As far as the clutch, couldn't tell ya. I know i'm gonna change my fluid pretty soon cause it's pretty dirty.

Happy motoring!

CJR2

That's my concern.....but it looks like some have used it with great results. I guess I'd rather have the $50 screen clogged than the radiator

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