spinkick

Hey guys, ive been searching the forum and there is some debate on whether the airdam does anything for a z06 since its a front breather and not bottom. Tests have shown the air ducts for the brakes does not add any real coolling effect, and that the airdam increases lift on the car. So, is there any reason why I should have it?

I just picked up the Katech spoiler and am looking to put the chin spoiler and shelf on as soon as they get it back in stock. In the meantime, would removing the air damn reduce the lift on the front and balance the car out at least a little more than it is now? I am not worried about the brake cooling given the fact that in stock form it does not really work anyway, airdam or not.

What do you think?

Gering

I have read that "Air Dams play a critical role in the operation of your C6's Cooling System. By creating negative air pressure under the front end of the C6 the Front Spoiler directs air flow to the radiator. Corvette lower Front Spoilers/Air Dams have always been highly susceptible to damage from curbs, parking blocks and elevated drives. Once damaged, or worse yet missing entirely, your Corvette will experience higher average operating temperatures leading to decreased cooling system efficiency and service life in addition to overheating and premature / accelerated engine wear."

http://www.mamotorworks.com/corvette...-166-7549.html

Here is a thread for you - http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...verything.html

spinkick

For a c5 or c6 that is a bottom breather, I could understand, but in the Z06, the radiator is blocked off from the bottom and takes all the air in mostly from the front. This is why I cant understand why its there. The brake cooling ducts have been shown to barely do anything on the z06 to cool the brakes, with airdam on or not. Just strange to me that its there.

Al Gumby

Air under car at speed creates lift. The air dam is there to help eliminate high speed lift. I am open to correction...

Slammedc5..

I lowered my car so much I had to cut mine off. It was smashed on the ground after lowering 2 inches. The big fish mouth on the front of the car flows plenty air. I have absolutely no change in coolant temps or anything. And in Hawaii it's always hot and humid. I also have a z51 6 speed, so add the coolers etc to the radiator. No issues. And I have a vararam snake charmer.
My car has seen upwards of 160mph more than once. No issues at all. These are real world results, not quesstimates.
The c5 is different, these no opening I front of the radiator. As far as air under the car? I lowered my car more than the thickness of the air damn. So I actually closed the gap more from the car to the ground.

carpe dm

Gearhead Jim

GM did a pretty good amount of aero testing on the Z06 body changes.
They could have saved a little weight and cost by eliminating the air dam, but they kept it. So there must be some advantages to having it, whether it's significant to most people is another question.

Bill Dearborn

It may produce front end lift but not anything I notice when hitting 150+ mph multiple times per day while at the track. However, the front air dam does force air into the brakes. I have tested it with a wheel off and the car lowered to close to ride height on a lift. I used a leaf blower blowing at the front of the car and got good air flow from coming through the duct inlet under the front bumper. I could feel a strong air flow coming through my spindle ducts and the brake rotor. It helps if you use the LG duct replacement which has a little better air flow and a nice 3 inch outlet to hook the spindle duct hose to. I saw little difference between the duct under the bumper and some fog light ducts that I had mocked up. Thus I reinstalled my fog lights in case I want to use them on the road.

Bill

geewez

Where the heck do you hit 160 in Oahu?

S'vette

On the same somehow empty streets that the Hawaii 5 0 guys use on TV.

Blk 08 C6

if he can pm where that is where you hit 160 I would like to check it out on a weekend.LOL.buck 20 soo far.

htvette

I removed the airdam on my Z and I did notice the car feels more planted and less lift above 100mph

marc8090

It has been posted that part of how the air dam works is by creating a high pressure area in front of it (which unfortunately produces lift) and therefore creating a low pressure area behind it to pull hot air out the bottom of the engine compartment. So even though the Z06 is a front breather, the air going in has to come out somewhere. Some of it must come out the bottom and the air dam helps with that.

Slammedc5..

H2 and H3. Late at night, guys with radios at each end of a certain stretch. I chickened out, some guys have gone 190mph.
There's also a old airport runway event being organized soon..

Didn't really want to say. Now all the save it for the track blah blah Will start We don't have s track.
Sorry. But people will always race cars. If there's no track. It will be on the street. There's a pretty large street racing scene here

6Speeder

The airdam is there on the Z06 because GM didn't want to pay for more different parts for it than they had to. I removed the bolted on side pieces and cut down the center piece to half it's stock height and have seen no changes in engine coolant temps. The brake ducts are way in front of the air dam and not affected by changing or removing it.

I see no negatives on cutting/removing the airdam on a Z06. Doing so will reduce drag and reduce front end lift.

Slammedc5..

Its no secret. The LEOs show up everyweekend. I see it from my work. That's why I don't do it anymore.
I'm interested in the runway event though. That's lega

Maybe the LEOs can join the fight to get a new track. Because street racing has gone on before I was born, and will continue after I'm gone. But there's almost no street racing when our track was open.

I used to love wed night " race a cop" night. There was some cool cop cars back when the track was open

el es tu

The air dam reduces the amount of air coming under the car, thereby reducing lift and drag. The z06 brake ducts do work. I have gone with and without brake ducts, also without the valence a few times and there is a significant difference in how long the brakes last.

GM could have just made the bumper lower, but then the car would scrape even worse than it currently does.

808c6

You guys are brave. I missed the race track.

Bill Dearborn

Not sure what car you were working on but it wasn't a Z06. The entrance to the Z06 brake ducts is located horizontally in the rear bottom of the front fascia right at the top of the air dam. They are right in the high pressure area caused by the air dam. If you are talking about the little holes in the front splitter they may allow some air to come in and hit the air dam before it is forced into the duct. If you cut the air dam side pieces you cut the part that forces the air into the ducts.

As I said in a previous post any front lift caused by the air dam isn't obvious at speeds up to 158 mph. Car doesn't get light, steering doesn't get light, car feels planted to the ground.

Bill

6Speeder

The air dam we are referring to is not the splitter at the very front of the car, with the brake duct holes, we are talking about the one further back from the nose. It is used on bottom breathers to force air into the radiator. On a Z06 it just causes high pressure under the nose of the car, not good for aero.