dcher

This appeared today on the Stingray forum and is from Elegant (John) whose comments and information always seem to be thorough, vetted and accurate.

Z06 A8's: Confirmed Extra Cooler


At the Caravan end, during the NCM 20th Anniversary Celebration, "Jagamajajaran" saw and showed us pictures of a new front cooler on a Z06. Thanks Jag! Today we get more confirmed info from "banjo," while he and his wife are on a cross country trip. They just had a private BGAP tour, was specifically told the following info, and asked me to post it for him. Thank you "banjo!"

I am told the Z06 cooling problem has been cured for the A8 by adding another cooler in the front of the car. I was also told the extra cooler will be made available in the Stingray as well.

More really good news and progress!

nitrojunky

this is good news indeed!

docf

Great news. Thank you for the update!

Snorman

While somewhat already known, this is great news.
It's entertaining to watch people whine and moan about what they think are tap-to-shift delays in a car they have not only never driven, but never had on-track while the far bigger issue has been transmission fluid cooling.
While I don't plan on replacing my regular track car with the Z06, hopefully the A8 will fare much better with regards to cooling than the A6 did. I was disappointed with mine when it overheated so quickly at Daytona this spring. Thankfully, I was running both cars at that event. But others have had their track weekends ruined by overheating A6's.
S.

usroute66 MKW

how much additional weight will this extra A8 radiator and plumbing add to an already heavier than expected model ?
they were probably on the fence for using it , hoping to minimize mass everywhere , but had to face the reality of warranty / longevity / potential negative customer satisfaction feedback in real world use

dar02081961

Since it is all mostly aluminum a reasonable guess would be 5-10lbs.
And since the A8 is 8 pounds lighter than an A6 I would say its a wash for a much better capability. Not enough to discuss.

sam90lx

How many extra pounds on the front did this add?

Edit....just saw usroute66 ask this.

BOBSZ06

I think we pretty much already knew this was being added and the delay.
Question is: When will they be ready for production?

Snorman

Not knowing the exact size of the front cooler, I still would guess it's no more than 5-7# of aluminum and mounting brackets. Maybe 1-2# in line to the trans and fittings and not sure on additional fluid capacity. But yeah...maybe ~10-12# total.
S.

sunsalem

Sounds about right.
Whatever it turns out to be, it won't be much.

C7 4 Me

Understanding that full details aren't available, for those of us with A6 cars, will there be a way to upgrade the cooling with this? If so, should we expect to pay an arm and a leg to have it done?

I want to track my car, but I'm not going to shell out the cash only to figure out (like Snorman) that I can only go 6 laps at a time.

TKOGTO

There was with the C6 so hopefully the same is possible with the C7. The key is to do it right the 1st time, i.e., biggest and best cooler that fits (like a Setrab) ideally located with direct air flow (up front). If you do the work yourself, the cost is the parts, ballparked @ either side of $450. At a shop with labor, should be ~$1,250 @ $95/hr.

dcher

The new information here seems to be that they solved the engineering issue which I assume is the rate limiting step in getting the A8 cars built. I would guess that the cooler/tubing are probably available from existing suppliers.

GM is highly incentivized to move this into production quickly if it has not already done so since they have apparently run out of customers wanting the M7. Maybe this means we will see A8 availability on the Nov 13 allocation and a February delivery??? Pure speculation on my part but at least there seems to be a path forward and a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.

BOBSZ06

Yes, I assume that once the solution was engineered and suppliers were obtained to provide the equipment the delay would have been part of the GM letter to dealers re: the 1 - 2 month delay in the A8.
So, I would guess you are are correct on the Nov. timing.

This A8 cooling issue was discovered late in the process and had to be dealt with properly, and that took time and created the delay.

C7/Z06 Man

I don't know how the A6 plumbing is done on the C7 but if it is like the A6 C6 than adding an extra trans cooler in "series" with the OEM one in the radiator if you do the installation and depending on the cooler you chose should run between $100/$200 tops!

Mine which I did a thread on some time ago is located dead center of the grill opening on the front of the AC condenser and was less than $100 iirc.

Look "closely" at the grill area in pic below to see it. You may have to blow the pic up some to see it and that is not the best type of cooler to use but gets the job done in my case.

PS: I think a Yugo was closing fast on me in that pic.

zeshawn

95% of us wont drive our cars on the track, if you have any doubts start a poll and find out for yourself. The delay in the tap shift is REAL, you can see it in the video, the video doesn't lie and there are a few testimonials from CF members as well on the same issue yet you want us to believe otherwise? Based on your logic you'd have to buy the car before you decide if you like it or not? In Dubai at least there is absolutely no way you could test drive a Z06, you either buy it or don't.

On the other hand, transmission fluid heating up is as simple as swapping out the cooler, there are enough aftermarket coolers that are better than the stock coolers (where things such as cost come into account).

So, hot fluid you can easily fix, tap-shift delay you can do absolutely nothing about.

Snorman

I don't have any interest in starting a poll. If you want to know how many people will track their cars, feel free to start one.
There are varying opinions from reviewers and members on this forum who have driven the A8 regarding perceived delay between paddle tap and shift. Whichever you wish to believe is your own choice. I don't "want" you to believe anything.
Personally, knowing firsthand and for a fact that there is even a delay in the PDK from tap to shift, I'm not overly concerned.
And the solution for tranny cooling isn't so "simple". The cooler and fan in the C7 are located in the driver's side quarter panel, requiring a fair amount of disassembly and reassembly to replace. Furthermore, because of the limited space, I would question what exact upgrade to the cooler/fan assembly can be used. LG has developed a custom pan and replaced the OEM cooler with one "that is a more conventional heat exchanger"
S.

Jet Stream Blue Z06

I hope the A8 is available when my allocation comes up. I can live without exposed carbon fiber or some of the other constraints, but I would have a tough time deciding if I want the M7 or a chance of not getting the A8 and having to wait for a 2016.

sunsalem

5%....and all of them post on this forum.