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OK guys I’ve been quiet on the track reviews for a couple months because I’ve been working on a surprise for everyone. A cooling solution to solve our track day issues. I’ve now got 20 track days on the car, well over 1,000 track miles and I believe I’ve found a reasonably priced way to put a big dent in our heating issues.
Ron Davis was contracted by Bondurant driving school out in the Phoenix heat to come up with a cooling solution for their overheating C7’s. I was impressed that the only mod they had done to fix this issue was the replacement of the radiator with a Ron Davis double pass radiator. Big thanks to Bondurant for putting in the R&D time with Ron Davis to find a solution that makes a big impact on reducing engine temps.
I was running 15-20 degrees cooler than the other Z06 without any cooling updates throughout the day. I’ll be working on an auxiliary oil cooler solution to offer as well in the near future should you find you are that upper 2% driver that really needs that extra level.
Summary: The 3 cars with the Ron Davis radiators installed experienced NO ISSUES. The Z without any aftermarket cooling, running lap times within 2 seconds of myself, was hitting engine overheat warnings in every session.
I was out at Autoclub speedway this weekend in 88 degree heat, running the car as hard as I know how, for 20-30 minutes at a time. I never overheated, never got close. I teamed up with 2 other C7 Z06 owners and a C7 stingray owner to gather as much data as possible to make this as conclusive a test as I can.
Myself and the other M7 Z06 had Ron Davis radiators installed, were running 80/20 coolant/water, and no other mods (slight suspension updates to other car). The 3rd Z was an A8 with no cooling updates. The 4th, the Stingray, had a Ron Davis Radiator and Setrab Transmission Cooler.
I’ve got to great effort to research a fairly simple, affordable solution that has a documented history of success, then repeat those findings myself in as scientific a way as I know how.
As many forum members know I’m the Co-Founder of Autoplicity, and we are now a forum sponsor. As a new forum sponsor we’ll be running some very aggressive pricing on anything you need, of course including this new radiator setup.
Keith in Sales will follow up in this thread shortly to introduce himself. He’s your go to guy for anything you need, including your new Ron Davis radiator.
Track Conditions:
88 Ambient Air Temps
38% humidity
Those that aren’t familiar with this track, this is a very high speed track with a big oval, NASCAR and Indy race here. I go through fuel at an absurd rate and the car is being maxed out constantly. This is a great track for endurance testing IMO.
Vehicle Info:
RON DAVIS RADIATOR
M7
Z07
Forgeline wheels with Continental Slicks
5,500 miles
My Hot Track Prep:
20% coolant and 80% water
Ron Davis Radiator
Factory Spec track alignment
Castrol SRF Brake Fluid
No A/C running
My Car Stats w Ron Davis Radiator
Fastest Lap: 1:53.17
Max Oil temp 275
Max Trans Temp 257
Max Water Temp 234
M7 Z06 #2 w Ron Davis Radiator
Fastest Lap: 1:56.16
Max Oil temp 280
Max Trans Temp 257
Max Water Temp 241
A8 Z06 STOCK
Fastest Lap: 1:54.55
Max Oil temp 295
Max Trans Temp 234
Max Water Temp 255
A8 Stingray w Ron Davis Radiator and Tranny Cooler
Max Oil temp 280
Max Trans Temp 234
Max Water Temp 237
MY M7 Z06 w/ Ron Davis Radiator, Vehicle Health
MY M7 Z06 w/ Ron Davis Radiator, Performance
M7 Z06 w/ Ron Davis Radiator, Health
M7 Z06 w/ Ron Davis Radiator, Performance
A8 Z06 stock, vehicle health
A8 Z06 stock, Performance
PS guys. Can't recommend Excelsior Motorsports in Escondido, CA enough for installs if you're in SoCal. Kushan down there did our install and did a fantastic job!
Last edited by sushisean; 08-12-2015 at 04:43 PM.
Reason: fixing screenshots
We are direct with Ron Davis radiator (plus a ton of other companies/warehouses) and contact me for pricing. Lead time for the radiator right now is about 3-4 weeks. PM me if you have any questions/comments or are looking for other items for your car.
Keith
Last edited by Autoplicity; 08-10-2015 at 05:35 PM.
Not trying to hijack the thread, but it does seem difficult to believe that GM is not smart enough to engineer a solution as simple as a larger, bolt in, radiator to solve THEIR problem(unless Tadge doesn't want to admit there is a problem thus does not want to solve the problem).
Not trying to hijack the thread, but it does seem difficult to believe that GM is not smart enough to engineer a solution as simple as a larger, bolt in, radiator to solve THEIR problem(unless Tadge doesn't want to admit there is a problem thus does not want to solve the problem).
GM is smart enough but they are still run by the accounting department which wants them to shave costs. They probably assumed that the radiator they installed would suffice.
I used to work at a Chevy dealer in service and witnessed their "decontenting" program.
Not trying to hijack the thread, but it does seem difficult to believe that GM is not smart enough to engineer a solution as simple as a larger, bolt in, radiator to solve THEIR problem(unless Tadge doesn't want to admit there is a problem thus does not want to solve the problem).
One word--Embarrassment--spend a 100k on a car and have to mod the cooling system so it can run laps.
Not trying to hijack the thread, but it does seem difficult to believe that GM is not smart enough to engineer a solution as simple as a larger, bolt in, radiator to solve THEIR problem(unless Tadge doesn't want to admit there is a problem thus does not want to solve the problem).
That's a good question, but I think most of it comes down to their budget. I believe they got 700 million less than they wanted and I guess they didn't have enough money to develop a better cooling system for the Z06.
We are direct with Ron Davis radiator (plus a ton of other companies/warehouses) and contact me for pricing. Lead time for the radiator right now is about 3-4 weeks. PM me if you have any questions/comments or are looking for other items for your car.
Not trying to hijack the thread, but it does seem difficult to believe that GM is not smart enough to engineer a solution as simple as a larger, bolt in, radiator to solve THEIR problem(unless Tadge doesn't want to admit there is a problem thus does not want to solve the problem).
I made the same argument when I asked why GM would leave 50HP on the table with a simple intake upgrade and I was beaten down like a rented alpaca. It seems that GM (like any other big auto maker) tries to get away with doing the bare minimum where they can ... sometimes they get it right and sometimes they get it wrong.
I'm just glad we're seeing the aftermarket peeps trying to come up with some solutions.
That's a good question, but I think most of it comes down to their budget. I believe they got 700 million less than they wanted and I guess they didn't have enough money to develop a better cooling system for the Z06.
In reality all they had to do is expand on the ZR knowledge obtained and modify, pretty simple solution. Big picture is I'm sure no one would have complained if the MSRP was 1k higher but the car ran like it should. Engineers get paid to figure $hit out.
I have had Ron Davis products in my blown ****** coupes and they always performed, good stuff.
I made the same argument when I asked why GM would leave 50HP on the table with a simple intake upgrade and I was beaten down like a rented alpaca. It seems that GM (like any other big auto maker) tries to get away with doing the bare minimum where they can ... sometimes they get it right and sometimes they get it wrong.
I'm just glad we're seeing the aftermarket peeps trying to come up with some solutions.
Actually, that's exactly what I said back in March and kinda the opposite of what you said when that issue came up (you mentioned MPG and emissions)
Originally Posted by l888apex
I think the answer is simple.
It can produce 650/650 which was above the original announcement of 625/625 anyway with a cost saving LT1 recycled intake.
Why not leave the aftermarket opportunity for great companies like Halltech and let the LT4 breath even better with a simple bolt on. It leans the AFR of the car out quite a bit which is obviously good for performance but intentionally left off an OEM map for safety and longevity reasons. They could have tuned it that way but didn't...
Originally Posted by soulsea
The idea that they left 50hp on the table by not adding one relatively cheap part because they wanted to stick close to their hp announcement is silly. They would have figured out such significant gains from a better flowing intake at a very early stage in the LT4 development. It's not like adding 5hp through a $2k upgraded exhaust system ... the cost benefit of this would have been a no brainer.
There are always reasons manufacturers configure cars the way they do, and they are not always evident, and in this case it'd have to be a really good reason. There has to be a domino affect onto other elements of the system that made them decide not to push more air.
I know little to nothing about engine performance mods so I'm just trying to educate myself. So I'm simply wondering if the reason has to do with mpg or emissions considerations or if it's because the addition of more air will have any short or long term adverse consequences on other components, and if so, what would those be.
I don't think its an unreasonable question to ask ... but for a vendor who is great at answering almost every post, their silence in this matter speaks volumes and makes me extremely weary at this almost too good to be true add on. imo
GM should allow this radiator to be installed without affecting any part of the warranty.
Of course your mileage may vary and you should check with your local dealer, but I've checked with 2 separate dealers and others on the forum have as well and been told as long as this is installed properly it will not impact warranty.
I agree, especially since Bondaurant contracted the new radiator to be built and I know Bondaurant has a partnership with Chevy (do they still?)
There's a lot more to it than just that it helps with a certain condition. GM will have to run it through their fine-tooth liability comb to make sure it will work without getting them into trouble.
There's a lot more to it than just that it helps with a certain condition. GM will have to run it through their fine-tooth liability comb to make sure it will work without getting them into trouble.
I understand. At least this won't void the warranty, right?
I understand. At least this won't void the warranty, right?
Double-check with your local dealer. I would all call the 800 GM line to see what their take is on it as well. Typically (and this is true for aftermarket add-ons as well), modifying a part will not cause the entire vehicle warranty to be void (i.e. the radiator cannot be blamed for an axle failing)
08-10-2015, 05:24 PM
Overheating solution with LOTS OF DATA
One word--Embarrassment--spend a 100k on a car and have to mod the cooling system so it can run laps. 
