How Formula 1 Aero Makes The Corvette Z06 Fast As Hell CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News How Formula 1 Aero Makes The Corvette Z06 Fast As Hell
How Formula 1 Aero Makes The Corvette Z06 Fast As Hell
May. 21, 2022 11:21 AM ET by Chase Bierenkoven Supercars / 19 Comments Chevy lets us in on some of the Z06's secret sauce. The new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is almost here. In order to make people more aware of the engineering that went into the newest Z06, Chevy has a playlist of videos titled "Corvette Academy." Basically, it's everything you need to know about the newest, fastest Corvette. The newest video, titled "Conquer the Air" is all about the aerodynamics of the new supercar. It centers around the Z07 package for the car, which adds important aero elements and performance upgrades to make the fastest Vette just a little bit faster. Critically, some of those upgrades also serve to make the Corvette less crash-prone and more stable, obviously something you'd want in a 670 hp mid-engine track monster. Chevrolet/YouTube Chevrolet/YouTube Chevrolet/YouTube Chevrolet/YouTube From the sounds of things, the architecture of the new, wider car called for some bits and bobs to be moved outward. That includes the taillights, which were moved more for symmetry than anything. However, the extractors below the lights were moved to better pull air from the back of the car. On the sides, the new engine also necessitated a wider footprint. That's because the new flat-plane V8 in the Z06 needs drastically more air fed into it. The diagrams show how the fenders and wheel arches guide air back into the engine. The front of the car, according to Design Manager Kirk Bennion, helps set up the way air moves across the rest of the body. Bennion also says that the rear of the Z06 is critical to producing downforce, Z07 pack or not. The underside of the car is a great example, with channels to push air out from under the car and along the wheels. This creates an almost F1-like downforce system. According to Bennion, the Z06 with a Z07 pack will make 734 lbs of downforce at 186 mph. Chevrolet/YouTube Chevrolet/YouTube Chevrolet/YouTube Of course, much of that also comes from the wing on the new Z06. Designers created the wing to dip in the center, aiding visibility, and have edges. That's because the edges of the wing is where the air is cleanest, undisrupted by the body of the car or anything in front of the car. Again, think F1, and how those cars perform better in "clean" air than they do in "dirty" air. We love these little engineering peaks at the newest of the new, and this one proved to have some interesting insight into the new Z06. At the very least, it's something to bring up to your captive audience at Cars and Coffee. That is, supposing you can get one at MSRP. Regardless, it's looking more and more like optioning the Z07 pack is the way to go for the new Z06. Chevrolet/YouTube Chevrolet/YouTube Chevrolet/YouTube Join The Discussion
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Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Coupe Chase Bierenkoven Associate Editor Shortly before applying to law school, Chase decided to take a chance on pursuing his dream job: playing with cars and getting paid for it. Law school was just a means to an end, after all. His first writing job was freelance and barely paid his grocery bill. It quickly turned into a full-time position, eventually leading Chase to join CarBuzz in 2022. Chase now tests cars, and sits comfortably at the news desk when he's not in the driver's seat. In his spare time, Chase can be heard trying to play guitar, or out enjoying Colorado's natural splendor in his BMW M3. Contact Chase @bierenkoven @cbier823 LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top