GM Reveals 2015 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Z06

[Stingray]

[FenwickHockey65]

Stingray, buy a Z06 and give me your Z51.

[Stock Boy]

I can't wait to see one of these at my local Chick Fil A drive throughs!

[RealG]

Originally Posted by Angrybird 12

They said it would be available with 3 different aero packages, I think all they have shown is the most agressive package.

Interesting , thanks

[Stingray]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Stingray, buy a Z06 and give me your Z51.

Originally Posted by RealG

Interesting , thanks

Yup so far all they are revealing in pics is the fully loaded Z07-package variant... Quick Reference Guide here.

[LOWDOWN]

Originally Posted by LostPony

But boy would I take a lot of crap if I bought a Vette!

Just change the "neighborhood" you hang in...or, better yet, bring the truly discerning ones "with" you!

[Silverlsinva]

So are the dark tail lights a production thing or just for the show since I just noticed that the lights seemed tinted.

[Camaro_Corvette]

Kind of reminds me of those afterburners I never got

[Stingray]

Better shots here...

[King T]

A few more photos of the new gray color

[King T]

2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06: One Part ZR1, One Part Throwdown for Porsche
The track-worthiest Vette gets forced induction and gobs of race-car tech.

To introduce Chevrolet’s third-generation high-performance Corvette Z06, we seriously considered publishing the car’s spec sheet and letting it speak for itself. We haven’t driven the car yet—and likely won’t for another year or so—but given it’s a thinly veiled roadgoing race car, a cold, efficient, and straight-to-the-point list of its upgrades seems more appropriate than a long-form deep-dive into what sets it apart from the C7 Corvette Stingray on which it is based. Yet while a list might draw a clearly defined line in the sand between the Z06 and its humbler stablemate, it simply couldn’t capture the full wow factor of the thing, the sheer ridiculousness of Chevy’s technological and engineering achievements. So here goes.

When we were first shown the 2015 Corvette Z06 at a behind-the-scenes preview event last month, lead engineer Tadge Juechter minced few words when it came to the relationship between the car and the C7.R racer: The two were, for all intents and purposes, designed concurrently and alongside one another. It only takes a quick glance at the Z06’s widened, lowered, vented, and winged body to understand that. Interestingly, development on the Z06 has only just begun, and it’s really only being shown at the 2014 Detroit auto show because the C7.R makes its race debut later this month; Chevy’s merely removing the bag before the cat can jump out of it. That and Mr. Juechter lamented how difficult high-speed testing is with garbage-bag-like camouflage plastered all over test cars.

No Need to Hold On to Your Hats, Down force Has It Covered

In the past, the Z06 has enjoyed a degree of visual separation from the standard Corvette, but this new one looks like it mainlined a concentrated dose of pure aero. There are no fewer than three (!) aerodynamic packages available, but every one includes a substantial front splitter; an enlarged hood vent that contributes downforce by allowing air flowing through the grille to escape above—rather than underneath—the car; and a hyper-engineered grille mesh that somehow directs more air through the engine compartment than a mesh-less, gaping hole. The most extreme aero kit comes mated to the optional Z07 package, and brings an even deeper front splitter with tall winglets at each corner, deep rocker panel extensions, and a big ducktail spoiler with a manually height-adjustable center portion. That little panel, by the way, is clear to mitigate the wing’s effect on rear visibility.

Other aero tweaks include a pair of brake ducts integrated into the grille, enlarged fender vents, rear brake cooling ducts, and larger air outlets in the rear fascia to help evacuate the increased cooling airflow running over the transmission and differential coolers that live back there. In fact, at the Z06 backgrounder event, Mr. Juechter spent the better part of five minutes discussing the upper rear fender vents alone. Those curious-looking inverted scoops are said to push 50 percent more air into the ducts than the scoopless units fitted to the Stingray. Overall, GM says that the Z06 with the Z07 package whips up (or down?) the most downforce of any production car it’s ever tested—GM-made or otherwise. How much downforce does it make? Chevy’s not saying yet, but assured us that there’s so much of it that the C7.R team for the first time ever didn’t need to add any for the race car; the team instead spent its wind-tunnel time paring back drag.

Vent and spoiler fetishes aside, the Z06’s front and rear fenders are 2.2 and 3.15 inches wider than the Stingray’s in order to fit a wheel and tire package sized the same as that on the outgoing C6 ZR1. The standard setup includes 285/30ZR-19 front and whopping 335/25ZR-20 rear Michelin Pilot Sport tires, while the Z07 package brings near-slick Sport Cup rubber. You’ll notice we haven’t made one mention of the Z06’s “styling”—that’s because it nearly doesn’t matter; race cars are functional beasts, and the Z06 isn’t any different.

Supercharged to Eaton the Competition for Breakfast

In a first for the Z06 breed, the third-gen model’s engine will feature forced induction. A 1.7-liter Eaton R1740 TVS supercharger lives in between the small-block V-8’s vee, and its compactness (including the intercooler) swallows just one additional inch of airspace above the engine. Dubbed LT4, the supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 comes from the same fifth-generation small-block family as the Stingray’s LT1, but gets a thorough overhaul to handle the blower’s might. Chevy fits the LT4 with stronger Rotocast aluminum cylinder heads, titanium intake valves, machined connecting rods, forged aluminum pistons, stainless-steel exhaust headers, and a standard higher-capacity dry-sump oiling setup.

The Stingray’s direct fuel injection carries over to the Z06 and contributes to a high 10.1:1 compression ratio, and that car’s continuously variable valve timing and Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation functionality also hit the Z06 for the first time. Efficiency is said to be quite high, and we’re tempted to believe the engineers’ hyperbole on this, considering the outgoing C6 Z06 was capable of nearly 30 mpg on the highway in the real world. Official EPA estimates won’t arrive until much later, but that data is far less interesting than the most important powertrain spec of them all: output. Preliminary numbers from the Z06 guys peg the new LT4 at 625 horsepower and 635 lb-ft of torque, figures that knock on the door of the previous-generation ZR1. In fact, the Z06’s torque figure actually betters the ZR1’s by more than 30 lb-ft.

Chevrolet certainly is hoping to expand the Z06’s appeal, and a big part of that mission involves a tide of development work to massage some of the spookiness out of the car’s behavior at the limit. Anyone familiar with the outgoing Z06 is well versed in that car’s challenging limit behavior, which takes a skilled driver to manage. Based on the new C7 Stingray’s friendlier and more accessible performance envelope, we suspect the new Z06 will be better in this regard. That said, we won’t know for certain until we drive it, but one thing that’s sure to find the Z06 more buyers is Chevrolet’s introduction of an automatic transmission option.

Dubbed 8L90, the new eight-speed might have a torque converter like your dad’s Malibu, but it’s quite the beast. First, it has the highest torque capacity of any GM automatic extant, the better to handle that LT4, and second, GM claims it can upshift eight hundredths of a second quicker than Porsche’s instantaneously quick PDK dual-clutch automatic. Other bonuses include manual control, a compact design that fits it into the same space as the Stingray’s six-speed automatic, eight fewer pounds of mass than the six-speed, and the fact that it’s destined for regular Vettes next year. For enthusiasts, the same seven-speed manual with driver-selectable rev matching that’s standard in the Stingray is standard in the Z06.

Today, ZR1 is Spelled Z-0-6 . . .

Underneath, the Z06 for the first time closely resembles the Stingray. Previous cars used an aluminum chassis, compared to the regular Corvettes’ steel units; now with the C7 Vette using aluminum, no major changes were needed for Z06 duty, and both are now made in-house at GM’s Bowling Green, Kentucky, Corvette facility. Of course, Chevrolet didn’t leave the platform totally alone. Whereas the Stingray uses a steel torque tube (ideal for quelling NVH issues from the Active Cylinder Management system), the Z06 gets a thick carbon-fiber unit that shaves weight and maintains acceptable NVH properties. Carbon fiber is also used for the hood and the removable roof panel. That’s right, the Z06’s lid is no longer fixed, and Chevy says despite this, overall chassis rigidity is up 20 percent versus its predecessor; with the roof in place, that improvement swells to 60 percent.

When it comes time to slow down the Z06, drivers will lean on massive two-piece steel brake rotors (measuring 14.6 inches in diameter up front and 14.4 in the rear) clamped by six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers. The Z07 package, as you’d expect, swaps this gear for even larger 15.5 front and 15.3-inch rear carbon-ceramic rotors said to be borrowed from the outgoing ZR1; they save 23 pounds and bring more-favorable thermal performance. GM’s excellent Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) adaptive dampers are standard, as is an electronic limited-slip differential with a hydraulically actuated clutch that can vary diff action in tenths of a second. These two features, along with the eight-speed automatic, when equipped, can be manipulated via the same drive mode selector found in the Stingray. Weather, Eco, Tour (default), Sport, and Track modes remain, each with a unique calibration for the steering, throttle map, Active Fuel Management, exhaust, MRC dampers, traction and stability control, and the gauge-cluster display.

Just as the C7 Stingray’s interior took a major step forward in niceness, so does the Z06’s, which comes standard with a “wrapped” cabin. This means everything is covered in stitched, soft-touch materials, and buyers can further deck it out with full Nappa leather with micro-suede and carbon-fiber accents. A unique flat-bottom steering wheel further sets the Z06 apart, as does a new optional Performance Data Recorder for drivers keen on documenting their on- and off-track shenanigans. A pair of seat choices are available: a regular “GT” seat and a hard-core Competition Sport seat with substantial bolsters. Both chairs’ frames are rendered from lightweight magnesium, and if they’re as good as those in the regular Vette, we’ll be smitten.

Okay, so we’re betting this rundown of the Z06 has read something like an exclamatory spec sheet. But that’s the way we think the Corvette team would like it—if Mr. Juechter can spend a handful of minutes detailing a single vent, we can use this space to list the technical triumph that is the entire car. How good is the Z06 shaping up to be? We’re told it shattered the course record at GM’s Milford Road Course on its first time on the track. Let us remind you that almost no development or tuning work had been done to the car at that point—Chevy simply bolted the pieces together and went for a lap time. Think what it could do after a year of fine-tuning. Now for the best part: All of this C7.R-for-the-street business won’t cost you any more than the old Z06. As Tadge Juechter himself put it—in between explaining the aerodynamic value added by the tiny spats ahead of each front wheel and detailing how the C7.R’s three-percent fuel-efficiency bump (thanks to direct injection) will save one pit stop over a 24-hour race—“if you could afford the old Z06, you’ll be able to afford the new Z06.”

[King T]

(Edmunds)




2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 First Look
Behind the Z06 Curtain

The question, says Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer, isn't how close the 2015 Chevy Corvette Z06 will come to matching the performance of the outgoing ZR1, but rather how badly it will obliterate its performance.

His confidence is reasonable. Because last fall, before the engineering team began tuning the prototype Z06's engine calibration, springs, stabilizer bars and dampers and using the initial-submission Michelin tires, it broke the existing track record at the company's Milford Road Course. It was a record held by the outgoing ZR1.

That the record fell is a testament to the fundamental aerodynamic soundness of the car, according to Juechter. That it fell by only 0.1 second means he's anticipating significant improvement.

New Supercharged V8
Chevy's new supercharged LT4 (a 6.2-liter V8) will debut in the Z06. The preliminary — and likely conservative — output estimate is 625 horsepower and 635 pound-feet of torque from the new mill. But tradition holds the Z06 is normally aspirated, right?

Not any longer.

A normally aspirated engine couldn't meet the power, durability and emissions/efficiency requirements Chevy targeted for the Z06, according Juechter. "The only way to make anywhere near this kind of power with a normally aspirated engine is to rev it well beyond 7,000 rpm," he said. "But that isn't possible with the Active Fuel Management hardware, which increases valvetrain weight." As an added bonus, Juechter insists that the final calibration of the LT4 will make the LS9 (the outgoing ZR1 engine) feel like it has no bottom end.

Though it shares its aluminum block with the LT1 (the Stingray engine), the LT4 utilizes a low-profile, low-inertia Eaton supercharger buried deep in its V. Its intercooler blocks are packaged outside the supercharger and are 23 percent smaller than those in the LS9. Despite their size, additional contact area makes them more efficient. In total, the engine is only 1 inch taller than an LT1. Peak boost, at 9.5 psi, is lower than the LS9's 9.7 psi. Compression is 10.0:1.

Rotocasting yields cylinder heads with stronger material properties, while titanium intake valves, machined rods and forged pistons bring strength to the valvetrain and rotating assembly. Cast stainless-steel headers ensure durability of the exhaust system, and (as in many previous high-performance Corvettes) dry-sump lubrication is standard.

The LT4 is the first production engine in the world to utilize cylinder deactivation in conjunction with supercharging. Like the LT1, it is direct injected and uses variable valve timing.

New Eight-Speed Automatic
Two transmissions are available: a carryover seven-speed manual from the Stingray and a new GM-designed eight-speed automatic. According to Juechter there isn't a dual-clutch transmission that packages in the Corvette's rear-mounted transaxle space and can handle the LT4's torque. Plus, he says, the torque converter improves drivability when in four-cylinder mode, which allows more aggressive cylinder deactivation.

With shift characteristics tailored by the drive mode selector, the new rev-matching automatic is the same size as the outgoing six-speed, but thanks to liberal use of aluminum and magnesium, it's 8 pounds lighter. It's also 5 percent more efficient which, when combined with cylinder deactivation (AFM in GM-speak) should make the Z06 one of the most efficient supercars on the market. Accordingly, it's the perfect choice for a supercar buyer whose purchase decision rests on a green agenda.

Wider, Heavier Despite Lots of Carbon
Wider rubber at both ends necessitates an additional 2.2 inches of front and 3 inches of rear width over the Stingray. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber sized 285/30ZR19 up front and 335/25ZR20 out back will come as part of the Z07 package. Also included in that package are carbon-ceramic brake rotors that are nearly 15.7 inches in diameter up front. They save 23 pounds per car over the standard two-piece iron rotors.

The bulged hood, removable roof panel and ground effects pieces are all carbon fiber.

Possibly the biggest weight-saving measure is the carbon-fiber structural member connecting the engine to the transmission. This 6-foot-long piece endures both drivetrain and chassis loads and is critical in determining the car's structure and drivability.

Overall weight, however, is higher than the outgoing ZR1, which weighed 3,366 pounds.

Magnetorheological dampers and the electronic limited-slip differential — both of which are optional on the Stingray — are standard equipment on the Z06.

Critical Airflow Management
Look closely at the details and you'll notice careful management of every molecule passing over, around and through the new Z06. Three levels of aero treatment are available. The first offers a modest front splitter and a modified version of the Z51 rear spoiler. The second increases the size of the front splitter, including the addition of vertical winglets and adds rocker-panel extensions and a mild wickerbill to the rear spoiler.

If the former treatments call into question the car's street worthiness, the aero additions that come with the Z07 package remove any doubt. It adds larger removable end caps to the splitter's vertical winglets as well as a large, clear adjustable wickerbill spoiler to the rear. The result is a Corvette with more downforce than any car GM has ever measured in its wind tunnel.

A new physics-defying grille texture allows better flow than an open hole, according to Juechter — a feat we'll believe when we see proof. Even so, larger transmission and differential coolers, which are packaged in the wider rear-quarter panels are now fed via scooped ducts on top of the fenders. Dedicated brake ducts in the grille draw cooling air over the front brakes, while the now-iconic scoops in the rear fenders perform the same job out back.

Crushing Germans and Italians at a Track Near You
Inside, where the competition sport seats remain optional, the Z06 is similar to a Stingray with wrapped leather surfaces and premium materials. One new interior color (blue) will be available. A unique three-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel is the biggest differentiator from the Stingray.

Probably the biggest news with the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is its price. Final pricing isn't announced yet, but GM insiders insist that its cost will be comparable to the outgoing Z06, which started at $76,595.

"If you could afford the previous Z06, you can afford this one," said Juechter. Look for the Z06 to hit dealers in early 2015, followed shortly by a mass exodus of Ferraris and Porsches from tracks across the country.

[tones2SS]

Originally Posted by King T

Wow, that is gorgeous.
I have to be honest, I'm not really feeling the Stingray much, but this Z06 is amazing looking. Especially in that yellow.

[King T]

(Road & Track)



8 (More) Things You Need to Know About the 2015 Corvette Z06
Including how to drill holes in it and why the taillights are gray.

I spent some time with Corvette boss Tadge Juechter and his team getting to know the C7 Z06 that debuted in Detroit. It was just us, the yellow show car, and an otherwise empty photography studio. Here are eight things I learned that you won’t find in the press release.

The hidden carbon-fiber torque tube

To make cylinder deactivation work on the Stingray, it needed a stiffer torque tube than the aluminum piece used on the C6. They went with steel, which has three times the stiffness but weighs more. That wouldn’t do for the Z06, so it gets a new carbon piece with aluminum bells on either end. “It looks really cool, and no one will ever see it,” says Juechter.

Michelin has been working on the tires for two years

The tire company bought its own C6 ZR1 to test the new Pilot Sport 2 and Pilot Sport Cup rubber it’s developing for the new Z06. That’s commitment. (And probably a pretty entertaining job.)

Tadge Juechter wants you to drill holes in it

The extra-super-optional aero setup, which is bundled in with the Z07 package (carbon-ceramic brakes, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires), comes with an adjustable rear spoiler. The clear piece in the middle is slotted so that owners can move it up and down. But the fasteners holding the opaque pieces together are functional, too. Juechter says you can unscrew them, drill new holes, and get the “authority” (what engineers call adjustability) you want. If it turns out to provide a big bump in testing, GM may even offer an accessory piece with pre-drilled holes. But we just like the idea of the manufacturer telling you to drill holes in your car.

The LT4 is “going to make the old ZR1 seem gutless down low”

So says Juechter. The biggest enabler is a new supercharger, the Eaton R1740. It spins faster than the LS9’s blower (20,000 rpm vs. 15,000) and makes up for its lower displacement per revolution by spinning up quicker and sooner. A little less horsepower, but more torque. We’ll still miss the LS7, but this should make its absence a little easier to handle.

The smoked taillights happened because someone ran out of red tape

Not the bureaucracy-causing kind, but the actual red-hued, adhesive-backed stuff. When the designers were mocking up the car’s details on the clay model, they ran out of red Dynoc. They subbed in gray instead, and when design director Tom Peters saw it, he asked the lighting people if they could make the smoke-gray lenses happen. The answer, obviously: Yes. LED bulbs provide the color when illuminated.

It shouldn’t tramline as bad on the highway

Electric-assist power steering lets them tune that out. So electric steering has an advantage beyond the fuel-economy boost.

They’re not done yet

The car is still a long way from dealers. Engineers managed one day on the Milford Road Course (GM’s proprietary test track affectionately known as the Lutz Ring) in a car that basically came out of computer simulations. First-submission tire formulation, an initial guess at suspension setup and aero, and a powertrain that still has some work left to do. The car will spend the winter doing cold-weather and low-traction testing and then hit tracks—MRC included—when the weather clears. The car may launch at the end of 2014, and significant sales volume won’t begin until the first quarter of 2015.

The next Corvette is always the best Corvette

It’s obvious, but it’s also a kind of mandate for Juechter and his team. He quotes Dave Hill, former Corvette chief and his former boss: “We always have to exceed our previous best.” So the bar gets higher and higher. Which is fine by us.