The 2023 Corvette Z06 comes standard with the most powerful naturally aspirated production V8 engine of all time, so it should go without saying that it requires more cooling capacity than the standard C8 Corvette Stingray on which it’s based.
Corvette chief engineer Josh Holder shared some details on the uprated cooling capacity of the 2023 Corvette Z06 during a recent presentation at the National Corvette Museum Bash in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Holder explained how the Corvette Z06 has 50 percent more cooling capacity than the C8 Corvette Stingray with the Z51 package. This comes by adding two extra radiators around the car, for a total of five, along with more powerful front cooling fans.
The Corvette Z06’s widebody exterior styling may look cool, but it also contributes to this increased cooling capacity. The wider body allowed GM to integrate larger side cooling vents, which provide a 20-percent increase in engine airflow. A removable front fascia cover, which also holds the license plate bracket, increases the total surface area of the radiator grille opening by up to 75 percent. This part can also be used to adjust the Z06’s aerodynamic balance, as we covered previously.
While the Z06 is a track-ready car, this is still a road vehicle first and foremost, so GM engineers also wanted to ensure occupants could run the air-conditioning while pushing the vehicle. A 20-percent larger A/C compressor, along with a new pulley ratio, ensures drivers can keep the A/C running on a high setting while driving the vehicle hard on track with 100-degree ambient temperatures.
Added cooling capacity is only one aspect of the 2023 Corvette Z06 that makes it one of the most track-capable Corvette models to date. It also has revised suspension, upgraded brakes and a new custom launch control mode with adjustable engine speed settings and wheel slip. We also can’t forget the aforementioned 5.5L V8 LT6 engine, which is rated at an impressive 670 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque.
The 2023 Corvette Z06 will enter production at the GM Bowling Green plant in Kentucky later this year. Pricing has yet to be announced.
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Comments
I knew D’ette driver’s ego would make the car extra hot.. 😁 🥵😁
Thought it was starting production in early summer? Pricing late May?
It looks like the goal post has been moved again.
I live in high desert sorta near Ron Fellows Corvette Driving school and the cooling for here is always appreciated. With deserts at 110 plus F the engine while sitting at idel czngo to 220 , with no problems, and AC on and cool!
The new Z06 will be available whereever you buy Dragons, can find Mermaids, and Leprachauns , and other mythical creatures. And when Monkeys Fly Out My Butt.
I will be driving my C8 plain old 495 horse for quite a while it seems.
Hope it also comes with radiator grille (debris) screens for the front three radiators. Too bad these weren’t standard equipment from the beginning. I installed mine less at than 1,000 miles and still have a few dings in the radiator cores. After the screens I have never had a problem with cooling, even in 100 degree heat/
I guess you can say there are two ways at looking at all of this Z06 material that we get fed a little bit at a time, one, it could mean that GM is not ready to “let the beast out” due to multiple imperfections that could cause Chevy some serious embarrassment when this Corvette actually makes into the hands of waiting Corvette folks world wide and that there might be a suppler availability problem holding things up in Bowling Green. That’s one scenario…
Scenario number two is “this car has a serious flaw somewhere in it’s makeup and the engineers can’t figure out what the hell it is”! To my way of thinking, if this Corvette were truly as assume as the ‘Vette engineers had hoped it would be, we’d have seen some amazing lap times at The Nürburgring and Chevy would be bragging it’s fool head off as they’ve been messing with this car at “The Ring” now for some time and we’ve seen them clocking the daylights out of this vehicle and pushing it constantly to achieve it’s best performance numbers ever…but we’ve seen no actual data numbers (yet) that anyone can brag about, which leaves me suspect that perhaps “it isn’t time to unleash the beast”!
So lets all think positively and hope that in time, Chevy will allow this Corvette to be built in numbers and sold AND can supply some amazing “Ring” lap times because there is so much riding on this particular Corvette.
Personally I’d hate to be the “Chief Engineer” and have some kind of a failure occur or not perform up to everyone’s expectations, that would be a really bad thing to happen in today’s world that expects perfection right out of the box.
To be fair, right from the unveiling of the Z06, production would begin this summer. So far, they are still on schedule.
They may still be on schedule to begin production “this summer” but wouldn’t you think that by now they’d have released pricing and started taking orders so they knew what that production was going to be ??? I’m going with “somethings wrong somewhere”.
I am starting to get the same feeling that something is not right with the production Z06. Everyone at GM is awful mum about pricing and production. No leaks?
When will we read “2023 Corvette Z06 Gets a Price.”
Maintenance and fix NIGHTMARE.