Corvette Chief Engineer Explains Motor Trend Z06 DNF: Video



“;
$(“body”).prepend(ie_box);
}

News

2016 BMW M2 Laps Nürburgring In 7:58?: Video
Sports Cars

October 17, 2015

2016 BMW M2, 2016 Lexus GS F, 2018 Honda Civic…
Photos Of The Week

October 16, 2015

1993 Bugatti EB110 GT Auction Estimate Is Under…
Supercars

October 16, 2015

First Drives

First Drives



2016 Mercedes-Benz G-Class First Drive



2017 Audi A4 First Drive



2016 Rezvani Beast Speedster First Drive

Auto Shows

Auto Shows




Fast And Furious Star Building His Dream Nissan 240Z: Video

Chicago

Detroit

Frankfurt

Geneva

Los Angeles

New York

Photos

Photo Galleries

Video

Videos

Spy Shots

Spy Shots



2016 Pagani Huayra R Prototype Spied With Massive Rear Wing: Video



2016 BMW X1 With Third-Row Seats Spy Shots



2017 BMW 5-Series Touring Spy Shots

Car Tech

Car Tech



Find Out How Ferrari Improved The Handling Of The F12 tdf: Video



Volvo Electric Car Coming In 2019



First Of Volvo’s Next-Generation Compact Cars Arriving In 2017


2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06





Late last month, news broke that the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 did not finish during Motor Trend’s annual Best Driver’s Car competition.

The supercharger simply refused to engage—which Chevrolet initially blamed on bad fuel—and to add insult to injury, the car was delivered to Laguna Seca with worn brake pads. Predictably, the uber fans at CorvetteForum went ballistic, demanding answers from Chevrolet about how exactly a track-tuned beast dubbed the Big Nasty could perform so poorly in such an important test.

ALSO SEE: Stock 2015 Chevy Corvette Z06 0-185-MPH Run: Video

And now we have those answers, straight from Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter.

This afternoon on the forum’s popular Ask Tadge thread, Juechter addressed the failure, and touched on several issues in the process. One particularly interesting tidbit? The car went off-track during the previous test for Car and Driver:

“During testing at C and D the car went off track into a tire wall. Stuff happens. It wasn’t the first time this has happened and I’m certain it won’t be the last. Fortunately, the damage to the car was cosmetic (rear fascia, supports and the energy absorption assembly). It didn’t have any fundamental structural or chassis damage. The alignment was fine. Basically, zip ties and some duct tape was all it took to make it track-worthy.”

While the patched-up Z06 was able to run the second-fasted “Lightening Lap” the magazine had ever recorded, mistakes were made when the car was being prepped for Motor Trend, which is why it showed up to compete with worn pads:

MUST WATCH: Ultra-Exotic Parking Problems: Veyron On LaFerrari Crime

“In the few days we had to prep the car for Motor Trend, we did a tremendous amount of work to make sure the car was safe, capable and pretty. In our haste, two things were missed. We always replace brake pads before delivering a car, but this was missed. I can’t remember this ever happening before, but it did. We have since changed our pre-test check procedure so this can never happen again.”

The more troubling issue for many fans on the forum—and in the enthusiast community in general—was the lack of assistance from the blower, and to hear Juechter tell it, that issue also comes down to a relatively simple issue that got overlooked during the rebuild and prep time. It wasn’t California’s 91 octane which was to blame, but a bad electrical connection on the intercooler pump:

“One of our pre-loan checks is to bleed the intercooler circuit to make sure there is no air in it. Some customer complaints about overheating Z06s have been traced to improperly bled intercoolers. The technician doing the work plugged in the electrical connector for the intercooler pump and it seemed to seat and ‘click’ into position, but the secondary latching mechanism did not fully lock into position leading to intermittent operation.”

Obviously, it’s a tough pill for any team to swallow when the product they’ve worked so hard to develop suffers such a spectacular flame-out. And it’s admirable to see the chief engineer stand up and answer questions from a crowd that had spent the last couple weeks sharpening its pitchforks and openly ripping the car to pieces in online discussions.

Though we do have to wonder why it took nearly three weeks to explain Chevrolet’s side of the story.

Juechter’s entire post is a great read for anyone interested in how test cars are handled and prioritized, and about the balancing act between getting media exposure and keeping paying customers happy. The post also revealed there’s another Motor Trend test that will feature the Z06 coming up soon. It’ll be interesting to see how the Corvette will fare in its do-over.

We’ll be watching.  

_______________________________________

Follow Motor Authority on Facebook and Twitter.




Recommended Galleries


Lotus Hints At 7:06 Nrburgring Lap Time For 3-Eleven: Video


Lotus Hints At 7:06 Nürburgring Lap Time For 3-Eleven: Video



1993 Bugatti EB110 GT Auction Estimate Is Under $1 Million


1993 Bugatti EB110 GT Auction Estimate Is Under $1 Million



Find Out How Ferrari Improved The Handling Of The F12 tdf: Video


Find Out How Ferrari Improved The Handling Of The F12 tdf: Video



Fiat Heir Lapo Elkann Turns Milan Gas Station Into Trendy Vehicle Customization Shop: Video


Fiat Heir Lapo Elkann Turns Milan Gas Station Into Trendy Vehicle Customization Shop: Video


People Who Read This Article Also Read


  • VW To Recall 8.5 Million Diesel Cars In Europe; Lamborghini Offices Raided By Police

    VW To Recall 8.5 Million Diesel Cars In Europe; Lamborghini…

  • Fast And Furious Star Building His Dream Nissan 240Z: Video

    Fast And Furious Star Building His Dream Nissan 240Z: Video

  • Hardcore Pagani Huayra, Garage Italia Customs, Corvette Z06 DNF Explained: Todays Car News

    Hardcore Pagani Huayra, Garage Italia Customs, Corvette Z06…

  • 2016 Pagani Huayra R Prototype Spied With Massive Rear Wing: Video

    2016 Pagani Huayra R Prototype Spied With Massive Rear…






  • 2016 BMW M2

    2016 BMW M2 Laps Nürburgring In 7:58?: Video

  • 2016 BMW M2

    2016 BMW M2, Ferrari F12 TdF, 2016 Ford Focus RS: The Week In Reverse

  • Ferrari F12 tdf vehicle dynamics video

    Find Out How Ferrari Improved The Handling Of The F12 tdf: Video

  • Fast and the Furious star Sung Kang

    Fast And Furious Star Building His Dream Nissan 240Z: Video

  • Lotus 3-Eleven

    Lotus Hints At 7:06 Nürburgring Lap Time For 3-Eleven: Video


Most Popular This Week


Fast And Furious Star Building His Dream Nissan 240Z: Video
Fast And Furious Star Building His Dream Nissan 240Z: Video


2018 Honda Civic Type R Spy Shots
2018 Honda Civic Type R Spy Shots


Corvette Chief Engineer Explains Motor Trend Z06 DNF: Video
Corvette Chief Engineer Explains Motor Trend Z06 DNF: Video


Ford Drops Episode Three Of Focus RS Documentary Series: Video
Ford Drops Episode Three Of Focus RS Documentary Series: Video


2016 BMW M2 Finally Breaks Cover: Video
2016 BMW M2 Finally Breaks Cover: Video

More

Related Used Listings

  • SPY SHOTS

  • FIRST DRIVES

  • SUPERCARS

  • RACING

  • VIDEOS

  • MUSCLE CARS



More from High Gear Media

  • Follow Us