2020 Chevy Corvette hides a neat element underneath the sports car
The C8 Corvette's program engineering manager takes us under the mid-engine car's skin and highlights a thoughtful touch for those tracking the car.
The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is one big bundle of engineering love. After all, this is the sports car Chevy's wanted to make literally for decades.
Needless to say, the team baked in a lot of many appreciated elements, but in an exclusive walk-around tour of the Corvette Stingray's underside (captured on the video above), Josh Holder, Corvette's program engineering manager, showed off a pretty nifty feature, one that those who plan to take their Corvette Stingray out on the track will very much appreciate.
After Holder walks us through some of the Corvette's trimmings, we go underneath the car, and at the 2:08 mark, we're treated to the nice engineering surprise. The Corvette team included rear brake ducts, which, when paired with an elbow duct, will effectively cool the rear brake rotors.
Corvette engineers saved racers some time with the brake duct in place. Once an owner installs an elbow duct to the lower control arm, air that moves underneath the car flows through the elbow and channels it into the previously installed brake duct. The results are brake rotors with far less heat as they're worked hardest on the track.
The big takeaway is just how flat the underside of the mid-engine Corvette is. As Holder points out, it's totally intentional to keep the car as aerodynamic as possible. The engineering manager also points out highly convenient cutaways in the underbody for the engine oil filter and a drain plug. It certainly shouldn't be much of a hassle to change the car's oil. Also enjoy the chance to see the lovely pattern of bolts holding the carbon-reinforced panel. The area closes out the tunneled section of the car's aluminum structure, and it basically serves as the "backbone" of it all, in Holder's words.
