Product Spotlight: Painted Corvette License Plate Frame
Here's a great product I came across that's available at a great price: Painted Aluminum Corvette License Plate Frames. Trying to keep up with a semi-regular product spotlight series, these seemed--based on their quality, great looks, and affordable price--like a logical next product.
The manufacturing for these is really cool, and, SouthernCarParts--who is one of the major retailers for them and a company that I personally enjoy dealing with (I feel like, as far as Corvette products go, they're like my everyday Cheers-esque bar where everyone knows my name)--provides a lot of information for how they're produced. Beginning with a solid brass, heavy cast mold, the base aluminum plate is formed. Each plate is then CNC machine cut for precision, and given a precise, fast machine engraving. The Engravings on these are of the Corvette lettering, with your choice of either Base Corvette C6, Z06, or ZR1 badging emblem to accompany it. Once engraved, the plates are given a multi-coat paint job using actual GM paints. I questioned this, but, was assured that the paint being used is derived from the GM WPA code, and, I'll be damned if the one I received didn't match perfectly. The paint is applied in a multi-coat process, with a final clear coating, for shine and durability and looks just like the stock Corvette paint job.
The last part of the production process is the one that impresses me the most. The Corvette engravings on these plates are actually hand-filled with an acrylic epoxy. Typically, hand-filling means that a product is prohibitively more costly than machine ones, but these are definitely affordable. The quality of the acrylic epoxy is perfect, there are no imperfections, and the plate looks awesome to be finished off with these emblems. These things are absolutely gorgeous.
As with any license plate frame, this is easy to install. The painted screw caps are a nice touch to help keep the whole thing looking uniform, and once installed, the plate really looks like it belongs on the vehicle. All-in-all, I'm really happy with the product, considering that it cost under $115 and adds more Corvette badging with an OEM (or better) quality finish. That can never be a bad thing, can it?
Corvette Caliper Covers
Just came across a very cool product that I wanted to share.
Made from aircraft grade aluminum (not sure what classifies something as being aircraft grade, but, it sounds fancy) these MGP caliper covers look great and apparently are very functional. When I first saw the product listing, I didn't believe in the claims of functionality. They're caliper covers, and I just always assumed that caliper covers were purely a cosmetic upgrade.
However, the heat reductive properties of Aluminum, as well as the heat channels formed by the placement of the caliper cover, actually result in lower brake surface temperatures (of 20-50 degrees! a huge jump). Lower temperatures means lessened brake fade and increased performance and explains, ultimately, why even the most expensive big brake kits utilize similar covers.
Of course, the actual benefits don't stop there, either. Corvette Caliper covers are great for shielding brake dust and keeping that annoying stuff off of my alloy wheels. That helps to keep the wheels looking great-- a plus considering that caliper covers highlight the wheels even further.
Of course, some people go for the same look by painting their calipers. This is definitely an option, but, one that will cost an equivalent amount to caliper covers, and be less removable if you wanted to return the brakes to stock down the road. Also, painted calipers wont offer the same brake heat dispersion or dust blocking benefits of covers. I used to paint the calipers on my older vehicles, but, with these aluminum covers now being available, I can't ever see myself going that direction again.
Ultimately, these are affordable, effective, and great looking modification pieces. I was really happy to get them and, even though the install took a little longer than advertised, was happy to install them. Coupling them with my DBA rotors, and Hawk HPP+ pads, I'm pretty certain my brakes are performing at a level comparable to a $6000 big brake kit for just a fraction of the price.
C7 to have 7 Speed Manual – The Stick-Shift is not Dead Yet
A few weeks ago, Chevrolet announced that they expected more than half of their new Camaro ZL1's sold to be automatic. This followed the news that over 70% (a truly vast majority) of Camaro SS's sold were automatic. This news caused my friend who writes my brother blog, CamaroNewsBlog to declare the death of the manual as imminent (Click here for the CamaroNewsBlog article). While I do understand his worry, I tend to disagree, and it seems so does Chevrolet. This past week a person familiar with the development of the C7 Corvette stated that not only is the manual still alive and well in the Corvette world, it will also be offered in a 7-Speed version come 2014.
This news follows close on the heels of Porsche moving to a 7-Speed manual in their 911, and with good reason. The tigher CAFE standards require automakers to get extra MPG numbers wherever they can, and a 7-speed manual will allow for that by providing more ideal highway cruising transmission conditions. Of course, while that's the tame excuse for the 7-speed, it's not what gets me excited. If moving to a 7-Speed were a performance inhibitor you can rest assured that neither the Corvette team, nor their brilliant German-peers at Porsche, would go that way. Instead, I believe that a 7-speed can offer even greater performance for a more skilled driver.
While shift times can cause seconds of time loss on an inexperienced driver, for a true experienced race-enthusiast there is no such thing. A talented driver can shift in ways--through throttle and clutch control--that actually beat out the performance of the finest automatic transmissions on Earth. By adding in an extra gear, also, Chevrolet will allow themselves some room in the tuning department to really play with transmission ratios. An extra gear will allow for shorter low-end gears, and, thus, the capability for a much quicker, high-torque, blast-off. In conjunction with this, the use of two overdrive gears (as GM currently uses on their Z06 and ZR1 transmissions) allow for more top-end HP-based speed numbers. What this will amount to will be quicker take-offs for the experienced Corvette driver on a proper course, and much higher speed numbers through the straight-aways.
Of course, there's a downside to the 7-speed also: difficulty. A 7-speed transmission, especially with shorter lower gears, will be tougher on a less experienced driver and will curb the sales of the manual Corvette further. The average commuter will almost certainly continue trend the way of the Automatic transmission when an extra gear is thrown in to the equation, but, the Corvette also seems fairly free from these concerns. The beauty of the 'Vette comes in the appreciation of it as both a driving vehicle and a performance vehicle that all of its consumers (both the imagined 50+ standard, and the elusive mid-30's young professional 'Vette enthusiast like myself who would rather drive an American rocket on wheels than a German luxury sedan), a consumer base that will almost certainly continue to covet the manual for its enjoyment and feel. People who drive Corvettes want to feel their driving experience and for that their is absolutely no substitute from the manual. Give me a 5, 6, or 7 speed over an automatic any day of the week.
C7 Corvette Manual 7-Speed Transmission - Photo courtesy Edmunds Inside Line