Front end aerodynamics of Corvette C7 Stingray versus Corvette C6-why the new design is worse

As much as +Tadge Juechter  likes the buyers and general public to believe otherwise, the new Corvette has some serious aerodynamic problems becoming the quintessential poster child of function following the form design philosophy. 

The biggest irony of this situation is that in spite of the claims of fuel efficiency improvements, the new Corvette is both heavier and aerodynamically inferior to the car it replaced.  What are the results of the failure?  For one thing, Juechter cannot disclose the top speed of the new car, along with the top speed.  Then, there are other consequences such as the missing Nurburgring lap time and plenty of new owners scratching their heads over the gas mileage that somehow fails to live up to the advertisements.

So what is the problem that Juechter refuses to identify?  The design of the front end of the car, along with the widened track  cause the most damage as a matter of fact. 

Here is the problem: the front end has been designed in the expected pointy fashion, just like the predecessor.  However, there are several differences here causing considerably higher drag and lift than in the previous generation of Corvette. 

The crown of the pointy nose of the Stingray is more prominent than on the predecessor.  That point is also located higher and more forward, resulting in that "beak" being forward of the bottom bumper lip.  On top of this, there are the fangs, on the sides of beak, with a big void between them.  Finally, the air intake opening is considerably larger than on the predecessor, lacking any kind of active shutters to reduce excessive drag at higher speeds.

What is the bottom line (pun intended)  here?   Without going into scientific details here, at best, the so called front splitter does not split anything (separating high and low pressure zones).  What is really interesting is the +General Motors  own take on frontal aerodynamics of the upcoming Z06.  Where the splitter is needed the most, in the center of the car, the splitter is extending the least.

On top of it, the way the splitter co-exists with the "fangs", the result amounts to even more drag producing turbulence but still without adding any downforce or at least lift reduction.

Here are a couple of pictures of a typical and truly ignorant "aerodynamic upgrade" first designed by GM, then copied by aftermarket and finally installed by idiots like this one.  Red arrows point to the signs of aerodynamic ignorance.  Actually, it is hard to believe that someone would be spending money to make matters worse but since these are Corvette Stingray buyers, their intelligence tends not to extend beyond the depth of their wallets.

 

 

Here is the funny part: the aftermarket copying GM and knocking out the same idiotic designs, as seen on this lobotomized buyer's truly moronic take on "aerodynamic improvements".

These pictures demonstrate how this should have been done and why the previous generation of Corvette is not only aerodynamically superior to the newest version and how much more meaningful aerodynamic improvements can be done on C6.   The alignment of the nose of the car with the bottom of the front bumper is very obvious here. 

 

 

As usual, due to typical buyers single digit IQ, both GM and aftermarket can sell these idiotic "improvements" and profit handsomely on ignorance of the Stingray buyers.