In another classic case of less is more, the go-faster gang at GM has come up with a subtle but effective tweak that enhances performance of the 2014 Chevy Camaro Z/28 that goes on sale later this spring. It comes in the form of a modification to the division’s basic Bowtie badge that dispenses with its gold center element in favor of a simple chrome surround. Dubbed the "Flowtie" it allows three additional cubic meters of cooling air per minute to be passed through the grille – an increase that helped reduce water and oil temperatures of the car’s 505-hp LS7 V8 by two degrees during extended track sessions.
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"There are engineers in our team that race as a hobby," noted Powertrain Cooling Development engineer Richard Quinn, who was the first to notice the standard grille badge was actually channeling air away from the radiator during aero evaluations. "We used that racer’s mindset to look for ways small or large to get better performance out of the Z/28. Even the smallest details on the Z/28 were weighed for cooling benefit, and this is one that stuck."
While conventional mass reduction also was a big part of the track-focused Z/28 development program – the car tips the scales some 300 pounds below a supercharged Camaro ZL1 and 55 under the 1LE model — Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser did not report on exactly how much weight was jettisoned by this particular bit of innovative micro surgery.
More Performance Coupes…
The new 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe will be here this summer
The fully redesigned 2015 BMW M3 and M4 make 425 horsepower
The all-new 2015 Lexus RC F — bold looks and a 480-hp V8
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