13 details to know about the Z06's 670-hp LT6 V-8

[Hagerty]

When Chevrolet unveiled the 2023 Corvette Z06 at the Petersen Automotive Museum, several development engineers were on hand to answer our feverish questions. Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter fielded them with grace, but the man of the hour was Chevrolet small-block assistant chief engineer Dustin Gartner.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenance-and-tech/13-things-you-didnt-know-about-chevys-670hp-lt6-v...

[Huey]

Sounds like a wonderful motor. Can we now get a nice looking exterior to go with it please?

[jekirkbride]

It's a beautiful engine.
The mid-rear engine exotics (including the vette) all start out lookfing similar because they are form following function. The designers made it look like a Corvette. Maybe you like the looks of the Bugatti or Ferrari or Ford GT or others better, and I can respect that.
I've never been a fan of the folded paper look, but that's just me.
The Vette, for the price, is a value compared to the other. You could buy it and have Dave Kindig or your favorite customizer make it unique and have it perfect to your view.

[1933ford]

Anything Kindig would do would ruin this car!

[Cool-isAmerican]

NOT necessarily true, many of his cars are really well done, some are over the top but by and large his work is very well thought out and done. However "to each their own" as they say.

[Redfox]

I just see his stuff as a slightly more refined version of Pimp my Ride. To each their own.

[Cool-isAmerican]

Yep like take this engine and place it in a newly done 63-67 Vette from Dave and you would definitely have a masterpiece to show off that no one else could get, nice indeed!!

[Vetteman1]

Huey, usually people like yourself who make negative comments can't afford a Corvette! Continue to drive your Pinto while we Corvette fans continue to enjoy life!!

[carguyjim]

Hey bud!!
Long time mucho 'Vette owner here
Plus Lambo, benz, Beemer....
You get the idea!
The new Vette has an UGLY ass.... NOT a supermodel...
Huey has a point...

[rtbasey]

I haven't loved the back end of a Corvette since 1967. I also don't like the looks of McLarens, excepting the 720S for the most part and find fault with parts of some Lamborghinis and Ferraris as well. Bugatti Veyron? No thank you. I do know that the C8 stingray certainly looked to be "overweight" with a body colored rear spoiler and much trimmer with no spoiler at all. But I'm not having a custom car built here. Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad and I think the body of the Z06 is an improvement front and a little rear. I do have a problem with the "wishbone" side scoop trim. Overall I like the Z06 and am considering buying one. I was hoping that the Zora might have enough changes to make it more beautiful but not sure I want to wait that long. I'm pretty sure I can learn to love a Z06 with that new low rear spoiler. I don't need that odd looking larger "maker of downforce" at speeds I will never attempt.

[Quincydubois]

At this moment Huey has 12 likes. You? 0

[Harri-6]

I'm in agreement with Huey. For all its advances and innovation, this is still an normally aspirated engine wrapped in bodywork that's comic. (Think Batmobile). My family has proudly owned a number of Corvettes, but the latest examples (and I applaud the mid-engine move) defy artistic logic. Perhaps an E-series Vette will "spark" sexier bodywork.

[Iso_Grifo]

On the mark, Huey. I've gotten regular looks at one parked on the street not far from where I live, and that back end in particular is an eyesore. And there's just so much surface detailing and extra lines and gimmickery. It reminds me of Corvettes in the past where they went crazy on surface details like the 1958. Or even the 1963 with all those fake scoops and grills and junk -- but in that case there was a fantastic looking car underneath, especially once we got to the 1967 when it was all fully cleaned up. If they could at least clean this one up and do something about that back end.

[DT]

Anyone who doesn't like the looks of a 1963 split window Corvette can't be much of a Corvette fan....

[Iso_Grifo]

It looks great if you ignore all the junk on it, which was eliminated by the time they got to 1967. Big Corvette fan here, not wearing rose colored glasses.

[Ark-med]

Could these motors become reliable swaps for GT350s after their Voodoos get enough pins stuck in 'em?

[MeJ]

"...the LT6 is not like a typical exotic car engine, “that you have to take apart every 10,000 miles” for valvetrain adjustment or some kind of rebuild. “At the end of the day, this is a Chevy. Our expectations are that of any other Corvette we’ve sold.”
This is, to me, the biggest slap in the face to the uber-exotics out there. It seems that ridiculous engine-out maintenance was to be expected for owning a super car and the cost was supposedly justified. This engine proves that to to be wrong.
I think GM hit it out of the park with this engine and this car.

[jelliott]

Congratulations for uncritically falling for GM’s dishonesty. They certainly have a lot to be proud of with this incredible new powerplant, and I don’t doubt that they’ll be successful in minimizing its maintenance needs, but of course exotics don’t have to be taken apart every 10,000 mi. (Heck, I have a Ferrari that’s almost as old as I am, and even it doesn’t have any service intervals that short, outside of oil changes.)

LT6: Proving that you can take the embarrassing lack of sophistication out of the GM V8, but you still can’t take the embarrassing dishonesty out of the GM PR. 

[1BigOptimus]

I'm sure the "every 10k miles rebuild" is a funny exaggeration but there is in fact short ridiculously expensive engine out servicing for some exotics. It's probably closer to 30 thousand miles for some of the engine out maintenance.  Valve train adjustments, overly complicated oil changes and other things if you choose to actually drive the car. You get the point they were making.

Everyone is just trying to enjoy this American engineering marvel. I'll never understand why people comment just to spread negativity. I think most of us reading this article have a passion for all kinds of great automobiles. Let's all enjoy this.

[BMD4800]

It’s an ego thing.

I got mine, now I’m pulling up the drawbridge so no one else can and drop a Cleveland steamer on anything they might like.

I’m not into the NOPI stuff or Exotics, but I can appreciate them.

The exotic guys are generally the worst kind of party foul.

It isn’t a politics thing, or even a wealth thing, it is an ego issue.

[BMD4800]

“ LT6: Proving that you can take the embarrassing lack of sophistication out of the GM V8…”

You scared?

Embarrassing lack of sophistication.

Who’s embarrassed? You? Why? You have an old Ferrari.

Oh, I get it, you are embarrassed for those who are too backwards and stupid to see 1 cam and pushrods is the modern equivalent of flatheads and dashpot carbs.

You got a dynosheet? Oh yeah, it’s a Ferrari, don’t need one. Even though there are UTVs getting more to the ground than you probably are.

You sound EXACTLY like Porsche guys who couldn’t grasp that a sedan with a well designed and developed suspension and chassis mods, along with an unsophisticated V8, could gap them at Road Atlanta.

Just put away your hurt pride and say “that’s pretty neat”, before you and your old Ferrari are embarrassed by some kid in a juiced Civic-R.

[huntermusic]

you mean you have an old Ferrari? Love Old Ferraris, but please a live rear axle with leaf springs held together with leather straps?? And this was up until 1967. Gimme a break. This new Corvette is finally ALL new. Bravo.

[Ark-med]

If he has one of _those_ old live axle Ferraris, he'd be laughing all the way to the bank.

[Oldroad1]

I wouldn't be to haisty to accept the claims of this engine's reliability by the manufacturer. GM is already suffering transmission leak issues on the current C8 and this powertrain platform most likely won't be available until late 22.

[Gary_Bechtold]

Hoping this all translates into a reliable motor. The specs are certainly amazing and the details seem to be very well thought out.

[RokemRonnie]

If there's a near vacuum in the crankcase, wouldn't the pistons have to work against that on the upstroke?

[MickHannickle]

For every piston moving towards TDC there's another moving towards BDC, so it's a wash. But 80 kPa is an impressive amount of crankcase vacuum, almost 12 psi. A side benefit is that you'll never see oil spraying out of an oil pan gasket leak, but instead air will rush in. 

[GRP_Photo]

It's not a wash. The article said the crankcase is divided into four independent sections; one for each throw of the crankshaft. That means there are only two pistons in one compartment, and both will be moving in nearly the same direction at any given time.

[MickHannickle]

Ah, I missed that part. Interesting, so RokemRonnie's comment has me wondering. With a 104.3 mm bore and 80 kPa vacuum that translates to a little over 150 lb of downward force on each piston as it's moving upwards. Sounds like a defecit, except somewhere else on the crankshaft a piston is moving downwards and benefitting from the vacuum. So maybe it's still a wash, but in the force calculation not the pressure calculation. 

[BMD4800]

Crankcase vacuum boosts pumping efficiency and helps extricate any non-productive gases. Even a small amount of leak down or blow by, which is always present, is detrimental. If crankcase pressure is too high, a small amount of crankcase gasses can be pulled in during the intake stroke. Small, but it does make a difference.
This is no doubt learned from their racing experience.

[Trintel]

Doesn't matter. The piston is moving up half the time and down the other half. Can't ignore the assistance it would give on the intake and power strokes.

[Padgett]

Think of it more as nothing to push out of the way while all the pressure is on the combustion chamber side. OTOH a bad ring or rings will be "interesting". Best thing is timing chains instead of belts.

[Tinkerah]

I was waiting to see if anyone mentioned that. Chain-driven cam was one of my demands while I shopped for my current daily driver.

[Trintel]

No more than any positive pressure would make a piston work against the intake and power strokes.
 
Each cycle would experience some such resistance half the time and *assistance* the other half. The net should zero change.

[Delllta]

When can I get this motor in a truck?

[GRP_Photo]

As soon as one winds up in a salvage yard, you buy it, and put it in your truck.

[KrullTheWarrior]

And it probably won't take long if all of pics of C8's in ditches is any indication of what happens when fun seeking amateurs (like me,lol) hit the gas!!!!

[JSievers]

LOL! truth.

[Rider79]

Probably never. Not a beast-of-burden type of engine, I'd say.

[erne75]

Sounds like a great engine but it is not a LSx engine anymore. Gone are simplicity, small package and the relatively cheap price.

[66427vett]

Truly, an engineering masterpiece. Very well done GM Powertrain!

[Padgett]

Might I mention Leo Goosen's 1941 Novi. Also a DOHC flat plane V8 with a unique sound. Did have boost.

[GoFast]

The weight savings in LT6's crankshaft is more attributable to the super short stroke than its. flat plane configuration. It's still equipped with a full allotment of counterweights.

[Brandan]

No, it's definitely due to the flat plane crank configuration, we got it straight from the horse's mouth.

[sicvic]

This is huge bang for the buck. It takes large ones to develop a clean-sheet, naturally-aspirated gasoline motor in the 2020s. I say kudos to GM.

[Davidb]

Chevrolet just threw down the gauntlet, slapped the Italians right across their collective faces. "Not like a typical exotic-car engine" is directed at the "other" exotics. C 8's just became the hottest vehicle around. When does this car go into production?

[Oldroad1]

So What. Ford did the same thing to Enzo with a single in block cam. Am I correct into the assumption that the Corvette teams that entered and raced at Le Mans were running this or a version of this power train and were being out run by the Ferraris all day and all night on the straights and ultimately got beat by the Ferrari team?

[Lash]

What's the over/under on how long before this joins the Vega motor and the other GM catastrophes in the junk yards?

[Ark-med]

My guess is, never. At the transaction prices these cars will exchange hands, their owners won't sneeze even if they have to spend Ferrari money to keep them maintained.

[Sobitthen]

I know the thrill factor is #1, but I would like to know if all these improvements made this horsepower without spewing as much toxins as my 455GS. We need to make some breakthroughs there as well. A chart with every generations emissions so we know our passion isn't messing with our children's future would rock...
New design, wonder how many will wait a year to see if they hold up to some actual abuse by the novices who buy... Best I could hope for is a used one 10 years from now, if we still burn petrol..