Photo: Catalin Garmacea
The Corvette didn’t wait for its current C7 generation in order to reduce weight by turning to composite body panels, but the new-age Stingray has taken the use of these intelligent plastics to a whole new level. Now the 2016 model comes to improve on that.
The 2016 Chevrolet Corvette loses 20 pounds (9 kg) thanks to the use of new body panel material called TCA Ultra Lite. Developed by GM supplier Continental Structural Plastics, this reduces the desity of the ‘Vette’s body panels.
In fact, Chevrolet engineers have had this aim in sight for quite a while now - the ex-generation 2013MY Corvette came with a specific gravity of 1.9, which went down to 1.6 for the 2014 C7 and to 1.2 for the 2016 model.
Your brand new Corvette saves weight thanks to 21 body panel assemblies, from the doors and decklids, to the quarter panels and fenders.
How it was all achieved
“The mass savings afforded by TCA Ultra Lite is accomplished through the use of a CSP-patented technology that uses treated glass bubbles to replace some of the Calcium Carbonate filler, resulting in a lighter density material,” the supplier explains.
We are assured the finish quality remains unchanged, while the engineers have worked to keep the material thickness and tooling in the same state as before, so that the production costs are not affected by the move.
For the sake of comparison, we’ll mention the diet has brought a weight advantage equivalent to about 10 percent of what top-tier carmakers such as Ferrari or Lamborghini offer on their lightweight special edition models.
We are assured the finish quality remains unchanged, while the engineers have worked to keep the material thickness and tooling in the same state as before, so that the production costs are not affected by the move.
For the sake of comparison, we’ll mention the diet has brought a weight advantage equivalent to about 10 percent of what top-tier carmakers such as Ferrari or Lamborghini offer on their lightweight special edition models.
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