2014-2019 C7 Corvette

It's been 5 years since we first saw the current generation Corvette, and I'm sure for most, there is still the lingering question of how to keep this hometown legend from losing its cool. Unless you live under a rock, you might remember the C7's tumultuous early run, in that these Corvettes struggled to stay within safe engine temperatures, but they've come a long way since then. We wanted to see how much further we could go.

So far you've seen the physical manifestation of our 3D models and the new design, but before we dive into how we tested our radiator, lets take a look at how it stacks up with the stock units. In terms of fin surface area, our design provided a 135% increase over the Stingray unit and a contentious 7.87% increase over the Z06 core. When it comes to volume, our core jumped 119% over the Stingray and 38% over the Z06 to help with the cooling properties.

For the main event, we ran our radiator through a series of tests to determine how well these core improvements aided

It's safe to assume that everyone has that one band, that one artist that they're dying to see live, biding their time for the right lineup at the right venue before treating themselves for those VIP tickets. It's almost the same when it comes to the C7. The constant overheating is like suffering through tours that never come close to home or cancelled shows. But finally, the show is booked, the lineup is solid and that LT4 is ready to sing.

It's been a long enough wait, so let's get straight to the point. When we last left off, our radiator was just the skeleton of a heat exchanger, but it has arrived at the Mishimoto R&D facility for a first look in the, well, metal.

Right off the bat, the differences are apparent from the stock unit. The plastic end tanks are gone, aluminum now in their place, and the flimsy stock core has been subbed for two inches of tightly packed fins. Under the skin, the core is also sporting two rows of coolant passages in order to aid in the distribution and dissipation

We've all seen wildlife documentaries. David Attenborough delicately narrating as the mighty lion sits slumped in the savanna surrounded by potential prey, but he's just too hot to move. The same scene can be witnessed in the sweltering tarmac savanna here on American soil with the C7. Plenty of open space to run, the other beasts scatter at the sound of the "Vette's deafening roar, yet it sprawls out in the pit, panting and trying to catch its breath.

In the wild, the predators wait until nightfall when it's cooler to go on the prowl, and I supposed you could restrict to only night drives but that might not completely solve your problem. Some day driving is usually required. Luckily this animal is mechanical, which means upgrading the cooling system is a cinch.