[FarmerFran]

Originally Posted by ChevyRules

How many track the vert vs coupe?

Sure for street driving, probably will be fine. Sustained track usage on a summer day? Might overheat depending on how hard they push it.

Fair enough. And true.

[caSStro18]

Originally Posted by 1BAD18SS

So after doing multiple cam swaps on these cars I noticed that SS VERT cars do not have the aux radiators, only the main radiator. I started paying attention and noticed some ppl have delete theirs but no real write up or gains shown, so I decided to delete mine and leave it 100% reversible incase I ran into a problem. I just blocked off where the hose comes off the radiator on passenger side and looped the feed on the bottom radiator hose. You could buy a vert SS radiator and lower hose to make it look alittle cleaner and need no block off but I wanted mine to be reversible and it didnt cost any extra $$$.
I also did not change thermostat etc while doing this. It's been a few hot days and so far car shows 0 difference on temperature even with A/C on. I weighed the car before and directly after and lost 26lbs off the nose with them removed (both weights included coolant in vehicle). I will be going to the track soon to test I dont expect a real crazy gain if any just from this singular thing but it is good to add if someone is doing some extensive weight reduction. To me this is one less thing that could leak and makes the car easier to work around I daily drive it and race it on the weekend (dragstrip no autocross) I will keep everyone updated after I see some real hot days and see if I will possible need to swap thermostat or anything in the future.

Hope you cleaned the lower half of the radiator from all the bugs before you put it back together! After removing the auxiliary radiators you are going to need that lower half for more cooling! haha!

[Joshinator99]

Originally Posted by Wyzz Kydd

I would prefer to come up with ways to lighten my car that don't potentially compromise engine longevity.

If that was the case, GM would have NEVER launched the vert model without them...

[Wyzz Kydd]

Originally Posted by Joshinator99

If that was the case, GM would have NEVER launched the vert model without them...

So GM decided to add a couple of radiators that do nothing and just add weight? I think not.

The convertible is not a track oriented car. IMHO if you're taking a convertible to the track, or in other ways really running the engine hard and long you probably should have purchased a coupe.

[95 imp]

Originally Posted by Wyzz Kydd

So GM decided to add a couple of radiators that do nothing and just add weight? I think not.

The convertible is not a track oriented car. IMHO if you're taking a convertible to the track, or in other ways really running the engine hard and long you probably should have purchased a coupe.

Bad news.... 95%+ of the coupes aren't going to see the track either.

I have no idea why everyone is freaking out over this.

[HDRDTD]

Keep in mind that convertibles usually have a few things missing from the coupes, such as a lower top speed, missing PTMs, etc , because sees it more as a 'gentleman's' muscle car and not one usually raced, therefor less need for the additional cooling. Depending on the track, they may not allow convertibles unless equipped with a roll bar.

Plus, with the added weight of additional bracing on the convertible, GM may have also been looking for ways to reduce the weight to help offset the weight of the bracing.

Just speculation on my part. My convertible is a 5th gen ZL1.

[Joshinator99]

Originally Posted by Wyzz Kydd

So GM decided to add a couple of radiators that do nothing and just add weight? I think not.

The convertible is not a track oriented car. IMHO if you're taking a convertible to the track, or in other ways really running the engine hard and long you probably should have purchased a coupe.

They were added for SS cars with the assumption that they could see track time. But if GM thought they were needed for daily drivers, they would have added them to the LT1 and vert models too. Remember, GM has to warranty these engines for 60k miles. The aux radiators are overkill for most Camaro owners, but if you ever decide to track the car, you'll be glad to have them.

[Wyzz Kydd]

Originally Posted by 95 imp

Bad news.... 95%+ of the coupes aren't going to see the track either.

I have no idea why everyone is freaking out over this.

That doesn't change my statement that removing radiators can potentially affect the life of the engine. Yeah if you don't track it you're 'probably' ok.

BTW, I'm not freaking out. Dude can do whatever he likes, it's his car.

[95 imp]

Originally Posted by Wyzz Kydd

That doesn't change my statement that removing radiators can potentially affect the life of the engine. Yeah if you don't track it you're 'probably' ok.

BTW, I'm not freaking out. Dude can do whatever he likes, it's his car.

The freaking out wasn't directed specifically at you.

On the other side of the coun, if you understand the engineering behind it all, everyone would know that these radiators aren't necessary for the great majority of owners. It won't affect a thing deleting them. If you track the car on a regular basis then you should keep them as added insurance.

[RyanR623]

Originally Posted by 95 imp

The freaking out wasn't directed specifically at you.

On the other side of the coun, if you understand the engineering behind it all, everyone would know that these radiators aren't necessary for the great majority of owners. It won't affect a thing deleting them. If you track the car on a regular basis then you should keep them as added insurance.

True but if he tore apart the front of his car to save 26lbs i'm assuming he's going to add a bunch of power as well, considering he drags it. More power equals more heat. To me it's not worth the hassle of doing it or the potential downsides.

But my engine blew with 18,500 miles on it so maybe i'm just paranoid lol

[L8Apex]

On the older C4 vettes there was a large 'X' brace under if you got the convertible, nothing else differentiated it. Pretty sure the Camaro doesn't even do that, the frame designs are much stiffer than they used to be. My bet is the difference is all in the folding top. I think there's an old myth that convertibles have a bunch of extra bracing that adds the weight, it's the folding mechanism for the top that adds the weight.

[Ron2ss]

Originally Posted by L8Apex

On the older C4 vettes there was a large 'X' brace under if you got the convertible, nothing else differentiated it. Pretty sure the Camaro doesn't even do that, the frame designs are much stiffer than they used to be. My bet is the difference is all in the folding top. I think there's an old myth that convertibles have a bunch of extra bracing that adds the weight, it's the folding mechanism for the top that adds the weight.

There is a large X brace under my 2020 SS convertible.

[L8Apex]

Originally Posted by Ron2ss

There is a large X brace under my 2020 SS convertible.

Okay, but I bet that's the only extra brace there is, I added the X brace to my 95 coupe because it added so much stiffness to a very flexible car.
Mine was a heavier duty aftermarket version (RD Racing), and it probably weighed 25lbs at most

[L8Apex]

Originally Posted by Joshinator99

They were added for SS cars with the assumption that they could see track time. But if GM thought they were needed for daily drivers, they would have added them to the LT1 and vert models too. Remember, GM has to warranty these engines for 60k miles. The aux radiators are overkill for most Camaro owners, but if you ever decide to track the car, you'll be glad to have them.

Exactly. Not having aux radiators is not going to affect the life of a non-tracked car. From past experience, once you really build an engine, how many miles do you ever really put on them after that, 10k, 20k?