Photo Credit: Rick Conti

Deliveries of the 2027 model year Corvettes began last week and our friend Rick Conti discovered something on a new Grand Sport coming through his dealership that he had not seen previously come from the factory, and it was something that Chevy engineers said there was no reason to put them on Corvettes here in the USA.

The part in question? The Grand Sport included a pair of underbody air deflectors.

As Conti’s Corvette service technician Chuck was unbagging all the items that would be installed on the car during the Pre Delivery Inspection (PDI), he discovered that the car included a pair of air deflectors that are mounted under the car. As there was nothing that said track use only, Chuck installed the pair of deflectors on the car.

These air deflectors are an OEM part that actually come in a pair with each side having its own GM part number and sold separately. Chevrolet only includes them on exported C8 Corvettes that have a gas particulate filter (GPF) built into the corner-mounted exhaust systems. These filters are required due to European emissions regulations to remove fine particulate emissions, but they can get really hot. The underbody air defector mounts in an opening next to each rear tire and it’s designed to “deflect air” up onto the exhaust systems to cool the gas particulate filters.

The Corvette community only learned about these air deflectors last November when Justin from Horsepower Obsessed shared a video showing what they are and more importantly, giving everyone a reason why you would want these on your C8 Corvette: The cooler air that is deflected can also help reduce the temperatures in your trunk!

Every C8 Corvette owner knows just how hot those trunks can get, and depending on your location, summers can be particularly bruising when it comes to trunk temps. Yet, when asked if there was any benefit for C8 Corvette owners in the USA to add these to their cars, Vehicle Corvette Chief Engineer Josh Holder told us during a CORVETTE TODAY Podcast that “there is no advantage” to having them on a C8 without the GPFs:

Last week after watching Conti’s video, we also confirmed with our friend Mike Furman that his new Grand Sport deliveries were also shipped with the air deflectors. But are other models also getting them or just the new Grand Sport? We reached out to Chevrolet last week but was told no one was in the office that could answer that question. A follow up email sent Monday has yet to be answered…

Thankfully, we reached out to our friend Rod Keller at the National Corvette Museum’s R8C Delivery Program with that question. Ron confirmed for us that based on the various 2027 models they had received, the air deflectors were only being shipped with new 2027 Corvette Grand Sports and Stingray.

BINGO!

With the new 535-hp LS6 V8 being the common denominator between the two models, it’s safe to say that GM engineers have changed their minds that non-GPF Corvettes can benefit having the air deflectors mounted on the cars. Now, the automaker is mounting these $400 air deflectors on Grand Sports and Stingrays, even if the new 2027 has the optional quad-center exhaust. Why the change? That’s what we wanted to know from Chevrolet.

We’re still hoping to hear from them on this and will update this story with any response.

For those looking to add a set to their cars, you do have some options. The OEM air deflector part numbers are 85580654 and 85580653. I checked a couple different GM parts dealers and found they are priced at $125 each so $250 for the pair. If you go through Chevrolet Accessories, they are priced at $197 each. I had previously ordered an OEM set through GM Parts Online and got them in about two weeks.

For those looking for an aftermarket solution, our friends at DynamicDucts make a 3D-printed design that offers some upgrades over the standard OEM versions. You can use Discount Code CB10 and Save 10% on DynamicDucts’ C8 Aero Widebody Edition air deflectors.

Here is Conti’s video with the Grand Sport and hopefully its queued to the section when the air deflectors are unbagged and mounted on the car:

Source:
Rick Conti

Related:
Spring is Here and Temperatures are Climbing. Keep Your C8 Cooler with DynamicDucts Air Deflectors!
DynamicDucts Improves C8 Air Deflectors with its New Aero Widebody Edition
[VIDEO] Keep Your C8 Corvette’s Engine Bay Up to 50 Degrees Cooler with these OEM Air Deflectors

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