Helping advance all performance parameters, and adding to the car’s outstanding balance in a literal as well as figurative sense, is its extensive use of lightweight materials. The Z06 uses the same perimeter design chassis as ordinary C6 Corvettes, but instead of steel the hydroformed side rails and the cross members that join them are crafted from aluminum. In a similar vein, the Z06 front suspension/engine cradle is cast from magnesium rather than aluminum and the front fenders and wheel housings are manufactured using carbon fiber instead of SMC fiberglass. The sheet compound that sandwiches the balsa core floor panels is also carbon fiber in the Z06.