Five Simple and Effective Mods to Take Your C7 to the Next Level
When it comes to bang for buck, there are some modifications for the C7 that just make more sense than others.
With the prices of earlier C7 models dropping on a daily basis in the used market (some even in the high 30k to low 40k range) due to the soon-to-be released C8, there has never been a better time to start spending some of that cash on modding your Corvette to keep it feeling fresh, instead.
However, modifying your car is literally an endless pit that could soon leave you without a savings account or even a family if things go far enough south. Thus, it is best to consider not just the fact that you can modify your car, but also, what is best to modify in the first place. For this we look to Front Seat Driver, an automotive YouTuber that has recently been gaining traction for his videos on his C7 and Gallardo. Jason has offered a list of “essential” mods for the C7, lets see what we think about what he presents in his video.
1. Front Splitter
There are few things that can tie in the front end of a car more than a front splitter. The C7 Z06 displays this very well. It just looks that much more mean than the standard Sting Ray. Jason recommends a “stage 2” or higher splitter, much resembling of the OEM Z06 front end.
Browse through the forum and you’ll find dozens of posts in regard to this mod. However, we must warn than there is one crucial aspect to remember when installing any type of front aero. The C7 is a very low car to begin with from factory, thus, extending the front end at all will make taking certain dips and parking lot entrances into a procedure in itself. If your car is lowered at all, you best believe the possibility for ripping off that new splitter is very real, so take some caveats.
2. XL Rock Guards
Your C7 has an aggressive, curvy body profile and as a result you’ll quickly notice that those wide front tires are quite flush with the top of the side skirt extension. This, naturally, means that every piece of debris will follow that body line and, over time, your paint and body panels will suffer rock chips as a result. Thus, this mod we definitely endorse as a nice aesthetic touch as well as a protective one. A set of these exact ones can be found at the ever popular ACS Composite.
3. Rear Diffuser
If there was a mod that we would be willing to 100% endorse, this would be the one. Something about the aggressive profile of the C7 is missing on the rear end. Hopefully, the rear end of the car is the only thing people will ever be able to see. Thus, we wish Chevy would have just given us a little more on the rear bumper to really make it pop, but they refused to even do so on the top dog ZR1 (sans the excellent ZTK wing-equipped models), so we are happy to have the aftermarket fix that. These diffuser fins are the perfect complement to a Z06 spoiler and we wouldn’t have a C7 without them.
4. Cold Air Intake
This is the first performance modification on the list and for good reason. This mod allows you to retain an OEM+ look and impressive induction sound that won’t necessarily attract the attention of everyone in a 3-block radius. A nice intake definitely gives an engine bay a more complete look and the added response and power, while modest, are welcome. A quick forum search, will show you much discussion on the topic, so we leave this one to personal preference. Not the cheapest mod on this list, but far from the most expensive.
5. Exhaust
By far the most controversial of the mods on this list, mainly due to the price point and the fact that this particular exhaust makes you lose NPP functionality, a deal breaker for many owners. While, NPP compatible exhausts do exist, the options are definitely more limited and come at a premium. For some, NPP is loud enough, for others, its not even close. So an exhaust really comes down to which of those two camps you might be a part of.
When it comes down to it, everybody will have their own tastes, but if you have a little bit of money to spare, why not have some fun with your car?
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