UPGRADE #1
starting with the vararam intake tonight. where it goes from here, i can't say... but i have a list of parts saved in my cart on line. i hope to list a few on the forum b4 i order to get some feedback and opinions. like the vararam, it had warnings about driving in the rain, but vararam, mid america and my buddy claim it will be no problem at all unless the scoops are actually submerged in water. and i am leaning toward the borla XR-1 race exhaust system, but a few folks have told me it is WAY too loud and the radio and cell phone will be useless inside the car. so i need some feedback from anybody that has it or has heard it in person.

i just dug out some tools, an old jack and went to get jackstands to replace all the ones i have loaned out and never seen again! this car looks like it will be a pain to lift and support properly without causing any damage. i do not have the c5 jack adaptor... i will have to try to jack it up and find a safe place to put each stand with some kind of block or pad to work underneath. all suggestions welcome b4 i tear it up. i have the feeling i will be poking and proding around trying to get ideas for other parts and make a 1 hour job take all night!

 

thanks to the link at http://www.z06vette.com/diy_lift.php
i can now lift the car without worry of tearing it up. i went and bought the wood, but now it is almost midnight, so i may wait till friday to do the work. does anyone have the borla xr-1 race exhaust or the bb bullet with an X pipe? i want to get an exhaust ordered soon...

 

got the wood sections and going out to lift it up and tear into it now. all i need is a hammer an attitude!

 

well, as i expected, i started looking for other things to do while it is up on the stands. i went and bought oil and a filter, some rust inhibitor and flat black paint for the front bumper rails (i have the skid plates on order) and i am cleaning all the hard to get to areas and trying to clean all the crap out of the radiator fins. they were/are full of leaves, grass and rocks... which is odd since i do not remember offroading! it seems like an abnormal amount of junk considering the mileage and driving conditions. i may need to check into one of those screens i saw in a catalog that are supposed to keep debris out of there... hopefully i will get this done today. i also drilled the 2 drain holes just slightly larger as they mentioned i could. they said going too big will hamper performance, so i only increased to 1/4 inch. all in all the system doesn't seem very well made and doesn't line up well. the driver's side ram tube cases a slight deformation to the front bumper when pulled over to mate with the v plate and join to the other ram tube... and they say to pressure test the system b4 putting all the other parts back on, but since i do not have an air compressor and i can see the system in not constructed well enough to be completely air tight, i will skip this test until i am at the shop and they can test it. I had the instructions with pics that came with the part as well as those printed from a site on line, but they could have been better, possibly offering ideas for correcting alignment issue without leaving an air gap someplace… looking at the set up, i still have my doubts about heavy rain getting into the motor driving on the highway. i may design a custom bypass system. when I finally get it all back together, it has to be driven on the highway for a while, and I will run a couple simulated (street) qtr mile passes… then they say the computer will have adjusted to the extra air flow and performance increases will be set. i will post any noticeable improvements as well as any water probs.

Hope to hear from a few folks on the exhaust, as I need to get that ordered next. Looking at the Borla XR-1 race system (loud)… or an X pipe with either a BB Bullet, Borla Stinger or SLP PowerFlo with the new tip that fills the gap. I want a deeper louder sound and increased flow (may do long tube headers and high flow cats later) but the one I am leaning towards (the xr-1) is said to be TOO loud. Yet I can’t find anyone that has one on their car now or tried one and ditched it to get their thoughts…

 

B& B Bullets, LG Motorsports headers and X-pipe with no cats Can't beat that sound......it's not even loud to me anymore b/c I'm use to it now. All I hear from people is "great sounding car"

 

several people have told me the bb bullet is a really nice deep exhaust. if i order that now and put it on i could get a feel for the sound, then maybe get the long tube headers, etc later if need be. i wish i could hear a car up close with that XR-1 b4 i order one... i don't know why i like that system so much. i know it is the most free flowing, and the sound byte on line sounds good... but several people have told me i will get tired of the noise... i hate buying stuff, then having it end up in the garage unused and hard to resell.

 

i have a bassani x-pipe that runs wide open from the manifold to the muffler coming in the mail (with o2 sims), so i am kind of leaning toward the b&b prt with speedway tips...

 

looking for any good pics of the b&b prt speedways on the Z06 and C5, the more the better...

 

Where abouts in MD are you located? I'm about to Sell/Trade my B&B PRT w/ the Speedway Tips. Can't decided if I want to go back to Stock Z06 Exhaust or perhaps try the GHL.

I'm down in So MD (Waldorf), if you're interested in buying it.

 

I had the Borla XR-1 system on my 99' FRC. I do not recommend it if you are going to run headers, a bitch to make it all work. I would recommend a system that is compatable with whatever exhaust mufflers you are going to run. I would either do Kooks LT's 1-7/8" X 3"-3" X with the stock titanium mufflers, or the LG LT's etc. using the stock mufflers. If you go to Ls1tech.com, you can listen to all sorts of exhaust combinations.
I'll try to get a link then post it here.
Found it. http://www.ls1sounds.com
Hehe anyone can spend an hour there playing around

 

i might want to check it out. i am in north MD, harford county. i was placing my order for a bunch of crap and they made me a deal i could not refuse on the B&B bullet. so i will have to try it out.

i run the high mount oval carbon micron on my bike too, they make a nice system.

 

thanks. i will check out that site. i have some parts on the way (got a steal of a deal) to try out with the stock manifold, then depending on how it sounds, i'll go from there. since that whole middle section will be in b4 the muffler, i will get to see what it sounds like with the stock Z rear first.

 

Dude, just a piece of advice... slow down, do some research and get with a reputable tuner before you keep ordering all this stuff. With what you have ordered and what you plan on ordering, you've got a mess going on, not to mention wasted time and money... No flame intended, just trying to get you to think before you make a few expensive mistakes...

 

thanks, believe me, i appreciate all advice and any opinions, a few tips here have already kept me from buying a few items i really do not need or want, i hate to waste money but i have never let one of my cars sit stock soooo long, it was driving me crazy and i was getting bored with it... i had to get a few small things to test and mess around with. i can always sell the programmer and any other parts that i don't like or fail to work together with future parts like the SC.

all i have ordered so far is a little fun junk, intake and exhaust, more air in and more out with a programmer to tune it, (and a few little items for looks...) i have always started each car this way. then i can tell if i want to go farther with it. but i plan to do more research b4 i pick a SC or anything expensive or hard to resell. i am only going to use products that friends or club members have already tested fully and liked for the most part.

i have done the intake, exhaust, chip, gears, wing, springs, shocks, sway bars, strut brace, some carbon fiber, etc on both of my M3's and almost every car i have had & they all came out nice. now i really went an "off the wall" route with one of my old vettes (an 84) and a volvo turbo (both sold now). but when they were done they turned out exactly how i had hoped. u would not believe the way i set up the 84. don't laugh, i know everyone said 84's were junk, and they told me to put the time and money into my 90, but not me, 84's just needed TLC and corrections that GM goofed on... it was a monster when i was done. and it is all just for fun

 

that is a great site!!!! it not only has good sound bytes, but video. i just woke up the household and maybe the neighbors!!! i am hoping my sound is very close to that 2003 Z06 with long tubes, high flows and the borla stinger... only a little deeper louder sound. if mine turns out well, i will shoot a clip like that one and send it in to that site. thanks for that link. it makes me very glad i did not go with the slp loudmouth. that it the set up my buddy runs and, although he will not admit it, i think he is sick of it. i will bet he sells it soon.

 

Like I said... it's your car.... do it your way.... just beware, "buddies and club members" are not always the best source... kind of goes with the old saying, "We live and learn.".... or some do anyway..

 

It is alot of fun there for sure! Easy to spend alot of time there. Yes those SLP Loudmouths are really loud!!!

 

When you get down to it, your car is very personal. If it is at all possible you should try and find someone who has the exhaust you are interested in and listen to it, everyone out there has their own opinion as to what is "loud" or sounds the best, it really depends on "you" and what you want from your ride, there are tons of options out there and to be honest practically all of them are good. I have Kook's all the way back to Borla Stingers(quads) and I love the results. Previous post was right on in that take your time and get it right the first time, save yourself a lot of time and $$$.

 

yep, i agree, wasted money is bad. i welcome all feedback and advice from all willing to offer it. and my goal IS for my car to turn out well, but a little different than every other one. i still have the option to call and switch the b&b bullet that is on a 3 week backorder for a borla stinger that is in stock and can go out right now (i hate waiting for parts i have paid for, i am torn between the 2), not sure which to get, i just listened to my friend's stinger again last night, but his LG's have not come in yet, and with that junk stock H pipe it did not have the sound i am looking for. every b&b i have heard so far has a deeper tone. i do like the borla tips better. who knows which i will end up with, i have a borla on one m3 and a b&b on the other... if i ever finish the SVX it must have custom made straight pipes to work with the turbo & NOS kits, no one makes parts for that car so who knows WHAT it will sound like. LOL! but i have a very good speed shop with a very good race team that will mess with that car; it is too weird for me or most shops to want to work on at all. i have done so many vettes, trans ams, camaros, bmw's, etc, that i know who to call for the basics and just have to decide what to experiment with. the only part i am "testing" and do not have experience with, that is different from the same old - same old LG long tubes (which i could still end up with) is that "full length" bassani x pipe. all the other stuff is the same as everyone else seems to have in their list of goodies... nothing strange, untested or off the wall in my ordered or planned items. although i may not want to use the Magnacharger, NOS & gears all together! if the pipe doesn't work as planned then the rep/tech gave me bad info. it is the only part i have ever bought from them, and will be the last; it was only $350 or so. no biggie, i can always cut it down and use it like any other x pipe like everyone else has. i do plan to modify the Vararam to turn it into what it should have been (IMO) which is a higher flowing ram air set up for a Z06 with an easy to use street bypass system. i already have some pics drawn up for my fabrication shop to mess around with and let me know what they think. i am no expert, but i enjoy trying different things and coming up with improvements. i have had over 40 cars and bikes and felt the need to mess with each one. if u saw what i did do that blue 84 of mine u would understand. i took a car destined to be crap and made it lean and mean (and reliable)... all i need is a big hammer and a vague plan!!! i can take any car apart, just might need help getting it back together! thank goodness for my shop and these great forums.

 

after seeing and hearing the LG long tubes, high flows, x pipe and borla stinger on the 2003 Z06 video... i may call in today and switch the b&b bullet to the stinger. then i will have it in a few days instead of weeks so i can test the sound...