Here is my problem! I have an 02 ZO6 that is stock except intake.
I am an old school big thumper cam guy. My speed shop guy who is a young hot rodder tells me we can do the thumper cam or we can supercharge and get more horsepower and for about the same price.
What do you guys think? I will be putting headers and highflow cats on at the same time.

 

It sounds like you answered your own question. If you are old school, then stay NA. As far as power goes, you will end about where the FI starts, but still plenty of power and you should save ~ $1000 or so.

The biggest downside to a very high hp NA is the drivability. A FI setup can drive stock below 3K Rs or so and kick hard about 3K. A well tuned NA, with 450-500 hp, can be very streetable though.


Speed

 

If he can do it for the same price then go FI, but I think you will find a drastic price difference. But i could be mistaken. I am going NA because I want that deep lope in the idle, but thats just me.

 

I am waiting for the speedshop to tell me the $. I am leaning NA as I miss the lope of a nice cam. But it would be nice bolting on 140hp with supposedly no problems?
I guess I will make my mind of shortly.

 

This week I am putting headers, intake, and Dynotune on my stock Z06. Then a cam in a few months..thats all I want to do to mine. A cam makes me nervous though. Its not like the Z06 really needs more power to begin with.

 

Yes it does

 

Watch this video.I think it'll make up your mind like it did mine.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CP5uefxVh8U

 

There is no substitute for a lopey cam and grumbling exhaust but you must choose the combination of heads/cam/headers wisely and only after maximum research. I'm sure more than one person here has been disappointed by the selection they made and the started replacing costly high performance components to get the right mix. Obviously you can save a great deal of money if you are experienced enough to do your own installations. Personally I would have a highly reputable speed shop install a ProCharger (well ok, a clutch and bolstered diff) and leave it at that...

 

I am a bit worried about picking the correct cam. I will do max research before I pull the trigger. I do think I will get ceramic coated headers and am leaning toward texas speed. I am thinking real hard about LG for a cam and kit as they have tons of research on LS6 motors. I do drive mine everyday to work, round trip 35 miles and mostly freeway so I do want some street manners.
I started things yesterday by purchasing Titanium pipe for the TI mod. I will have the speed shop install that the same time as the headers.

 

And so it begins...

 

Have fun with it .

Since you trust LG...they told me to save my money on the header coatings (ceramic or otherwise). Put it toward the H/C.

Speed

 

If youre a patient guy, Id go with headers, highflow cats, tuning and intake, drive it awhile and see how you like it. Drivability, parts durability, servicability, should be first and foremost on your mind. As far as a lumpy cam is conserned, i would probably go with a less aggressive(mild) cam. You would probably be happier with that. My personal opinion an aggressive(lumpy) cam is probably better served in a Mustang, big block Impala, Malibu, etc.

 

I would say that a cam-only N/A setup will cost a LOT less than a supercharged setup. I don't know what you're speed guy is smoking...oh yeah I do, he just wants to convince you to pull the trigger on $5K+ and have him do the work!! That clip of the MS4 does sound bad-*** but that's one thing I hated about my cammed T/A was that the driveability sucked.

 

I think you'll find a significant difference in the price of these two options. But then price isn't always the deciding factor.

I went with an A&A Procharger kit on my '04 Z06. My Z was the cover car for the November 2005 issue of Corvette Enthusiast magazine wiith a 4 page article inside. She made 606 RWHP on the dyno (about 700 crank HP) with the SC and a couple of minor tweaks (small cam, forged stock size pistons and forged connecting rods). I still use the stock exhaust including the exhaust manifolds all the way through to the muffler tips. All inclusive price was about $9000 having Next Level Performance in Orlando - Florida do all the work. I also added a Spec Stage 3 clutch (in the price). She idles and runs stock until you hit the loud pedal .... then all HECK breaks loose. Gas mileage on the freeway is @ 27 - 28 MPG and when driven judiciously she gets about 20.3 all around. Traction is very limited in 1-2-3 so I haven't taken her to the track. With good traction and driving she is a 10 second street machine and should hit over 200 MPH if pressed for it. I have recently installed electric cutouts (from QTP) to provide all the noise you can handle for the slow cruising in town (keeps me happy and definitely gets noticed along with the SC whine). Go on a trip, close the cutouts, and the noise level is quiet as stock (keeps the neighbors happy).

I think the NA version would allow you to keep your stock clutch (for a while at least) but may give you some issues for a daily driver at slow speeds and stop & go traffic. Not to mention (again) I think NA will be significantly less money. Heads, cam, injectors, headers & exhaust - cats, valve springs.

Later ... Larry S.

 

Wow alot to think about! I agree the MS4 cam is a bit much for a daily driver. I would want something a bit less agressive. I will probably drive the car with the headers and high flow cats for awhile before pulling the trigger on the Cam and kit.
Thanks for all the advice.