I guess Ill get a lot of responses on this one. Ive been skimming the different forums on C5Z06s and one thing thats repeating itself pretty regularly are the Zs that have been modded (heavily modded) in some cases and the owners are having all kinds of problems, some pretty serious. Seeing that all Z06s have low12-high11 sec potential, why would anyone dig deep into modifing these cars?

 

The parts are available and you can't have too much power or go fast enough! Me, I'm stock (so far) and no problems (so far)...

 

My 2003 z is stock, when it comes to the motor although that will be changing here in the coming future,im dedicating my time and money to the cosmetic mods right now,i plan on keeping my car and want to personalize it to my wants and needs ,when its done ill be adding another z to my collection.Anytime you mod your z with hp your always going to have issues thats just the nature of the beast

 

Mine is just a daily driver high mileage ride...no mods and none planned

 

A Z06 is certainly "fast enough." Mine is about 99% stock (drivetrain) mostly because it is a 20,000+ mile a year DD.

I have fought the huge urge to dig into it power wise so far. For some people (like me) it can never truly be "FAST ENOUGH"

 

My 01 Z is NOT stock!! It has the normal 01 LS6 oil consumption but other than that it is the perfect DD!!

I have 415 RWHP. Its not crazy high but my sig has all my modds in it!!

 

The reason that im curious is because ive known people that have had some issues afterwards and me myself ive had past issues(mostly F-body) and its scares the **** out of me to go through that nonsense, especially being soaked, held hostage, etc. by mechanics so-called "reputable" speedshops, etc. Realisically, C5 Z06s are damned fast stock considering other competitors easily cost twice as much just to run with a stock Z. And with just basic boltons,cold/ram-air setups, headers, high flow cats, dyno tune, these cars can be a handfull. Its just that keeping them as close to stock as possible, you can keep complications to a minimum.

 

I agree with what you're saying but the power is never enough unless you get to the point that you're just traction limited in 1st through 4th! I would say that once I do all the normal boltons (CAI, LT's, ORX, tune) then I'll be happy with a near 400RWHP internally stock LS6 that will easily run 11's all day long.

 

That is the number one reason I have not modded!

 

Unless you do 100% highway driving in a Z, personally I dont see the point in having bolt-on 100-150 extra hp on a 400hp car. Its enjoyable if you never confront bumper to bumper, stoplight to stoplight driving. And with an aggressive cam in a Z, its hard to picture that setup as a DD. The exception is a C6Z, a car thats designed from the factory with a smooth livable 550hp.

 

This is why I do all my own work to the car.

 

With the right tune a cammed Z can easily be a daily driver. A big factor though is what you actually envision as being optimal as far as performance goes. With Nitto 555RII 305/35/18 rears I am fully able to enjoy 478rwhp on the street.

 

I wished I was as blessed as you to have intensive mechanical skills. But for us who arent,and have gotten burned, you learn to be grateful for what power you can get on your own.

 

There is nothing wrong with that at all my friend. This car is awesome right off the showroom floor.

 

Humvet51; I agree with you that it appears to be those that mod their cars are having issues. Conicidence? I think not. The situation is caused by adding bits and pieces and not engineering a package.
It took how many GM engineers how long to get the LS6 correct? And many believe the advertisements that promise instant , easy bolt on performance at home in their spare time.

Years of experience and knowledge , with common sense and logic are neede to be able to enchance the performance package GM has produced. It can and has been done but not all are successful.

I've been doing this kind of work for close to forty years , 10 years in my own shop. But as the vehicles get more and more sophisticated, the average Joe is less inclined to be successful or happy with the results. Leave it to the Lingenfelters and Callaways.

 

currently my 01 is all stock.
daily driver. is it fast enough, no. But at this point I only want 1 money pit.

 

mine cam out to 417 with very similar mods and I could drive it every day if i wanted too, but i drive my beater to work cause work is 2 blocks away and i need to drive and haul stuff around and dont want to do that to the vette.

 

It is your own obligation to properly research your modifications prior to purchase and install. There are tons of proven combinations out there for the LSX engines as they have been around since 1997. I myself have built multiple LSX engines and have yet to experience any out of the ordinary "problems".

 

After 40,000 miles of "hmm this car is fast enough" I decided "How bad could a cam and headers be?" And so went from 330rwhp to 430rwhp.

Then at 80,000 miles I again thought "Hhmmm..You know - its still not fast enough " and my sig tells the results of that little excercise ...

Now I will say this, when my car was stock and "only" made 330rwhp, I could and did drive it very hard (out in the country back roads away from urban humanity and the odd track day) - so hard it was almost in a hamfisted sort of way... 430rwhp required a little more restraint and only occasionaly would I be able to just mash the gas and hold on when out in the twisties.

With 600rwhp+ it has brought a whole new level of "Ohhhh SHHHHH!!!!!!TTTTTEEEEE!!!!" on occasion - so I am actually a much mellower driver now hehe.

Except when I get it on the road course - then I remember why I did what I did to the car.

But all in all, I don't think outrageous mods are for everyone, and most of the other sports car owners I know would not like to try live with the car the way it is. (hell, a couple of the Vette owners swapped their C5's for "more refined" C6's hehe)

This is the beauty of the journey that is Corvette ownership though - each person gets to enjoy their own interpretation of the mission at hand:

Which, should you choose to accept it, is to Save the Wave.

And whether you do it in a bone stock 1987 Coupe or a nasty obnoxious LS7 hearted fire breathing beast - its yours to enjoy

I am glad I kept the car stock for 40,000 miles - gave me a chance to become very familiar with its quirks and strengths - the next 40,000 miles of loping cam power was great stepping stone.

Lets see how I enjoy the next 40,000 miles with this setup (I am already 6,500 miles into and loving it)... whats next? Who knows... maybe a 500ci E85 torque monster

 

Halltech CAI, LGM longtubes, Hi-flow cats & an X-pipe throught the stock Ti's, some better tires than the F1's and shes perfect for me. Never even seen so much as an SES light!