This reply in another thread was interesting to me because I have become afflicted. My modding journey has only started but I thought I would share my thoughts and feeble justifications.

I picked up a super clean, low miles C5 Vert. I wanted a Vert because I live in Southern California in a beach town, and to me there is nothing like driving along the ocean with the top down. I have an old great condition MGB Vert, but nothing is like a Vette. I don’t surf much anymore, but the picture of a Vette Vert along the ocean with a surfboard sticking up is classic.

I wanted a C5 over a C6 because to me the C5 has much better aesthetics and again to me the C6 does not have any significant advantages. Just because some design team made changes doesn’t mean the changes are an improvement. Just to digress a bit – I find it mildly annoying when someone says they “moved up” from a C5 to a C6. Sure if someone put 200K miles daily use on the C5, the paint chipping, the interior was getting worn, it is reasonable to say they are moving up to something manufactured more recently. But, if, despite early pictures, the C7 happened to look much like the C5, would anyone still think the C5 had an older design?

My modding affliction started out innocently enough. I thought the car was great in stock condition except for a mushy suspension, but there were two injustices nagging at me. First, why should I be performance deprived because I have a Vert instead of a Z06? Second, why should I be performance deprived because I wanted a C5 instead of a C6?

A supercharger seemed to be a great equalizer to overcome these injustices. Then with more air, a new cam would make things work better by letting more exhaust out, and a new exhaust system would further round out the package. Add coil-overs to firm up the suspension.

Now with these changes, my C5 Vert would spank any stock C6 Z06. I realized the C6 Z06 owner could do the same things, and I would be again at a disadvantage, but that was ok because I considered this now a question of degree of modding rather than C5 Vert versus C6 Z06.

All was ok until I noticed some of the performance figures of cars already modded, and I secretly began wanting my mods to yield bigger numbers. So now I’m thinking about additional options, going completely rediculous like a new engine with forged pistons, etc. I am hoping that reason prevails and I decide the cost is too prohibitive. In the past I owned a couple of airplanes, and the reasoning was if you could own an airplane, then you could justify anything rediculous or impractical, so why bother even trying to justify? But I’m still hoping reason prevails and I can limit my affliction.

So to add my warning to the message quoted above, just be practical, look at KBB and Edmonds to preserve your resale potential, and ignore your passion.

 

Meh... someone will always have more horsepower.

How are you putting that traction to the ground? There are more improvements in a C6 then a C5 than just the power. I think you are missing a lot of the engineering upgrades between your convertible C5 and a C6Z... Put both your cars on a track and I bet you would be surprised in the performance of a C6Z... it isn't all in coilovers or power. There is a lot more to it.

Sounds like what you have is a good package I would be more than happy with. If you can't stop... well then have fun !

 

My C5 is stock and I am sticking to it

 

Yes - there's more to it than coilovers, but all could be modded.

 

lol

 

Sounds like a beast! I also have a C5 vert (2004 MSG) and live on the opposite coast - SW Florida. I agree that there is nothing better than cruising top down in a Corvette along a beach front.

However, since I own a vert, my mods have been more cosmetic with a slight improvement in performance via tunes, exhaust, etc. I don't want to get into a HP contest with other Vettes, Z06, etc., especially since I have nothing more than a piece of GM cloth protecting my head.

My plan is to keep my Vert for as long as I'm above ground and then add a Z06 stable mate to scratch my HP needs. That way, I can keep trading up the Z06 depending on the engineering gains, etc., while my beautiful vert enjoys the beach drives!

 

Stock is boring...

 

In a nutshell.

 

I can't help it

 

Good points. The idea of keeping the Vert either stock or in my case not too ridiculous is a good one and eventually get something else to go HP insane. That logic could help me avoid more extreme mods in the Vert.

Regarding protection from a cloth top, I could be completely wrong, but I did not think the hardtop offered significantly more protection. I thought rollbars would be needed to make a real difference. In my case, the highest performing vehicles up to this point are motorcycles where the only protection is leathers. Going to any car, even a Vert, seems real safe to me.

 

it doesnt end. i can see it only ending with a beginning on a c6 or c7 in a few years.

 

I have been adding parts to my '99 ever since I bought it 3 years ago. It's still naturally aspirated, but only because it's my daily driver and I have a '69 Nova to use as a hot rod. I have slowed down on buying parts for the Corvette since I am not building a 408 LS engine to do a twin turbo install in the Nova. Who knows, that setup may work it's way into the C5 some point down the road...

 

My car is a lifer so I'm modding to make it what I want something that is unique for me

 

If you think that modding a Corvette can get addictive you should see what you can do with a Harley.

 

When I bought my car 9 years ago I promised my wife I wasn't going to do a thing to it. As you can see from my signature I lied. Every time I say I'm done with my mods, something else comes along that I've just got to have. It's a curse!!!!

 

Yeeeeeeeeeeeea!

 

As car guys a car is more than a means of tranportation. We all chose a C5 because there was something about it that attracted all of us to it. Power, styling...whatever it may be. I think customizing it and modifying it becomes a further expression of personal style. It's definitely a never ending addiction too but a much better addiction than say...crystal meth!

I'm just trying to figure out which one is more expensive...

 

 

I have kept most of my mods reversable. I could get it back to 95% stock if necessary, however I don't plan to. The Z06 has a fixed roof for added stability, so although I agree it doesn't offer much more safety over a vert, it's more of a perception for me. Many tracks won't let me run the verte without a rollbar so that's another reason I have a Z06 in my future.

I love motorcyles, however the wife pleaded with me that I don't get another one. That's OK, it helps me play the Corvette Card more often!

 

Everyone wants to put thier own personal touch to thier C5,good or bad it's your's do what you want.