Adam young

Hi guys, first post here. I have a stock C5 base that I daily. I want to have 350-400rwhp, what mods should I do and and in what sequence.
thanks

momo20

first of all are you an auto or 6 speed?
i would look at your RPO code's if you are an auto to see which axle you have if your a 6 speed you will have the 3:42 rear end which is good...
as far as mods go you can do long tube header's with z06 head (243) or the ls2 head's which will be a nice upgrade...and while your there might as well add a cam and upgrade your valve train, depending on your year you can upgrade to the ls6 intake system which flow's a lot better then the ls1 counterpart...get a good flowing intake filter system, and to save some coin you can always source a z06 Ti cat back exhaust system , that would prob net you over 430 hp

knewblewkorvette

Welcome to the forum. The best bang for the buck is a supercharger kit. It'll give you over your 400 rwhp goal. I've seen them advertised as low as $6000 installed.

Vetteman Jack

Good advice from the above posters. It really depends on how much you want to spend to get to your HP goal.

no vtec 4me

To give you a nice solid answer:

Long tube headers, cold air intake and cam should get you over 350whp no problem.

Add 243 heads and an ls6 intake manifold to that you should see just over 400whp.

This is obviously dependent on the cam you choose as well as a good dyne tune.

Adam young

I have a manual 6. Based on the answers, I think I'll start adding mods in following sequence.
CAI
LTH
INTAKE
CAM
TUNE

If this gets me over 350whp I'll be happy. I'm trying to keep up with my brother's Subaru WRX lol
What do you guys think

Time for a C-5

If the goal is 350 whp should get there (or very close) with CAI, full exhaust, LS6 intake and a tune. No need to even open up the engine.

road pilot

Sounds good to me.
Keep in mind, with exceptions, every time you mod your vette
you will need a new tune. That means 100's of dollars extra
per new parts. I should say 100s and 100's of dollars.
Bundle your mod's to save tuning costs.
Good luck.

dbgoodwin

Honestly you probably don't need a cam to get to your goals. I think doing things in stages is probably the bast way to avoid getting bored with the car.

Start with bolt ons, and don't worry too much about comparing to other cars if you're happy with driving it

corvettezman

The problem with modding for power is that it's never enough. You get used to the power after a while , then you want more. It never ends....

grantv

I think the same as another said, make your car to suit what you want, not to beat another. There will always be a quicker car, and he can always mod his also.
The only thing his car has, if needed, is extra seats. Otherwise not a fan.

Time for a C-5

Yep, it's a rabbit hole for sure. One other thing to keep in mind is when you start increasing power there are other items will need attention sooner than later. I did exhaust/heads/cam all at once and my clutch needed attention very soon after. And since most of the drivetrain is out you should probably rebuild the torque tube while it's apart. And, oh yea, this would be a great time to change the gear.

But I'm done now...

Route99

Well, it might end - some day. Maybe. Possibly. Nah, you're right.

Someone will always have more. Focus on your preferences.

While it is a rabbit hole, it very often makes sense to have a few "while I'm there" add ons. If you're installing a cam, it is good to carefully examine your oil pump, water pump, harmonic balancer; and unless you have a good, performance timing chain, always replace it since it's already off.

And the idea of changing the gear ratio may be valid depending upon what's already in the car. For a lot of people that adds a great seat of the pants feel to the performance of the car.

Best wishes with your build.

Shaolin Crane

If it were me, and that's the power I was going for, I'd do the Dorman/Fast Replica, ebay long tubes, whatever used CAI you find and a mail order tune. Would be less than 1k if you install yourself and should get you to ~360rwhp or so. A small cam would put you in the 400-420 area.

meadowz06

Cold air intake, long tube headers and exhaust, tune. That will get you a honest 50-60hp. Next would be a LS6 intake and 80mm throttle body. Good luck!

Friscojim

What's all involved with the LS6 intake swap and a reasonable price to do that? I've already added the Corsa Sport with X pipe and Tigershark tips and a CAI - haven't done the tune yet