I bought my '97 about a year and a half ago and have just recently finished "phase 1" of my upgrade process. I have this forum to thank for the decisions I made:

With the help of a friend, I installed a vararam, drilled and slotted powerstop rotors with ceramic pads, front and rear C6 Z51 sway bars with metal end links, C6 Z06 shocks, a C5 Z06 TI catback exhaust, and a set of Michelin tires. Smaller items include spark plugs, wires, and fluids. I will be doing some cosmetic upgrades (paint correction/ceramic) and stereo upgrades later this fall.

What's next guys? How do I (correctly) turn my base c5 from mild to wild?

 

I'd upgrade to a LS6 intake manifold. Then funds permitting look into headers, an x-pipe, and a good tune

 

Depends on how deep does the rabbit hole go for you? I went from stock, to mild, to a somewhat wild (for a DD at least) and it's been a never ending journey, albeit a very fun one that's made me make my C5 truly mine and an extension of my character. If engine performance is next on the list, I'd take it up a couple more notches up and go with a "mod package" approach to notice more the changes. Cold Air, LS6 intake, long tube headers, X pipe and tune. For even more spice, add a "Stage 2/Mild cam" and valvetrain durability upgrades to the mix. If you like high performance style "spirited driving" and taking corners, I highly recommend aftermarket sport seats. Completely changes the car.

The rabbit hole can be quite the money pit, so my approach usually has been I get her under the knife for upgrades when something fails that requires me to do it anyways (examples: upgraded to LS7 clutch when my torque tube couplers took a crap, upgraded seats when my stock seats just were falling apart and I couldn't take it anymore, upgraded to a Stage II cam,oil pump..etc. when my balancer was wobbly and cracked and needed replacement anyway).

 

It really depends on what you're looking for. If you just want killer low end acceleration, but you're not concerned with top speed, a set of gears might be a nice change for you. Long tube headers will add horse power and make the car sound nicer. If you want a real boost add an A&A supercharger kit (This is expensive, but mine added 188 RWHP). It all depends on what you want. Are you looking for a track car, a street racer, or a canyon carver?

 

New wheel and tire combo.

 

I think you might find this thread full of ideas.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ld-thread.html

 

I've had my 2000 FRC a little over two years now and my list was very similar to yours, except the tires were really good when I got it, so I haven't gone there yet and I did install nice racing seats. Lots of good suggestions here for performance upgrades, but I think most of what you do from here could add lots of $$$ with very little return other than personal gratification. It's your car and your money....the sky is the limit on what you can do with a C5 based on the cars I've seen on this forum....good luck, post pictures...

 

Well since you seem to want to go in small stages, I would do an MGW shifter if manual, and better filter/CAI with headers.
It will help everything else if you want to do more.

 

what is your definition of wild?

 

Thank you all for these replies! Failure to plan is a plan to fail and I think being judicious in this planning process will save me headaches later. Although I won't be doing any major upgrades right away, I plan to own my A4 for as long as I am able.

Quick thoughts:

• yes to the LS6 intake.
• yes to the tune.
• cam & headers and/or supercharger?
• are stock sport seats really that bad? I like the firethorn red interior but was considering swapping the foam (with seat mod) and new covers.
• What are the differences between a canyon carver and a street racer? I think I want to go for a track-capable grand touring car
  
  I actually think the wagon wheels look alright!

 

A lot of your mods parallel some of the things I did as part of my Grand Sport project. Here's the link to that thread...maybe you will see an idea or two that you like.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...t-project.html

 

you have intake improved, now you need to get the exhaust air out quicker. you can do an improved intake manifold, but by far the biggest bang for you buck is exhaust.. I'd say next go-fast step is without a doubt headers and a tune.
With CAI, headers, z06ti catback, and a tune (the tune is critical), I went from a baseline rwhp of 309hp to about 340rwp, with about similar improvements in tq.

once you do that, you're maxxed out pretty much on "bolt-ons". you can go different routes at this point-- swapping in a more aggressive cam can give you more low end grunt, and bump you up another 30ish hp. if you start down that road, then better heads are likely going to be needed.

If you want true power though, once you finish the bolt ons, a super charger is the best bang for your buck. It's not as crazy expensive as you'd think, there are tons of options, and there are plenty of great kits out there.. then of course, since you're doing the super, may as well do the cam. and heads. and now you'll have to improve the drivetrain..

anyway... do the headers and get a tune, you won't regret it.

 

As per your last question, change the 23 year old suspension to C6 Z06 shocks, C6 Z51 sway bars, and metal end links. Not too much $ and it will transfer your car's handling into the modern age.
Best bang for the buck when it comes to adding HP. Get an A&A supercharger kit. It will add over 150 HP, even more with headers.

 

Just finished those suspension upgrades and you're right they completely modernize the handling. I've heard lots of things about the A&A kit and I think it's the one I'll install down the road..

 

If you have an automatic trans... a set of gears in the rear w/a tune is an excellent / added value way to make what you currently have much more fun to drive.

If you have a manual trans... I'd go with full exhaust and a tune.

 

A canyon carver has excellent handling and tops out around 550 RWHP it is essentially the track-capable grand touring car that you want. At over 550 RWHP it's no longer as fun to rip your car through a curvy canyon road. The reason being that you can never really use all the power that you've got (plus you have to worry a lot more about not killing yourself). 550 is right at the top of the "Goldilocks zone" for a touring car. A street racer is all about straight line acceleration and speed. The primary thing is HIGH HP and TQ. The more the better. Handling is much less important as most of your power is being applied in a straight line (think stop light to stop light drag racing or highway roll racing).

You seem like you actually have a pretty good plan. You've already got the suspension and tire mods. You have an okay set of brakes. the A&A kit with a set of headers is going to put you right around the 550RWHP mark. You can do more performance mods after that, but be warned that the car will become more and more race car, and less and less a grand tourer.

 

All good replies, nice advice in this thread.

I'll add some of my own theory,

>> For performance, you have 3 main categories and a summary:
- Acceleration
- Braking
- Cornering
- {[Overall] Handling}

>> For components, on my website and in real world, I break it down into additional categories (which covers a broader spectrum than just 'performance'):
- Induction / Engine / Exhaust
- Suspension / Brakes
- Drivetrain / Rolling Stock
- Chassis / Body
- Electronics / Controls / Misc (like Cooling)

As you can surmise, what I'm inferring, is you have to set goals, and plan. This is by far the best way to implement, not haphazardly throwing money into a car...for modified class.

In summary, this gives a good indication of a plan, which you can then follow however you'd like. But it's very helpful and useful from an organization standpoint.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That being said, what would I do if I were you ?

- Corner Carving Suspension (already have)
- Upgrade the Brakes / Stainless Steel Lines (have)

- Full Bolton (Induction, Exhaust)

- Gears
- Mild Stall (with cooler)

- Street Cam w/associated components (Optional)

This shouldn't break the bank, and still be one formidable tuner car!

 

If your long term plan power includes any power adders you'll be buying exhaust so why not now?
A gear and maybe a mild stall will increase the fun factor.
Both of these with a tune might keep you entertained for a while.

If you're going for big power skip the heads/cam and just add a blower and shore up the valve train.
Let's see that red interior. Adding a jute pad between where the wires cut into the foam will firm up those seats. It's a cheap and easy fix.
Modern corner lights and bulbs look nice IMO and are inexpensive.
Wheels can very much change the looks of a C5. An 18/19 combo looks right to my eye.