Everyone has an opinion for themselves. The real question is just what do you really want to accomplish and then we can try to match the proper mod to your expectation.

What kind of gain would you like to see and then how are you going to use the car. Finally is there a budget.

There are a number of options and you need to be aware of the good, bad and the cost of each and how it relates to the use of the car.

Are you wanting just engine modes, sound, handling etc?

 

It's a 20yr old car, it's not a daily driver. It's a summer and weekend driver. I'm just trying to upgrade it. Not looking for a ton of speed, maybe in the 400 hp range. The car is stock except for lights and strereo.

Not a mech and don't pretend to be. Know just enough to make me dangerous.

Got a pretty good budget. Car has lot of sentimental value to me.

 

Buying a 6 spd.

 

400 hp is VERY obtainable. BUT -- not with basic bolt ons.
Look at the dyno pull -- this is from my car, before and after a super.

the lower one is my car with basic mods headers, catback exhaust, intake and a tune -- I had 330hp and 330 pd-ft. Keep in mind that your car's reported horse power is 350 at the crank, not wheel hp. Figure about 20% ish loss to parasitic drag on from the diff, tube, and tranny, your car bone stock is likely around the 310 range at the wheels (your milage will vary.. back in the day when these cars were new, I remember seeing bone stock dyno pulls around 320hp.. but that would REALLY be the high water mark).

So -- if you really want to get to 400hp at the wheels, you're looking at around 75-100hp gain. And if you don't want to super charge (which will *easily* get you to over 500), you're likely looking at intake, headers, cat back, and a cam. and of course a tune. If you want to maintain streetability, you'll end up getting a somewhat mild cam, so I don't think you'll hit 400-- you'll get maybe (depending on what you install and what your car is putting out now) around 375 ish. But this is a REALLY rough guess.

the good news is though that well thought out upgrades -- the intake, cam, headers, cat back, etc. , will be a very good base if you ever do decide to add a super.. or heads.

 

I’m in Jacksonville NC also, I have a 2001 C5 Silver Vette

 

I agree on this. 400whp is 460-480hp@crank. It will take a very, VERY good tuner to make a 400whp C5 keep its good street manners. It can be done, but OP would need to find that tuner. Before I'm assassinated for saying this, if there are people out there who tune that are thinking "I can do this," then I say if you're not tuning professionally, you should be.....

 

That's not really true-- And I'm basing this on personal experience, and on the experience of many others on this forum. I'm at 530hp at the wheels, and my car (and just about everyone else that put in an AA supercharger) has the same experience. A super charger is relatively inexpensive and easy to install for a competent mechanic that has c5 experience (there are a LOT out there), and maintains superb street manners --- until you dig in, you really can't tell it's even there (aside from the tweeting when you decelerate). And I don't think 400hp at the wheels is all that tough frankly even without a super ... maybe you won't get it with a cam/headers/exhaust, but add a set of heads to that mix and you're in business. And again, this is all in the realm of the ability of a good mechanic with c5 experience.

 

I'm talking N/A, NOT supercharged. I'm surprised you didn't pick up on that! Of course a supercharged engine keeps its stock manners, IF the owner kept stock internals and simply bolted on a blower and got it tuned. I was agreeing with you! You yourself said he wouldn't have 400hp with a mild cam, then said streetability would suffer some at 400whp. Don't know how it ended up upside down!!

 

torque converter is good

 

Your post mentioned nothing about supercharger so... thanks for clarifying your otherwise opaque point.
Regardless, I'm surprised you missed the second portion of my quote -- getting to 400hp would be easy, just not with "basic" mods. Here, I'll repost it for you to read this time. Certainly not as difficult as you think it would be:

 

“ I don't think 400hp at the wheels is all that tough with a cam/headers/exhaust, but add a set of heads to that mix and you're in business.
this is all in the ability of a good mechanic with c5 experience.”

Hmm, So a 20+ yr old motor w a stock A4 can make 400whp reliably without creating any damage and would still work/behave like original?

Anbody done this in 2023 that would add some validity to actual customer costs?

 

We have *many* people on the forum running far more horsepower than 400whp and they run very reliably. Maybe you don't realize -- most of us drive our cars infrequently and maintain them impeccably. I'm at 530hp, and the car hums at idle and as reliably as the first day I got it and drives around town without a hiccup-- you don't know the hp is there until you step on it. . I'd actually say with all the attention I've given it over the years, it's more reliable than original. If you have a different experience, perhaps you should consider more rigorous and regular maintenance for your car?

Others will chime in, I'm sure -- 400hp at the wheels is no big deal, and 400 horse power reliably without "creating any damage and would sill work/behave like original" is not only feasible, it's common -- many of us have done just that.

 

Those wheels are sweet! The color works perfect with red!

 

It can be very reliable. Drivability and reliability are two very different things. But as I was saying, 400whp N/A is not going to drive like stock. There will be some tradeoffs. A very good tuner can minimize them, but it's not going to behave exactly like stock. One guys definition of behaving/driving like stock is another guys definition of bad. There no way you can be pushing the N/A 480-500chp envelope with an LS 346 cubic inches, and behave like stock. Anyone who thinks otherwise is only fooling themselves......

 

Otherwise opaque? I would think most here know that a supercharger can easily make 500+chp. I would also think most knew EXACTLY what I was talking about. 530whp today with FI is nothing new. Sorry it went over you.

 

JMG2. trust me, I missed nothing in your post. Otherwise I wouldn't have agreed with it!! Don't need to repeat it. You should reread my post. It is you who need to reread MY post...

 

100%. Driveability and reliability are two VERY different things. 550whp cars on stock internals to go to DQ and park your car no problem. However, most have no idea how "reliable" their cars are if they aren't romping on it or taking them to the track. Which puts into question why even modify the car to that hp? So you can tell your DQ loungchair buddies about it? A 1000whp car with otherwise stock components will last forever driving 35 to 70mph.

I've had 3 NA builds done with what most consider "mild" cams. 228/228/112 and 232/236/113 neither one "drove like stock" in any way shape or form. Tuned by A&A, 2nd Street Speed, and Cartek. The MN6 needed a 4.10 gear for me to not need to feather the clutch consistently at low speed driving in order to tame driveability. And my tunes were spot on by very reputable tuners in the LS world. My 640whp forged, Novi, H/C build tuned by ECS drives exponentially more "stock like" under 3k rpms. It's also got my Centerforce 680 torque rated clutch on borrowed time. More power requires better supporting mods to be "reliable" if you actually plan to drive your car.

OP...everyone has their own opinion and experience on this topic. Fact of the matter is if you build a three story house on stilts it's bound to topple over with one big storm.

 

Love the Mataphor/analogy! House on stilts is a JIM DANDY. I have some pretty good stilts, but they're still stilts. I'm almost 70 now, and really don't wanna get into more drivetrain mods. I'm lucky I seem to have a guardian angel looking over my stock 4L60E!! But I'm not a fool. With a 600+hp yanking on it, it's gonna happen, probably sooner than later. If I had sticky tires, the guardian angel would would exit, quickly. I think the OP would be wise to follow drivetrain builds. Yes, the stock drivetrain will live for a while. I also think an A4 is a bit easier on the drivetrain, but with sticky tires, even a stock C5 6 spd. can wipeout the stock drivetrain with high rpm clutch drops. I admit in all the distractions that I either missed, or he didn't say whether, he was talking whp, or chp. IIRC, it was whp. If so, if he plans on any frequent drag strip action, I'd certainly look into drivetrain upgrades. Like the old Fram commercial, he can pay now, or pay more later....

 

You’re saying a 22 year old C5 with 70 - 100k mi. without any additional power train replacement parts can and would still work/behave like original" and be as reliable ?
Or are we talking about not doing a the proper procedural teardown you inspect/replace bottom end bearings, rods, rings, and even pistons for spec and damage?
I see a lot of red flags nobody seems bothered about.
Then there’s cost. The average person pays to have their car serviced like Chief.
Does anyone care to elaborate on what his price range would be based on on the “total package “ drivetrain included all in price for a high horse NA build ?

 

You said a 20 year old car. I said yes. Now you change it to a 22 year old car with 70-100k miles? No, that's exactly what I didn't say.
Reread my post... I said most of us that do this, have low mileage cars that we baby and maintain.

BUT-- since you're changing what you said -- sure. 75k-100k miles? 400hp RWHP, with stock driveline? I'll repeat what I already said -- if you maintain your car, absolutely no problem. And there are *many* in here that have done this. With 100k miles, with the stock driveline, with FAR more horsepower than what you're claiming is so difficult to do. Not something that really needs to be proven, I'm surprised you taking such a contrary point.

And like I said -- I'm already at 530hp, my car is 23 years old with 50k miles. Stock transmission. I just maintain it very well. And getting to 500hp wasn't even that expensive, and wasn't even remotely difficult. And it drives like a dream. Others in here have gone the cam/heads/exhaust route and easily surpassed 400hp with NA. It won't behave "exactly" as stock, but once you start making mods you've passed that point anyway.

This really isn't a controversial issue. 400rwph on the stock driveline, as long as it's maintained, not even a minor problem . It's been done many, many times.