Hey everyone,
I've got a good amount of money that I set aside to spend on my 2001 C5 M6 vette (about $2000) that currently has a blackwing and borla stingers, and I've narrowed the choice down to either changing the rear end ratio to 4.10 or adding a set of long tube headers + dyno tune...I can do one or the other, but not both, since this is the last money that I'm going to be able to spend on my car until I graduate in three years...So of course I really want to make this money count...I spend most of my time playing with the car on the street and also dabble a bit at the local 1/8 mile track, but nothing too serious or anything...So which do you guys think would offer me the largest performance increase, in terms of both SOTP feel, launch from a dead stop, and launch from a roll?

 

Gears...no doubt about it.

 

 

Look in the Parts for Sale section. A vendor has them for $279 4.10 gears. Install i $300-400 and LS1 Edit is around $500 for the first time. This option altogether is around $1200. It also will improve the cars accelration much more than headers.

Headers run around $800-$900, $150 install and $500 tune. $1500 all said and done and no real increase. Maybe 1/10 of a second in the 1/4 if that.

 

Gears baby!!! Best SOTP fun you can have.

 

gears.

 

Most bang for the buck. Either 3.90 or 4.10. The exhaust will sound better with a good set of long tubes, take your choice.

 

 

Go for the gears.

 

I have to agree, go gears, then add headers.

 

what about for a DD vette? would you guys still go with gears???

 

Everyone is all about gears.

Depends on what you want. 4.10 gears on your car with stock runflats? You'll be all over the place. All that gear power and no way to hook it to the road.

I've got the Z51 package (3.42 gears) and made the choice last week.

I'm not a huge 1/4 mile freak, but I love the SOTP program and wouldn't mind dropping my 0-60 or my 1/8 -- 1/4, et al.

My LG LT's (no cats) will be here by the time I get back from Florida in 2 weeks.

Once installed, I'm going to DynoTech Engineering for a good dyno-tune program.

Net result: an actual power gain, not a perceived power gain based on gears I can't hook up either way unless I spend more than the $1,400 I already spent on tires.

My 3.42 gears and Michelin Pilot Sport RunFlats should do just fine with that program.

I've read all the posts, I might put 25-35rwhp on w/ these headers and a good PCM Edit (coupled with the other stuff), and I'll sound nastier than any car or truck or motorcycle in my neighborhood when it's done.

1/4? I'll maybe pick up 0.2 or 0.3, maybe even 0.4, depending on the temp/humidity. But at the beach, I'll be a bad mammajamma

$0.02. Just depends on what you're willing to spend. Based on your post, I'd go for show (noise and actual [if not marginal] power increase). Cuz real GO costs much more. (NOS, SC, H/C, et al). You can always put the gears in once you've got a good supporing cast.

Michael

 

Gears. If you do 4.10 though it'll affect your daily driver expereince, be carefull in what you choose.

 

For me with a MN6 it's headers, then ideally cam and springs, throttle body and LS1 edit. If that doesn't do it for me, a bump up in gears cause that does affect driveability and ability to put the power to the pavement. Freeing up the engine is my fist priority, but I'm old school.

 

Good luck with the headers. 0.4 is optimistic from just headers though. I picked up about 0.2 and 2mph with mine .

 

Very well said and thought out. Many people jump on the gear band wagon...had you said you were also going to upgrade tires/rims then I might have said gears too. What good is all that low-end torque if you can stick it to the pavement?

Go with headers and a good tune, the tune will also help you get maybe a little more out of your existing mods and headers. I don't know about you, but 2k is a good chunk of change so it's good to see you are thinking this out a bit. I would be interested to see how a few more respond here.

Good luck and enjoy