after reading and studying this forum there are alot of mods that are very costly and DONOT work as promised.i am not saying that any mod that i have purchased is bogus but i have read alot of post about these problems.seems like vette owners really get screwed because most people think we are loaded,but that is not always true.maybe some of us vette owners should invest our money in lawyers fees instead of throwing our money away on mods that are total crap and stop some of the greedy people that are misinforming good honest people. :mad :boxing :crazy:

 

for every plus there may be a minus attached to it...Many people, myself included I am sorry to say, can be impressed initially by something when they first try it...some time later they may realize...ooooops, I wish I didn't do that or I didn't know that could make THIS happen...Caveat Emptor! :eek: :cool:

 

I agree wholheartedly I was just wondering if there was a list we modaholics could use :confused: Or does everyone have the opinion that their mods are the best thing since sliced bread :eek: since they (we :confused: ) put out so many bucks and are embarrassed :bb to admit it? :yesnod: Just my .02 worth

 

Since we are in a free-market economy and that our decisions should be our own, it is everyone's responsibility to do his/her research extensively. To many individuals are influenced by opinions and not the hard facts on mod upgrades... I think the decisions that I have made have been good decisions based on the information I have received from research, reading, the information on this forum and others. I'll tell you that if something is not on the up-and-up around here, you hear it faster than a New York minute... I just haven't regretted any mod I have done so far...

Nick :cool:

 

Good topic..It would be great if a tuner or someone with no vested interest in the outcome could dyno some of the add ons and list the results of each.Not heresay, but real world numbers..I do remember in the C5 registry last year a list that was similar, will look it up..

 

I'm no lawyer but :caveat emptor. People have been selling snake oil to the uninformed for years (and will continue to do so). Do your research first. See how deep the water is before jumping in!!! :smash:

 

How about stating specifically what products you are referring to? Certainly there are many useless products on the market. Your best defense against this crap is knowledge, and the Forum is your best source. However, if you don't specify which products don't work, the knowledge doesn't get spread.

 

I agree. Bogus products should be exposed to the forum members. Mods are a personal judgement. Crap is a matter of opinion. Out and out rip off should be spread to the membership Just IMHO :cheers:

 

I agree, I also think it is extremely important to provide meaningful and empirical data as to why a particular mod failed.

Just saying a particular mod "sucks", or "i lost power", doesnt really provide good feedback. It could be highly likely some tuning is needed or something else to make the most of something.

Studying why or why it doesnt work, then providing the principles as you see them, would be incredible for the forum.

 

For those of us who are "mechanically challenged", in my case, mechanically ignorant, I would appreciate a list of what's best for what performance outcomes. Also, it would help me to know what is the downside or possible bad results if something is installed.

This Forum, you guys, have given me more knowledge and I want my Vette to be faster, but I need continual decision help.

Thank you!

 

Hey Tracey- I used to live in Decatur for years, in fact I was a close freind of your brother Mike. I beleive I
met you a few times back in the 80's. My name is Thomas Ruggiere......does that ring a bell??? Anyways, if this is not the same Tracey,
then I am sorry and nevermind. If it his the same Tracey "Whats up buddy!!??" Tell Mike I said hello and I will look you
guys up when I am in town next month.

SEE YA,
Thomas

PS- What is Mikes e-mail address??

 

My first Vette - '98 Pewter Coupe with twin K&N "ram air" intake ($250 - used!), coolant bypass, hood seal, and so many other add-ons that if the manufacturer's claims were true, I should have been pushing, ohhh, I don't know, probably about 700 RWHP. Yeah...right!
My current Vette - '00 Pewter Coupe. I installed the single K&N type air filter ($79 from Breathless) (after getting rid of the regualr air box), drilled some holes in the front inlets, and put Z06 screens over 'em. The car goes like stink! I learned my lesson. If I REALLY want some horsepower gains, I'll have someone do some serious engine-work for me. A lot of this bolt-on stuff has limited contribution to the overall performance of what's already an incredible engine. I mean hey, it's not like it's a BMW six-banger that needs all the help it can get, you know? :lol:

 

Just my .02 many of the 'bolt on' mods HP claims in catalogs like Mid-America are just laughable. First, many people make the mistake of buying several add on parts, adding the hp claims tog., and think that they will get that much extra hp! Some places even feed on this with there 'packages' like stage 1, 2 etx (I'm not talking about legit tuners who are doing heads/cam stages, rather the catalog companies grouping together, air coupler replacement, oh how it outflows, the rag claims) Dave at Cartek (who knows a thing or two about engines) doesn't offer a ported tb for exactly that reason, he has NEVER been able to reliably produce more than a 1 or 2 hp gain (less than the discrepancy produced by the dyno) by porting a tb! Does he know people would send him good money for it, yes. Is he the kind of guy interested in putting out bogus sh** no. But he is the exception, in my opinion, not the rule. SO....

My PERSONAL list of bogus mods as far as HP claims ONLY, if you like/want these items for looks, great, if you believe they increase your HP, great, show me the before and after dyno runs with ONLY the one change, and I will consider taking it off my list, so here goes, for the under and un-informed

1. Air couplers to replace your accordian style air bridge
2. Air ducts & power ducts
3. Ported tb
4. Granatelli MAF/aftermarket mafs
5. Ultra expensive spark plug wires
6. :D This is fun...
7. x pipes (good for creating a diff. sound, hp gains, uh ok....)
8. Steve Cole and Ed Wright suggested NOT removing the MAF sensor screen if you were going to do ANY custom computer work (their suggestions not mine) I left mine in place and it hasn't hurt my HP any :D
9. Common sales tactic - remember just because something sounds good, makes sense, doesn't mean it holds true in the real world or on the dyno.
10. If you want a GOOD, HONEST, hp gain for a reasonable fee, go to the GM hotcam, it is 385 or so for the kit, includes LS6 springs, and if you can get in installed by a competant tuner, you will be very pleased with the hp results. Heads are the expensive part of a heads/cam package and you can get a lot from just the cam. Headers and a good air intake like the Vortech are solid investments. Unfortunately heads are very expensive and after seeing guys pulling 380 rwhp in 6 spds with just gm hotcam and intake/exhaust/headers/underdrive pully it makes me question if the heads are worth the extra hp, but to each his own.
:D
11. More bogus mods, recalib. relocated map sensor quote from Mid-America "Plug in An Additional 5-8 HP!"

Anyway, if you like any of the above products or feel you have gotten legit, documented HP gains, feel free to respond. I DO NOT mean to offend anyone or start a flame war, I am just listing what I feel are bogus mods.

NOW for the positive

1. Do get an aftermarket air intake or at least cut a hole for your restrictive stock unit, if you don't mind cutting a hole in your shroud, a proflow or vortech is a great way to go.

2. Mainly for sound/looks consider a Corsa aftermarket exhaust, I had two diff B&B units and couldn't take the resonance in 6th gear cruising at 75mph at 1650 rpm it was a constant unbearable drone - GONE with the Corsa's that is an advertising claim that is damn true! Matt G convinced me with a ride in his 6 spd Corsa Indy beast! (many forum members like the B&B's and claim no resonance issues while many others, like myself, have had resonance issues)

3. A Cam WILL get you a nice HP gain

4. Headers, pref. long tubes, alth. even shorties like the b&b are better than stock exh. manifolds

5. A ripper shifter if you have a six speed, tape some wheel weights to shaft when you install so you don't have a slight rattle on wide open throttle

6. DROP THE RUN-CRAPS (run-flats) if you REALLY want to make a PERFORMANCE improvement, reduce the unsprung weight where it matters the most, at the wheels! Road noise down, perf up. If you are worried about a flat, get a plug kit, small compressor, and as a last resort a can of fix a flat even though it will ruin the 90 dollar pressor sensor in all likely hood. THIS is one of my strongest recommendations, run flat technology has not caught up to that of conv. non run flat tires, it is a compromise, as are most decisions that gm makes considering this car. The tires are so crucical to getting the most performance, that if you are in to doing 'mods' you should seriously consider doing non run flats.

7. DON"T be a dumb*** like me and use ANYONE other than a VERIFIED tuner of ls1 corvettes if you are doing ANYTHING like a cam to your engine. I made a mistake and went to a 'local' place and it cost me HUGE!!! I am talking 6k in LABOR of a mistake, it is a LONG story, just know that you NEED to go to an established CORVETTE place on these engines, trust me, don't believe them when they tell you thier BS. Cartek, MMS, LPE, MTI, ARE, Vett Doctors, and Perf. Tech Center, are but a few of the places that you KNOW will treat you right, don't be penny wise, like I was, and pound foolish.

GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN :cheers:

 

avette,you took the words right out of my mouth.has everyone noticed that alot sales pitches claim that a certain mod will add up to :for an example 8 hp.they sure as hell dont tell you that it could be 0 or -8 hp.this up to crap is very decieving and most people will assume they are getting the up to number.anyway have to get some sleep now. :sleep:

 

Sure thing performance mods: 1.air box
2.Cam
3.heads
4.headers
:yesnod:

 

AVETTE, you definitely know what you are talking about - I back up everything you said......

 

Would I need computer reprogram for the Hotcam? Will I be smog legal? Where is the best place to get it from and how much is the install? Thanks...

 

Oliver,
I got my hotcam from Pace parts for 385 as a kit that incl the ls6 springs and shims if you need em. Fitchner Chevrolet (forum dealer) would probably match their price as well. You will love the hotcam, I believe CW passed emissions in CA but I am just going from memory. You should see the dyno curve on my car! I posted under Cartek Stage 2 heads and gm hotcam dyno about 3 weeks ago in tech section, maybe you can do a search on AVETTE in C5 tech section and pull up the graph! Look at the way HP doens't drop off at 6800 rpm! :D :D :cheers: :cool:

 

I agree with you kewlbrz...the only problem I see is that it might conflict with the supporting vendors interest in this forum. If someone found direct info that some part didn't work, I'm sure that the vendor would take some kind of offense. Which in turn would me Troy and the others would end up having a problem with it. Just IMHO. :(

 

I too agree with Kewlbrz' statement. Sometimes people draw conclusions to a mod before they have truly tested it. What works for one person, might not for another. Way too many people think they have incredibly accurate SOTP meters and draw their conclusions on that. Some people seem to think that they are going to get supercharger or head/cam performance increases from a simple bolt-on and that just isn't going to happen unfortunately. Once you get past the cold air intake, mods with equal performance increases usually start to cost 10 times more.

I can only speak for myself and Exit28 Motorsports but we would not get offended if one of the mods we sold was proven to have terrible results. We only sell what we feel works and we want all our customers to be happy with their purchases from us. I have tried quite a number of mods on my car over the past 2.5 years of owning it and I feel I have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't work. We do not push snake oil mods period. We may be able to get them for people if they desire, but in no way would I recommend a mod I didn't believe in just to make sale.