Hello everyone in the Corvette forum . I'm proud to to announce I'm now a corvette owner. 3 weeks ago I got the 1999 Corvette I've been lusting for. It's my first car, so I'm wondering what mods I should do to the car (I plan on keeping it for a while) And also how much power the car is producing, I have had a chance to dyno it yet, and I don't think I will for a while. So with the expertise of long-time corvette owners, I'm hoping someone could help me . I'm not 100% sure of the proper names of the parts but here's the basic list

Borla-x exhaust, Possibly straight pipe? not entirely sure
Vara-ram air intake
And a Hypertech programmer, I've never plugged it in (the guy before me bought it) so i'm not sure what it even does yet.

Anyways, thanks to anyone who can help me. And I'm hoping I can make a good addition to the Corvette forum

Also, my dad has worked on chevrolets all his life (Not as a job, just as an owner) so he knows what he's doing. And as my first car, I'd love to learn anything possible about my car. Such as what mods would be great for a beginner to learn etc, and what mods would be good over the winter.
~thanks, alex

 

Befor you get the bug to the dark side. Not do any more to the car and stop were you are at...Save your money and get a C6 ZO6 and let it stay stock... But if you cant do that welcome in...

 

Haha, thanks for the reply.

My grandmother, god bless her. Bought me this car because she knows it was my dream car, and in turn she asked that I keep this car for a long time, if not my whole life. I do plan on buying a ZR1 later on in life, and possibly giving this car to my kids. Who knows though, that's many many years away. And while I have this car, I want to make it the best that it can be.

 

first: buy the three book set of manuals for the vehicle. it is nothing like anything your dad has ever worked on.

second: if this is your first vehicle and you are under 21 do not modify for more power until you learn how to mange the power you already have.

third: make sure the tires, brakes and everything else is in perfect order. this is after all a 12 year old vehicle.

fourth: read all the forum posts you can stomach. this will teach you a lot about owning and maintaining a corvette.

 

I'll look into the manuals

I'm looking into performance driving classes around the Cincinnati to learn how to drive the car to the best of it's abilities, and also mine.

Tires are being replaced soon, somehow.. They're the ones that came stock with the car. They have 43,530 miles on them though. And the brakes are getting replaced, along with the rotors rotated this winter.

And I've been reading as many threads I've been able to over the past 30 minutes, I plan on doing so quite frequently to.

Thank you so much for the help

 

good luck and post a new thread with any specific questions or problems when they arise.

 

Welcome! I would get tires before anything else.
Guys help me out...When we replaced brake rotors there was a left and a right rotor. Can rotors be rotated?
L

 

Spend MUCH money doing just this. Find a track and company that do HPDE events. You will soon learn that the car has amazing performance on road coarses. You will be a much better and SAFER driver as a result.

 

I just bought a corvette as well. Congrats!
I have some advice for you.

The first is that grandmas don't know anything about cars.

I am 25 now and this Corvette is my 5th car. Just because you love the car now doesn't mean you won't want something else in the future. The reason I bring this up is because modding can cost a lot more money than the actual car. I've sold half of the cars I have owned without parting out the mods I installed on them. I took a huge loss, and it was something that I knew going in. Odds are that you will lose more money on the mods than on the car. The car I owned before the Vette I bought fully modded and ended up parting out when I sold it. This was by far a better situation than buying stock and selling modded. The vette I bought is stock, but I got a great deal on it, and in my opinion the car itself doesn't need that many performance mods to get it to the level I would like it to be.

My 2nd bit of advice is, buy your mods used if you can. I just picked up a set of Z06 leaf springs for 120 dollars on ebay. I also bought a C6 Z06 shifter for 90 dollars. The going rate for most used parts is 50% of what they cost new. Exhausts generally hold value better but good deals can still be had. This is a big difference and often times these parts don't actually wear. The springs were a great deal while the shifter was right along the 50% mark.

The cheapest place by far to buy parts is ebay but it is also nice to support the forum vendors. Right now there is a great deal on a Vararam intake which is probably the best performance mod for the money. I would buy that intake from the vendor on here, but ask them to price match the current ebay price which is about 20 dollars cheaper. The exhaust won't do much to performance but it does sound great. This is a piece that I would wait to find used. In fact there is a barely used Corsa for sale for a few hundred less that new on the forums right now.


To finish off the engine performance aspect of the car, I would recommend getting it dyno tuned. The intake, exhaust, and tune will get you about 50 horses and a much livelier car.

My personal opinion however is that C5s weaknesses are not in power but in driver feel. While it grips well, the base suspension is still soft and the shifter is too sloppy. Buy the Z06 swaybars, springs, and some blistein shocks for under 1000 and the car will feel so much better. It will even accelerate faster from a stop due to the improved suspension preventing wheel hop. The shifter from the C6 is such a great and inexpensive upgrade that it really should be your first mod. It will also greatly improve the performance of the car simply because it becomes easier to operate. Please do not skimp on tires as this is by far the most important performace component on your car. Most summer tires are good enough, but be sure to not run bald tires while driving aggressively.

I would also strongly advise against messing with the active handling. Even when on, the car electronics allow the tail to come sideways enough to get you in trouble. The torque of the LS1 can easily break the tires loose and cause you to lose control. The way the active handling comes from the factory is already pretty aggressive for the street. Don't touch it and I promise you the car will not bite you hard. Turn it off and you can find yourself tail end against a wall or curb faster than you can imagine.

Please be responsible with this car. Even if you don't injure anyone if you should happen to get into an accident, the penalties you will suffer as a result are so severe that you will be regretting it for a long time. This goes for speeding/racing tickets as well. I am now 25 and have fortunately never been in an accident. I was fortunate to learn on an AWD car which provides a much larger safety net. It wasn't enough to prevent me from getting speeding tickets that ended up costing me thousands and just caused a lot of frustration and unnecessary suffering.

I had a lot of friends in high school who were able to afford their first sports car but not their 2nd. This is because their insurance rates got way too high for them to be able to drive anything but civics. Stay responsible and you will find that you can enjoy your car a lot more than those who take unnecessary risks.

 

Your getting some good advice. When you mod your engine, it will gain in some areas and loose in others. To gain back the losses, it will need to be professionally tuned. Your programmer will not tune the car to its fullest capability.

The LS engine is significantly more advanced than the past small blocks. There are MANY old school things that don't apply to the LS engine and some new ones that you need to learn.

Your best mod is the driver. Learn your car and before you pass its capabilities learn its limitations on a sanctioned driving course.

Straight pipes are not for the faint hearted. There loud and sound very crude. You will very soon get aggravated with the added in cabin DRONE. Your best bet is to listen to some C5 exhaust systems on other cars. Find on that sounds like you want yours to sound and COPY it. I know several people who have gone thru 3-4 different systems and sold them all cause it wasn't what they really wanted. That cost a lot of wasted cash.

USED PARTS! Saves a LOT of money!

Read your owners manual and learn to identify when your car isn't preforming / running correctly. Here is a procedure fo reading the engine Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs):

READING YOUR Engine Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC)

This procedure should be carried out any time you experience a problem with your C5. Most inexpensive store bought aftermarket code readers will ONLY read power train DTC’s. Reading the DTC’s with the C5 built in code reader will allow you to read ALL the modules in the vehicle.

The Diagnostic Display Mode is entered with the following procedure:
1) Turn on the ignition but don't start the engine.
2) Press the RESET button to turn off any warning messages. (i.e. door open, trunk open ect)
3) Press and hold the OPTIONS button
4) While holding OPTIONS, press FUEL button four times within a 10 -second period.

Initially, the on-board diagnostics go into an Automatic Mode which will cycle through each module and shows diagnostic codes in a pre-set sequence: PCM - TCS - RTD - BCM - IPC - RADIO - HVAC - LDCM - RDCM - SCM - RFA. All codes will be displayed for each module. ( i.e. PCM = 4 codes) If none are present in a given module, you will see No More Codes on the display.

There are two types of diagnostic codes, Current and History designated with a letter suffix, “C” or “H”. A current code indicates a malfunction is present in the module displaying data. A history code indicates a problem existed sometime in the last 40 or 50 ignition cycles. When not accompanied by a current code of the same number, it's potential evidence of a previous problem, now resolved, that was not removed by clearing the codes. More likely it's an indication of an intermittent malfunction.

Intermittent codes are the most challenging of the diagnostics. An intermittent code may have happened once, may have happened more than once but is inconsistent or may be happening on a regular basis but not at the time the codes are displayed. History codes can also be caused by a current malfunction in a system that is not operating at the time codes are displayed. An example is the rear window defogger which doesn't operate until the Body Control Module detects engine rpm. For history codes set by a module that does not operate with the key on and engine off, a special diagnostic tool called a Scan Tester is necessary to properly diagnose the malfunction.

Once the system has displayed all modules, it goes into the manual mode which allows selection of each module using combinations of Driver Information Center buttons. Manual mode can also be entered during the automatic sequence by pressing any button except E/M. Once the display shows Manual Diagnostics, select a module by pressing the OPTIONS button to go forward or the TRIP button to go back. Once a module is selected, a code is displayed, and if more than one are present; press GAGES to go forward or FUEL to go back.
To exit the diagnostic mode at any time, press E/M. If you want to erase codes in a given module, press RESET To reset the codes once in manual mode, press and hold RESET until it displays NO CODES Press OPTIONS to go to the next module. Repeat the steps until you have reset the codes in all the computer modules.
NOTE!! Only reset the codes IF you want to - it is NOT necessary to do this. Clearing a code does not repair a problem. You are simply erasing the evidence of it in the module's memory. If you clear the code/s, and extinguish the Check Engine Light, your emissions status ready will NOT allow you to pass an emissions test until you have completed the required driving cycles. There are a few body module DTC’s that if set will prevent the module from operating properly. Once the DTC is cleared, the module will return to full function. This is not true for power train DTCs.

If you have never read and cleared your codes, there will probably be a lot of old history DTCs. It is recommended that you clear your codes and see if any come back during a driving cycle. Those are the ones that you need to concentrate on diagnosing.

Once you have the codes, the next question is: What to do with the information?
First, consult the factory service manual. Any serious C5 Do-It-Yourself owner should invest in the Corvette Service Manual of the appropriate model year. The Service Manual is really a requirement if you want to understand and work on your C5.

NOTE and a WARNING. You can read the DTCs while the engine is running. I pull mine up all the time while driving.
WARNING. Don’t become distracted while reading DTCs while your driving and cause an accident!!!!! Use common sense and drive safe.

These are some very good C5 Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) explanation web sites!!! They also explain how to read the DTCs

Here are some very good sites that explain what DTC mean:

http://www.gearchatter.com/viewtopic11755.php

http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_cod...d-ii-codes.php

Make sure to include the H or C suffix when you post your DTCs!!



SERVICE MANUALS! Get you a set and learn to read them. There WAY different than the old CHITTLENS Manuals as they are SPECIFIC for your model year car.

Heres an example of a schematic that they contain:



Each schematic will have a detailed write up on the circuit /system operation and failure modes. Theres a ESI DVD that you can purchase that is a web based set of service manuals for ALL 1995-2005 GM Vehicles. VERY HANDY. Thats where that schematic came from.

STEALERSHIPS. Use the forum to help you troubleshoot and pair your car. Becareful of taking your car to dealerships. They are N O T all created equal and sometimes know little if nothing about C5/C6.

Welcome to the FORUM and the Corvette World! Drive Safe!

BC

 

Thanks Bill, and SoDiezl for the incredibly informative posts.

First off, I don't plan on dropping 10,000 on this car. Mods here and there from birthday \ christmas money is what i'm expecting to do. I WILL be buying a C6 gear shifter. The guy I bought the car from put a different vararam in however, so I won't be buying one, along with the exhaust. I believe it has a borla x straight pipe, which is INCREDIBLY loud at 2500 rpm's and sounds like you have massive subwoofers next to your head. However, I do like it . I'm going to look in to getting it dyno tuned, that is something I'd definitely like to do in the near future.

I'm wondering what tires to get, I've been looking at some with the help of my neighbor who is a good friend of mine. He's into rally cars, and has owned 3 or 4 subaru's, so he's obviously big on the best performance tires. I'm not sure of the exact model of the tires, but they ran about 375 each for the back tires. I'm not sure if you can tell how good a tire is from the price, but those are the ones i'm probably going to get.

I've only turned the active handling off one time, and that was when my dad told me to, along with telling me to hit the gas. Thankfully we weren't near anybody or anything. The effect was scary, back end came out and I fish-tailed for about 40 feet. From now on i'm not going to mess a whole lot with the active handling.

Also, Bill. I didn't see it anywhere in your post, but. Can there be codes present without anything alerting me of them, on the dashboard that is? The engine check isn't on right now, as well as it shouldn't be. However, there COULD possibly be codes present right now without anything alerting me of them?
Thanks, Alex

 

Yes you are correct some codes don't alert you that theres a problem. Active handling will pop up and yell at you, so will system charging fault, from personal experience. Oh and congratulations on your car. I bought my 03 Coupe in March literally a week after my 20th birthday so I can say its alot of car to handle at my age. But i'll tell you what, i'm on CF religiously, no joke, and it has saved me ALOT of money and helped me with alot of projects.

So good luck,
Gabe

 

You mentioned in several posts about rotating brake rotors.You are aware that you dont do that on any car arent you?

 

Congrats and welcome to the forum.
Codes... yes most codes won't show up on the dash... you have to look for them as described.

Tires.... Michelin PS 2 non run flats are among the best.
The best value in a non run flat is the GEneral UHP exclaim
The best runflat is either the new Generation II Goodyears or the Michelin Pilot sports
The best value run flat is the Kumho Ecsta MX

Do you want run flats or not?
Runflats = insurance
non -runflats = performance.

Mods

Is this a manual or automatic?

Either
CLB a column lock buy pass. Find out iof the previous ower put one on.. If not make it your first mod

Manual - make it your second mod
CAGS eliminator in the manual transmission, to meet EPA ratings at a medium rpm range while in first, the computer locks ( via a solenoid) 2nd and forces a 1-4 shift...
Most of us put in a CAGS eliminator to disable that feature.

Headers - many of us put on headers they give up to another 40 HP in conjunction with a cold air intake and a dyno tune

 

[QUOTE=Beeman4266;1575781264]Hello everyone in the Corvette forum . I'm proud to to announce I'm now a corvette owner. 3 weeks ago I got the 1999 Corvette I've been lusting for. It's my first car, so I'm wondering what mods I should do to the car (I plan on keeping it for a while) And also how much power the car is producing, I have had a chance to dyno it yet, and I don't think I will for a while. So with the expertise of long-time corvette owners, I'm hoping someone could help me . I'm not 100% sure of the proper names of the parts but here's the basic list

Congratulations on the new vette. I agree with most on the advise you have received here. Also for YOUR SAKE AND MINE, learn how to handle what you already have before you start making it faster.

 

Keep it stock, and invest your birthday cash!

 

Can't even imagine what would have happened if my first car was a C5.

Learn to respect physics and good luck!

Fixed:

I'm looking into performance driving classes around the Cincinnati to learn how to drive the car to the best of MY abilities.

 

If my first car had been a C5 it would not have been around too long.

Most likely I would have wrecked it during my learning to drive phase.

However, being the car is so good I would have bought a bunch more along the way.

If price / insurance costs hadn't been a deterrent, I would have bought one many moons ago.

Someone has a very nice grandmother. ;-)

 

Congrats on the Vette & Welcome to the forum.

Don't worry about going faster until your used to the car. very used to the car ( assuming this is your first car like the post said) by the way I'm quite jealous if is..

once you get used to the car. see what you need.. tires would be the first thing i'd look at keeping traction and keeping on the road.

keep ahead of maintenance or it will get ahead of you. As for exhaust. I loved the sound of mine with a set of strait pipes welded in and an X instead of H pipe. sounded really good but not too loud.