Hey Guys,

I am brand new to the forum. There is a lot of great information here, I really appreciate the FAQ section. I was already able to fix my dim thermostat readout.

I just bought a 2004 Spiral Gray C5 LS1automatic convertible with 36,000 mikes. I wasn't looking for a car but my buddy fell on some hard times and needed out of it. I picked it up for $19k which I thought was a pretty good deal.*

I haven't been into cars since I was 18 but this car makes you want to start tuning again. Sorry for the long intro, here is my question. When I was younger I couldn't afford a super charger for a project I had then. I bolted on every performance mod under $500 that I could get on that thing and it probably only made an extra 75hp. I added up the receipts one day and I had spent close to $5000, mostly due to incompatible parts and being a stupid 18yo. I'm not going to do that again. I should have just saved my money for a super charger.

*So what is the best bang for you buck recipe for the highest hp gain. The end game is a super charged C5 with mods that SIGNIFICANTLY complement each other. I don't want to spend $1000 trying to add 7 horsepower after the supercharger. I also need to know the the correct order of things. I don't want to add the super charger just to find out I should have put the headers on first.*

I want to do this in a couple stages with all of the mods planned from the get go and working harmoniously together.*

The car must retain its reliability and drivability for my wife. I want to step on the gas and feel the difference but other than that I want the car to feel unchanged.

I need a good 3 stage list with brand names so i can start to research and plan out this build. Hopefully you guys can recommend a good tuning shop in Florida to do some of the work.*

I'm admittedly a novice to start with and I have been out of the game for a while, so be nice.*

I appreciate everyone's help in advance, thanks again.

P.S .....Don't tell me to trade in the car and buy a newer Z06, I told my friend I would keep the car and he only gave me such a good deal because we are friends. We are going to work on it together.

Thanks!

 

I've been researching similar info on this forum. It seems that SC is the biggest HP/$ gain and that other HP mods (new heads, header, cam, etc) are not needed to see the gain from SC, but are compatable. That said, any method you use to get the high HP gain may lead to wearing out the drive train parts (clutch, transmission, back end, etc.) more quickly.

I haven't implemented my mods yet other than CAI and exhaust, but below is what I have been able to gather from other posts on the forum.

Tune: $400, ~20 hp gain, minimal impact on driveability (required after all mods to get max benefit from the mods)
Cold Air Intake (CAI): ~$700 installed, 10 - 15 hp gain, no impact to drivability
Exhaust (high flow): ~$1,500 installed, 10 - 15 hp gain, results in louder exhaust note
Cam: ~$1,500 installed, ~20 hp gain (may need header combo to see this gain), will impact driveability (rougher idle, more jerky at low speeds)
Headers: ~$2,000 installed. ~20-30 hp gain. No impact on drivability other than increase in exhaust note. There seem to be fans of American Racing (AR), Kooks and LG brands.
Supercharger: ~$7,500 installed, ~100 - 150 hp gain. Will hear the SC "whine" while driving, but similar drivability to stock if you keep the stock cam. Pricing assumes the A&A unit (~$5,400 for the hardware on their website).


Editing this to mention that I would not get a CAI before the SC, as the SC package will likely come with a compatable CAI. I would get the SC fist, and then see if you still really need/want any of the other mods.