c5 starter boltons
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,243
Likes: 5
From: Loveland CO
Good upgrades. The Vararam i have read is kind of a bitch to install and to make fit good. Everyone here who has one says its a great performer. Might also consider a Callaway Honker intake. B&B Bullets are a tad louder them most.. depending on what you want it to sound like you can also look at B&B PRT (deep, throaty but not as loud).
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 5,284
Likes: 235
From: Rockledge FL
When i first bought my 00 it had bullets on it. I hated them from the start. My wife refused to ride in the car. I hated the fact that my ears would ring after a drive. I traded them even for a set of zo6 titaniums and I think I got the better end of the deal.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 16,028
Likes: 170
From: oregon
get an end goal in mind for the car before you buy anything. countless people randomly buy and change parts, it's not at all an optimal use of time or money.
if you have a time goal at the track, hp goal, some kind of measurable standard you want in power, braking and cornering then it makes parts selection much easier since you can chart out what you will need.
sometimes, if there are no hard goals and you just want to pep the car up a touch buy a catback you like the sound of {can't stress the "you like the sound of" part enough", stickier tires and better brake pads
if you have a time goal at the track, hp goal, some kind of measurable standard you want in power, braking and cornering then it makes parts selection much easier since you can chart out what you will need.
sometimes, if there are no hard goals and you just want to pep the car up a touch buy a catback you like the sound of {can't stress the "you like the sound of" part enough", stickier tires and better brake pads
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 5,284
Likes: 235
From: Rockledge FL
Because remember catbacks don't add hp. A good flowing one might free up some being choked out but it wont add anything. The Z06 oem catback will not become a hp issue until you are pretty far up there so sound is truly the deciding factor here.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 16,028
Likes: 170
From: oregon
that's why i was saying if there's an actual goal to map out what you want
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 104
Likes: 0
yeah i already have new pads and better tires then the eagles, i am just trying to add some more power without killing my gas mileage and honestly if you say the axle back doesnt add anypower and its all about sound (which i kind of new but wasnt 100% sure of becuase the website claims a power gain) then i am already good in that department. i took the mufflers off and welded pipes with quad tips inplace. but also becuase it saves me me over 900$ Anything else i shloud get instead that doesnt require a tune? like a throttle body or anything?
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Race Director
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 16,028
Likes: 170
From: oregon
better air filter assembly, a k&n in a late z06 box is worth 5hp or so and costs $50
blackwing is a couple more hp but $200
vararam and the like make the most power but also suck up the most debris. personal call on that one
there was a ridge in the early throttle bodies that you could port with sanding rolls for another 3-5hp
remember doing it to an 01 z06 when they first came out. there was this stupid ridge behind the blade that made you go wtf is that there
not sure if it's on the newer ones, i never even checked my 02z when i replaced the oil pressure sensor
exhaust wise the real power is in the headers. good long tubes are worth a substantial amount
blackwing is a couple more hp but $200
vararam and the like make the most power but also suck up the most debris. personal call on that one
there was a ridge in the early throttle bodies that you could port with sanding rolls for another 3-5hp
remember doing it to an 01 z06 when they first came out. there was this stupid ridge behind the blade that made you go wtf is that there
not sure if it's on the newer ones, i never even checked my 02z when i replaced the oil pressure sensor
exhaust wise the real power is in the headers. good long tubes are worth a substantial amount
Last edited by racebum; Oct 27, 2013 at 11:46 PM.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 104
Likes: 0
yeah man, well i was thinking about getting the t body ported and polished through lingenfleter. its only 95$. also i was thinking on getting my cats gutted too. but ik if you get headers you should tune the car, and well i wont have that kind of money. my frineds shop offered me 50$ to gut the cats. i was thinking about removing the stock maf aswell.
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 35
Likes: 5
From: El Paso TX
I installed a Vararam on my car and it made a noticeable difference. You can hear the intake noise when you give it gas. Although it was a PITA to get it too fit, its do-able. Like mentioned above, my air filter gets really dirty quickly. Make sure you get the green filter for it.
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 156
Likes: 9
From: Sprint Car Territory
I'm using the Blackwing and I noticed a power increase right away. Opening the fog light grills helps, but the same problem comes up with the air cleaner getting dirty quicker. I had a rep from one manufacter tell me that intakes help alot on C5s because the stocker is retrictive. But the stock exhaust is so good that it is hard to improve upon. His opinions were based on dyno testing. I think the stock exhaust is too quiet, so it came off of my car. But then again I don't hear that well. Haha
The Outlaw
The Outlaw
Unless you plan on going SD don't just remove the MAF
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 16,028
Likes: 170
From: oregon
yeah man, well i was thinking about getting the t body ported and polished through lingenfleter. its only 95$. also i was thinking on getting my cats gutted too. but ik if you get headers you should tune the car, and well i wont have that kind of money. my frineds shop offered me 50$ to gut the cats. i was thinking about removing the stock maf aswell.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 16,028
Likes: 170
From: oregon
I'm using the Blackwing and I noticed a power increase right away. Opening the fog light grills helps, but the same problem comes up with the air cleaner getting dirty quicker. I had a rep from one manufacter tell me that intakes help alot on C5s because the stocker is retrictive. But the stock exhaust is so good that it is hard to improve upon. His opinions were based on dyno testing. I think the stock exhaust is too quiet, so it came off of my car. But then again I don't hear that well. Haha
The Outlaw
The Outlaw
i've always suspected this is why high flow air filters in the factory box only show an hp increase worth noting if you run a zip tie mod or the 02+ z06 lid.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 104
Likes: 0
i may also just save up and build the transmission as a first mod. ie, like getting a stall converter, Kevlar bands, maybe a shift kit. **** like that instead, becuase i know the a4 trans doesn't last very long and my cars already got 96k on it