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I own and drive a A90 Supra but i've been planning on getting rid of it and getting into the vette community. i don't have much knowledge on NA engines but i am planning on getting a LS2 c6 in the near future and i have made my fare share of research on making power on it. personally i thinks the vettes are the fastest and reliable v8s out there (reliable depending on how you build and maintain after mods). i came here because i'm new to the platform and want to gain as much knowledge as i can to carry on with my desire to build a LS2 c6. Obviously there are information on the internet and other threads here but i would really appreciate the help here
i have 35k to buy a c6 and build, i know finding a good c6 is hard and they can cost 20k and up to grab one (maybe not leaving me much room to pay for building it). my friends dad has a c6 corvette which around 50k-60k miles that he took very very good care and would be willing to sell for 18k only because he knows me. with that in mind, let's say i have 17-15k remaining to mod the car.
My goal with the car is to make somewhat of a reliable 500 to low 600rwhp(i think 600 would be impossible but atleast high 500s) what would be the best route to go with that budget and whatever power level i could get with it
My Question:
1.) for those who are running the setup i want, what have you done to the car?.and how is it running?
2.) if i go with heads and cam package for 500whp (if possible) which would be the best?
3.) what would a list of performance part for 500rwhp and 600rwhp look like?
heads cam intake and headers is going to be about the most you can do without taking the motor out of the car... And even for that you might want to pull the driveline out of the car to do all of the other things you can do when you're that far into the car (upgrade the oil pump, baffle the oil pan if you're going to HPDE the car, rebuild the torque tube, replace the clutch, maybe service the fuel tank if it hasn't been, etc.)
Also if the car is an 05 remember that the diff in that car isn't as strong as the 06 and 07 cars
Finally remember that a modern BMW is going to drive LOADS better than a 17 YO GM, the tech on the interior is going to leave you disappointed so budget some for interior upgrades (stereo, maybe seats depending on what you intend to do with the car, etc.)
Don't forget to budget tires, the C6 platform comes with runflats by default and even the best run flats are not the best for traction /w that much horsepower on a narrow body chassis putting power down is going to be "fun" and tires for these cars are easily $1000+ for a set of 4
alternatively, an edelbrock supercharger, headers, and a tune will net you what you're looking for and for less than $10k in parts (although pretty close). It might not sound as cool pulling into a parking lot as a cammed LS2 but it'll scoot...
heads cam intake and headers is going to be about the most you can do without taking the motor out of the car... And even for that you might want to pull the driveline out of the car to do all of the other things you can do when you're that far into the car (upgrade the oil pump, baffle the oil pan if you're going to HPDE the car, rebuild the torque tube, replace the clutch, maybe service the fuel tank if it hasn't been, etc.)
Also if the car is an 05 remember that the diff in that car isn't as strong as the 06 and 07 cars
Finally remember that a modern BMW is going to drive LOADS better than a 17 YO GM, the tech on the interior is going to leave you disappointed so budget some for interior upgrades (stereo, maybe seats depending on what you intend to do with the car, etc.)
Don't forget to budget tires, the C6 platform comes with runflats by default and even the best run flats are not the best for traction /w that much horsepower on a narrow body chassis putting power down is going to be "fun" and tires for these cars are easily $1000+ for a set of 4
alternatively, an edelbrock supercharger, headers, and a tune will net you what you're looking for and for less than $10k in parts (although pretty close). It might not sound as cool pulling into a parking lot as a cammed LS2 but it'll scoot...
I think that sums it up nicely. I would say if your budget allows, look for an LS3, but if you buddies dad is going to give you a good deal on it, then its worth getting it and seeing what you like and dont like about the car. I started with a 07 Base and after 2 years of ownership, moved up to a 2011 GS a couple of years ago. I did all bolt-ons on the base. My GS is cammed, long tube headers, CAI, new injectors. Supercharger is really the only thing left I want to do on the engine other than cosmetic stuff. Its a great car to play around with.
The quickest budget way to over 500whp is an A&A or ECS supercharger kit, around 6k plus labor/tune with absolutely nothing else. With a good tune, its proven to be very reliable. Of course you could do long tubes/exhaust for some extra whp and sound. Maybe even a cam for some chop but at that point you'd be stretching your 15k budget. The best part about a centri charger is it drives like stock.
If i was in your shoes with a good deal on a LS2 c6, I would do a centri charger, and exhaust for sound and call it a day.
As mentioned, the interior does not compare with your A90 Supra. A headunit is a must at a minimum IMHO, but definitely benefits from a small subwoofer. I will add that some people are just used to really high end vehicles so they say the C6 interior is trash. I wouldn't call it trash, I would say it's "sufficient" haha.
The A90 supra is a great vehicle, especially when it comes to handling. But if your into raw V8 analog sports cars, you wont be disappointed. Especially if you mod it to 500+ Whp.
500 whp out of an ls2 with heads cam intake is going to be pretty rough. Your talking a max effort built there... Hard enough to break 500 wheel on an ls3 platform n/a. Wont be a very street friendly setup with good drivability. I would say if over 500 is you goal skip the cam and go straight to v3si or novi 1500 blower. You can make mid 500s and have still near stock drivabilty. Personally since your still shopping, not that theirs anything wrong with an ls2, but if you can swing it the ls3 is a better starting point if you want to build it. Also avoid 05s if your looking to build the car (weaker diffs, weaker auto trans if your going the auto route, lots of buggy electronic things and 1 year parts).
Personally with your budget, I'd spend the little extra you have saved for mods to buy an ls3 6 speed car, and just do a centri blower (v3si or novi) and exhaust and supporting fuel system mods (skip the boost a pump nonsense and put an aux fuel system on it). Thatll put you just shy of the 600 mark with a lot of grow room when you decide you want to go faster down the road. The other option would be skip the blower and go with an n/a cam only build and make the car, you wont make the power but remember, vettes are way lighter than your Supra and even at 480-490 wheel with a 6 speed their going to feel way faster and more engaging.
Either way welcome! ton of great info on here and you cant go wrong either way. The a90 is a really cool car too with alot of nice tech and features but I agree, you can't beat a Vette for what it is.
500whp? If you're N/A, you're likely going to be sacrificing a lot of drivability (and probably some reliability) to get there. I'd just go straight to a centrifugal supercharger setup.
The best bang for the buck would be the S/C.......I installed my own A & A S/C.......very reliable, and immediate hp. I also installed Belanger Custom Tri-Y headers, and exhaust with high flow cats, no check engine light. Lou Belanger is a master fabricator. Had the Belanger's on both of my Vipers too, and created incredible hp gains. A & A S/C ...LS7 short block......machined to 70cc cathedral ported and polished heads The finest headers money can buy, custom fabricated by Lou Belanger Incredible install with headers that fit perfect...installed myself.
Not my thing, but a bolt-in supercharger seems a logical upgrade along with a more robust harmonic balancer to address the extra torque. A 2008-2013 with an LS3 would be a better starting point as you gained an instant 30hp just looking at it, plus a bonus 6hp if it also has the dual mode exhaust option, for a total of a 436hp before touching it.
Last edited by Ron Dittmer; Sep 2, 2024 at 11:06 AM.
I put a supercharger on my LS2 auto and made 582 rwhp. Only other engine mods were an electric wp and carb legal shorty headers. I think I paid right around $13k for the supercharger and install, the electric wp and new harmonic balancer.
That still leaves you $4k for new wheels and tires, even more without doing the wp and balancer but I suggest definitely doing the balancer if not already done.
From: Out Where the Buses Don't Run, Eglin AFB/ Niceville FL
2025 C8 Z06/7/E-Ray of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 Corvette of the Year Finalist -- Modified
2021 C6 of the Year Winner - Modified
2020 C7 of the Year Finalist -- Modified
2020 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
I have a 2006 that puts down 541rwhp with an A&A centrifugal supercharger kit and long tube headers. I have a conservative tune due to it being an auto trans and stock internals. Benn running this set up since 2009.
The whole wait for an LS3 is baloney. 05 Vettes have an incredible 4L65e that can be built close to bullet proof by RPM. Some Z06 guys swap A4s for their 6 speeds. the HP difference being 30 hp? Id buy an LS2 for 5-10k cheaper for 30 hp difference. If it bugs you that you don’t have an ls3 just swap the heads for the ls3 heads and intake manifold and that pretty much closes the horse power gap not near same but it’ll gain some hp.
As for the diff being weaker on the 05s its upgradeable, but my buddy is 650 hp and the diff is still good and came stock with 3.15s.
06-07 are decent they have the e38 Ecu little better for future engine swaps and got A6 and M6 trans.
08 - steering rack is a one year thing, and so far there is 1 solid dude that rebuilds them because no one sells new or refurbished ones.
theres a sticky on here with 1/4 mile times and you can see everyone has a different set up. No corvette is inferior in my opinion.
I never expected to buy an automatic corvette but ended up with my 07’ LS2. Don’t forget the LS2 has a higher compression ratio than the LS3 and actually have been dyno tested at 410bhp. It’s no slouch with bolt on’s even…
The whole wait for an LS3 is baloney. 05 Vettes have an incredible 4L65e that can be built close to bullet proof by RPM. Some Z06 guys swap A4s for their 6 speeds. the HP difference being 30 hp? Id buy an LS2 for 5-10k cheaper for 30 hp difference. If it bugs you that you don’t have an ls3 just swap the heads for the ls3 heads and intake manifold and that pretty much closes the horse power gap not near same but it’ll gain some hp.
As for the diff being weaker on the 05s its upgradeable, but my buddy is 650 hp and the diff is still good and came stock with 3.15s.
06-07 are decent they have the e38 Ecu little better for future engine swaps and got A6 and M6 trans.
08 - steering rack is a one year thing, and so far there is 1 solid dude that rebuilds them because no one sells new or refurbished ones.
theres a sticky on here with 1/4 mile times and you can see everyone has a different set up. No corvette is inferior in my opinion.
A built RPM 4l65 is a $7000-$8000 dollar investment, so I would hardly say any 4l65e is incredible. I had a level 7 in my c5 and where as it did hold the power and lived for a long time I paid for it, and even then, RPM themselves told me, be careful because at the end of the day its still a 4l60. For the 8 grand your gonna dump in that trans you could have easily budgeted in a car with a 6l80e that's basically bulletproof to 700hp from the factory.
Basic bolt ons for LS2 c6 Corvette
