Corvette Modifications Primer : A few things to consider if you wish to modify your Corvette for High Performance


So you want to modify your C6 or C5 Corvette for high performance. Here are some things that you should consider first.

What is your driving style? Are you a drag racer? Autocross? Road racer? Weekend warrior? Show car? Stoplight to stoplight? Or simply highway fun? Or a combination of all or some of these choices?

How you drive and enjoy your Corvette will directly determine what modification you should make to your Corvette.

Nothing is free. Every modification you make to your stock Corvette will involve some kind of compromise. You are not going to make 800 rear wheel horsepower and get 30 miles per gallon with a whisper quiet exhaust as well as drive and idle like stock. That is not going to happen.

The trick is to be totally honest with yourself and decide what compromises you can live with and which ones you cannot. For example, if you want to achieve 500rwhp naturally aspirated, expect a big cam with a loping idle. Expect to lose some fuel efficiency. Expect your Corvette to not drive like stock. Expect to void (at least in part) your GMPP warranty.

You can start with simple bolt-ons like an aftermarket air filter, long tube headers and cat-back exhaust system. The next logical step is a camshaft only upgrade or heads and camshaft. Along with the bolt-ons, you can be comfortably at the 425-450rwhp range, all naturally aspirated. Or you could bypass the bolt-ons and simply have a supercharger or twin turbocharger system installed. An alternative to bolt-on might be rear gears (along with a stall converter for the automatics). Gears can also compliment your other modifications.

It all depends on what you wish to achieve.

As you increase the stock Corvette from it's 300-340rwhp (C5-C6) or 435rwhp (C6 Z06) to circa 550rwhp on the stock bottom end, expect to have to upgrade other aspects of your drivetrain, cooling and suspension. Remember, nothing is free.

Beyond 550rwhp, we strongly recommend a forged engine as you will be on borrowed time. At this point, your clutch/stall converter will have to be upgraded along with torque tube connectors, transmission and differential. Cooling must be addressed as well as the always overlooked and often forgotten bulletproof fuel system. At this point, methanol injection for boosted applications is almost mandatory. Suspension, brakes, wheels and tyres should also be seriously addressed, along with additional safety systems like a 6 point or better rollcage and so on. A Corvette that is very fast is no fun if it also does not handle and stop.

High performance is not a cheap hobby and it is best to be very aware of this fact going in so you do not encounter any surprises.

But no matter what your budget, we can tailor a system to suit your current and future needs. So please drop us a line or give us a call to discuss your Generation 5 & 6 Corvette high performance needs.

Phone: 281 464 2800
Email: sales@englandgreen.com
AIM: englandgreeninc

Stephen

 

That was the best information for new modders I've EVER seen any tuner post. Thanks a lot!

 

Thanks! I get a lot of inquiries and thought this might help a little.

Stephen

 

Great post!

 

Very good write up!

 

ttt

 

AWESOME Stephen!!!!

 

Thanks

 

ttt

 

This write up contains some very useful information that I encourage everyone to read not just the individuals who are just beginning to modify their cars. Stephen posted this write up to encourage folks to do their homework and find out exactly what they want before they start spending money. I cannot speak for all tuners out there but I know that it can be a big disappointment when you do a job for someone and once it is finished they become displeased for whatever reason. So please take the information above and use it to your benefit and don't be afraid to ask the questions you need answers to. As always we are here to answer those questions so please don't hesitate to give us a call.

 

 

Indeed a most thoroughly informative and “realistically” accounted write-up worth the read.

Moreover suspect any modification(s) performed by this shop will prove in [horsepower] output to be just as equally detailed to the application as the article is to the subject.

 

ttt

 

ttt

 

 

ttt

 

ttt

 

ttt

 

Although I cannot claim that the original post is the "best" ever written about modding, what it says is absolutely true, and it should be posted in the general discussion sections for everyone to read.

The number one issue most owners need to address is their honest desired outcome. NO ONE will achieve absolute perfection with any modification. You are NEVER going to get whisper quiet, 35 mpg, AND 600 rwhp. That isn't going to happen, EVER. Everything is a trade off. For example, my supercharged C6 is in the 470 rwhp range (A6 tranny), and while I'd like it to be higher, the only way that is going to happen is if I do a cam, headers, or go crazy on the boost. I want more of a GT car than a drag racer, and I want my wife to enjoy being in it, not covering her ears because the exhaust/headers are too loud. That's a conscious choice. Mine is not the highest horsepower C6 by a long shot, but it fits what I want, and I can live with the tradeoff since I still enjoy being in the car.

Next on the agenda, owners need to address the fact that the stock internals on the engine can only hold so much increase in power before going "Boom." There is only so much power you can add before things start getting crazy expensive and time consuming. Now, if you want 900 rwhp, you can get it, but be prepared to trade off a lot of things and spend a sh*t load of cash to do it.

Finally, and this is a big issue in the general discussion areas, be prepared to void your powertrain warranty. Period. I cannot tell you how many posts I've read that basically bash GM for voiding their powertrain warranty after they've modded the car. Grow up! GM didn't sent it out of the factory the way you've built it, but you want GM to pay when things break? Please..... The bottom line is that while you MAY con a dealership into submitting something to GM for warranty, that isn't going to last. ANY mod to the powertrain of the car, and you have to accept the loss of the warranty. Now, if your seat breaks, is that still covered? Sure....but not the engine or tranny. Accept it as another cost of adding ponies to your car.