Performance? Where do you start?
Thread Starter
3rd Gear
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Performance? Where do you start?
I have a 2006 victory red coupe, 6 sp auto paddle shift, z51 pkg w\ 2200 miles. Where do you start? I thought about exhaust, but which one. After you listen to 20 or so they start sounding the same. I'm in need of some Corvette owner advice. I'm all ears.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,905
Likes: 1
Exhaust(cat back) will get you better sound, but not much in way of power. Headers will get you power and sound, but you may have issues passing state inspections, depending on where you are. Other easy bolt ons are cais (cold air intakes) which show some performance at speed, but not much on the dyno, i.e. Vararam. For the $1K or so for exhaust that provides almost no gain in power, you can get a cai, tune, and a few other goodies and still have $$ in the bank.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 10,516
Likes: 2
From: Virginia Bch VA
Cruise-In VI Veteran
Cruise-In VII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '06
Think of as building a house. You must start with a good foundation.
#1. CAI
#2. Cat Back
#3. Headers
#4. FAST Intake
#5. Head & Cam Package
#6. HD 4.10 Rear
#7. HD Clutch
Do all the above right and you should be at 450+ RHWP. Go much higher and you need to think about a forged bottom end.
#8. TT or SC = 570+
#1. CAI
#2. Cat Back
#3. Headers
#4. FAST Intake
#5. Head & Cam Package
#6. HD 4.10 Rear
#7. HD Clutch
Do all the above right and you should be at 450+ RHWP. Go much higher and you need to think about a forged bottom end.
#8. TT or SC = 570+
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 10,516
Likes: 2
From: Virginia Bch VA
Cruise-In VI Veteran
Cruise-In VII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '06
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 22,136
Likes: 23
From: In the woods looking for my thrown putter.
St. Jude Donor '13, '15
Think of as building a house. You must start with a good foundation.
#1. CAI
#2. Cat Back
#3. Headers
#4. FAST Intake
#5. Head & Cam Package
#6. HD 4.10 Rear
#7. HD Clutch
Do all the above right and you should be at 450+ RHWP. Go much higher and you need to think about a forged bottom end.
#8. TT or SC = 570+
#1. CAI
#2. Cat Back
#3. Headers
#4. FAST Intake
#5. Head & Cam Package
#6. HD 4.10 Rear
#7. HD Clutch
Do all the above right and you should be at 450+ RHWP. Go much higher and you need to think about a forged bottom end.
#8. TT or SC = 570+
You would want a 3.15. Probably one of the best bang for the bucks when it comes to performance.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Heel & Toe
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
replacement of the exhaust from the catalytic converter back - e.g., Borla Stinger, Borla Touring, Corsa Sport...touring, etc - these are back end tuned exhausts - pipes plus mufflers and tips - with a variety of styles and sound
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 219
Likes: 0
http://www.corvettec5.com/store/?pag...ae2675c9cb237d
Then I would go with the Kooks headers for performance not the noise.
Then I would install Comp Cams Pro-Magnum 1.85 Rocker arm set
Last edited by Bumpstick; Jul 31, 2007 at 06:11 PM.
Pro
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 741
Likes: 0
From: Austin Tx
What kind of gains would one expect for an LS3 with headers, cai, stat, tune?
Basically, I wanna do something like LG's cam package, minus the actual cam.
To answer the OP's original question (and mask my hijacking)... Start with a plan. Ask yourself what you want? Road racer, drag racer, target hp, etc. Will save tons of money if you have a plan and don't frankenstein your car.
If you want around 450 rwhp, you can probably go the bolt on route. If you want more than that, you can go the forced induction route and forgo a lot of those bolt ons. Sometimes mods clash with each other, hence why a plan is good.
Mufflers.
Basically, I wanna do something like LG's cam package, minus the actual cam.
To answer the OP's original question (and mask my hijacking)... Start with a plan. Ask yourself what you want? Road racer, drag racer, target hp, etc. Will save tons of money if you have a plan and don't frankenstein your car.
If you want around 450 rwhp, you can probably go the bolt on route. If you want more than that, you can go the forced induction route and forgo a lot of those bolt ons. Sometimes mods clash with each other, hence why a plan is good.
Mufflers.
Last edited by clockworks; Aug 1, 2007 at 02:21 AM.
CF Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 23,313
Likes: 25
From: Tucson Arizona
You might want to check with your dealership concerning potential mods as anything other than a cat-back exhaust (which is not a performance mod per se) will likely void vast portions of your factory warranty.
I'm not trying to discourage you (I'm all for modding cars) but you should be aware....if maintaining your full factory warranty is important to you....you're better off not modding your car.
I'm not trying to discourage you (I'm all for modding cars) but you should be aware....if maintaining your full factory warranty is important to you....you're better off not modding your car.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 464
Likes: 2
From: Dallas TX
St. Jude Donor '12, '14-'15, '17, '20
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,492
Likes: 808
From: West coast CA
Start with the driver. Seriously, this will make the biggest difference. Then spend money on track time and tires.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 114
Likes: 0
From: Cottonwood AZ
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 114
Likes: 0
From: Cottonwood AZ
What kind of gains would one expect for an LS3 with headers, cai, stat, tune?
Basically, I wanna do something like LG's cam package, minus the actual cam.
To answer the OP's original question (and mask my hijacking)... Start with a plan. Ask yourself what you want? Road racer, drag racer, target hp, etc. Will save tons of money if you have a plan and don't frankenstein your car.
If you want around 450 rwhp, you can probably go the bolt on route. If you want more than that, you can go the forced induction route and forgo a lot of those bolt ons. Sometimes mods clash with each other, hence why a plan is good.
Mufflers.
Basically, I wanna do something like LG's cam package, minus the actual cam.
To answer the OP's original question (and mask my hijacking)... Start with a plan. Ask yourself what you want? Road racer, drag racer, target hp, etc. Will save tons of money if you have a plan and don't frankenstein your car.
If you want around 450 rwhp, you can probably go the bolt on route. If you want more than that, you can go the forced induction route and forgo a lot of those bolt ons. Sometimes mods clash with each other, hence why a plan is good.
Mufflers.