Is there anything really "significant" from one shop to the next? Seems like all offer the same heads...the same cams (specs) but call it by a different name, offer TT and the same FI stuff.

Anything significant really between shops? Seems that all shops would simply install the same go fast parts as the next guy....? What would be different by going with one name brand shop compared to another?

 

Since I haven't been to them all, I can only relate my experience. Others will have their opinions. There are a LOT of really good shops around. I have experience with two: LPE and DTE. I would recommend either, but DTE is my personal choice. Phil Rickard is a stand up guy and knows what he is talking about.

 

I wouldn't trust just any shop to work on my car. I'm sure if you check with the local corvette clubs or on this forum you'll get pointed in the right direction.

BTW, Phil at DTE is a stand up guy. purchased my 4.10 rearend from him directly. He emailed photos of it before shipping.

 

ABSOLUTELY THERE IS A DIFFERENCE. The parts are the same...but the way a company stands behind their word and their work varies wildly from shop to shop. And once you start modding your car you will have little issues from time to time, particularly if you race. You'll be going back... if not for breakage, for more mods!

Ask the folks who sent their cars to that company in AZ for mods... and they folded so the folks are scrambling to get their down money or even their own parts back how they feel about that shop. Many shops take your money and leave your car sitting for weeks with BS promises on finish dates. Just like contractors, some shops are run better than others. You don't want to go to a guy who's making his payroll that week on your deposit money. That's not a long term successful plan and you don't want to be there when the music stops.

Get recommendations from the Forum about shops local to you. Your name looks familiar to me, are you local? If so I HIGHLY recommend Horsepower Sales in Pompano. Roger, Jeremy, Jon and Tim will take very good care of you and stand behind their work. 954-782-6700.

 

But if you did go with one of the big name tuner shops what would be significant from one to another (assuming they are all trusted and well known)...do they all end up doing the same stuff?

 

YOu're getting basically the same parts... maybe slightly different combo. Big name tuner shops can charge big name dollars....get some real recommendations from a shop's customers is my advice. What you want to know is how the shop handled something that went wrong. That'll tell you a lot.

 

Sage advice

 

Are all performance shops equal? Not hardly! When it comes to what I consider major engine modifications there are only a handful of tuner shops in the Country I'd trust my car to....Lingenfelter, 21st Century Muscle Cars/Lingenfelter, Katech, Doug Rippie Motorsports, Callaway and LG Motorsports. These are established, nationally known shops with excellent reputations.

To me the name "Lingenfelter" is synonymous with Corvette performance engineering. LPE provides a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty on their naturally aspirated package conversions. This says a lot about the quality of their product and workmanship. I drove 1,000 miles to 21st Century Muscle Cars in Dallas to have the LPE 403 engine installed in my car along with some other work. The entire experience couldn't have been better.

I don't look for the cheapest or the most convenient shop...I look for the best. I'm a believer....it always pays to go with the best.

 

100%

 

I agree with Joe G. Find a shop that has an owner or techs that drive their vettes they way you drive yours.

 

Exactly. I forgot to note that Jeremy Preston, President of HPS won his class at the Gatornationals a couple of years ago. So these guys race what they sell, and know what works and what doesn't based on real world experience, not internet marketing hype. I think these guys opened the shop to fund their mod & racing addictions! Which works for me. It's always fun to hang at the shop and bench race too.

And... last week when SchlitJ's car was showing erratic oil pressure, he stopped by his house to check it out. Turns out to be a bad pressure switch. Not many shops will make housecalls!!

 

I've been using the same shop as JoeG, Horsepower Sales in Pompano Beach, FL. My C6 is my 3rd vette and I have wildly modified it. It started off with a simple swap of the exhaust from stock to Corsa Sports. Roger at HPS made the recommendation. Since then I've progressed thru headers, heads, cam, supercharger and clutch, again, all recommended by Roger and Jeremy at HPS.

What impresses me the most about the folks at HPS is that they talk to you the customer about what the issue is and what the possible solutions are. This goes when there are mods being added or when there is a breakdown.

BTW, not only did Jeremy show up at my house, so did Tim. Almost half of the workforce was there trying to solve my problem at the house to avoid a flatbed ride.

Customer service, along with reputation, are the key determinates to look for when searching for a shop to service or mod your vette.

Oh, and one last thing, after I SCed the vette, Jeremy took it down the track for me, never having been down the 1/4 mile, I was somewhat hesitant to take a 586rwhp car down. BUT, after some coaching by Roger and Jeremy and Robert Preston, I got up the guts to finally track the car myself. Guess who were more excited than me, yep, the folks from HPS.

 

Every shop named so far above are ones I would not hesitate to recomend, or if I was not a shop owner, take my own cars to. They all have above average reputations & all are involved in racing on the weekends what they build during the week. As Joe states, who will bend over backwards for you when an issue crops up? These are the shops to use.

 

Tracy, your shop ranks up there as well... I've read and heard nothing but great things about your shop. I also understand you are the tuning whiz behind the FL west coast terror on the dragstrips with your "bracket tune"! That's a great idea.

 

Most performance shops have no choice but to use the same parts that the others use relying on the results that they get.

Callaway, who sponsors this section of the forum is an automotive engineering company who designs their own parts (as well as for some of the large auto makers), has designed and built their own cars (C7 & C12) and has a proven reputation including holding the World Speed Record for a street legal car with the Sledgehammer Corvette for over a decade. More info at my website on my signature below.

Want to go fast, improve all aspects of your Corvette, do it reliably and with a warranty? Go to Callaway. You can't go wrong with them.


-Luigi

 

Agreed. Top quality. My buddy's got a Callaway TT and it's just awesome and very reliable, he tracks it regularly. I'm in the wrong busine$$ though apparently, I can't afford the $$ for them.

My HP and track times come much cheaper.

I also must comment that if you plan to track your car, it WILL break, so having a local shop is very important if you plan to track. Unless you can afford to ship it a thousand miles away I suppose!