I just love this site, so much knowledge passes along with great personal stories about what worked and didn't work. So I just read and learn! So give me your opinions!!!

What I want/goal:
I'm not hung up on numbers but you still have to use them to describe what you are looking for so...found an 05 M6 Z51 garage queen for my first Vette in October and drove it for 28 days and then stored. So it sits for four months and is a weekend fun car to play with, take on golf trips and love the 28 mpg (shocking) and all stock.

I don't launch it ever, won't do a 1/4 mile ever...but will be doing a HPDE road course at Road America in July just once to see what that is all about and while I have fun pressing down to the floor...I pick my spots. It is in immaculate condition and I will not beat it but it is a sports car that needs exercise.

So I want a little more but don't want to have to beef up everything that is stock just because of some more HP. I love the drivability of it now and want that preserved too.

I have Borla S type II in the box ready for spring but that is for sound and not performance.

Lesson one: (from you guys!)
Find a shop that really know their stuff and is trustworthy....done. Hit the jackpot, they do a ton of work on Vettes. Spent hour and half talking, looking at their shop, 2 Mustang Dyno's and looking at a number of their projects on hand. Great people great work!

The shop also confirmed some assumption going in:

Tuning matters...factory settings leave about 30% room for more as is!

Component failure of stock parts happens...yes and 600 rwhp is the number that becomes that line in the sand.

More air more gas more power...either by NA or FI.

Many have said the chase for HP is addicting...I want to get to 550 and call it a day. Everyone smiles and says yeh, right...

The shop confirmed my assumption of like 350-ish rwhp stock so 200 hp additional should make me happiest...but maybe 70-100 hp keeps me entertained for a couple years and a smile on my face...hell I can break the wheels loose in second gear now so it seems fast to me already!

So this is where your opinions come in.

Financially speaking....
I have one quote for an E-force installed for $10k...top of my limit.

or


I can build NA wise a little bit at a time like $4k for Vararam Snakecharmer, 160 tstat, "Cam kit" with rods, springs, rocker, steal crank, pulley, plugs and wires yada yada....

FIC Injector kit...and have my Borla's installed...they think that's like 70-100 hp with a tune.

Another $2k for Dynatech long tube headers and mid pipe but then I'm up to $6K and at that point I'm thinking then spend the $10k...this is good for like 16 hp.

The $4k of NA mods won't be money wasted as it could be a foundation for a blower down the road.

Decision gate:
$4K gets me ahead of where I am and makes me smile I'm sure but not the 200 hp I would like. I have a few bucks extra then for new rubber and wheels which is always nice but not mandatory right now.

$10k gets me the 200 hp but it's still $10k for my first mod attempt if you know what I mean.

 

You can get a centri blower installed for less than $10k! paying $10k for the eforce is crazy. No matter what power adder you choose you better be concerened with that diff snapping in half.

 

just get a nice turbo kit and save all that money on headers exhaust vararam fast intake

 

West Bend Dyno has done tons of Corvettes including mine. They are also relatively close to you.

 

Since you have the funds all at once available...blower or twin turbos.. hands down.

 

for right around $7000 you can have the A&A kit put on with no headers or cam or intake, running the lowest PSI and still get 580 RWHP FI is by far the CHEAPEST HP going.

 

Now that's what I'm talking about......

Thanks

 

Bingo....spent hour and half with Vince and met Brad talking and taking a tour looking at all the project in process. Very impressive shop...very impressive people...

Hope to run into you some time...don't worry I have good insurance...

 

You said HPDE, so avoid SCs. The added weight and increased temps will hurt your track times. By going piece by piece you can continually adapt to the adapt to the added power, add suspension and brake mods and make the car suite your driving abilities as you practice.

 

I agree with you philosophy. I did suspension, then brakes, then engine, then diff, then seats and CF parts.

The problem is that I still can't drive. I went to a couple driving schools, for help, but at the end of the day, all I lack is talent.

 

Thanks Tony...I think you are spot on but I'm going to do one HPDE event in my backyard and then call it a day...my Vette really is a street car that can go fast once in a while.

But if I got the HPDE bug I think I would just jump in Tim's car when he's not looking and use his.... Now his ride is set up to play in!

Thanks for you reply note!

 

Don't do anything until you been to the track. A day at Road America may change your opinion about what you want to do with your car.

How did you decide 550 HP was the goal? 450 HP, especially if add some 4.10s, will transform how the car feels. If 550 is the goal, I agree with the advice to get a basic A&A or ECS kit. If you get bored with that, you can add headers and swap pulleys.

 

Thanks for the note Joel. The 550 HP is just a number safely under the 600 HP the number I want to stay short of. Could be 500 or 450 as those are just numbers too. Seems like a SC can give a 140+ RWHP bump with one mod also seemed right number if I did NA incremental.

I hardly use 1st gear in my Z51 the way it is...very short...wouldn't the 4.10 make it even shorter?

 

Trust me, I have 3:73 and if you want to play at Road America and drive it on the street, you don't want 4:10. 3:73's are almost to much. When the weather gets better you can drive my car and see what you think.

 

Wow Tim...I get to drive your car! Can we go to Wayne's drive in on Vette night and open the hood and I can stand around answering all the questions...of course I'll have to just make up stuff but I bet I'll be believable... That could be fun...especially when you see me selling them about the benefits of a fuel injected radistat packaged with the ported indebuferts!

My differential is a 3.42 right? When I'm by myself in the car and it's just a flat road I'll go with 2nd gear from a stop with ease. I don't have to feather the clutch and the engine doesn't come close to lugging. First gear is so stout it's not even practical with these run craps on.

 

All manuals are 3:42, so that is what you have. I normally go to Wayne's on Thursday, but any night works!

A friend of mine works for GM Performance and he was my "adviser" when I spec'd the cam and such. He is the one that told me to put 3:73 gears in to go with my cam. He was correct, but I still can't drive, so does it really matter?

 

The trade off with N/A is that you lose the factory manners. To get 550 (or even 500) hp, you're going to need more than a tiny increase in cam size (especially duration, which will affect idle and low rpm quality).

I agree with the poster above....do your HPDE first and then decide. Very few people end up doing just one and if that ends up being the case with you, you'd hate to have to start battling SC heat issues right off the bat. It's also better to learn the car first and then mod second.

 

If you decide to supercharge.. do headers without cats or install flow thru cats....Let that engine exhale. Your motor is an air pump. Supercharger forces air in and headers will allow it to breath.

 

Unless you are really want to do HPDEs blower is just awesome, especially at the power level you are after. I know ran 780ish for years in my deceased C5. It had a baby cam and once better clutches were made that did not cost 3k or more it was even more fun to drive. Boost is addictive, to bad my family grew by two adoptions or I would put on the A&A kit I own

 

I bought the Edelbrock 554 kit so in the spring my garage/tuner gets busy with installing the SC...the new rims...new rubber good bye run craps...and my Borla S TypeII. Too bad spring is so far away...I hate winter.

I went with the low psi boost high HP return idea....stock fuel pump stays...along with all my other stock parts. I liked the design and engineering behind it...no oil changing another piece of equipment...less plumbing and tubes to keep and eye on...complete kit including 52 lb. injectors and throttle body....and it is just elegant and sits in there like its suppose to.

Next year maybe some headers and mid pipes and help the breathing and on to the interior. OMG...I love those Caravaggio seats!!!!

Thanks for all your thoughts.....