Affordable horsepower upgrades?
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Instructor
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Saint John NB
Affordable horsepower upgrades?
Hey guys, what are some affordable and signigicant horsepower upgrades that one can do to their C6. Superchargers are awesome, but the ones I've seen are worth alot of $$$$$$. What kinds of things can a C6 owner do to raise their horsepower, without spending alot of money 
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From: Castle Rock CO
St. Jude Donor '15
With the prices the aftermarket is charging these days, there isn't really much you can do on the C6 and even the C5 without getting into a few thousand dollars. Nitrous is always a good low dollar solution for a lot of HP, but only have when you push the button, so to speak. Long tube headers have been showing some nice gains on the C6 so far. All the quality long tubes that have shown the gains are at least 1K for the parts and then install....
Todd
Todd
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From: Rockville Centre NY
Originally Posted by WhiteDiamond
With the prices the aftermarket is charging these days, there isn't really much you can do on the C6 and even the C5 without getting into a few thousand dollars.
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Instructor
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From: Saint John NB
Nox Kit
Hey guys, to go along with my earlier post...how much horsepower would a C6 z51 gain with Nox bottles. Also what is the cost for the system for this vehicle? Also what are the advantages and disadvantages of Nox....this probably deserves its own thread 
Thanks
Thanks
Last edited by ilovecorvettec5's; Jan 3, 2005 at 04:59 PM.
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From: Virginia Bch VA
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St. Jude Donor '06
NOS is Scary
Possible engine damage? Voided warrantee? K&N Air Filter ($80) 2-4 hp, Long Tube Headers with Hi Flo Cats($1,700) 40 hp, or No Cats($1,400) 45 HP but face a legal problem. Cam and higher ratio lifters big bucks – 50-75-HP or more. Would like to learn more about using NOS as a Viper Beater 
but face a legal problem. Cam and higher ratio lifters big bucks – 50-75-HP or more. Would like to learn more about using NOS as a Viper Beater
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Saint John NB
Doesn't sound too bad...is 40-50 hp really noticeable in this car....since iam still young at university and dont own one yet I wouldnt have a clue...in a way i can answer my own question. A few years back we had an old 89 ford T- Bird which put out 140 HP, and a while back we bought a 96 Monte Carlo Z34 which put out 215 HP...Thats a 75 Hp diff which was quite noticealble....with this in mind would 40-50 HP make the car noticeably quicker, given that this car is already very very fast
Thanks
Thanks
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Originally Posted by ilovecorvettec5's
Hey guys, to go along with my earlier post...how much horsepower would a C6 z51 gain with Nox bottles. Also what is the cost for the system for this vehicle? Also what are the advantages and disadvantages of Nox....this probably deserves its own thread
Thanks
Thanks
A NX wet kit (http://www.nitrousexpress.com) will cost you around $500, and give you 75 hp with no changes to the engine. If you elect to jet the kit for over a 100 shot, then you should switch to colder plugs (2 steps colder iridium plugs, do *not* use platinum plugs, they don't work properly with N20) to help prevent pre-ignition.
Going beyond a 150 hp shot will probably require some other changes. For sure you'll want a window kit, and likely you'll have to start thinking about changing to stronger forged pistons. You'll also need to get into the computer to alter the timing maps appropriately.
Dry kits are theoretically better than wet kits, but a *lot* harder to implement correctly. With dry kits, you *will* need to make fuel system changes (higher rail pressure, bigger injectors), and you *will* have to get into the computer very heavily. We can't do the latter at the moment, and the former is expensive to do right. So a wet kit is the way to go for major power gains on the cheap.
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From: Virginia Bch VA
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St. Jude Donor '06
Thanks Shopdog
Originally Posted by shopdog
...A nitrous kit can produce nearly any level of power the engine can stand.....Going beyond a 150 hp shot will probably require some other changes. .....a wet kit is the way to go for major power gains on the cheap.
Thanks SD, appreciate the info.
