Bolt-Ons + Tune Reliability??
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: May 2022
Posts: 73
Likes: 19
From: Florida
Bolt-Ons + Tune Reliability??
Hey yall, I have a Z51 Stingray and I've been going back and forth on deciding on installing bolt ons like headers, air intake, etc because I'm worried about their effects on the reliabilty. I know I will have to tune my car (as my previous posts have shown me lol) so I will definetly lose out on any warranty I have. I daily drive my vette so I just wanted to see some opinions from people more experienced with these cars. How much will bolt ons with a tune affect the reliability? The specific bolt ons I've been looking at include long tube/mid length headers, cold air intake, throttle body, and an intake manifold (maybe). I already have a catless x pipe installed. Thanks!!
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 29,058
Likes: 1,837
From: cookeville tennessee
ttt
OP on your question here you can put on LT headers better air box and even a bigger T,B, without having the car tuned. I did all of this to my car & it didnt chg nothing other than lean the car out now. My plugs before putting parts on it was BLACK car runs rich,, After these parts it ran a little better and chg the color of the plug to more a tan color.
But to get the use of those parts YES you will need a good tuner & get full use of them. Robert
But to get the use of those parts YES you will need a good tuner & get full use of them. Robert
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,181
Likes: 3,173
From: Hartford WI
OP on your question here you can put on LT headers better air box and even a bigger T,B, without having the car tuned. I did all of this to my car & it didnt chg nothing other than lean the car out now. My plugs before putting parts on it was BLACK car runs rich,, After these parts it ran a little better and chg the color of the plug to more a tan color.
But to get the use of those parts YES you will need a good tuner & get full use of them. Robert
But to get the use of those parts YES you will need a good tuner & get full use of them. Robert
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2022
Posts: 1,336
Likes: 745
From: Indiana
Long tubes, X pipe, CAI, cat delete here about 4 months ago. Gained near 40 rwhp and torque. Told my tuner I would not sacrifice one bit of drivability or reliability, I didn't want lights flashing at me after work was done. Zero issues until a month ago after a day of romping on it my CEL came on. Called my tuner, he said bring it in.
It was a fuel trim that needed a slight adjustment. Said when I was driving it hard I exceeded the variance the computer can add or pull to its programmed trim(15% either way IIRC). He took 10 minutes, adjusted the trim level and no problems since. I have an outstanding tuner who is in it for the long haul and wants happy customers. If I had a bad tuner I would not be happy at all. So its been more than worth it to me. I'd do it again. Promises me he can do the same with forced induction. Authorized A&A dealer to boot.
It was a fuel trim that needed a slight adjustment. Said when I was driving it hard I exceeded the variance the computer can add or pull to its programmed trim(15% either way IIRC). He took 10 minutes, adjusted the trim level and no problems since. I have an outstanding tuner who is in it for the long haul and wants happy customers. If I had a bad tuner I would not be happy at all. So its been more than worth it to me. I'd do it again. Promises me he can do the same with forced induction. Authorized A&A dealer to boot.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,181
Likes: 3,173
From: Hartford WI
Long tubes, X pipe, CAI, cat delete here about 4 months ago. Gained near 40 rwhp and torque. Told my tuner I would not sacrifice one bit of drivability or reliability, I didn't want lights flashing at me after work was done. Zero issues until a month ago after a day of romping on it my CEL came on. Called my tuner, he said bring it in.
It was a fuel trim that needed a slight adjustment. Said when I was driving it hard I exceeded the variance the computer can add or pull to its programmed trim(15% either way IIRC). He took 10 minutes, adjusted the trim level and no problems since. I have an outstanding tuner who is in it for the long haul and wants happy customers. If I had a bad tuner I would not be happy at all. So its been more than worth it to me. I'd do it again. Promises me he can do the same with forced induction. Authorized A&A dealer to boot.
It was a fuel trim that needed a slight adjustment. Said when I was driving it hard I exceeded the variance the computer can add or pull to its programmed trim(15% either way IIRC). He took 10 minutes, adjusted the trim level and no problems since. I have an outstanding tuner who is in it for the long haul and wants happy customers. If I had a bad tuner I would not be happy at all. So its been more than worth it to me. I'd do it again. Promises me he can do the same with forced induction. Authorized A&A dealer to boot.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 8,657
Likes: 2,718
From: Atlanta GA
Put 53,000 miles on my 2015 ported intake , headers, high flow green cats and tuned on LT1 , also had the A8 trans tuned , love the power gain along with the better shifting . I drove it almost daily and did not hesitate to jump in it and take it on a long trip . Plus put many trips down the drag strip ...
3 months ago added a procharger and a new street tune , I am almost at 57,000 miles now, still drive it to work everyday and absolutly would not hesitate to take it on a trip ....
Bolt ons and a tune , if done right will not reduce the reliability. Do your research when buying headers as the as some do have fitment issues , AHR , Kooks fit great , I got a deal on coated Hookers and the only issue I had was my green cats hit the tunnel plate . Some spacers solved my issues
Good luck and let us know how it works out
Dave
3 months ago added a procharger and a new street tune , I am almost at 57,000 miles now, still drive it to work everyday and absolutly would not hesitate to take it on a trip ....
Bolt ons and a tune , if done right will not reduce the reliability. Do your research when buying headers as the as some do have fitment issues , AHR , Kooks fit great , I got a deal on coated Hookers and the only issue I had was my green cats hit the tunnel plate . Some spacers solved my issues
Good luck and let us know how it works out
Dave
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Grand Sport & Grand Sport X Launch Alongside All-New 535hp LS6 V8!
Michael S. Palmer
5 Reasons Bad Drivers Crash & 5 Ways to Avoid a Costly Mistake!
Joe Kucinski
7 Bolt-On Upgrades From Extreme Online Store to Level Up Your C6 Corvette
Pouria Savadkouei
How Likely Are These Five 2027 Corvette Rumors to Be True?
Brett Foote
9 Best Corvettes You Can Buy for Half Price (& 1 You Should NEVER Buy!)
Joe Kucinski
8 Very Best Corvettes of Amelia Island 2026
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 WORST Corvette Engineering Failures of All Time!
Joe Kucinski
10 Records the C8 Corvette Generation Has SMASHED (& 1 Glaring Failure)
Joe Kucinski
7 Wildest Corvette Concepts Ever Made
Brett Foote
All the best. 
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 4,047
Likes: 1,474
From: South Florida
With a good tuners and properly installed parts. You can get a nice kick in the pants while keeping stock drive-ability by doing , Aftermarket Intake/filter, Ported 87mm TB, Ported LT1 intake manifold, Long Tube Headers with cats and X pipe,(or mids if you want it as quite as stock, as you can retain the factory mids), and a Flex Fuel sensor. No CEL's, no changes in drive-ability. I tune this setup all day long.
You will lose a little bit of city MPG, mostly because you will want to stomp the gas lol.
You will lose a little bit of city MPG, mostly because you will want to stomp the gas lol.
