Daily Slideshow: Best Bang for your Buck Mods

Tires

Tires are the single biggest thing you can do to change the performance of your car. Want to drop over 5 seconds per lap? The right tires can do that, easily. Corvettes run into the problem of having larger tires than most cars which means you’re going to spend a little more money, but nothing that won’t be absolutely worth it. Hoosier A7s are a great example.

Cylinder Heads

Let the Japanese car owners tell you power isn’t everything because on a race track power is absolutely necessary. Track day enthusiasts love to talk about how the driver is the only thing that matters, but the reality is a car without horsepower is like a high school kid going up against Floyd Mayweather. We all know how that ends. Cylinder heads and can net an LS motor huge power for very little money (relative to other parts).

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Shocks and Springs

Upgrading these two can be done for under $2,000 in the form of a great set of coilovers. Consider this the factory upgrade GM never offered that can drop 3 or 4 seconds off your car. Autocrossers and track day enthusiasts will notice these changes immediately and reap the benefits on their first test drive.

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Gutted Interiors

Weight reduction is the single largest factor that contributes to over all cornering, braking and acceleration forces. Vettes have a lot of weight to pull out too. As little as 100lbs will be noticeable if you drive the car all the time. If you frequent the race track the car will benefit exponentially from every 100 lbs you choose to knock off. As you reduce more and more weight it will get harder to see bigger gains. Beyond this point you will have to start spending big bucks for carbon fiber bits. Be careful.

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Brake Pads

Big brake kits get pricey as fast as they slow a Z06 down from 60mph. The cheaper alternative is to find a great brake compound that will withstand the heat your skill set transfers into the rotors. A couple hundred dollars here can have you out braking Ferraris at Auto Club Speedway like you hit an invisible wall. 

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Things to Remember

Remember the core ways to go faster are to lighten your vehicle, add power, get a better tire or utilize a better spring/shock setup. These are the fundamentals before you start forking over big dollars for aero setups and custom water cooler supercharged engines. If each of these steps are followed as a unit you will likely shave 5-10 seconds in total off of your lap times. Just don’t get carried away and spin out on your first lap, all modifications should be done in stages to maximize results. Until next time…

>>Join the conversation about the best bang for your buck mods right here in Corvette Forum.

For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section in the forum.