Mods to Take the C7 Corvette to the Next Level (photos)
So you've been cruising in your C7 Corvette for a little while now and the excitement is wearing off. How do you get the magic back? These simple upgrades (and one not so simple) can add some of that excitement back into your Vette.
1. The Amazing C7 Corvette
The stock C7 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray has power and performance unheard of just 20 years ago, at any price, but you’re not the kind of person that leaves things stock. Stock is a good start, but you want people to think the world is ending when you rev the motor, you want children to run and hide when you drive down the street, you want the power to make women swoon... If you’ve got the time, cash, and courage, click on through to make your vehicular fantasy real.
2. K&N Air Intake Upgrade
The C7 Corvette always looks like it is smiling, and wouldn't you be with all that power and such a great looking body? You can make it even happier with the K&N intake upgrade, guaranteed to increase HP and torque by getting rid of the factory air box and accordion hose. This smooth, freer-flowing, polyurethane air intake tube will minimize restrictions, straighten the path to the throttle body, and increase power throughout the RPM range.
3. Borla ATAK Exhaust
The LS series of V8 motors breath great and sound awesome, but the sound of a C7 after installing this system will cause goosebumps on your arm when you hear it. At wide open throttle, cars up ahead will move out of your way when they hear you coming up the road behind them. The Borla ATAK system produces the highest possible sound levels while maintaining street-legal status. It isn't just loud either, this sound has a better quality too, and won't annoy you on long freeway cruises.
4. Weight Loss
The C7 is already a pretty light car, but you can do better than the factory if you are willing to spend more money then they were. You can ditch creature comforts, like sound insulation, or toss out heavy parts and replace them with lighter versions. Replace the 75lb lead accid battery with a 15lb Braille battery, change the wheels lightweight aftermarket versions, and upgrade to carbon fiber body parts. Don't forget the driver; maybe you could lose a few pounds too by hitting the gym.
5. KW Variant Coilovers
Replacing the factory transverse leaf spring with multi-adjustable coilover shocks allows you to change the ride height and adjust damping too. The compression setting on KW coilovers can be changed manually, without removing them, to alter the ride and handling for road or track. They also allow the C7 to be lowered, to a max of 1.4 inches in front, and 1.8 inches in the rear, or raised to near stock height in just minutes. A lower car has more down force at high speeds, because less air gets under the car, to help the C7 cling to the ground.
6. The Hennessey HPE700 Upgrade
This is the ultimate upgrade package for the C7 Corvettes and contains things like a supercharger, camshafts, better breathing heads, and dyno tuning to dial it in. After Hennessey installs those go fast goodies, you get 708 hp and a chassis and brakes good enough for the track. For the price, they also include floor mats and exterior badging, so there is no mistaking this for a regular Vette
For help with mods or service on your car, check out the how-to section of CorvetteForum.com