Mooster1223

New member. New Corvette owner. I just bought a 2008 Z51 with less than 13k on the ticker. I'm coming from a '16 Charger Hellcat. The reason for the change is that I wanted a manual transmission. I loved the Atomic Orange paint on the new car and maybe didn't do enough research on Corvettes before the purchase...

I'm still waiting for the car to be shipped and of course, this is giving me all kinds of time to figure out how to get the HP to a respectable level. Mind you, I haven't even driven the car in its stock form...

With my new car being a narrow body (which I now know is a thing), am I going to be able to get traction if I add a centrifugal or kenne bell blower? This seems to be the most cost effective way to get the power level of the old Hellcat.

I figure with the lower weight of the Corvette I'll only need 600-650 whp to be comparable to the power weight ratio. And from what I'm reading here, that should make the LS3 reliable for the long haul.

Am I on the right track or should I figure on cutting my losses and look for a wide body car before I even take delivery?

Thanks

Iceaxe

Pro Tip - drive the Corvette for a couple of months and then decide what performance modifications you want to make. The Corvette is so much more than just in a straight line... the Corvette is going to feel like an entirely different world from the Hell Cat.

FWIW - the hot young stripper wife drives a Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack. Yes, I understand it's not a Hell Cat, but it does give me a baseline of understanding.

Anyhoo.... that's my two cents.

florida john

Horsepower isn't the issue for me, traction is! You will see when you get your car. Best tires available will make a difference. I find that turning off the traction control and leaving active handling on while modulating the throttle on my own works best. Yes, I do have the Z51 package.

FAUEE

A few things.

You won't need 600hp to keep up with a Hellcat in a vette.

You won't have traction with a wide body at those power levels anyways.

The vette is much lighter, with a rear end setup for road course more than drag strips. The challenger and charger have a lot more weight to push their rear ends down and give traction. You can easily overpower the rear end of a wide body car with 430hp, let alone anything over that.

I think you should just drive the CA for a while first. They're very different cars, and it'll take a lot less power to do what you're a ting to do than you think, but eventually that lower weight does catch up with you in grip for a standing start.

Mooster1223

Thanks for the replies, guys. I guess I'll drive it for a bit once it arrives and see what I think of it in general. I still haven't received confirmation on a shipper at this point so I'm at least a week out.

Joe 2008 Z51

For what it's worth- I have a Z51 with M6 trans. I added A&A Supercharger after 4 years of driving it stock, as I got pretty used to the performance of it and felt that "need for speed"- and no I'm not a Top Gun pilot . The power band really comes on strong from 3k RPMs and traction is an issue in 1st and 2nd gears especially, and I'm "only" pushing 550rwhp. Acceleration under boost is way more fun than stock. But the one issue I have noticed is that the additional weight of the S/C and intercooler on the front of the car has changed the handling characteristic of the Z51. It still holds well in the corners but there is more scraping of the front air dam on ripples and dips in the road, as if there is more travel on the front shocks. I had to raise my front end about an extra 1/2" after the install to bring it back to stock height. Still trying to determine if a better shock setup will help, along with a change in the alignment. The Z51 does have different gear ratios than the base model trans. See how it feels when you get it. And send us pictures of your new ride!

JSB LS3

It was already said but yes, make sure you get familiar with the car's dynamics first. It will NOT act like a hellcat at the limit. Corvettes are lighter in the rear with a shorter wheel base and they are significantly more abrupt to want to swap ends when you reach 11/10ths.

I came from a modified LS2 GTO which is similar in size and wheelbase to a hellcat. Big heavy cars are more forgiving and slower to come around on you.

If you go straight to 600 rwhp and drive it like a 4000 pound hellcat, you might end up backwards in a ditch somewhere. (not a knock on your driving ability. They just don't react like big, powerful sedans).

As far as traction, I'm at a hair under 600 RWHP on 285 section Michelin Pilot Super Sports. The car will spin 3rd gear at highway speeds if you want it to.

You can put a 305-325 R-compound or drag radial under a narrow body with the right wheel though. I used to run 305 M/T drag radials on an 18x11 and they'd pretty much stay hooked up on the street after 1st gear.

Mooster1223

Thanks once again guys. I just recieved confirmation today that they're picking the car up tomorrow and I should see it on Monday. I'll definitely get pics up once it's here.

I'm inclined to start with exhaust. I've seen and read that it's good for 30ish HP.

I've noticed that "off brands" will sell the whole shebang for a little under 2k. That's long tube headers, mid pipe and axle pipes with mufflers. Then i see Corsa mufflers are 2k on their own. Is the Corsa stuff really that much better???

I feel like I'm reliving my mustang days. I had an '87 GT that I lowered the compression, installed a Kenne Bell, water injection, etc, etc...

JSB LS3

Does your new car have the dual-mode exhaust option (RPO code is "NPP")? If so I would leave the stock mufflers and just get a good set of headers (can't go wrong with American Racing Headers).

Turbo6TA

Installing a set of headers along with it's mid-pipe will make a big difference in power.

As far as aftermarket mufflers ... not so much so. Unless you don't like the sound of your stock mufflers, I would spend the money elsewhere. No 'bang for the buck' in mufflers.

When my GS was bone stock, I gained 34 RWHP on the dyno with just the headers and the associated mid-pipe with cats along with a tune (using the stock NPP mufflers)

FAUEE

Like the others said. Exhaust as in cat back is worth basically 0 hp. Longtube headers and a tune​​​ are worth like 30hp.

Before you order anything, I would find out if it's in stock in their warehouse out back. Most sellers nowadays are just drop shippers, which means they take your money and you get it whenever their supplier has stock. That's assuming everything is legit, which in many cases, they're not upstanding companies.

That said, due to material shortages most of the exhaust companies are behind, so you're likely to be waiting on them if it's not a seller with a warehouse of parts.

Mooster1223

I don't think it has the fancy exhaust...

FAUEE

Looks like a 1LT, I don't know if you could even get NPP on the 1LT, as it was the base model.

Neat option set though, base car with Z51. Pretty clear what the person who spec'd it had for priorities, haha.

GettnBetter

A wide body is the same car. The only real difference is the bendy aluminum frame and the superior LS7 stroker motor and 11" rear rims. Hookup depends on things like the rims and tires you choose. Go with a set of R888R's or Nittos for hookup. 40HP over stock isn't going to improve times hardly at all

JSB LS3

You could. Mine is a 1LT, Z51, NPP for exactly those priorities you alluded to.

Mooster1223

Arrived today after the BMV closed... No tag, no title transfer.

saplumr

The GS does not have the aluminum frame or LS7. One other thing, the rear wheels are 12”.

Farmvette

Last year I switched from a (stock) 2017 Challenger HC to a cammed 2011 Z06. I 1/2 Mile and Mile race both of them. The Z06 with 540whp was faster than the HC was with 662whp in the 1/2 mile and standing mile by 3-4mph. To match a stock HC in performance you would only need to be at around 520whp, which equates to around 600bhp at the crank. There are a number of aftermarket supercharger kits that will get you into that region, both positive displacement and centifugal. As centri blowers add less torque at low rpm and more torque at high rpm they will be less likely to spin the tires at low rpms than a PD blower (like the HC has), which helps driveability around town and in wet weather.

Note that one of the biggest issues with supercharging a C6 is the limited height available under the stock hood for clearance, especially for PD blowers that sit on top of the motor. That's why many go with a centri blower, as you can package them more easily without having to change the hood as well (e.g. like the Callaway SC models had to).

As you will have been coming from a 275 rear tire on the Charger, even a "stock body" Corvette has a 285 rear tire and weighs over 1000lbs less so will hook up better (there's a lot less weight to get moving). There are also many options for stickier tires that will fit in the back of a C6 coupe to give better traction than your Charger had.

What rear tires did you have on the Charger?

Turbo6TA

The C6 . GS and the Z06 both have the same size and offset wheels (both front and rear) as delivered from the factory.

BTW ... they both have the same exact brakes too (code J56)

GS and Z06 Front Wheels: . . 18x9.5 (Offset +40mm)

GS and Z06 Rear Wheels: . .. 19x12 .(Offset +59mm)

Tally Ho

I have a 2006 with Z51 and had the same issue with the nose after installation of the A&A V2 kit. I raised the bolts up 5 turns. I found I had zero traction with the stock rear wheel/tire combo. I went with a wide booty and Z06 sized rubber. Much better but I still have to pedal 1st and 2nd to keep from going sideways or up in smoke even with TC still activated. My car is an A6 and I still use run flats. My dynoed RWHP is 541. I also have a Charger HC and to me it pulls better than my C6. Maybe it's the difference between one being centrifugal and the other roots.