So a corvette comes with a lot of power on the stock motor. There are a few simple parts that can be added to squeeze out a significant gain in power. By optimizing the air flow that is taken info the engine, the exhaust that is pushed out the back of the car, and the way the engine fuels, significant gains can be made.
The first thing that we'll talk about Getting air into the engine. The stock filters, although they've improved over the year are still fairly restrictive. We have people ask us a lot about the performance drop in filters that just replace the stock filters. In most cases those filters barely have chartable power gains. Their real benefit is that most of them have a million mile warranty, so you only have to worry about cleaning and reusing the filters instead of buying new filters every time you need the service done. Adding a cold air intake is where the power gain is made. Cold air intakes have high flow filters that are able to take in air from all sides of the filter, instead of just through one side like a flat filter. Most of the time one can expect about 15 hp out of a cold air intake, and when used in conjunction with other parts, like a tuner and exhaust, you actually gain a little more out of each part.
The second thing is an exhaust system. When the engine is running, it has to work to push out the exhaust gasses that are being made by the engine. The less effort the engine has to make to push the exhaust away, the more power makes it to the wheels. Upgrading to a larger diameter exhaust will make the path of the exiting exhaust less restrictive. This makes it easier for the engine to push the exhaust gasses and also relieves engine stress, which will help make things last longer. The aftermarket exhaust are all going to give an aggressive tone. One of the other nice things about upgrading to a less restrictive exhaust is that it will help keep running temperatures down. When you're running a car hard, things get very hot, so keeping things cool is very important. It will also add about another 15 horse power.
The third and final thing that we'll mention is tuning the corvette. A simple hand held tuner that plugs into the OBD-II diagnostic port under the dash, will add 20 or more horse power in under ten minutes. It usually gives the biggest power gain of any of the simple bolt on parts and is the quickest to install. Corvette tuners also come with many other features that make them well worth having. Like the ability to read and clear engine codes. The Diablosport Predator is one of the more popular corvette tuners.
To wrap things up, you can see how a few simple and inexpensive modifications can really give a significant boost in power. As mentioned earlier, when the different items are used together, they have somewhat of a synergistic effect, where you get a little more power out of each item because they are all working together. Not only is power increased, but fuel economy as well....for the times when we can keep our foot off the gas and drive conservatively that is.
