Upgrades for a C5 Corvette to Match 2008 Z06 Performance

Supercharging

Vortech developed a supercharging system for the 2001 to 2004 Chevrolet Corvette Z06's LS6 engine. The system bumped the V-8 from 405 to 538 horsepower and increased torque to 483 pound-feet. Vortech discontinued the system, but you can still buy it through third-party suppliers.

ZEX has a direct port nitrous system that comes with everything necessary for a safe and correct installation. The kit can be adjusted to provide the C5 Corvette Z06 with 75 to 300 additional horsepower, but depending on the results, you may need additional engine modifications and enhancements.

You can buy the LS7 engine in the 2008 Corvette Z06 directly from GM Performance as a crate engine. A custom engine swap using the 7.0-liter LS7 engine would provide the C5 Corvette with 505 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque.

Using a combination of performance upgrades and weight reduction could result in the C5 Corvette Z06 performing as well as the 2008 model. The right combination of performance chips, headers, exhaust, balancing, intake and gearing can all create additional power. When installing these types of parts, you will need to account for the needs of every piece individually and figure out how it will integrate with the other performance parts. When adding multiple performance parts, the most accurate way to measure horsepower is to use a Dyno.