Increasing HP on a C6

I just got my 2005 yellow and I am very happy with it. But i would like to increase the horse power. My deader offers to install Headers, crossover X pipe, exhaust system and a good air intake. Any sugestions? What's the com's and pro's?
Thanks

speed = money .how fast do ya wanna go

465 to 500 HP

If you mean the equivalent of 465-500 HP compared to the factory 400 HP, that represents a 15 - 20% increase and is do-able although it will require more than what the dealer suggested.

If you mean 465-500 HP at the rear wheels (that's all that really matters), since the car has about 340 (automatic trans) to 355 (manual trans) at the rear you are talking about something on the order of 33% - 40%.

Recommendation number 1: find someone other than the dealer.  Generally they charge way too much, particularly for the parts.  Most important though, you need to find a shop that can do other mods in the future, some of which a dealer will not want to make, with mechanics that really know high performance, and with a dyno and custom PCM (power control module) re-programming capability.  You will not find that at the average, or even typical above average dealer. 

Recommendation 2: make a long term plan and then add the mods as you can. 

About 390 RWHP (equivalent to 465 HP engine rating): you can get just barely this with good long tube headers (1 3/4 inch diameter) and high-flow cats, a good X-pipe and cat back exhaust, cold air, and a new cam or 1.8:1 rocker arms, and a really good dyno session and retuning of the PCM.

About 430 RWHP (equilvalent to 500 HP): this is a no-man's land -- you can't get here without doing something to the heads but once you've done that is is easy to get even more).  You need a heads and cam package, long tube headers (but 1 7/8 inch now), X-pipe, cat back, and cold air, with a very good tune (expect to spend upwards of $600 on it).

465 - 500 RWHP (equivalent to 515-565 engine rating).  It is possible to get into this range with a good heads and cam package, a FAST intake manufold and new throttle body, long-tube headers, X-pipe and cat back, cold air, larger injectors, and a really good tune.  At the high end of this range with the stock displacement you need to go for higher revs and that means better valve gear including shaft mounted rockers.  All that and you have the power but its peaky -- you've lost some low end torque.
A much better way is to go with a supercharger, headers and exhaust, etc. which makes 465 - 490 RWHP very easy, provides good torque, and is pretty clean and quick. 

Be aware that the stock engine will take up to around 465 RWHP without real problems, but it will not take 525 RWHP and stay together too long (particularly if you use that power often).  Somewhere in that range is the limit of its durability -- nothing is exact and it depends both on luck and how you drive.  If you really want 500 or near that at the RW wheels, it is best to rebuild the entire bottom end.

you may want to look at NOS. best bang for the buck.safe if you use your head.as stated before make a plan,where will the car be used ? street,dragstrip,roadrace,every day driver,stick,auto.the best mod and first should be a 3 day driving school

The car is a stick and will  be used for streat drive (days off). What's NOS? Do you know where I can get 3 day driving school in Las Vegas area?
Thanks

Thank you Lee

you can do a search on the forums for classes,i think there is one in your area.NOS nitrous ox. its a gas thats injected into your motor with extra fuel.cams,headers,etc all give HP boosts measured at flywheel.eg; cam 20 hp gain, but NOS . is measured at rear wheels. a 125 hp shot of NOS is just that 125 HP at rear wheels.it will blow the stock tires away

Nitrous oxide is a cheap and very effective power adder: you can buy kits that will give you 50, 75, 100, 150, or if you spend a lot 250 HP.  The last two will destroy your engine in short order.  The first two will not do any significant damage. 

With NOS you have a high pressure bottle in the trunk (looks like a scuba tank) and aa hose to the engine and various buttons and valves that spray it in upstream of the throttle when it is open fully.  The NOS enters the combustion chamber and converts to nitrogen (harmless) and oxygen, the way the NOS is injected it tricks the enginer ocmputer into dumping more fuel into to match the oxygen increase.  Result, more fuel, too: more oygen, more fule, == more power.  Downside is that a full pressure bottle gives you maybe a minute of additional power.  Upside is that a whole kit costs maybe 700$ but adds 100 HP, and that the way NOS burns, it is actually easier on the engine than any other way to get that much power (its still hard on the engine, just not quite as hard). 

NOS is effective: think of it like steriods.  Works for a while (but only for a while), but not quite the same as having the power all the time.  We have it on the Camaro and the most fun part is the purge valve.  You have a button to spray a bit out the end of the pipe into the air (instead of the engine) to clear air out of the hose from the tank and "charge" the system prior to use.  When NOS starts exiting the purge valve it turns into white "steam" (its very cold and is condensing the water vapor in the air).  We have our purge valve feeding in two streams out the front ran air hood scoops -- when we purge iot looks like the car is some cartoon bull blowing huge streams of steam out its nostrils.  I think we use 1/3 of the NOS just showing off while we are cruising.

Anyway, there is a downside, unless you hide the bottle well (they make mins -- good for one quarter mile race, that fit in floveboxes, if you get pulled over by the cops, suspected of street racing, and they see a NOS bottle with the valve turned on, its just an automatic ticket and a lot of hassle.

one third of the time you use NOS is for showing off? whatever. get a permit and no tickets

Oh, it's fun.  The Camaro is pretty nasty without the NOS ( high 10s), and we are just out cruising, not racing. 

Whitch supercharger you recommend?

Overall I recommend the Magnusen.  It is a screw (modified Roots) type and so it provides good added low and mid range power, and it builds all the high end boost the engine can take (you can get over 500 RWHP although I recommend backing off to save the engine a bit).  I had one back when I had the stock engine in my car and it was one of the sweetest and least troublesome mods I have ever had on any car.  One downside of the Magnusen is that you have to buy a new high-rise hood (see picture of my car in the Gallery - even though I don't have the Magnusen any more I kept the hood), which means the full kit costs a bit more than other superchargers.  But the lack of hassle later on (it gave not a single problem in over 2 years od daily driving) and the low and mid range torque are worth it.
 
Vortec, Procharger, and Paxton superchargers are centrifugal types -- they provide mostly boost at high RPM, but the standard models (Procharger model P, etc.) fit (tightly) under the stock hood.   Not much to choose between these - they are all about the same.  I have a Procharger D model now only because, with a built 427, I needed a lot more capacity than the biggest Magnusen can blow (my 427 sucks in as much air naturally as the Magnusen cam blow at full recommended boost): by contrast, Vortec and Procharger both make very high capacity blowers in their upgraded lines (models D and F, etc.) of racing blowers.  I have had a lot of problems with my Procharger (in particular the SCr frame is a bit weak and warps) but then I was asking for a lot of power, and know some vortec owners that also had hassles, but others are very pleased. 

all said and done ill bet the SC will be 10 k when your done

Yeah, I is not worth trying to do anything on the cheap.  With $10K, you can do a blower right, and add the headers, etc., and a really good tune, that it needs to work well.

bite the bullit ,save the mod money and get a z06

That's a difficult decision for two reasons.  You really can get the ZO6 performance with a supercharger for a lot less - even if you add in upgrading wheels and brakes etc.  Ofcourse, it's not a ZO6 and it does not have a factory warranty, but the performance will be the same.  Another thing to realize is that modfied cars generally lose value: you never get your money out of them if and when you sell.
 
Second, I doubt a ZO6 owner could resist leaving his or her car alone any more than any other owner on this forum.  First its headers, then . . . for many people buying a standard model and customizing and hot rodding it is more fun per dollar.
 
 

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ORIGINAL: velocity2007

I just got my 2005 yellow and I am very happy with it. But i would like to increase the horse power. My deader offers to install Headers, crossover X pipe, exhaust system and a good air intake. Any sugestions? What's the com's and pro's?
Thanks

 
Heads\Cam - VaraRam air intake system - Headers.. or a SuperCharger