New Guy...Need Advice On A 1999 Vette
#1
11-11-2005, 02:15 PM
New Guy...Need Advice On A 1999 Vette
Wow...can't believe I am on a corvette forum asking for help. 
Name is Marc, 21 years active duty Air Force and just got stationed at here at Hickam AFB, Honolulu Hawaii.
I haven't owned a vette since 1992 and it was a 1974 Stingray with the 454.
I have always been a mustang guy, but I have come across a 1999 Vette, Ram Air, stick, black on black that is beautiful. The guy wanted $23,000 and I have him down to $21,000 right now. Problem is, I don't know anything about the vette platform. I am looking for something that can run mid 12s at the track and still be a every day street car. Would gears, computer chip, and exhaust do this or even come close? Any recommended mods?
Thanks for the info.
Name is Marc, 21 years active duty Air Force and just got stationed at here at Hickam AFB, Honolulu Hawaii. I haven't owned a vette since 1992 and it was a 1974 Stingray with the 454.
I have always been a mustang guy, but I have come across a 1999 Vette, Ram Air, stick, black on black that is beautiful. The guy wanted $23,000 and I have him down to $21,000 right now. Problem is, I don't know anything about the vette platform. I am looking for something that can run mid 12s at the track and still be a every day street car. Would gears, computer chip, and exhaust do this or even come close? Any recommended mods?
Thanks for the info.
#2
11-12-2005, 09:05 AM
RE: New Guy...Need Advice On A 1999 Vette
Yeah, I put the post on your introduction earlier. Good luck.
#3
11-13-2005, 12:28 AM
RE: New Guy...Need Advice On A 1999 Vette
410 gears and some sticky rubber (I recommend Goodyear GSD3s - #1 in Car&Driver testing) will get you down into the 12s. Most cat-back exhaust systems will add a few HP, but a good intake is the key to adding 10+ RWHP.
Dave
Dave
#4
11-13-2005, 07:49 PM
RE: New Guy...Need Advice On A 1999 Vette
If 1/4 contests are your things BFG G-Force drag radials will outperform the Goodyears. REalize they won't be as crisp in cornering (although mine feel fine) but they definately have the striaght line traction.
4:10 gears are too high a ratio for my money. Picking gears is tricky. You end up with two problems I see with such a high ratio: a) your engine revs higher in every gear, in daily driving, about 20% higher revs on the street at any speed - you will notice that it IS buzzy, and b) top speeds in each gear are much lower, by 3.42/4.10 or 17+%, which among other things, means that top speed in 4th drops from 134 to about 111. A car in the mid 12s as you aspiure to is going to want to go more than 111 in the quarter (that's a reasonable trap speed for 12.8-13 seconds), so the 4.10 leaves you with a dilemma-right it on the rev limited the final second or so, or make a to 5th right at the end of the 1/4 (and 5th is a lousy gear for acceleration, too, even with 4.10s. .
I've always preferred to just add power, not gears. I fyou want to go gears, a 3.72, or Eclkers sells a weird ratio, 3.93, would be better if you want to go that route. I'm actually thinking of going down to a 3.23 from the stock 3.42 in my vette (since its nothing byut wheelspin in the first three gears it won't make any difference in the 1/4 but avoids my shifting to 5th at the end of the 1/4 (trap speed is about 135 now).
4:10 gears are too high a ratio for my money. Picking gears is tricky. You end up with two problems I see with such a high ratio: a) your engine revs higher in every gear, in daily driving, about 20% higher revs on the street at any speed - you will notice that it IS buzzy, and b) top speeds in each gear are much lower, by 3.42/4.10 or 17+%, which among other things, means that top speed in 4th drops from 134 to about 111. A car in the mid 12s as you aspiure to is going to want to go more than 111 in the quarter (that's a reasonable trap speed for 12.8-13 seconds), so the 4.10 leaves you with a dilemma-right it on the rev limited the final second or so, or make a to 5th right at the end of the 1/4 (and 5th is a lousy gear for acceleration, too, even with 4.10s. .
I've always preferred to just add power, not gears. I fyou want to go gears, a 3.72, or Eclkers sells a weird ratio, 3.93, would be better if you want to go that route. I'm actually thinking of going down to a 3.23 from the stock 3.42 in my vette (since its nothing byut wheelspin in the first three gears it won't make any difference in the 1/4 but avoids my shifting to 5th at the end of the 1/4 (trap speed is about 135 now).
#5
11-13-2005, 11:05 PM
RE: New Guy...Need Advice On A 1999 Vette
ORIGINAL: Lee Willis
If 1/4 contests are your things BFG G-Force drag radials will outperform the Goodyears. REalize they won't be as crisp in cornering (although mine feel fine) but they definately have the striaght line traction.
4:10 gears are too high a ratio for my money. Picking gears is tricky. You end up with two problems I see with such a high ratio: a) your engine revs higher in every gear, in daily driving, about 20% higher revs on the street at any speed - you will notice that it IS buzzy, and b) top speeds in each gear are much lower, by 3.42/4.10 or 17+%, which among other things, means that top speed in 4th drops from 134 to about 111. A car in the mid 12s as you aspiure to is going to want to go more than 111 in the quarter (that's a reasonable trap speed for 12.8-13 seconds), so the 4.10 leaves you with a dilemma-right it on the rev limited the final second or so, or make a to 5th right at the end of the 1/4 (and 5th is a lousy gear for acceleration, too, even with 4.10s. .
I've always preferred to just add power, not gears. I fyou want to go gears, a 3.72, or Eclkers sells a weird ratio, 3.93, would be better if you want to go that route. I'm actually thinking of going down to a 3.23 from the stock 3.42 in my vette (since its nothing byut wheelspin in the first three gears it won't make any difference in the 1/4 but avoids my shifting to 5th at the end of the 1/4 (trap speed is about 135 now).
If 1/4 contests are your things BFG G-Force drag radials will outperform the Goodyears. REalize they won't be as crisp in cornering (although mine feel fine) but they definately have the striaght line traction.
4:10 gears are too high a ratio for my money. Picking gears is tricky. You end up with two problems I see with such a high ratio: a) your engine revs higher in every gear, in daily driving, about 20% higher revs on the street at any speed - you will notice that it IS buzzy, and b) top speeds in each gear are much lower, by 3.42/4.10 or 17+%, which among other things, means that top speed in 4th drops from 134 to about 111. A car in the mid 12s as you aspiure to is going to want to go more than 111 in the quarter (that's a reasonable trap speed for 12.8-13 seconds), so the 4.10 leaves you with a dilemma-right it on the rev limited the final second or so, or make a to 5th right at the end of the 1/4 (and 5th is a lousy gear for acceleration, too, even with 4.10s. .
I've always preferred to just add power, not gears. I fyou want to go gears, a 3.72, or Eclkers sells a weird ratio, 3.93, would be better if you want to go that route. I'm actually thinking of going down to a 3.23 from the stock 3.42 in my vette (since its nothing byut wheelspin in the first three gears it won't make any difference in the 1/4 but avoids my shifting to 5th at the end of the 1/4 (trap speed is about 135 now).
By the way, keeping drag radials on for daily driving is asking for trouble. The Goodyear GSD3s provide traction on wet surfaces that is almost as good as many tires' dry traction. And Car & Driver measured .94gs on dry surfaces using these tires on a BMW 325i. That was just .01g below the best non-drag tire (dry surfaces only) - the BF Goodrich TA\KDs. These BF Goodrich tires performed horribly on wet surfaces (.69g).
#6
11-18-2005, 10:24 AM
RE: New Guy...Need Advice On A 1999 Vette
ORIGINAL: MarcInHawaii
Wow...can't believe I am on a corvette forum asking for help. Name is Marc, 21 years active duty Air Force and just got stationed at here at Hickam AFB, Honolulu Hawaii.
I haven't owned a vette since 1992 and it was a 1974 Stingray with the 454.
I have always been a mustang guy, but I have come across a 1999 Vette, Ram Air, stick, black on black that is beautiful. The guy wanted $23,000 and I have him down to $21,000 right now. Problem is, I don't know anything about the vette platform. I am looking for something that can run mid 12s at the track and still be a every day street car. Would gears, computer chip, and exhaust do this or even come close? Any recommended mods?
Thanks for the info.
Wow...can't believe I am on a corvette forum asking for help.
Name is Marc, 21 years active duty Air Force and just got stationed at here at Hickam AFB, Honolulu Hawaii. I haven't owned a vette since 1992 and it was a 1974 Stingray with the 454.
I have always been a mustang guy, but I have come across a 1999 Vette, Ram Air, stick, black on black that is beautiful. The guy wanted $23,000 and I have him down to $21,000 right now. Problem is, I don't know anything about the vette platform. I am looking for something that can run mid 12s at the track and still be a every day street car. Would gears, computer chip, and exhaust do this or even come close? Any recommended mods?
Thanks for the info.
Gald to see another blueblood on line. USAF retired currently a DAF civilian working at USTRANSCOM. As far as the mid 12's go and you're specific answers are, I think the answer is maybe. At stock you're getting 345 at the flywheel and with a M6 tranny you're losing about 6%, so that puts you down to around 324rwhp ... don't race but I don't think that will turn you mid 12's. The stock numbers for a 98/99 0-60 and qtr mile are 1998 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible 5.1 13.5 and 1999 Chevrolet Corvette Hardtop 4.8 13.3 (this may be a Z). Avg the two and you get 4.95 0-60 and an avg of 13.4 qtr. So you have to peel off a whole second ... that's hp and that equals money. Agree on gears and exhaust, but heads/cam and LT headers would go along way toward your goal. By the way, no chips in C5's. You'll have to find a shop that has LS1 edit, they can program your car the way it was meant to be after you get the mods on.
Tell Pele hi for me.
#7
11-20-2005, 12:07 AM
RE: New Guy...Need Advice On A 1999 Vette
Quote: The general consensus is that you would need more than 500 HP before 410s were too low
Well, I have a lot more Hp than that, so maybe I'm not seeing it. On the other hand , raising the rev limit to 6500 is only a stop gap. It gets you 5%, so you barely get by in the mid 12s, but you box yourself in there: go for more power and you have to pay for the HP adn to change the gears back. the Eckler 3.93 in a nice comprimose, and available in a heavy duty set up that will take lots of torque. If I was going to go to high gears, I'd choose that.
The vette engine has the potential to be very torquey, and I just feel that you really don't need a 4:10 to get max performance out of it. For the money the gears will cost, you can buy a lot of low end torque and HP.
Well, I have a lot more Hp than that, so maybe I'm not seeing it. On the other hand , raising the rev limit to 6500 is only a stop gap. It gets you 5%, so you barely get by in the mid 12s, but you box yourself in there: go for more power and you have to pay for the HP adn to change the gears back. the Eckler 3.93 in a nice comprimose, and available in a heavy duty set up that will take lots of torque. If I was going to go to high gears, I'd choose that.
The vette engine has the potential to be very torquey, and I just feel that you really don't need a 4:10 to get max performance out of it. For the money the gears will cost, you can buy a lot of low end torque and HP.
#8
11-20-2005, 12:12 AM
RE: New Guy...Need Advice On A 1999 Vette
Quote: At stock you're getting 345 at the flywheel and with a M6 tranny you're losing about 6%, so that puts you down to around 324rwhp ...
Stock 345 vettesd dyno at about 303-310 HP -- most M6 vettes run about 11% TOTAL loses - tranny, differential, and tire losses, and anything else. I've run quite a few engines through engine dynos and chassis dynos and I generally believe 11-12% loses total for flywheel to rear wheels, not 6%. 6% is the standard losses for a M6 alone - at 300 Hp its 15 Hp or about 12 kW which of course all goes to heat which accounts for about the right amount of temperature rise in the trans and the oil when running hard -- the reason you need a trans cooler if you run hard all the time, if you work the formulae, etc.
Stock 345 vettesd dyno at about 303-310 HP -- most M6 vettes run about 11% TOTAL loses - tranny, differential, and tire losses, and anything else. I've run quite a few engines through engine dynos and chassis dynos and I generally believe 11-12% loses total for flywheel to rear wheels, not 6%. 6% is the standard losses for a M6 alone - at 300 Hp its 15 Hp or about 12 kW which of course all goes to heat which accounts for about the right amount of temperature rise in the trans and the oil when running hard -- the reason you need a trans cooler if you run hard all the time, if you work the formulae, etc.
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