Best car to mod?

[bananapeel42]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
^^ Well, this post is a lot more sane, thanks.

Yes, I bet that 8 second Vette buildup was $$$. But the facts are these :

You can run 13s with a stock C5 on stock runflats.

You can run 12s with a stock C5 Z06 on stock runflats.

You can run 12s with a stock C5 on slicks

You can run 11s with a stock C5 Z06 on slicks.

Add some minor bolt-ons, tuning, and 10s are easily in reach on C5s.

Add some boost + good tires + driver mod, and you're talking 9s.

Vettes are a GREAT platform to make serious power on. They're wide, stable, and hungry for more power.

'03/'04 Cobras are fantastic, and probably a better bargain $ for $, but I don't think they're quite as well rounded a performance package as Vettes. I think with the Terminators you can end up with amazing drag cars pretty easy, but from what I can tell, to get really quick, you have to drop the IRS, and end up with a car that's not as set for circuits and twisties to the same level.

There are gobs of sub-10 Vettes out there, from old ones to C6's. There are also plenty of 1000+HP Vettes. AFAIK, only the Viper has a higher HP ceiling with multiple notable examples in the 1400+HP range. That's why I said that Vettes have a higher power ceiling, the simple wealth of mods out there for the 5.7s and 6.0s is nutty, far beyond what's out there for the 4.6. Only the 5.0 for the Ford has the sizable aftermarket support that can be called comparable.

Do you own a corvette? Not knocking you at all, a C6 will definitely be my next car. But man you sound like you do.

A C5 Z06 with minor bolt on's in the 10s? That car makes ~335 ( C6 LS3's make 365 ) to the tire, it would need major bolt ons to hit 10's. intake / full exhaust aren't going to get it there.

To run 10's in most LS1-2 cars you are going to need a intake, cam, full exhaust, slicks, and even then it's a stretch with nitrous.

You must be pulling the highest possible numbers, I watched C6's with the LS3 with full exhaust, intake, and tune run mid low 11's at Ennis in Texas which is a pretty good strip.


I believe the consensus the C5 Z's are roughly equivalent if not slighly lesser than a LS3 vette.

 

[Arkaign]

^^ I suggest you look here : http://forums.corvetteforum.co...owthread.php?t=1549325 <-- C5 Z06 fast list (sorted by bone stock, bolt-ons, etc), and here : http://forums.corvetteforum.co...owthread.php?t=2019853

I don't have a Vette ATM, never have, though many family and friends have at different times. I had a helluva time in a '96 GS C4, but that's a story for another day.

Not sure why that C6 would be that slow, though TBH, dragging Vettes and Vipers is not an easy task.

I will concede that 10s isn't quite as easy as I made it sound, but the fact remains that Vettes are pretty wicked for putting serious drag times down, yet still being highly trackable cars.

EDIT : Ennis is the strip I visit most often! Cool

 

[bananapeel42]

Only two of them on the list in the 10's.

1--10.223 @ 133.59--1.451 --robz ---------'03 04/08 -----H/C, ET ST, Gears, Post 283, Slip
2--10.672 @ 126.17--1.449--J Rod---------'02 xx/xx -----H/C G5X3, ET St, 4.103--11.331 @ 120.33--1.642--pit-man-------'03 02/07 -----H/C/I, LT, ET ST Slip
4--11.399 @ 121.37--1.59x--427CPE-------'02 11/07-----H/C, ET ST Radial, LT, CAI, Post 235, Slip -Video
5--11.41x @ 120.43--1.61x--NightmareZ06-'02 09/07 -----Cam, LT, CAI, BFG Info
6--11.584 @ 122.86--1.727--02Thief -------'01 11/06------ET RDs, LT, Cam, 3.90s, Post 3 Slip
7--11.586 @ 119.84--1.592--n751961-------'04 05/08------LT, VR, Gears, Cam, Post 284
8--11.601 @ 123.62--1.92x--ZZoomM06-----'03 11/07-----H/C/I, VR, Post 219 Slip
9--11.632 @ 123.98--1.802--svt2z06-------'02 09/07------H/C, LT, CAI, BFG Slip
10-11.672 @ 120.11--1.696--Sigforty-------'01 10/06------H/C, LT, 3.90s, CAI, Post 19

That's cool you go to Ennis, I'm afraid to take my Cobra out as I don't want to break it. I probably will sometime before it gets too rainy this year.

 

[melchoir]

Originally posted by: bananapeel42

Originally posted by: Arkaign
^^ Well, this post is a lot more sane, thanks.

Yes, I bet that 8 second Vette buildup was $$$. But the facts are these :

You can run 13s with a stock C5 on stock runflats.

You can run 12s with a stock C5 Z06 on stock runflats.

You can run 12s with a stock C5 on slicks

You can run 11s with a stock C5 Z06 on slicks.

Add some minor bolt-ons, tuning, and 10s are easily in reach on C5s.

Add some boost + good tires + driver mod, and you're talking 9s.

Vettes are a GREAT platform to make serious power on. They're wide, stable, and hungry for more power.

'03/'04 Cobras are fantastic, and probably a better bargain $ for $, but I don't think they're quite as well rounded a performance package as Vettes. I think with the Terminators you can end up with amazing drag cars pretty easy, but from what I can tell, to get really quick, you have to drop the IRS, and end up with a car that's not as set for circuits and twisties to the same level.

There are gobs of sub-10 Vettes out there, from old ones to C6's. There are also plenty of 1000+HP Vettes. AFAIK, only the Viper has a higher HP ceiling with multiple notable examples in the 1400+HP range. That's why I said that Vettes have a higher power ceiling, the simple wealth of mods out there for the 5.7s and 6.0s is nutty, far beyond what's out there for the 4.6. Only the 5.0 for the Ford has the sizable aftermarket support that can be called comparable.

Do you own a corvette? Not knocking you at all, a C6 will definitely be my next car. But man you sound like you do.

A C5 Z06 with minor bolt on's in the 10s? That car makes ~335 ( C6 LS3's make 365 ) to the tire, it would need major bolt ons to hit 10's. intake / full exhaust aren't going to get it there.

To run 10's in most LS1-2 cars you are going to need a intake, cam, full exhaust, slicks, and even then it's a stretch with nitrous.

You must be pulling the highest possible numbers, I watched C6's with the LS3 with full exhaust, intake, and tune run mid low 11's at Ennis in Texas which is a pretty good strip.


I believe the consensus the C5 Z's are roughly equivalent if not slighly lesser than a LS3 vette.

Stock LS6 C5 z06s can lay down 350-360rwhp in stock/near stock (veraram) form.

A local friend of mine recently sold his cam only z06 (no head work).

"I just recently installed the new cam a few weeks ago. Decided I would go ahead and get it tuned before it goes back to the body shop. It previously put down 370/361 with a vararam and full exhaust. I since added a MS4 cam kit and a crank pulley while I had it all apart. Well to say the least, I am VERY happy with the car now. The ending #'s are 436RWHP and 386RWTQ."

Cam, Tune, Full exhaust: His Actual Car

This is not far from the norm with Cam only LSx cars. This car also ran 11.41 @ 121mph.

As for the LS3, well here's a quick sheet: 467rwhp/432rwtq without touching the intake or heads. Longtubes, CAI, Mild Cam, Underdrive Pulley: Dyno Graph

LS3 Vette: Modlist = Kooks 1 7/8th Longtube headers, 3" Off-Road X-Pipe, B&B Bullet Cat-Back, Powerbond Crank Pulley, and our custom Cam Package Kit. 491rwhp 437rwtq

08 LS3 M6 C6
Modifications Include: American Racing Longtubes/X pipe, PowerDyne UnderDrive Pulley
,Vengeance Racing VR6X-3 Camshaft, Comp 921s/Hardened Pushrods,STOCK UNTOUCHED HEADS, STOCK CATBACK, STOCK CLUTCH, STOCK WATERPUMP. 477rwhp, 437rwtq

I can go on and on, but with mild mods, the LS3 takes off like you wouldn't believe. Cobras can dyno amazing numbers as well with few mods, but they're also much heavier cars.

 

[bananapeel42]

I know, I want an LS3!! I love my cobra though. Who knows what I'll end up doing. I just think I'd end up plunking down all my cash on the vette itself and be strapped for putting more cash into mods.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: bananapeel42
I know, I want an LS3!! I love my cobra though. Who knows what I'll end up doing. I just think I'd end up plunking down all my cash on the vette itself and be strapped for putting more cash into mods.

Well, the cool thing about that is that any C6 will be balls fast stock, and you can practice your driver mod (60' times, heh) until you save the $$ for the mods.

 

[alkemyst]

the problem is too many people think because a car is in the 11-12's it should be easy to hit 8-9's with boost.

There are a ton of variables.

One of the biggest reasons many can't really say they have such a car is on a run of more than 10 secs most tracks will require cages and other invasive modifications to be able to run again.

This is an easy way to discredit someone making claims you know are not true.

With traction the 240SX at about 400RWHP from an LSx/T56 is 500lbs less than a corvette and still in the 11's

 

[Cobalt]

Originally posted by: BW86
e46 m3

Love the E46 M3 but cheap and easy to mod car it is definitely not. If you want lots of power gains from that engine you need to get it built to race spec or go FI and both are big big bucks. I would suggest an Audi A4 1.8T

 

[melchoir]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
the problem is too many people think because a car is in the 11-12's it should be easy to hit 8-9's with boost.

There are a ton of variables.

One of the biggest reasons many can't really say they have such a car is on a run of more than 10 secs most tracks will require cages and other invasive modifications to be able to run again.

This is an easy way to discredit someone making claims you know are not true.

With traction the 240SX at about 400RWHP from an LSx/T56 is 500lbs less than a corvette and still in the 11's

I've never claimed anything that wasn't true. But, to be completely fair, a lot of tracks are lenient and let cars run their 10.x slips, and just give out warnings. Also, people that only run their fast "Street cars" a few times a year, do it mostly at prepaid track rental events, where you're almost guaranteed slight leniency. I have a another local friend with a 6.4L LS2 based 98 Trans Am here that he uses as a street car. It's full weight, full interior, no cage, and has been 10.7s.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I'd say maybe a Grand National, but you may not want something that olde.

 

[Hyperlite]

WRX?

www.cobbtuning.com

 

[zerocool84]

Originally posted by: nkgreen
Old VW Beetle. A short RR car with lot of power = fun with wheelies.

I popped a wheelie or two on my modded bug

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: iAtticus
Edit: Nothing over $25, preferablly around $20.

$25 will buy you a nice Hot Wheels Corvette, and leave enough money for a new paint job.

 

[cheesehead]

Why is everyone here so obsessed with drag racing?
Unless you can be bothered to go to a drag strip on a regular basis, there's no point in being able to do 0-100 at all. Sure, you can get tremendous power out of a Mustang pretty easily, but god forbid you try to take a tricky corner in one.

Much more fun can be had on a daily basis with a car that handles properly - say, a WRX, a Corvette, or if you want something a little wierd, a Fiero. (Mid-enginedness helps.) All you need is a twisty back road to appreciate your car, and you can always take it autocrossing.

 

[Atty]

As much as I'd love to buy a Vette for that money, you know what my insurance company would do? Can't afford that....

 

[EightySix Four]

Originally posted by: iAtticus
As much as I'd love to buy a Vette for that money, you know what my insurance company would do? Can't afford that....

Call and ask, it's not as bad as you'd think. I had one when I was 17 and they even used lube!

 

[cheesehead]

Originally posted by: iAtticus
As much as I'd love to buy a Vette for that money, you know what my insurance company would do? Can't afford that....

So get a Fiero.

If you're willing to make some compromises in the suspension (rock hard), reinforce the chassis a bit, and have someone shove a LS2 in the engine bay, it will be every bit as fast as a Corvette. Because the Fiero has the engine in the middle of the car, it has very good weight distribution, which combined with the very light weight can give remarkable cornering ability. There's a reason why heavily-modified Fieros are the car of choice for autocrossing - where cornering is everything.
However, because the car is fundamentally worthless and, as stock, is about as fast as a pram, you shouldn't expect to pay too much for insurance.

You will, of course, be buying a very old car in which nothing works properly and the stock engine has a pretty good chance of lighting you on fire. There's a pretty good chance, too, that you'll have to forego such conveniences as air conditioning because it adds too much weight or simply won't fit in the engine compartment. But once you're done with it, this car really does have the potential to destroy an M3 around a track - making it perhaps the most upgradeable car of all time.

EDIT:
If you want a cheap option for an engine swap on a Fiero, look at the old Northstar V8. Essentially a smaller stripped-down version of the Lotus-designed LT5, these engines produce 300 horsepower out of the box and apparently fit quite well. And because these engines were used in many mid- to late-90s GM cars, you can get them very, very cheaply.

 

[ponyo]

Originally posted by: crazySOB297

Originally posted by: iAtticus
As much as I'd love to buy a Vette for that money, you know what my insurance company would do? Can't afford that....

Call and ask, it's not as bad as you'd think. I had one when I was 17 and they even used lube!

Vette is pretty cheap car to insure. Older drivers with low accidents bring down the rate for everyone. I'm 33 and pay around $700 a year for my '07 C6 through State Farm. I've fairly high deductible at $1k and the car is listed as a pleasure vehicle driven less than 7.5k miles a year. Call your agent and ask. You might be pleasantly surprised how cheap it is to insure.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Originally posted by: Naustica

Originally posted by: crazySOB297

Originally posted by: iAtticus
As much as I'd love to buy a Vette for that money, you know what my insurance company would do? Can't afford that....

Call and ask, it's not as bad as you'd think. I had one when I was 17 and they even used lube!

Vette is pretty cheap car to insure. Older drivers with low accidents bring down the rate for everyone. I'm 33 and pay around $700 a year for my '07 C6 through State Farm. I've fairly high deductible at $1k and the car is listed as a pleasure vehicle driven less than 7.5k miles a year. Call your agent and ask. You might be pleasantly surprised how cheap it is to insure.

any idea how much it'd cost you to use it as a daily driver?

 

[Atty]

Yeah, well, I'm young, insurance company's hate me.

19 year old + 400+ HP car, stock, = insurance rape.

Still, I'll call and find out.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: iAtticus
Yeah, well, I'm young, insurance company's hate me.

19 year old + 400+ HP car, stock, = insurance rape.

Still, I'll call and find out.

For a corvette you'd be raped...for a mustang maybe not so much.

The biggest thing though since you are just getting into it is to know when changing cars may be better than sticking with one.

Also never bank on getting any mod money back...you are lucky to break even most of the time. On specialized cars they can increase value, but usually never at even 75% of what it cost.

After 26 and /or being married a males rates go down...until then you get raped almost across the board on anything that gets wrecked alot.

 

[bananapeel42]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: iAtticus
Yeah, well, I'm young, insurance company's hate me.

19 year old + 400+ HP car, stock, = insurance rape.

Still, I'll call and find out.

For a corvette you'd be raped...for a mustang maybe not so much.

The biggest thing though since you are just getting into it is to know when changing cars may be better than sticking with one.

Also never bank on getting any mod money back...you are lucky to break even most of the time. On specialized cars they can increase value, but usually never at even 75% of what it cost.

After 26 and /or being married a males rates go down...until then you get raped almost across the board on anything that gets wrecked alot.

Not true at all with the Corvette, a 2005 C6 insurance rates came out to about 18% less than my Cobra when I was crossing shopping the two. The only problem at the time was the C6 was 9000 more to purchase, lol.

I currently pay 151 for full coverage on my Cobra as a daily driver. The deductible is 500/ 500 and I have much higher than the state minimum coverages for damages to property / health as I personally saw someone with state minimums get screwed bad.

I'm going on 24 and married with 1 ticket and 1 at fault accident in the past 3 years

 

[Arkaign]

Yeah, I'll also say that I was shocked at how low Corvette insurance is. Don't ask me why, but it's just surprisingly low.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: bananapeel42

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: iAtticus
Yeah, well, I'm young, insurance company's hate me.

19 year old + 400+ HP car, stock, = insurance rape.

Still, I'll call and find out.

For a corvette you'd be raped...for a mustang maybe not so much.

The biggest thing though since you are just getting into it is to know when changing cars may be better than sticking with one.

Also never bank on getting any mod money back...you are lucky to break even most of the time. On specialized cars they can increase value, but usually never at even 75% of what it cost.

After 26 and /or being married a males rates go down...until then you get raped almost across the board on anything that gets wrecked alot.

Not true at all with the Corvette, a 2005 C6 insurance rates came out to about 18% less than my Cobra when I was crossing shopping the two. The only problem at the time was the C6 was 9000 more to purchase, lol.

I currently pay 151 for full coverage on my Cobra as a daily driver. The deductible is 500/ 500 and I have much higher than the state minimum coverages for damages to property / health as I personally saw someone with state minimums get screwed bad.

I'm going on 24 and married with 1 ticket and 1 at fault accident in the past 3 years

Depends a lot on market and once your are married things change drastically.

You have a 2003/2004 Cobra though right? Those are more than likely a premium over other mustangs.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: bananapeel42

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: iAtticus
Yeah, well, I'm young, insurance company's hate me.

19 year old + 400+ HP car, stock, = insurance rape.

Still, I'll call and find out.

For a corvette you'd be raped...for a mustang maybe not so much.

The biggest thing though since you are just getting into it is to know when changing cars may be better than sticking with one.

Also never bank on getting any mod money back...you are lucky to break even most of the time. On specialized cars they can increase value, but usually never at even 75% of what it cost.

After 26 and /or being married a males rates go down...until then you get raped almost across the board on anything that gets wrecked alot.

Not true at all with the Corvette, a 2005 C6 insurance rates came out to about 18% less than my Cobra when I was crossing shopping the two. The only problem at the time was the C6 was 9000 more to purchase, lol.

I currently pay 151 for full coverage on my Cobra as a daily driver. The deductible is 500/ 500 and I have much higher than the state minimum coverages for damages to property / health as I personally saw someone with state minimums get screwed bad.

I'm going on 24 and married with 1 ticket and 1 at fault accident in the past 3 years

Depends a lot on market and once your are married things change drastically.

You have a 2003/2004 Cobra though right? Those are more than likely a premium over other mustangs.

True, I'd imagine that a '03/'04 Cobra has a significant premium over a Mustang GT, which in turn would have a notable premium over the V6 Mustang.

Just like ZR-1 >>>> Z06 >>> Base