Whereto start with Mods?

[Gannet]

I agree that Corsa Pace Cars (Indys) are a no-downside mod that make the car a lot more fun. Have no fear on that one, Mark. It is a GM-approved accessory, available at GM dealers (don't buy there, I'm just sayin'), will not affect the warranty, and will make the car a lot more fun...except for those bird-watching trips. They are not so low-restriction as to throw the tune off, as my Bullets did. I don't know if you've ever looked at them, but Bullets have no mufflers at all, just some kinda-resonators. Essentially straight pipes with bumps. That's why they're loud, and why they're one of the few catbacks that actually shows a decent power gain.

If you can stand the drop in gas mileage and possible whine, gears are a great mod that don't affect *anything* else, and it's likely the dealer would never know.

Those two mods are what I would limit myself to if you're looking at Plan A, but they are also two I would highly recommend if you want more speed, noise, and fun. OTOH, a C6 has a lot of power just as it is.

It's funny how jaded we've become. When I was a kid, the cutoff for the "fast car" bracket at Milan Dragway was 12.70. Virtually every single car in that class was a full-on drag car, huge slicks, open headers, gutted interior, the works. Seriously Fast. Your car goes that fast right now, more than likely, and would get 25+ quiet mpg on the way to the track.

[SteveK]

Hey Mark,

Get together at a Corvette gathering and listen to different exhaust sounds. Not only from the outside, but sit inside the car as well. Find the sound you are looking for and go from there.

As far as other MODs. Everyone here has given you some very honest advice.
In my many years of selling computers I met with a lot of people that had a list from a friend of what they needed. It usually turned out to be the friends’ wish list and not what the customer really needed. A lot of folks will have you do things to your car that they wish they could do. Don't build someone else’s dream car at your expense. Do some serious searching for what YOU want and go from there. Keep the factory warranty in mind as well. You never know what may come up and you don't want to jeopardize that too much.

MAKE IT YOUR RIDE!

[CHASZ51]

I'm looking for a used Exhaust for my C6. I had the Corsa touring on my 04 z51, it was like stock until ya got on it! I want something louder, but not TOOO loud, and no drone.

Dont know what would be best?

[Rich427]

Chas,

One of the reasons I did not go with the Corsa Touring was because it only sounded slightly louder than my stock exhaust. Now if I was putting headers on then I think the Touring might be what is right for me. But since I elected to not go with headers I wanted something a little more agrressive but was still liveable at cruising speeds. That is why I went with the Corsa Indy's. I will be in Ft. Myers this weekend just for a short stay. If you are going to be in that area anytime between Saturday and Monday evening, I would be more than glad to let you take a look at my setup on my C5.

Just let me know.

Rich

[chris308]

If i had a bought a new car with a warranty on it, i would probably just stick to mods that will help it breath better... a good air intake, and catback. Maybe some other bolt-ons ...then once the warranty is up or close to it go ALL out!!!

[THOR]

Ok I think I am starting to see some possibilities here. I will definitely listen to some different exhaust systems. The Corsa sounds really good from a warranty perspective since they are GM approved accoring to Gannet. How do I look up what gear ratios I have? THis is somewhay out of my league and I'm not sure what to look for or what these ratios mean. I definitely need an education about this area. Are there any GEAR BOOKS FOR DUMMIES out there or is ithis pretty basic stuff? Thanks again Guys for your time and advice. Mark

[THOR]

I was just looking at the Corsa product line. There seems to be 3 options- Z06, Sport, or Touring all of which could be added to a X-tube. If I skip the headers and just wanted a beefier sound without pissing my wife off because she can't hear conversations at cruising, which one can I get away with. Also I am interested in this gear ratio stuff. Also, does the X-tube really do anything or is it hype ware? Mark

[Gannet]

Check your option list on your window sticker. See what it says about "axle". Usually it says what the ratio is, even if you have the base axle. Also, what trans do you have?

The Corsas are known for not droning. They are about the only ones that you can pretty much guarantee won't drone. Some others may not. The Touring is not worth bothering with as it is almost like stock. The Z06 only fits Z06 cars, I believe, as they have considerably different exhaust systems on C6s. Gotta love those cutouts! So that leaves the Sport. I guess they don't call it the Pace Car or Indy because it hasn't been used on an Indy Pace Car yet, whereas the C5 versions were. It's probably the same thing, the "loud" exhaust. It should suit you just fine. It should be nearly as quiet as stock when cruising, but quite a bit louder at WOT.

At the end of the day, though, only you can decide about a catback, and probably only after you live with it for a while. There are plenty of guys that have gone through 3 or 4 of them. Thankfully, they are easy to sell on the used market for most of what you paid.

For gearing, what I would do is buy an entire replacement differential from Dynotech Engineering. I mentioned before keeping your stocker, but that was before I saw the C6 core charge. Ouch! Anyway, check this page. I see he has listings for 2005, and 2006-Mr. That leads me to believe there is something "funny" about the C6A6 diff. If so, and if that's what you have, you might be out of luck.

[THOR]

Dave,I have a A6 with Paddles and F55 SUSPENSION. I did not see anything about what axle the vert came with on the window sticker or all my other papers. Is there another way to find out? Thanks for the advice on Dynetech. Also, Is the long tube or X tube part of the system or added as needed?

[CHASZ51]

My 06 A6 has the 2:56 rear gear i think, i always drive it in sport mode.