Question: Performance upgrades - bolt on, minor stuff

[Argulace]

I have been thinking of doing some stuff to this vette I just bought. It's a 95 LT1 Coupe. I'll list the mods I'm thinking of, I'm looking for a little feedback from people who have done it or know someone who has. Just trying to get a little more umph out of the ole girl.

1. Cold Air Intake (Which one?) I want to do this but I don't want water in my engine when it's raining and I will drive this car through the winter.

2. Exhaust (High flow cat's and ???) Which is the best?

3. Injectors? Someone mentioned to me that there is a company producing injectors that are both better power/distro and better economy. Anyone know about this?

4. Throttle body air flow booster (Enlarged throttle body air intake insert). There are a few of these out there, anyone have any luck with them?

5. Throttle body (aftermarket) ? I have no idea which direction to look on this.

6. Chip (I would rather stay away from stuff I need to program if possible.)

And any other idea's for bolt on power/torque would be great!

Thanks!

 

[Toms007]

Well, when I had my 94 I was thinking just like you.

CAI= I just did the cut factory lid and a high flow air filter (K&N is what I went with)
Exhaust= the stock exhaust actually flows pretty well, but I wanted a little more sound, and the drone from most aftermarket systems was not an option. So I went with Corsa. Pricey, but great sound
Injectors=FIC I'll have to look up the info on them.
TB= no clue
Chip= I think there were some available, but reprogramming through dyno tuning is probably a better option
other= some people put roller rockers from the LT4 on for a little more breathing capacity.

 

[Hib Halverson]

CAI's for LT1s...the factory air filter assembly was designed to feed the LT5, so a stock or near stock LT1 only needs an open element lid and a Green Filter. You could spend a lot more on an SLP or a Callaway Honker, but there's little more to be gained.

The little insert in the TB might get you a very small increase in airflow if at all.

An LT1 does not need a bigger throttle body. In fact, installing one may decrease low end torque.

95 LT1s do not have "chips". The engine controls calibration is in a nonremovable flash prom inside the ECM. It is possible a good aftermarket calibration might gain you a small improvement in performance and drivability.

Going to "larger" injectors will not make a significant increase in power on a stock or near stock LT5. If you have some bad injectors (ie: they leak or are restricted) aftermarket injectors might be beneficial but don't go up in flow rating. Stick to the stock injector capacity.

Aftermarket exhaust may gain you 5-7-hp. A lot of people like Corsa. They look nice and are very durable because of the stainless construction. Also, the Corsa design minimizes the 1700 rpm "drone" which is a chronic C4 problem. That said, I prefer Flowmaster and I have a Flowmaster exhaust on my 95. The performance gain is about the same but the cost is less and I prefer the Flowmaster sound over the Corsa.

To make any significant gains in performance from an LT1, you need to start looking at headers, camshaft and cylinder head mods.

 

[WhalePirot]

First, and not LT1 specific, but I'd suggest finding a great tuner, capable of the chip work, early on. This is especially true if your Vette has to pass CA smog. Passing it and a more aggressive cam profile are opposite ends of the engine spectrum, but that engine has been around long enough for answers to your questions are around.

The engine is a system and mods must be approached in that light. That is not to say that the goals of Chevy engineering do not allow for more power; as they must allow for the average driver., as none of us are.

Second, a strong recommendation to find ONE good, honest performance tuner and listen to him alone. There are practices that do not mix well, if taken from different schools of tuning. I was fortunate to find one shop thus, and he saved me countless dollars while making my car a "beast" (his words).

Many of the mods, as indicated here, are a waste of money for what is actually realized. Note the typical words in the ads, "up to XXXHP gained", which can be negative.

Thirdly, when you pick headers, get ceramic coated.