The
History Of My Mods
This page
is dedicated to my Modifications and how I feel they made my car Perform
and /or Handle.
This is based on my personal
opinion and what I feel the need to report.
My
Cars Background:
Here's
the story on the Mods to my 1996 Z28 M6 !
TIRES:
The first mod I really
made to My Z was the Tires. I bought it with the shit bag AS-R's.
What a crap tire. I upgraded to the GoodYear GS-C's as soon as I burned
those useless tires up. The GS-C's were good, about $185 a tire plus extras
( I know People ) They were really cool looking tires... Took a really
radical stance, performed well but didn't last more than 20K miles. Wet
performance was about 85-90%. Then I went to the Firestone SZ 50's. WOW
what a tire. These bad boys were only $160. a tire and the traction I got
from them was INCREDIBLE ! Wet or Dry these babies performed,
100% ! They don't look as radical as the GS-C's or as wide but they make
the GS-C's sink into the mud as far as performance !!!!!!
EXHAUST:
Now onto the BORLA
3" Cat Back Exhaust .. GREAT Mod ! Made the car feel more Ballsy, it breaths
much better and sounds like a freight train coming through the station.
Its a pricey mod but WELL worth the bucks. It turns
your cat into a mountain lion. Money well spent ! Should be one of your
first mods ! Anybody can install this mod ! ( Install Time 2 1/2 Hours
) HEAR
MY CAR
BREATHING:
Bypassing the !TB ( Throttle
Body ) coolant line is basically a FREE mod and pretty simple to do. It
cost me $4.00 and a half hour of my time. Its supposed to give somewhere
around 4-6 HP by lowering the tempiture of the air flowing through the
Throttle Body making the air less condense thus adding HP. I really didn't
feel anything after the bypass but I figure what the heck. Its free and
4 more ponies just got added on to the mix. Doing that every couple of
weeks would build a pretty bad machine in no time !( Install time 30
minutes )
HANDLING:
Sway Bars ! Don't
ever forget your handling package. You could have the fastest car in the
world, but if you can't hook or take the corners in a fast manner you really
have nothing. Most people forget about the handling of the car. DON'T !
The more HP you have the more you need Handling for that HP !
I have added a 21 mm sway bar to the rear
and a 32 mm sway bar to the front complimented by ENERGY poly bushings
and end links to boost the week stock crap. It is a worth while mod and
not that expensive. You can do the whole thing for under $250.00 and self
install in less then 2 hours with basic hand tools. It makes an incredible
difference in handling ! No special tools required !
BREATHING:
Remove your MAF Screen.
It takes 10 minutes but improves your air flow plus pedal response. Plus
its FREE !
STOPPING:
Add High Performance Brake
pads ! Nothing like going 108 mph in the 1/4 mile and stopping on a
dime ! No use in making your car fly if you can't stop it. Brake pads will
run in the $100.00 mark.. Well worth it ! Don't go cheap on this mod !
MORE HANDLING:
Sub-Frame Connectors
are a good bet. They tighten up your whole car, especially if you have
a car with T-Tops or convertible. They will tighten up your ride hands
down and are WELL worth the bucks spent ! They will run you around $160-$200
plus install, but will make your car feel so much stiffer. If you know
someone with a mig welder you'll be that much better off. Just be VERY
careful of the fuel line on the drivers side. It melts very EASY! Take
it from me, be CAREFUL !
SHOCKS and STRUTS:
SHOCKS:
I went with the BILSTEIN racing shocks and Struts. I had 63K miles on my
ride and the stock stuff was spent. BILSTEIN with the GM Valving cost me
$170 plus $180 install plus $60 for alignment. Made a WORLD of difference.
I can corner 90' turns at 50 mph without any tire noise (Not a peep).
POSITIVE SHIFTING:
I installed the HURST Billet Pro/Comp
Plus shifter. It made a WORLD of a difference in my shifts. No more missing
2nd to 3rd shifts against those stangs. Its solid, its positive and its
stiff ! Short throws is the name of the game and with this shifter I have
it!
MORE HANDLING:
TOWER BRACE: I Installed the Hochkis 2
point tower brace. Pretty easy mod ( about 30 min ) with a great deal of
stiffness added to the front end. I would recommend this as a Must
Do Mod. It really gave me a good positive steering feel and was
worth the $159 bucks spent hands down.
BREATHING:
K&N Cold Air Induction: The Cold
air induction system was by far one of the BEST Mods I have made to date.
For the money it gave me the best SOTP ( Seat of the Pants ) feel then
any other mod made (so far). It helps your car breath and with the LT1
that is the most important thing you can do. Make it have MORE air! Its
an easy mod that you can do with basic hand tools in about 60-90 min but
it is a GREAT feeling when you get on the pedal for the first time and
feel what the $180 bucks you just spent feels like ! ( I HIGHLY
recommend this Mod ) !
PRIVACY:
I know state laws differ from state to
state but if you can, tint your windows as dark as you can. Its a great
feeling driving down the highway knowing that you can act yourself without
knowing your neighbor is looking upon your every move. My windows are tinted
with 5% ( Limo Tint ). During the day you can see in if the light is hitting
in the right direction ( Barely ) but most of the time I could do anything
with out being detected. Plus it makes my Black Z28 look like one Big Black
cat. $130 well spent ! ( I would NEVER have a car again without tinted
windows )
FOOT GRIP:
You might think this is a silly mod but replacing
your stock pedals with high performance High Grip pedals, but it makes
your car that much better in the long run. When you have these high grip
pedals, your feet don't slip off no matter what the conditions ( Wet, Dry,
Hot, Humid, Cold, Frozen etc. ). You can control your foot movement whatever
the weather conditions. You can do this mod for about $20.00. EVERYBODY
has 20 Bucks ! Think about it !
CLUTCH:
Well after 63K miles my poor little old
stock clutch was having a hard time staying up with the revs. So it was
time to search out a better combination for the up and coming mods. I went
with the McLeod Kevlar racing clutch. A moderately priced clutch and pressure
plate but VERY effective. The day I dropped my car off at the shop to have
it installed I beat the piss out of the old one just to see the difference
when I got the new one. Well let me tell you, it was a costly mod to say
the least ( about $650.00 ) after all was said and done BUT I'm happy I
did it and the car now grabs like mad and all the HP is being transferred
to the wheels as intended. I'm very happy with this clutch !
Phase One Mods
My
Modifications Table
|
Modification
|
Manufacture
|
Date Installed
|
Install Time
|
Price
|
Labor Charge
|
Bang For Buck
|
| 3" Cat Back Exhaust |
BORLA |
4/22/98 |
2 1/2 Hours |
$569.00 |
Self Installed |
10
|
| Firehawk SZ50's |
Firestone |
5/1/98 |
1 1/2 Hours |
$672.00 |
Included |
10
|
| 5% Limo Tint |
Formula One |
12/95 |
2 Hours |
$160.00 |
Included |
10
|
| Cold Air Induction |
K&N FIPK |
5/12/98 |
1 Hour |
$205.00 |
Self Installed |
10 +
|
| Tail Light Black Outs |
GSO |
5/20/98 |
30 Seconds |
$41.00 |
Self Installed |
N/A
|
| 21mm Rear Sway Bar |
Genuine GM |
5/25/98 |
1 Hour |
$68.00 |
Self Installed |
10
|
| 32mm Front Sway |
Genuine GM |
9/2/98 |
1 Hour |
$99.00 |
Self Installed |
10
|
| Polyurethane Bushings |
ENERGY |
With Sway Bars |
Included w/sway Bars |
$52.00 |
Self Installed |
10
|
| Removed MAF |
N/A
|
6/1/98 |
10 Minutes |
FREE |
Self Installed |
9
|
| Racing Pedal Covers |
ARS |
5/12/98 |
5 Minutes |
$20.00 |
Self Installed |
5
|
| H/P Brake Pads |
Vette Brakes |
5/1/98 |
1 Hour |
$120.00 |
$40.00 |
8
|
| Synthetic Oil |
MOBILE 1 |
8/23/98 |
30 Minutes |
$40.00 |
Included |
10
|
| 2 Point Tower Brace |
HOTCHIKS |
5/25/98 |
30 Minutes |
$157.00 |
Self Installed |
10
|
| Sub-Frame Connec. |
IRS Terminator |
5/25/98 |
2 1/2 Hours |
$160.00 |
Self Installed w/help |
10
|
| Billet Plus Pro/Shifter |
HURST |
8/1/98 |
90 Minutes |
$158.00 |
Self Installed |
10
|
| Racing Shocks/Struts |
BILSTEIN |
8/10/98 |
4 1/2 Hours |
$170.00 |
$180.00 + $60.00 |
10 + +
|
| Kevlar Racing Clutch |
McLeod |
8/15/98 |
5 Hours |
$335.00 |
$250.00 + $40.00 |
10
|
| TB Bypass |
N/A
|
8/20/98 |
25 Minutes |
$4.00 |
Self Installed |
10
|
| Water Wetter |
REDLINE |
12/21/98 |
10 Seconds |
$10.00 |
Self Installed |
10
|
|
|
TOTALS
|
25 1/4 Hours
|
$3040.00
|
$570.00
|
|