This is why you go to Race Proven Motorsports

This guy is too honest lol

Moral of the story is don’t send your car to a slapdick garage. Do your research people,

How refreshing to hear a voice of reason . Lets face it, unless you run this kind of horsepower on a track or the Autobahn{ I've done both} it's a waste of money. Even a straight c6 will do for most people.

I’m a C6 z06 modified, I’m totally agree with you, that’s a BEAST

True. Moddes a 2009c6 base. 800 to wheels w superrcharger, cam, intake, headers, ...fast as ###. BUT... hot...rough...smelly...etc...sold it. Stock 2009 z06. All stock. Not even a tune. I love it.

I have a 2008 zo6 , and lots of mods and 150 shot , bought the car , the owner before me had manual switched to auto , everything done top notch looks factory , all work was done by RPM of Garner , N C , stage 5 rpm trans , black on black , love it , you have some awesome cars love watching great content !

Thanks for being honest, most KZfaqrs never admit things like this.

Reaffirms my views of upgrading camshafts & one should tread with extreme caution before going down that route. Generally one sacrifices drivability over minimal gains in hp, which is not worth it unless usage is primarily for track events. In most cases, head work, including an exhaust upgrade with the factory camshaft followed by proper tuning is all that is required. Would strongly recommend that you refit the factory camshaft. It would make an interesting video on the notable differences experienced on the drivability issues & I’m sure you will enjoy driving the C6 a great deal more. With the C6 Z06, one can achieve close to 600hp without a camshaft change & that is more than enough. With so much torque from the massive 7L engine, there is no need for more. It is already a handful in stock form on the road in dry conditions & would be downright dangerous to drive in the wet, especially on the track. I remember a well known professional US race car driver that test drove a stock factory C6 Z06 on race circuit many years ago & strongly recommended to NEVER EVER turn the traction control off. The only worthwhile mod for a street only car, would be a short shift kit to eliminate that hideous long throw in gear changes that feels like your a are driving a truck instead of a Z06. For track events, a brake upgrade, the achilles heal & main complaint of Z06 owners, followed by cooling system & suspension upgrades. The last thing on the list should be any performance upgrades & sadly, this is where most people go wrong by making it their first upgrade.

The stuff he's getting into at the last part of his video reminds me of comments that my long term mechanic made when I considered getting my C6 Z51 modified by my Corvette Master Tech. His comment was that GM made my particular car exactly the way it should be! So, after buying a C6Z06, I sold the Z51 car to my daughter. And for an incredibly great price!! Ditto on a C7 with 7k miles to my son in November. Corruption of my family!!!

Great video man. The only thing people know how to do is boast about upgrades/HP etc with any car. No one ever takes the time to tell people what lays behind all that. Im not a vette owner. To that effect, I owned a 1991 300zxtt, with 15k under the hood. 600rwhp and 654 torque. Owned it for 3 years. The car spent at least 400 days in the shop(engine has to come out to replace turbos), waiting for parts, back to be retuned, back to replace another part, on an on. I to, had minimal experience driving a car with that kind of power. I did hammer the throttle many times and almost died because of it. Yes..when you're tires light up at 60mph on rwd car...you better know wtf your doing. I eventually got comfortable with it but could've easily killed myself and others in the process. It was fun pulling away from exotics at 70mph, and the rush was intense. That said, I would never ever ever do it again. ROI was horrible, I may as well have flushed most of the 15k down the toilet. Since the car spent so much time in the shop...I was forced to drive our family car which was a BMW x5 at the time....uggh. Not mention the constant fear that came along with "how long will it last before I'm back at the shop". If you have deep pockets, patience, and the sole intention on using your modded bad boy on weekends, etc. Go for it. If money is a factor, and the car is your DD, think twice about breaking the bank for that showboat because you'll find yourself on the tugboat. Good stuff man! Im here because Im looking into buying a c6z but clueless about reliability and cost to hit the 650whp mark. This time, I anticipate the worst and hope for the best.

I have a 2011 with the x pipe and the one cat. Last Friday I think that I had a potential value guide issue. Turned it off and have a deal with American Heritage for new heads and cam. Thanks to Mike for this video.

My last two builds took two months and of course I had to add more money to the build. That’s normal in the performance world of adding mods to your car. There’s nothing like the sound of a cam and I love it. We all have to add more stuff to beef up the car because it’s going to break at some point. Good on you to mod because stock is boring. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

I agree with you 100%. I modified my ZL1 to 840 motor with the intention to go to 1000. I have sense changed my mind. It’s too much now for the street. Now don’t get me wrong, its a roller coaster ride every time I drive it. On to the next car. Great video.

It's worth it if it make you happy . Zo6 sounds great

Every word you said is true. I have a C5 Z with a mild build: 434 RWHP 502 HP. It's a true daily driver with no issues in 2 years. Sounds awesome, performs awesome, and looks awesome. Thanks for the honest approach for lots of people. They need to hear this!!

Just did a BTR-4 in my C6Z06, its ornery as heck to drive, but it made 628/540 with fbo and sounds like a beast!... LOL.

I just added a mild cam to my C6 Z06 that had all bolt-ons and the heads milled and ported. It was making 526rwhp with the stock cam. The car drove perfect and had a smooth idle. After the cam swap it went to 562rwhp. There is not a huge difference in the performance, but I do notice a change in the drivability in that the car shakes now at idle. Yeah, the lope sound of the cam is pretty cool, but I don't care for the shake. It doesn't buck or surge, but it requires a little more clutch at maneuvering speed - maybe. I would say it drives like stock, but there is the shake. For that reason, I am not sure I would do it again for a 36rwhp gain. From what I understand, a big cam would be way more shake, bucking and surging - no thanks.

stock Diff on the C6z's are about indestructible. The TR6060 doesnt have issues either... the only thing holding ya back is the stock clutch above 650-700whp

This is second video I've seen of yours. Very impressive/honest commentary. I currently owe a Scat Pack Charger and I love, love my 392. The sound, the torque and the ZF transmission are just amazing. I considered getting something else and was looking at many different options from a C7 GS to a GT500. After many test drives I found (for example the C7) to not be as fun/thrilling as my current 392. So for now, I've abaonded the idea of getting a different car. I'm old skool (late 50's) and prefer staying under 600hp in a N/A configuration. In my travels, I've come to realize that the 500-550bhp range is really where the sweet spot for street performance is. Over 600bhp you are diffently into more of a babysitting mode than enjoyment mode. All the best. Triple.

Thanks for the vid. I have the engine out of my supercharged C6z after roller lifter issue. Half a mind just to take the oem crate motor and place it into the car...sans supercharger.

Great points.. dollar for dollar you get the most from a "stock" car. Especially on newer cars, you get no money back from your mods.

Just bought an 06 Z06 with 4890 miles, great car, scares the hell outta me but most amazing car I’ve ever bought

Great advice on the mod topic, i completely agree.. But from what i read on the corvette forums the heads should be upgraded even if you are driving the car lightly.

Yes you would have based on other bad valve stories…..no worries now or for a buyer. Mods? Use ZR1 parts ie clutch.

On the flipside I have seen 7s drop a valve sitting at a red light and trash the motor and you now have peace of mind.

I like the video just bought a mint condition 2009 ZO6 with 17,000 miles on it. Car is bone stock and runs great. not looking to modify it . fast enough Wish I could get more info about the heads. If I need to have the heads replaced then so be it.

That Z06 was for sure worth it for the back roads and highway pulls haha

I agree the headaches I went through modding my bike I would have definitely not started all this. now that I'm done really happy with what I did. With my planned purchase of a vette now I'll either just get a used Z06 with the work done or leave it stock and be happy. 505 hp really more than I'll ever use.

I really appreciate this video. I can understand the perspective. I’m looking into a C-6 and I think I’ll wait for things to break before going crazy with the mods. Of course I say that now but I know myself well enough to know I would probably get things done sooner. That spiral you spoke of is real.

wow loved this from the moment you started your video, incredible...Sorry you had troubles with it though, kinda takes the fun out of it a bit... For me same thing applies to a computer, it's cool to tweak it and get faster speeds, etc...

I drove z C6 Z06. IT'S A MONSTER STOCK. It's so fast you can't even drive it fast on daily roads. People can't even see you, it accelerates so violently fast.

I just bought a bone stock C6Z. Lots of good info here. Thanks!

If you still have the car, put Toyo Proxes R888R on it (345/30/19). I have everything you have with a stage 3 CAM and they easily handle the power without spinning.

You just need a smaller cam, bro. My H/C/I/LT 08 Z06 was 570rwhp when I bought it. Quickly swapped to a true baby cam (slightly bigger then stock) and now 510rwhp with a beefy power curve, and it's a relative sweetheart in traffic. Drove in heavy traffic on the belt parkway for an hour and no big deal. Also since it has the stock clutch still, No worries about needing a bigger clutch. Many people who still want the car to be a nice driver (but don't think about it as they hear promises of how nice it will drive) make the mistake of going too big of a cam. Oversize cams ruin the experience for many every day car guys who get caught up in numbers and youtube roll race video's. For most, the car is still stupid fast with a baby cam, for a street car.

I've got a 2013 and I decided the 505 scares me enough. I've rarely gotten up to 7K as around where I live, and the car's acceleration is already so violent, I'm up on traffic I can't even see down the road. And I got stuck on the GW bridged for 3 1/2 hours.Then drove another 3 hours to the NJ Motorsports Park. If I had that HiPo cam, I wouldn't have survived it. The cam doubles the hot idle speed and drops idle torque, from what I've been told. Unlivable in heavy traffic. IMO, the factory did the car perfectly.

I've had half a dozen guys call me out for not modifying my Z06 after debuting the wrap. My response is: when 0-60 in 2.9 seconds feels slow and when I can consistently outdrive the car then I'll modify it. Until then; I'll just have to make do with the 650 (crank) HP.

Videos like this what looking for honest opinion. I wanted to install 660hp package on 2015 z/28 and other guys say don’t do it and wished kept their z:28 stock. Hell I know 2 guys sold them after not being happy with their cars.

I have an 2007 Z also, making same power 550ish to the tires. I have come to the same conclusion that 550 is enough. Yes it spins and the big cam is no fun in heavy traffic but omg it’s fun to let it eat! I had C5 with vortech V3 supercharger before the C6 Z. Bottom line is you can go down the rabbit hole where each mod requires addition mods to other parts of the car to support the initial change. It can almost never end unless you say this is it. I’ve reached my goal and I’m willing to live with the monster I’ve created. If I had a good C6Z that I didn’t want the bad driving habits of a cam/head setup I’d put a low boost vortech setup on it and it will make 600 plus HP and drive like stock until you put your foot in it. You’ll spend probably $8K. A&A Corvette makes fantastic kits. Can’t say enough good things about them!

I think the better question shouldn't be would you do it again...but rather would you ship it to a shop like say Katech to have everything done? Would you choose your shop wiser? That's not to say anything bad about the place you used, but places like Katech, WCCH, AHP, Lingenfelter seem to be a smoother process based on what I have read from the famous internet! I'm guessing if you didn't have all of the hurdles...the delays, issues, and then not getting the car ready to go...if it was smoother maybe you would have said yes? I have found that sometimes it's better to bite the bullet and send it to one of the top places.

I have a stock 2015 Z/28 with the Ls7. I keep hearing about the valve drop issues on all the LS7. So I ordered a set of LS7 Heads that have been totally reworked and ported. So that’s the only thing I plan on doing to my car. No cam for me. Also I’m going to keep my stock heads.

This guy would last about one day as a used car salesman.

Thanks for your honesty.

I hear you Mike and sometimes you don't have room for both of them and you have a boatload of money between the two. Honestly I would keep the C6 ZO6 over the C5 because in my opinion you'll never see that 427 cubic inch motor in another Corvette again. That alone sets it apart, you can buy 350s out the yang but that 427 once it's gone it's gone. Also you have a car now that's going to challenge you and it's naturally aspirated. I just figured I would chime in my thoughts here because I owned a few of them and believe me I have regretted selling them and the first chance I get I will buy another one or the only other car that I would be interested in buying would be a C6 ZR1. Anyways best of luck to the C6 ZO6, don't question yourself what you had done to it because I have seen those valves drop and grenade those Motors at just about any RPM you were a smart dude to get it done when you did. Best of luck to you.

Man that's ridiculous what you dealt with at that shop, especially for how much money you spent. You entire perspective would be different if you weren't dealing with idiots. You are a very nice guy who is extremely forgiving and patient. Hopefully you have better experiences with a better shop in the future.

Nice z06! Just started watching your vids. Showing love from LODI! 209

345/30 Toyo r888r will solve ur traction problems....and you'll still be able to take turns hard and even drive in the rain

I'd keep them both,traded my c5z06 in for a hellcat and missed my unique looking 2003 z06 within hours,never see a vet like the c5z again probably all of them will be hatchbacks except for convertibles, just my opinion.

4 seconds into the video. I've been excited and waiting for this I'll let you know what I think

New to your channel and KZfaq, really enjoying your channel, thank you.

a great and honest video, thanks so much!

Great review. Loved listening to you. I have 2008 Z06 and will be replacing the heads. Heads only and not the cam. I do not want to impact drivability like you said. There are both ported heads and non ported heads. I was going to go with the ported and give a few extra HP. Do you think most of the you drivability issues were due to the cam?

I like your practical analysis. Perhaps a less aggressive cam would have been better or skip the new cam altogether? Maybe just H & I and a tune would give you about 500 at the wheels and that would mean less wheelspin and better driveability...

Very informative and knowledgeable video thanks for the advice awsome! By the way i own a c6z 2007 and iam going threw the same mods as we speak, oh and iam from stockton California!

Next time take all your LS needs to GP Tunning in Hayward. You won't regret it.

Awesome video!🤘

Would you be able to make a full video of the car idle ling and couple revs and pulls with the mods pleas and thanks!

This guy Josh sound like the previous owner of gtpro.

Great information. Thanks.

Sounds like the shop you in to is a really shady shop but I do fully agree in what you're saying on the modifications of the Corvette in how after you put the Cam in it wants to buck in traffic! That does suck! But overall I wouldn't have my Corvette any other way I love the power delivers the camp set up I have Frankenstein heads it's just a really fun car all around thank you for the video!

You should keep C6 Just upgrade your rims to black Forgestar CF10. You will like it so much more. You’ve seen my Velocity Yellow Z06. Trust me. TOYO T1R Tires Are excellent

By Mickey Thompson drag radials it will hook then

Not only reliability but also resale, i of course have way more money into my 99frc than I would ever be able to get back, be careful with the street slicks, more traction equals more stress on the drivetrain, either way do a twin disc clutch and never dump the clutch

I like the c5, c6 and c7

Did you go with a lingenfelter cam? I pulled a GT 19 out and went with a new grind profile from CBM motorsports that delivers the same performance without the surging. It's awesome to drive like a stock setup and still have the idle lope. It,s actually quicker to 140 mph with this cam. The Michelin are crap. They hook up good when first purchased but throw rubber at an incredible rate when you put the torque to them. Put a set of Nitto,s on it and you will keep it on the road. Nice car though, What stereo head did you put in it? was it compatible with the steering wheel controls? thanks for your input hombre

Nice vettes...sounds great... I've subscribed.

For your C6, try out the Proxes R888 tires. There are cars with more HP than yours that can hook with them. 2000+AWHP TT Lamborghini's run them in racing events like King of the Street and the standing half mile events. But between the C6 and C5, what do you like better about the C6? (Edit, I just noticed the post date of this video. lol)

Sounds good

Turlock? I grew up in Coalinga, nobody has any money. What business are you in to have that dream garage? So I can tell my son what to change his major to. LOL

I’ apologize if I missed it, but I don’t recall you saying that it was tuned after the H/C install.

You grabbed my attention. What’s the story behind that fan hanging up on your wall?

I have the same thing..mine will break lose at 70 mph..i enjoy mine...you need two..a stock one and a moded one..

Doesn’t matter you would have still have to had address the engineering defect with heads 4500 rpm or 6000 rpm blah blah doesn’t matter The casting and the material was not designed properly nor was the measurements on where it counts NOW you could’ve spent Less if you just would’ve went with only fixing the head issue 👍

Yeah. People fail to realize. That Corvettes are very fast already from the factory. It's a Corvette.

You should never drop it off to be worked on till the parts are there and ready to install.

They let you leave the shop with it running like crap and a CEL ?? Wow, great shop !!

Michelin Pilot Super Sports are awesome tires, and are quite sticky. What size are your rear tires? Are those 20" 360 Forged wheels? If they are 20" then you must have the ZP tires which are runflats with very stiff sidewalls and don't hook as good as the regular MPSS tires and ride like shit. I also have 360 forged 20x12.5's and run Nitto Invo 345/25/20's for their ride quality. No great tire available for these size wheels right now.

Sweet ride!

Bruh tsp has like 2k heads 1300 cam kit wylin paying 7k for all that

I feel the same way with my Prius!

Being in California I'm having to non-op my car because of mods. What are you doing?

And what model is that quad door, Mopar is it?

FOR ANYONE THAT EVEN THINKS ABOUT GOING TO STARKWEATHER PERFORMANCE IN TURLOCK CA, SAVE YOUR TIME AND HEADACHE AND FIND SOMEONE ELSE TO DO THE WORK!! I'M SURE THERE ARE MANY OTHERS OUT THERE AS I SPEAK THAT WILL SAY THE SAME!!

Put a better tire on it those super low profile tires aren't great for traction put a smaller wheel on the back with a set of Mickey's

Nothing hotter than the lines on a C5.. I'll walk across the street all day long for a closer look at a C5 but a C6, not so much......and yes I have a c5 so I'm a little partial. The c5 with just a little tweeking just looks sooooooo badass.

Is the c6 for sell or did you already sell it ? I’m in Bay Are

wrong shop makes mistakes replace nt05r

Get rid of the run Flats. No need for Drag Radials. Good non-runflats will blow your mind compared to even the good pilot sports.

6 weeks and not even ordered. I would have walked away on principle.

Hello, did you feel it was less torquey down low with the cam upgrade? I’ve heard others say this. Have you pushed it past 5 grand also? I’m looking at a stock Z06 and don’t really want to modify it and just leave it as is.

That shop sounds like a freaking nightmare. I would never use those fucksticks.

You're foolish to say you wouldn't have those mods done again, that it wasn't worth it! You now have peace of mind of not having to worry about it sucking a valve!

great video

Nitto 555r

Listen, it pays to do the research 1st. Race Proven Motorsports is the place for your C6 You get a stage 3 package which will be a set of worked Advanced Induction heads, 2" Long Tube Headers, Ported MSD intake, 102mm throttle body and B3 Cam with there professional tune. On pump gas it will put out 630-650hp to the tires well over 730+ at the crank being a completely daily drive dependable car with all the power you should want! Professional workers that would have had your car back to you in a week or two at the most! Check there site out. RPM has a KZfaq channel as well with loads of Z06 content

Awesome video. Is the c5 modified?

Cam and heads*

Met you at starkwheather..car is amazing !!

What can and beads did you put in

Damn cars fast lol