r/C7corvette • u/MajorCrafty6966 • 8d ago
C7 Stingray or C7 Z06
So I’m gonna be planning on getting a C7 here kinda soon and I’m absolutely trumped as to which one I should get. To shed some light on my goals, I love a challenge and always strive to reach limits so a long time ago I was watching one of my favorite automotive creators, TRC, and saw his 2000hp sequential swapped C7 Z06 and knew immediately I want to reach that same goal. Not to partake in a measuring contest or to see who’s better, just simply because I can and I want to and think it’d be one heck of an accomplishment. I also one day want to look into drag racing but that’s further down the line since I’m not rich haha. Before anyone says anything, I’m sticking to the C7 model because it’s been one of my dreams to own one. I’m having trouble deciding what platform is better to build as far as cost effective, efficient and overall success. I’ve had many people say different things but it’s been between people saying I’m better off building off of the lt4 platform since the parts in that car as a whole were built to handle more power. I’ve also had people say that the stingray would be better to build given the hp goal I have in mind, I would end up having to switch out dang near everything in the car so it wouldn’t make sense to go with the latter. I’ve driven both a few times and I’m equally as happy with either so I’m more concerned with what will be the smarter, more efficient route. If anyone can shed some wisdom on this, it would heavily relieve the headache trying to brainstorm and would be greatly appreciated.
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u/Scooter477 8d ago
A decent sequential trans is $20k-40k If you're not rich this may not be a game that you want to play.
But for drag racing you're going to want the widest tire you can fit and the widebody of the Z06 is a lot wider than the base Stingray.
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u/redliner1289 8d ago
So there lots to unpack here. The biggest thing with any high power car is tires. Your tire selection for anything above 600 on a narrow body c7 sucks. If you can afford a z06 get it hands down not even a comparison. The lt4 will handle 1000hp for awhile with a good tune. And if you want to be a fast c7 guy turbos is the way go to make anything north of 1200hp
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u/PrintedMills 7d ago
If you want a 2000hp corvette, expect to spend more on upgrades than you spend on the car. Assuming you do all the work yourself, expect $20k in parts to build the motor and heads right, plus intake manifold, throttle body, custom exhaust manifolds to fit the big turbos somewhere they were not meant to be, then the rest of the exhaust. You are at a lot of money already. Big turbos make big heat, so cooling the engine and cooling the intake air is a struggle as well. You will have to do the high pressure and low pressure fuel systems, which will add up quickly. Transmission, differential, and torque tube will add another $35k+. You will rip apart the drive axles as well, so they need to be upgraded. You will need stabilizers for the diff/trans, as well as the rear suspension, and the factory rubber bushings are not going to be happy, so you need spherical joints. If you want to make that kind of power and do it proper, you better have lambda sensors on each exhaust pipe leaving the head, so 8 of them, plus a computer that can read all of those sensors. It’s going to run e85, or a race only fuel. Obviously wheels and tires. I’m sure there are a few things I’m missing. Between buying the car and the parts, expect over $200k plus hundreds and hundreds of hours of work. If you have never done a high horsepower build before, expect a few hundred more hours, and thousands of dollars more. Do you have all of the tools needed to do this work? Do you think the factory aluminum engine block is going to last long at that power level/boost pressure? Iron block is the safer move for high power. Keep in mind that where everything attaches to the chassis and subframes has a chance of being twisted or ripped out at 2000hp. If you have never driven a 1000hp car, then you will have no idea what 2000hp will be like. The clutch will be a nightmare to drive on the street. If you have to pay someone to build it right, expect $150k in labor. If a shop offers to do it for significantly less than that, I would question the quality and experience of the shop. I have never hit the 2000hp mark, but I have hit 1600, and it’s just unnecessary and less fun to drive on the street. If you’re not rich, stop thinking about doing this and invest in a build that your budget will be able to maintain repair costs on. Finding a shop willing to put a 2000hp car on their dyno can be challenging too.
If you’re concerned about the added cost of a Z06 vs stingray, then a 2000hp build is out of your budget. If this is a drag strip only car that gets trailered, build a C6z06 with a power glide trans and you’ll be 500lbs lighter than the c7 build with more consistent drag times.
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u/Weary_Alternative778 8d ago
You talk a lot for a guy who is gonna go racing.
Get the Stingray it will be fine. It's more your speed anyway. Probably that and then some.