2007 Vortech Corvette Z06
The Corvette C6 Z06 clubs nearly everything in its path. With 505 horsepower produced from a hand-assembled 7.0-liter LS7 V-8, the Z06 easily outpaces the mighty 8.3-liter Viper SRT-10 Coupe-which has made the Dodge boys quite angry. In response, SRT will soon release its super-strength 2008 Viper shod with a new 8.4-liter V-10 that cranks out 600 hellspawned horses. The gloves are off and the fight is on.
Rather than being outgunned by Mopar, Corvette Z06 owners can now gear up with more power thanks to a booster shot of bolt-on performance from Vortech Engineering. Known for making big top-end power, Vortech produces a variety of centrifugal superchargers that cram heaping helpings of added oxygen into an engine for impressive power gains. In the case of the new Corvette Z06, Vortech has just put the final touches on a kit featuring its latest V-2 SQ T-trim centrifugal supercharger, which delivers 6 psi of boost to the LS7 V-8. The SQ design stands for "Super Quiet." Gone is the obnoxiously loud gear whine associated with most centrifugal superchargers. Rather, at idle and cruise speeds, the blower is nearly silent-so as not to give away your forced-induction secret.
The Vortech kit ($6695, satin finish; $6995, polished finish) offers everything needed for installation, including a T-trim supercharger, air-to-air aluminum intercooler, compressor bypass valve, aluminum mounting brackets and hardware, high-flow fuel pump, oversize fuel injectors, and even a specially programmed Diablo Sports handheld programmer to reflash the factory computer with the proper spark/fuel calibrations. The result is an LS7 engine that cranks out a dyno-proven 635 horses (35 more than the upcoming 8.4-liter Viper's), while sipping 91-octane pump fuel. In addition, the 50-state smog-legal kit is optionally available with a three-year/36,000-mile powertrain warranty through Vortech's network of top-tier installers and new-car dealers.
Enough tech talk, how does the Vortech kit perform? The answer is simple: too well. Fit to a bone-stock Corvette Z06 (tires, exhaust, suspension, etc.), the output is so substantial the car has a hard time taking off. Laughable amounts of rear tirespin occur in first gear, even with part throttle application. In fact, our best quarter-mile launch resulted when bogging the V-8 off the line at 1400 rpm and then short-shifting the 1-2 shift at 4400 rpm-before big boost hit. In second gear, the stock Goodyear Eagle F1 325/30ZR19 tires puts down thick black stripes on the tarmac as the Corvette Z06 fishtails wildly. By third gear, you can apply full throttle, wind to the 7000-rpm redline, then watch the speedometer digits count up faster than a Chinese mathematician working a nitrous-fed abacus.
At the end of the quarter mile, the Vortech Z06 runs just a few tenths quicker than a stock Corvette Z06 (due to wild tirespin), but delivers a nearly 10 mph more trap speed (a more accurate indicator of the power increase). With stickier tires, a Vortech-blown Z06 should run in the 10s. Rejoice knowing a Vortech Z06, even with copious tirespin, will still go 0 to 100 to 0 mph in a scant 11.7 seconds. Take that, Mr. 8.4-liter Viper.
