Now in the hands of gearheads and professional tuners alike, the capabilities of the all-new C8 Chevrolet Corvette are only just being explored as bolt-on aftermarket parts and systems continue to hit the marketplace to boost the power, torque, and audible tone of the mid-engine American sports car.
Respected exhaust system manufacturer Kooks Headers & Exhaust was quick to move to market with the C8, developing its Super Street Series headers and Ultra-GREEN connection pipes. These headers are designed to be used with an OEM catalytic converter or with Kooks’ Ultra-GREEN OEM connection pipes. The hand-crafted headers are made from 304-grade stainless steel (part no. 21801400) and feature 3/8-inch thick flanges, 1-7/8-inch equal-length primaries for maximum horsepower and torque, scavenging spikes, and one-piece collectors.
The 3/8-inch three-bolt flanges connect to the OEM catalytic converters, allowing for a direct bolt-on installation.
The Ultra-GREEN OEM connection pipes (part no. 21803300) are likewise made from 304-grade stainless steel with 3/8-inch thick flanges. Kooks’ has also developed heat shield blankets (part no. 218033B2) for the C8 Super Street series Ultra-GREEN connection pipes.
Kooks dyno tested its C8 Super Street headers and connection pipes to illustrate the performance improvements. After baselining a Z51-equipped Corvette, the Kooks team bolted on a set of Super Street headers and Ultra-GREEN OEM connection pipes in place of the OEM manifolds and catalytic converters and produced an increase of 20-plus horsepower and 26-plus ft-lbs. of torque on the stock tune with no check engine light.
“The Super Street Series headers have proven similar performance gains to traditional long-tube headers while allowing consumers to have options that connect directly to their OEM catalytic convertor,” says Scott Benson, Kooks sales & marketing manager.
Completing the package, Kooks’ Ultra-GREEN EPA-certified cats feature a 304 stainless steel outer body and a high-capacity, 300 cell, 4-1/2-inch diameter metallic substrate design that require no changed to your C8’s tune. The inlets and outlets fit to the OEM connection flanges, making them a direct replacement for the OEM catalytic converters for use with the OEM manifolds or the Super Street headers.