No doubt about it, the C6 is a formidable force on the drag strip even in stock form. Photo: Modern Muscle

Corvette owners are a fortunate bunch. Not only do their cars look great, have awesome handling, and attract a ton of cruise night attention, but they are also a great weapon of choice on the drag strip. Their aerodynamics, light weight, and respectable power right out of the box can all come together to land you easily in the low 11’s at the dragstrip. But, any gearhead worth his or her salt isn’t going to settle for that. We recently talked with the Corvette experts at Modern Muscle, out of Oswego, Illinois, about just what it takes to get a C5/C6 Corvette to break into the 12’s, 11’s, and 10’s in the quarter mile.

Cracking the 12’s

Luckily for C5 and C6 owners, breaking into the realm of what is considered a respectably fast quarter mile time of 12 seconds is relatively easy. Justin Meyers, Vice President of Modern Muscle says, “We generally recommend using a standard group of bolt-ons for most people looking to get into the 12’s.”

It doesn't take much to get a C6 into the 12's. Mostly just simple bolt-ons will do the trick. Photo: Modern Muscle

The recipe goes something like this:

• Adding a cold air intake and exhaust system to help the engine breathe better
• Swapping tires to a drag radial to increase traction at the track
• Performing a custom tune on the engine to properly utilize the other changes you’ve already made

Just a few simple bolt-ons, and this is all the competition will be seeing... Photo: Modern Muscle

Flying into the 11’s

Here’s where things get a little bit tougher, and we start to get into making more serious modifications to the engine and drive train. The guys at Modern Muscle suggest that a C5/C6 owner looking to break into the 11’s take a serious look at one of these three options:

1. Nitrous – a 100 shot of nitrous is likely to be the easiest and most economical way to get you late model Corvette into the 11’s. But, it still requires proper tuning and setup to be used safely on the track.
2. Cam Swap – Adding a new bumpstick to your Corvette will unlock some serious horsepower. LSX engines respond very well to cam upgrades, which allow the cylinder heads to really operate at their full potential. If you go this route, you’ll want to strongly consider upgrading your clutch or torque converter to really get all your added power to the ground. The guys at Modern Muscle just recommend a FAST intake manifold swap and a good port and polish to get your LS3 powered car into the 11’s, whereas most C5’s are going to need a better set of heads to really get down into the 11’s.
3. Forced Induction – A supercharger or turbo will give your Vette just the kick it needs to get well into the 11’s. The guys at Modern Muscle recommend a centrifugal supercharger system as your best bang for the buck forced induction option. Of course, you’ll need to upgrade your entire fuel system to keep up with all the added air flow from your supercharger or turbo.

Meyers tells us, “Keep in mind all of these suggestions are for street vehicles and not dedicated track vehicles. Most Vette owners want to have a great performing vehicle without sacrificing their car.”

When you're ready to break into the 10's, its going to take a little forced induction with an LS3 Corvette. Z06's and ZR1's just need a set of drag radials and a really good driver. Photo: Modern Muscle

The Big Show: Hitting the 10’s

Luckily, thanks to the spectacular design of the LSX engines in late model Corvettes, and the superior tuning technology that racers have access to, a completely streetable 10 second C5 or C6 is not at all uncommon. But, if you want to make it into the big-boy time bracket, you’re going to have to be willing to do quite a bit more work.

To break into the 10's you're likely going to have to start serious engine modifications. Photo: Modern Muscle

The guys at Modern Muscle say there are several things that you are going to have to pay attention to if you want to push your Vette into the 10’s, including:

• The rear gears need to be upgraded.

• Manual trans cars need a serious high performance clutch.

• Automatics trans cars are going to have to have the trans really beefed up. A new high stall converter is a must.

• Better race tires with smaller wheels are also a must. Increased tire side wall offers more ability to wrinkle, resulting in better traction at launch.

• A complete high performance fuel system and tons of time spent tuning.

Forged engine internals are important at this level. Also, while you’re upgrading the internals, it would be a good time to think about adding more cubic inches. For the LS3, a 418ci stroker kit is extremely popular. On the C5 side of things, many people opt for the ultra-strong iron LQ9 or LQ4 truck blocks, and stroke them out to 402 or 408 cubic inches.

The fun doesn’t stop there. All that work, and all you’ve done is get your car prepared for the type of power it’s going to have to make to rocket you into the 10’s. The guys at Modern Muscle again offer these three recommendations to get you where you’ll need to be:

1. Naturally Aspirated: Add a ton of compression, and really turn up the aggressiveness of the cam profile, and match it to the best set of cylinder heads you can afford. At this level, you’ll need to be working hand-in-hand with a skilled builder who can help you make all the right decisions.
2. Forced Induction: Now that you’ve got a stout, all-forged rotating assembly, you can really crank up the boost on your supercharger or turbo for some big-time power. Remember that when you’re building a dedicated boost engine, you want lower compression ratio to help decrease detonation. Again, an experienced engine builder can walk you through all the choices you will need to make at this level.
3. Nitrous In Addition to a Fully-Built N/A Engine or Forced Induction: Having forged internals will really start to pay dividends if you decide to add nitrous in to your high compression N/A motor, or your fully built boost mill. Either way, you had better hold on, because you’re Vette will be headed well into the 10’s with a little extra shot of “the sauce.”

Meyers adds, “Regardless of how you get there, having a 10 second streetable vehicle requires a lot of forethought and planning. We have built quite a few and they can be a lot of fun.”

If you’re interested in getting more info on how to get your C5 or C6 down deep into the E.T. brackets where only the truly fast cars lurk, log on to Modern Muscle’s website, or give them a call at 630-898-5933.