A few weeks ago, C8’s started showing up in the hands of enthusiasts and shops across the US. While some of these cars were getting new tires and wheels, others were receiving high-performance modifications. At first, we saw some naturally-aspirated (N/A) passes. Then we saw some nitrous shakedown videos from LG Motorsports and Carlysle Racing. Things are getting more serious as Hennessey released a video of a twin-turbo setup, and ProCharger has a supercharger system in the works as well. Now Emelia Hartford, a social media figure, and Peitz Performance have teamed up and jumped on the boosted bandwagon to build a turbo kit of their own.
Unlike some of the other turbo videos on YouTube, this one gives us some insight into the design as well as the products used. The turbos selected for this installation are two 62/66 Precision Turbos that will be rear-mounted under the bumper of the C8 eliminating the mufflers on the car. The beauty of this layout is that the exhaust will “X” coming off the turbos, and the spent gasses will exit at the factory tip location. Another nice feature for those of you that are concerned with emissions, the stock cats will be retained. Special flanges were produced and purchased so that this kit will bolt-on to the existing hardware of the Corvette. This means, if you decided to sell the car or convert it back to factory specifications, the turbo system could be removed, and the factory mufflers can be reattached easily. Alex Peitz of Peitz Performance says in the video, “The whole idea of this kit is that you don’t have to cut anything. You don’t have to make any compromises in terms of fit or finish.”
While it is possible to run a turbo without an intercooler, it’s better to have one. The cooler the air charge, the more efficient the system will be. Peitz opted for an air-to-water design rather than an air-to-air. The intercooler will replace the factory airbox. Peitz states that this area is large enough to fit the intercooler with no problem and that the core they are using will support up to 1,200 horsepower.
Another common challenge with a low mount system is getting oil to and from the turbos. Instead of being able to allow gravity to help get the oil back into the oil pan, you need a scavenge pump to aid with this process. So, the plan is to tee off the oil pressure sending unit and then use the pump to get the oil from the turbos back to a 10AN return in the valve cover.
Peitz still has some more work to finish up this system but they are well on the way to a nice unit. For more information and updates on the C8, you can follow Emelia Hartford on youtube.