Reader Reaction: Best and Worst Corvette Mods

A lot of our readers don’t even like the black Z51 wheels?

Right now there are countless aftermarket companies that create parts for all generations of Corvettes – it’s a great time to be a Corvette fan! With the health of the market going strong and more options than one could ever put on just one car, you have to wonder where to start. For this week’s Reader Reaction, we asked our faithful readers what they thought were the three best and three worst mods you can do to a new Corvette.

Too many mods? Or no?

As we learned last week, there is a difference of opinion among Corvette owners when it comes to modding – a surprisingly large difference of opinion as a matter of fact. Regardless, even if someone doesn’t like the mods one owner chose for his or her Corvette, you still have to respect the beauty of the car itself. While we received a large selection of the best and worst mods to do to a new Corvette, we had to pick and choose to bring you the best from the list of options!

The Best Mods:

According to our readers, these are some of the mods they find to be most important when modding a new, or new-to-them, Corvette. Some of these mods you may see featured on a C7 in some upcoming articles – stay tuned.

Intake: The majority of our readers suggested this as a mod they see as being very important, and who can blame them? Cold air intakes are a great way to add some extra power, help the motor breathe easier, clean up the engine bay, and add a nice throaty sound from under the hood. Plus, most intake systems offer a washable and reusable air filter which can save money over the long run.
Billy Boat‘s custom exhaust provides a great sound and a great look!

Exhaust: We had an overwhelmingly high number of readers suggest this as their favorite mod. There is definitely virtue here because in my humble opinion, nothing sounds like a Corvette – so why not make it sound even better? Exhaust kits will add some power, some visual flare, and help you hear all those horses you worked so hard to get! In the words of Jesse James, “If you can’t hear it before you see it, you shouldn’t be in it!”
Headers: Headers will really add some power, especially when combined with an intake and exhaust, so it is no wonder our readers thought they were important. Headers are normally not seen (unless the hood is up), but will make a difference the driver will feel. A great mod for the serious Corvette enthusiast.
Forced Induction: Turbos and superchargers are definitely a bit more serious of a mod considering the expense and work required to install, but they are most definitely worth it! Many of our readers thought forced induction options would be their mods of choice – including custom tuning from some of the industry’s biggest names.
Suspension: A few readers suggested modding the suspension, whether it be to stiffen up the vehicle for handling purposes or simply by lowering the vehicle for appearance reasons. This is definitely a great mod to get – especially if the owner plans to do a bit of performance, or spirited, driving.

The Worst Mods:

Everyone has their opinions, but our readers were happy to give us their’s when it came to bad mods on Vettes.

Painting Wheels Black: This one was shocking to us because black wheels have really gained in popularity over the past five or so years – so much so in fact, that a huge portion of car enthusiasts will Plasti Dip or paint their wheels black as soon as purchasing their car. OEM’s have even caught on and you can purchase all kinds of new vehicles with black wheels. These readers had no problem with the idea of purchasing aftermarket wheels in any other color, they just had trouble with Corvette wheels being black – including those found on the Z51-equipped C7. Considering how many black-wheel equipped Vettes we see here at Corvette Online, this was a very surprising response. Maybe the black wheel supporters just didn’t speak up!
Oversized wing on a C4 – questionable taste.
Oversized Wings/Spoilers: These definitely require either an acquired taste or a specific purpose. While wings and spoilers are very popular in other enthusiast groups, there does not seem to be much adoption of them in Corvette circles. While it isn’t exactly the huge style our readers were talking about, a standard Z51 or Z06 wing on the new C7 looks pretty darn cool!
The stick on, non functional, hood vents. Image Source

Tacky Body Mods: We had numerous readers mention body mods ranging from poorly re-painted Vettes to stick-on vents and badges. What really stuck out to us was the stick on vents and badges because over the last few years those have gotten incredibly popular, for reasons unknown to us. Some OEM’s, like Buick, include the stick on vents on new cars! It is rather amazing that these things have gained so much popularity. To get some of your own, head to your local Wal-Mart.