Modding Your C8?

[John]

Great question raised by Frenzy36, e.g., “are you planning to customize your C8?”

Of course, the width/breadth of modding is far and wide. Mike [email protected] has only modded one of his 19 Corvettes, and that was his Laguna Blue 2014 with only his mod on that one being his getting matching-colored, powder coated brake calipers. On the other extreme, I met someone years ago at a car show a few years ago who told me that he had 100 mods on his C6 (and it looked like it).

I usually do 30-40 mods on our Corvettes (also same amount on our DD’s). However, as I am only planning on keeping our 2020 C8 for a year, two at most, thinking of limiting it mods to about ten. But please do not hold me to that. Could be fifteen?

Are you modding your C8 at all, and if so, what might you be doing to it?

[Frenzy36]

Yes, It has to look different than stock. My first thought is putting some type of boat exhaust on it so that it rises through the back deck lid and looks and sounds awesome. Time will tell and we have to see what we have to work with.

[capevettes]

Generally, with newer Vettes I have only done exhaust. The stock exhaust has always sounded a bit anemic. Hopefully they give us a nice sounding exhaust right out of the box. I just bought a 2019 Challenger R/T with a Hemi. Fantastic sounding exhaust right from the factory.

[Milliwatt Rob]

Planning on a Chaparral style vacuum system for greater cornering force. If I then add self driving capability, it will be a Corvette Roomba

[Boomer]

Yes, It has to look different than stock. My first thought is putting some type of boat exhaust on it so that it rises through the back deck lid and looks and sounds awesome. Time will tell and we have to see what we have to work with.

Looks great Frenzy. You left your cup of beer in the back next to the headers.

[Boomer]

Planning on a Chaparral style vacuum system for greater cornering force. If I then add self driving capability, it will be a Corvette Roomba

Bit boxy but a real head turner!

[Plasboy]

Planning on a Chaparral style vacuum system for greater cornering force. If I then add self driving capability, it will be a Corvette Roomba

Think of all the debris you could suck up off the road and shoot towards cars behind you. Dead skunks would be killer.

[Boomer]

Are you modding your C8 at all, and if so, what might you be doing to it?

No modding here. I'll have the same philosophy with my C8 that I have with my C7: "I don't mess with my C7"

[JustOneMore]

I lived thru the days of new C2s having third tail lights added, fenders flared, headlights filed, etc. Had C2s, but could never afford more than custom wheels. Now that I can afford the mods, have no desire to do anything other than possibly wheels. I guess I feel GM does a pretty good job designing the car so I'm happy with it as is.

[John]

I’ll start with the paint protection mods, e.g., deep cleaning, IronX, any polishing, CQuartz Finest, XPEL, window tint (done by my consummate professional) Then, splash guards/mud flaps for even better side body protection.

For very early buyers, doubt we will even have any mods available for three months, maybe even 6-9 months. So lots of time to think and decide. I am cautious overall, want my car to be personalized, but our cars are tastefully elegant (sorry about using that word, but accurate).

I use this wait time until mods come onto the market to develop a planned theme, most centered around a primary/secondary paint shame, e.g., now yellow with black accents, but before been silver with black secondary, also red with black secondary. Might this time, the theme will be a primary color with visible carbon fiber as the second “color.” Of course in a way, the original ordering color choices will have predetermined most of the theme, but even with those decisions made up front, so many secondary questions for me such as: Does the splitter and skirts get one pin-stripe? Does the primary or secondary color go into the engine compartment? Should I re-paint the calipers (if not GM good choice for the theme). Once the plan is fleshed out, I stalk the aftermarket, starting with best ACS Compositem products, for Joseph often has great ideas and products I have never even thought of, i.e., it looks so much better with his hood, though I had not even thought of getting a hood change,, but once I saw his hood choices, I needed to get his “x” one. I will also be looking at Pete’s items at Showstopper Accessories — especially in areas like the engine compartment and more (again dependent on what GM has provided us or not).

If I get Z-51 (probable), but the spoiler does not cut it, that would be one of the first real mods. Engine compartment, well that will depend on what GM provides or doesn’t provide us.

Exhaust is always a consideration, but that again AM;s are typically not even available for 6-9 months; start with with my goi-to, e.g., Corsa (always my first choice but I like to hear options, then with one exception return and buy Corsa. Like now for my DD, I choose Corsa after evaluating six other choices; it is now on my WRX daily driver. Yet on our C7 with its exhaust adjustability, it combo of its IMO exhaust music and our doing long trips, the C7 is our first Corvette we have stayed with the factory system.

Wheels? Since only keeping our initial C8 one or two years, and the wheels I want are usually +$6K/set, probably not.

Modding (or not) for each part of the car is so much fun to me. I am cautious, think about “yes” or “no” for each product for weeks, and each time, my gearhead/artist wife (that’s a wonderful combo for a partner), gets visual veto on every single mod. 99% of the time she is fine with what I want, but if that rare veto comes up, I know I about about to go too far, or to pick a wrong color, and/or she is nicely prevent me from making a different kind of faux pas.

I love modding, but what will the Corvette team start us out with would determine all but my paint protection first mods.

[electroVette]

Modding myself with HPDE.

[John]

Excellent mod electroVette! Spring Mountain is on my must do list. Will wait until I have had about two months of daily driving experience so I do not need to think of which control does what. In fact, will call [email protected] as soon as I can, then two months after daily driving, on day 61 would be in Pahrump.

[Frenzy36]

Planning on a Chaparral style vacuum system for greater cornering force. If I then add self driving capability, it will be a Corvette Roomba

Maybe you could get Marlboro for a sponsor and paint it to look like a pack of cig's.

[smoove7410]

I'll wait for the Z06 and then will mod it like every car / motorcycle that I have ever owned. For the vette, suspension, wheels, exhaust and paint details (to start)

[Maxster]

For very early buyers, doubt we will even have any mods available for three months, maybe even 6-9 months. So lots of time to think and decide.

Your assessment seems realistic. My plan is to get a C-8 as soon as I can by legal means. The mods that I am considering are a roll cage, a harness bar (which may be redundant depending on the roll cage design), an extra set of wheels for Hoosiers, Fire extinguisher if not standard. Would like to keep it for one or two years, at that time the next C-8 I get won't be an early model and will give an opportunity to examine what tuners have to offer.