Coverking Satin Stretch Car Cover for the Corvette
Whether you live in Boston or Miami, San Diego or Calgary, when it comes to keeping your Corvette clean, a Corvette Car Cover goes a long way. There are few things more frustrating than washing your car, waxing it, giving it a good chamois job, rolling around for the day, then parking it in the garage only to come out the next morning and find that sometime that afternoon your neighbor's cat decided that your car would make an excellent dance floor. While feline companions make kind of cool house guests, they more often than not, are less welcome on the top of your $XX,000 Corvette.
While most of us prefer to store the beast (the one with wheels, not paws) inside, the garage door might be open from time to time while you're mowing the lawn, or taking in the groceries, or a myriad of other times. Basically the point I'm trying to get across is the fact that whether you know it or not- light, dust, cat hair etc are all contributing to wearing down the finish on your car. The only way to keep that showroom shine on your 'vette, is to keep it covered when it's not in use. Think of it this way- when you were little, Mom kept the "nice dishes" (you know - the ones you weren't allowed to use for hot dogs, cartoon macaroni, and grape drink) for guests in a special cabinet, out of reach from your grubby little fingers, much the same way that your Corvette should be treated.
What the crew at Coverking has done, is make a car cover out of the softest fleece available inside the cover that not only protects your paint and clear coat, but is specifically designed NOT to rub off onto convertible tops. They also implement their own "Fewest Seams" design that limits the amount of seams that the cover has overall-while maintaining their unique contour following car cover style. The material implemented in the construction of the outer shell of the cover is Lycra, the same material used in form fitting lingerie, bathing suits, and other applications where stretching is needed in both directions from the material. Most of the time the covers are limited to only three seams on the entire cover, all the while using the blind stitch on all seams to hide any thread used to bind the panels together.
All in all, the Coverking Satin Stretch car cover is just what the doctor ordered for keeping the beast clean in the garage, all the while protecting it from all the nicks and kitty paws that find their way to our cars like magnets.
Keep it clean,
-CN
Ceramic Coating VS Header Wrapping VS Naked Steel for Corvette Headers?
In the automotive industry, it's almost a lost cause attempting to come to a conclusion by searching on the internet for a definite answer on something as debatable as header wrap vs. ceramic coating vs. leaving the header naked as it was the day it left the factory.
I said almost a lost cause.
Today, what I'm going to examine are the differences between the options above, and speak to a couple of different reputable companies to get their take on which method(s) should or should not be implemented; and in the most unbiased manner possible, try to discern the best way to protect your investment while keeping it cool and making it the most efficient. The companies I have selected to talk to for this article are American Racing Headers, Jet Hot, and Kooks Headers. This way I can get a few different takes on the whole situation. American Racing Headers is a company based out of New York (most of you are probably familiar with) that specializes in crafting headers for American cars. Jet Hot, based in North 
Carolina, is a company that specializes in ceramic coatings for exhaust pieces for just about anything that has an engine. And last but certainly not least is Kooks Headers, also out of North Carolina, who specialize in custom exhaust pieces for domestics. These companies have one thing in common: exhaust is the driving force behind each of their businesses, as so they are commonly considered to be experts in the field. These companies have spent countless hours and lots of money researching and developing their products and services, so I figured- who better to ask?
The first of these companies I had an opportunity to interview with was American Racing Headers. I spoke with Anthony, who put me in touch with the owner of the company- Nick. These guys have been in the exhaust business for twenty some odd years but the company itself has only been around for the last five and a half. Talking with Nick, he informed me that all of their systems are made out of SS304 Stainless Steel, which is 200% better at retaining heat than mild steel. "The issue with wrapping a header is that by wrapping something around it, it insulates it [the header] but retains moisture and dirt against the steel itself. This leads to rust and cracking prematurely and also prevents the naked eye from seeing any damage caused until it's too late. By wrapping the system," he explained, "it's almost a guaranteed early death to the component." We went on to talk about ceramic coatings on a header. "We don't recommend coating our headers unless it's for an extremely high horsepower application, there's just really no need. As far as coating a header, unless you intend to use the car for a lot of high abuse racing- like road racing, or have a forced induction system it's just overkill."
Bottom of the third: Coating: 0. Wrapping: 0. Naked: 1, according to American Racing Headers.
The next company that I was able to get a hold of was Kooks Custom Headers. These guys have been in the exhaust industry for 48 years, so needless to say they've been around the block a few times. I spoke with George R. there, and he was very to the point about wrapping headers: "It's a thing of the past. Originally it was used to retain heat in the primaries, but that's not necessary anymore." When I brought up the notion of ceramic coatings, he shot that down almost immediately as well, "There's no need, its overkill for anything but a racecar. You could do it for looks, but it's really kind of pointless." So, that's two in the books 
that have shot down the notion of coating or wrapping headers for anything but a fully fledged racecar. These also happen to be two of the most respected names in the business.
Top of the sixth: Coating: 0. Wrapping: 0. Naked: 2.
So far, the top two names in headers have said not to do anything to your headers unless you're running an absurd amount of power, forced induction of some sort, or unless your car is a true bred race car (and as much as I know we all hate to admit it, but unless you trailer your car to the track, it has at least a 6 point cage, 5 point harnesses, is not registered, and has no interior- it does not qualify as a race car). I know this goes against everything we've all read on the forums, and against what we've all been raised/taught through the years. I certainly used to think that ceramic coating headers and then heat wrapping them was the only way to go. Interestingly enough, however, when you break it down past it being an overkill move, the engineering behind both of the previous two notions is not without thought. The cooler an engine runs, generally the better, but when you start changing the way that exhaust is pulled out of the engine (scavenging), you start to change the way the engine behaves. It is possible to change the dynamics of the engine in such a way that you actually lose power. The concept of over-scavenging is what happens when an improperly tuned exhaust pulls too much air through the engine and you end up with a flat spot in the RPM range.
I know what you're thinking- "But wait! He hasn't said anything about Jet Hot yet!"
So, last but not least I got a call back from Jet Hot, and much to my surprise it was from David Burton, the head of engineering for Jet Hot. David was very patient with me and my lack of an engineering background, and broke it down very simply. In essence, when you coat something, you prevent corrosion. This is true with the Jet Hot coatings, but unlike header wrap their coatings provide a completely uniform dispersion of heat, and do not trap moisture, but prolong the corrosion resistance process. When asked about corrosion he said, "It really depends on the alloy and what kind of metal the headers are made of. Different metals will oxidize and rust at different rates. Mild steel is prone to rusting quickly, where as stainless steel is more corrosion resistant, even cast iron is prone to pitting- just at a much slower rate. Wraps and coating both improve the thermal qualities by acting as insulators, but wraps will burn and sometimes even etch themselves into the metal or alloy they cover as they heat and cool. They also trap dirt, debris, and water against the metals they are insulating. The thermal cycle burns the carbon out of steel as it goes from extremely hot, to cool, and then repeats. When this happens, the metal begins to rust under normal conditions. What the ceramic coating does is act as an insulator, and a corrosion inhibitor."
So, top of the ninth, Coating: 1. Wrapping: 0. Naked: 2.
Basically, what I can deduce from all of these interviews is that the first singular issue that should be addressed is that we should NOT be wrapping headers. It's a thing of the past, passed down from the generations before. Ceramic coating is a great tool in preventing corrosion, but not entirely necessary for an everyday driver. The bottom line is if you want to spend the extra money on corrosion resistance, and heat insulation, it's not a bad idea- but the headers will perform just as well without them. So, if you happen to be running a beast of a Corvette with a small mountain of power underneath the hood - either by way of forced induction, or just an astronomically built N/A set up - then it might be a good idea to get a ceramic coating on your headers. But, for the rest of us, while it does look nice, and provide an insulator to our headers, those beautifully crafted bends of steel sucking out the hot gases inside our motors, can be left just as naked as the day they were born.
Keep it under the limit,
-CN
Special thanks to Nick and Anthony at American Racing Headers, George R. at Kooks, and David Burton and Cheryl at Jet Hot for patiently taking time out of their busy day to put up with my poking and prodding and answering my questions.
Corvette Mild to Wild Switch
If you drive a C6 Corvette, you know all about the vehicle's bi-modal exhaust. It's an interesting function installed by Chevrolet - the exhaust actually has two different passages, or modes, through each muffler that allow for the exhaust to switch between a quieter comfort mode, and a more aggressive sport mode. The exhaust manages the switch between these two modes through use of vacuum actuators which control butterfly valves that regulate which exhaust passage is open for exhaust use. On stock applications, these actuators are activated based upon an ECU examination of the vehicle's RPMs and Throttle Opening, and will switch the valves between "quiet" and "loud" modes depending upon the driving conditions.
Of course, in doing this, the driver has little control over whether the Valves are open ("loud") or closed ("quiet") apart from changing their driving, and even then, the system isn't always known for the most intelligent degree of responsiveness. To correct this issue, however, there exists one small and fantastic tool: the Mild to Wild switch (sometimes referred to as the M2W). This little piece, which is little more than a radio controlled fuse switch, installs easily and changes the came for your bi-modal exhaust. With the M2W a Corvette driver is able to change their exhaust between "quiet" and "loud" as they desire. This not only allows for a more aggressive exhaust tone for every day driving by leaving the butterfly valves in their open position, but also means that a driver involved in a conversation during more aggressive highway driving can close up the valves on their Corvette for a little less cabin noise.
The price on these is more than right, too. The Mild to Wild switch typically costs in the $90-$110 range (my friends over at Southern Car Parts, who I tend to do the majority of my dealings with, offer them on sale for $89.99 with free shipping in the 48 states). The install on a Mild to Wild is incredibly simple, too. Ultimately, the switch is installed by doing little more than accessing the fuse box under the dash by removing a single plastic plate, and replacing one fuse with another. The radio receiver antenna is then wrapped properly in place, and, voila! within five minutes you have full control over your Corvette's exhaust passage positioning. The tool for switching between open and closed is incredibly handy too. The kit comes with two key-fob receivers. I put on of them on my Corvette keys, which is generally nice, but also found that it can be a little troublesome to fiddle with the key chain while trying to drive, so I left the other easily accessible in my rear trunk tray. With the fob that close and easy to reach, switching the exhaust note on the Corvette takes me little more than 5 seconds and a single press of a button.
If you're upgrading your Corvette exhaust, too, the M2W switch will continue to function properly. Any and all bi-modal aftermarket exhausts available (most notably the Billy Boat Fusion, and the absolutely incredible Akrapovic system) function in an identical manner--concerning the bi-modality and dual-passage function, that is--to the stock exhaust. This means that you'll be able to have greater control on an even more greatly improved exhaust tone. Since installing my M2W, one of my favorite sounds has become the noticable tonal difference I hear when starting my vehicle up. I leave my exhaust in the "open" position a majority of the time now, and upon start up the 'Vette just breathes a little better and roars a little louder. When driving side by side with other C6's on a weekend day, too, I can hear the difference between my open exhaust and their more restricted closed exhaust. It's a fantastic function.
In all honesty, I can't fathom why Chevrolet wouldn't make this functionality a stock feature with their vehicles. At the affordability of the system it seems like a complete and total no-brainer for them. But, they missed out on it, so now this modification--affordable, simple, easily installed, and incredibly cool--becomes a complete and total no-brainer for me and all other Corvette owners and enthusiasts.
Great to note: All C6's made after 2008, and all Z06, ZR1, and Grand Sport C6's come standard with the bi-modal exhaust system (often times referred to as the NPP). If you have an earlier model C6, your exhaust only has one tonal passage, and this isn't a modification for you. However, if you drive any Corvette with the NPP exhaust functionality, you shouldn't have to think twice at all about ordering a M2W and installing it on your car.
657HP Edelbrock E-Force Supercharger for the Corvette C6 Z06
When Edelbrock first released their E-Force supercharger for the LS2 and LS3 engines, they took the Corvette (and Camaro) world by storm. The superchargers are powerful (they take the stock Corvette to over 550HP), well-made, well-warrantied (3 year 36,000 mile, and optional 5 year million mile), and generally affordable. It was none of those aspects that made these so cool, though. The E-Force really gained a lot of popularity for its low profile design.
It has always been considered to be standard that a new supercharger means having to buy a new hood. Companies have built their entire reputations on building supercharger specific hoods for various vehicles--amongst those vehicles, too, the Corvette has been especially popular. The E-Force changed the game though. It provided full-sized supercharger power and performance in a much smaller package. The low-profile design intelligently contains all of the supercharger aspects in such a small compartment that, when installed, it will fit directly under the stock hood. This mean that the supercharger, which was already priced fairly against its competition, was all of a sudden a lot more affordable, too. Without having to spend an extra $1000 on buying a hood and having it painted (and some people have spent as much as $10,000 on special model dry carbon fiber supercharger hoods), the E-Force made supercharging a Corvette a much more affordable option all of a sudden.
The design, while being the aspect of the supercharger that gained the most popularity, wasn't the only great thing about it. Again, this thing packs a powerful punch. The downside, at the time of release, was that the supercharger was only available for the LS2 and LS3 powered Corvette engines. Since that time, though, Edelbrock has really expanded their product line, and introduced E-Force superchargers for a variety of different engines. Finally, this week, they hit the engine that people wanted the most: the LS7. Edelbrock has just released their all new, Corvette LS7 E-Force supercharger (part number 1572), which is designed and built specifically for the C6 Z06 engine, and promises to up its HP output from 505 to a nasty 657HP. That's more than the 639HP the LS9 in the Corvette ZR1 puts out.
Of course, not everything's perfect with the E-Force. The Torque output of the LS7 with E-Force supercharger is 582 ft./lbs, which comes in well below the 604 number of the ZR1. But, if that's the major complaint, they've done something very right with this supercharger. The system itself is made specifically to optimize the HP potential of the LS7, and is built with 12" runners to optimize torque on the low-end. The dyno chart for the system itself is very impressive, as the torque it does give (and 582 ft./lbs is nothing to sneeze at!) kicks in strong at low RPMs, and should really give a Z06 with one installed a whole lot of punch. At below $10,000, too, there's not really a more cost efficient way to get this much HP. SCP, my friends who help me with my Corvette stuff all the time, currently have the system listed at just over $8k, which equates to a really solid HP:$ ratio. Again, too, that price is even more impressive when you consider the fact that no aftermarket hood is needed to fit the supercharger inside the Corvette engine bay.
The system also utilizes the Z06's dry sump system for seamless vehicle integration and fantastic system durability. A lot of superchargers require changes to the system itself, and this has lead some other people to experience issues with the install, and with engine durability following an install. Ultimately, with the 3 year 36,000 mile Edelbrock warranty, there shouldn't be any worries about the durability of the system, as that sort of warranty is fairly unheard of in the supercharger market (most other companies only offer a 2 year standard warranty, and very few have an option for a 5 year, 100,000+ mile warranty, like Edelbrock offers).
All of these things should come together to make the LS7 E-Force supercharger an undeniable beast of a modification piece for any Z06, and should really show just how fantastic these Edelbrock systems are. With stellar 5-star reviews existing all over the web for the other E-Force systems, and the Edelbrock customer service and warranty replacement work, I can't really find anything that's wrong with this supercharger. And if you have a Z06 and want to build it up to run with ZR1's, and kill most all other competition on the road, I can't think of a better way to do just that.
Wilwood’s Corvette C5 and C6 Big Brake Kit
First things first. We all know how much we love speed and acceleration. I distinctly remember the first time I rode in a really, really fast car. I couldn't have been older than 15, and I was hanging around a local speed shop when I should have been in Mrs. Bateman's Trigonometry class. Rather than enlightening myself in the sense that Mrs. Bateman would have preferred, I was getting ready to learn my first lesson in forced induction, and the magical feeling that torque and acceleration bring to the road when applied correctly. I had been recruited by a "shop hand" to help bleed his brakes. Regardless of what city this was in and what kind of car this was, behind a set of beautiful wheels sat a set of beautiful, big, glossy, perfectly engineered brakes. These were a far cry from the puny stockers his car had been equipped with when it left the factory some years earlier. These were real brakes. My first reaction, aside 
from an open mouth, was pure joy that I should be so lucky at the tender age of 15 to witness such beauty in the automotive world surrounding me. Long story short, we bled the brakes, he popped in new pads simultaneously, and we went for a spirited drive to bed in the new pads. It was on this drive that I experienced sheer, blistering acceleration like never before in my young life, but what impressed me more was the absolute, retinal detaching, braking that followed each fierce jaunt of acceleration. His tires didn't lock up. His 60-0 distance would have been alarming to the parental unit had she known where I actually was. I had never experienced stopping power like this before. When we returned to the shop, he explained to me that you should never modify a car to the point that its power that outperforms its braking capabilities. This made perfect sense to me. Why would anyone modify a car to go faster than they can safely stop it?
Corvette engineers, whilst increasing the power of the LS motors near the end of 2005 didn't lose sight of that fact. They designed the stock brakes to be quite effective when driven on the street, in a relatively mild, safely controlled manner. But honestly- who hasn't taken their 'Vette up to the mountains on some "spirited" drives? To those of you who track these fine machines- (turn 10A at Road Atlanta never ceases to be a big braking turn after the back straight!) have you never felt the groan and moan of your stock brakes being heated to the point of fading on the track? That feeling of your brakes saying "I can't!" is no more encouraging than sliding into the kitty litter, or hitting gravel at the apex of a turn in the mountains. But thankfully Wilwood has the answer to our quandary of spirited driving: Really Big Brakes.
The simple laws of braking are- the more surface area your brakes have (rotors and pads together in particular) the faster they can slow your 3,180 lb beast down. The more effective your brakes are, the safer your stopping capabilities are, the lower your lap times, and the less stress on your stock set up. If you're looking for the end of your braking woes, your need look no further. These brakes are six pistons strong up front, and 4 pistons strong out back. Along with being gorilla strong in the piston department, these fine fellows rotors range from a respectable 12.19" to a massive 14.25" in diameter in the front. For those than can't quite grasp how large this is- the stock wheel size for most economy cars is a 14" wheel. This means the rotor alone for these brakes is bigger than the entire wheel of the Corolla. It should also be noted before I delve any deeper into the technical aspects of this kit, that it will fit BOTH the C5 and the C6. Pretty awesome, huh? We thought so.
The amount of pure engineering in these brakes is astounding. These brakes are fully compatible with the OE master cylinder and maintain the ABS. Radial mounting and the option for two different piston volumes only begin to hint at the structural engineering feats accomplished when Wilwood decided that having the most structurally sound caliper was of the utmost importance. The caliper is constructed of Forged Billet Superlite (FSL) and starts 
weighing in at a feathery 4.4 pounds. The caliper body is the product of FEA computer design and stress flow forging technology. FEA technology allows the designer to test the prototype in a computer environment to determine the optimal structural design within the dimensional parameters of the component. Stress flow forging produces a part with the internal grain structure of the metal aligned in the direction of the flow of the body contour. The results are a caliper with superior clamping efficiency and ultimate strength against fatigue, stresses, and distortion under load. Pretty phenomenal stuff. All of this engineering generates big brake clamping force with six differential bore stainless steel pistons. Stainless steel is used for its high resistance to corrosion and low thermal conductivity that reduces the heat transfer from the pads. The differential bore pattern balances pad loading to help maintain even pad wear. High temperature bore seals provide long service life and maintain their resilience to provide positive piston retraction on release. Two options for overall piston volume make it simple to match the calipers with master cylinder output and rear caliper size for correct bias proportioning. Just to get 
a feel for how these bad boys look behind a wheel, I have a picture from hotrodandrestoration.com below.
All in all these brakes are some of the best on the market, and provide the most bang for your buck as far as aesthetic styling behind your wheels, and giving the most serious stopping power available to us on the market. The track and show enthusiast should be eyeing these pups with the utmost confidence and a dream of stopping on a dime - every time.
Until next time, keep it under the limit,
-CN
Airaid Corvette Intake for C6
In the world of automotive intakes, everyone has an opinion on what brand, what style, what you should spend, and how much power you should be able to extract out of each motor by bolting on an intake. I have always been of the philosophy that word of mouth is the best advertising, yet at the end of that philosophy there is always a very large asterisk. Word of mouth is a great tool, but most of the time the source seems to be hearsay and therefore the following advertisement is more often than not greatly exaggerated. After hearing rumblings of great things about the Airaid intake system from numerous sources, I scouted out some real facts for myself.
As with most intakes for most stock motors, the stock intake for the 2006 up C6 Corvette is unnecessarily restrictive for my purposes. Granted the millions of dollars that Chevy put 
into coming up with this motor, they also had to meet stringent emissions requirements laid down by our fellow Men in Blue. So, when you take a look at the stock intake and realize that it has served its purpose, and you are ready for a little bit of extra oomph, take a peek at the Corvette C6 Airaid intake system. Here they are side by side 
below:
The obvious differences in immediate appearances are the enormous oval filter element and the large, angled, and broad plenum immediately following the filter element are greatly improved over the shorter, straighter stock piece. The open filter element will provide for an increased airflow as well as a nice hint of a gnarly growl for the ears of passersby. Also of note, the two winged-looking pieces on the outside of the plenum are actually the opposite of anything winged. They actually serve to block the enormous filter element off from sucking in any hot air from the engine compartment on the other side of the radiator support. This way the hood and forward space create a pocket of incoming air to be ingested by the motor that stays as close to ambient air temperatures (AAT) as possible. Below you will find the dyno readings provided by Airaid on their website:
In all fairness however, most intakes will net you close to the same gain in power and torque in most possible scenarios. Whether one intake will grab an extra couple horses is always open for debate, and probably will be until the end of time, but the Airaid system excels in one particular category: price. This intake seems to be well below those that gain similar power for our beloved Corvettes. However this intake doesn't skimp on quality or the horsepower gains. It simply seems that the guys over at Airaid forgot the "Corvette Tax" that we've grown so accustomed to. And this secret is quickly getting out among the Vette community. Over here, we're all about bang for our buck — otherwise, why own a Corvette in the first place? Being that all the available intakes for the Vette will net you 7-15 HP to the wheels, all things being equal the major discriminating factor between the Airaid system and all its competitors is price. With the Airaid clocking in at generally $80-$200 cheaper than the competition, it just seems silly to go any other route.
Keep it under the limit,
-CN
Corvette C6 Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser
APR started producing a new line of rear diffusers for the C6/ C6 Z06 Corvettes at the beginning of this year. As some of you may know, the material carbon fiber is not only stronger than steel, but exponentially lighter as well (far lighter than even aluminum). As the technology becomes more readily available, the cost benefit to the average consumer goes increasingly up. 10 years ago, carbon fiber was limited to the extremely wealthy, the factory funded teams with astronomical budgets, and, well…NASA.
Today, however, APR has engineered a brilliantly crafted Corvette C6 Carbon Fiber rear diffuser for the 2005-up Corvette. A rear diffuser acts in much of the same way that a spoiler does, in that it reduces drag, and produces down force by way of reducing lift. If you imagine placing your palm perpendicular against a body of water and moving it through the surface of the water partly submerged with some force, there will be an area of depression and turbulence behind your hand. It will create a wake of low pressure, and disturbed water. This same effect occurs behind the body of your car at speed only with high and low pressure areas of air. The way a diffuser works is to help smooth the "wake" of your car, and make it easier for the car to pass through the air it is displacing as it travels forward. Think of it as an underbody wing for your car.
And, on top of its incredible functionality, it is incredibly good looking. APR has a knack for whetting our appetites over here at Corvette News with great looking pieces with anything from canards and mirrors, to fenders and front splitters. The benefits on and off the track of a diffuser are numerous, ranging from increased gas mileage (even if it is ever so slight, it's a great point to bring up to the wife/girlfriend if the occasion presents itself…), to faster lap times, and higher trap speeds.
I spoke to David and Matt over at Southern Car Parts and they informed me that they started stocking this little guy as soon as the New Year began which was music to my ears. For budget minded, they also offer the rear Corvette C6 Rear Diffuser in FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic).
Until next time…
-CN
1302HP Twin Turbo C6
There's modifying, and then there's creating something all new. This monster C6, by Dallas Performance, falls somewhere between the two. Using a 2005 C6, Dallas Performance set to work completely retooling a LS3 for it to handle over 1300hp from a pair of huge, powerful, turbos.
In addition to boring out and reinforcing the heads to handle the pressure of two gigantic turbos, this vehicle was also fitted out with a single plane intake, RC120 Performance Injectors and Induction Heads, and a modified C6Z06 differential system and TR-6060 transmission. What all of this means, ultimately, is that this Corvette has the mechanics necessary to put down an ungodly amount of power, and handle it. In addition to the 1302HP numbers, the vehicle's also rated at 1226 LB/Ft of torque.
Of course, performance wasn't all that the Dallas tuners were going for, as they've also outfitted the vehicle with a beautiful, glistening, black paint job, carbon fiber rims, and wide racing tires, making this a vehicle as gorgeous as it is powerful.
