C8 Chevy Corvette Aftermarket Overview: Mods Every Owner Should Consider

Summary

• Chevy’s C8 Corvette is the fastest production Corvette ever, with a sub-three-second zero to 60 time, etching itself in history.
• Owners and aftermarket suppliers enhance engines and optimize operations, pushing performance beyond factory-packed versions.
• The C8 Corvette’s popularity demands continued modifications to stand out, despite dealerships’ mark-ups on high demand models.

The 70th anniversary of Chevrolet’s ‘Vette, hit amidst the 4th year of production of their mid-engine marvel – the C8 Chevy Corvette. It first broke cover as model year 2020 in Tustin, Calif. on July 18, 2019. The eight-generation Chevrolet Corvette glow-up flexed exotic looks and performance-minded power that destined it to be known as the definitive American sports car and etched itself in history as the fastest production Corvette ever with its sub-three-second zero to 60 time.

Regardless of how much time Chevy shaves off each generation’s zero to 60 – as it comes straight from the assembly line – Corvette owners and aftermarket parts suppliers historically find ways to enhance engines and optimize operations; so, fasten your five-point. Here we take a look at ways to push performance BEYOND the factory-packed version with mods every C8 owner should consider.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Hennessey Performance, Lingenfelter, and Paragon Performance.

Chevy Continually Advances Corvette’s Stock Horsepower

Before we delve into modified C8 ‘Vettes, here’s a brief overview of how the Corvette has evolved over time and what you got out of the box. Through the first seven generations of the Corvette, the car’s top speed capabilities climbed, starting out the gate with the C1 at 130 MPH and peaking at 212 MPH with the C7. Ironically, the C8 has a lower top speed at 195 MPH with the Z06 and 190 from the E-Ray. However, even with the slight dip in top speed times, each generation’s highest-performing Corvette has whittled ticks from its zero to 60 mph.

(Source: National Corvette Museum, Chevrolet)

The title of “Fastest” is a fickle honor, and the newest Corvette claimant is already pulling looks. With predictions of a zero to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, a 2025 Corvette is on the radar rolling as a ‘roided-up hybrid version of the Corvette E-Ray. Track tales are hinting at a Herculean-horsepower number that hovers near the four-digit range. However, that class of horsepower is far beyond the stock C8 Stingray and current owners run the roads at under half that propulsion power from its 6.2 Liter V8 that creates 490 horsepower sans the Z51 Package.

2024 Chevy C8 Corvette Engine Options And Horsepower Capabilities:

(Source: Chevrolet)

A Bolt On Mods Tuner Is A C8 Corvette Performance Must-Have For Aftermarket Upgrades

Regardless of the mods you choose to add to your C8 Corvette, the Bolt-On Tune can individually optimize the specific configuration. This is basically a jailbreak of the C8’s provided E99 ECM by HP Tuners and, using their own software, they develop a one-off tune to bring the most bang for the buck for bolt-on mods.

Bolt-On Tuner Improves Aftermarket Mods Such As:

• Headers
• Intake
• Intake Manifold
• Exhaust
• Fuel Choice (91 or 93 octane, E85, even race fuel)

Benefits of the Bolt On Tuner:

• Improved Performance
• Improved Drivability
• Increased Throttle Response
• Reduced Knock (on Lower Grade Fuels)
• Improved Fuel Efficiency
• Flex Fuel (Optional)
• Adjust AFM/DOD – 4 Cylinder Mode (Optional)
• Burble Tune – Increase pops & crackles (Optional)

A Hennessey Upgrade Will Boost A C8 From 495 HP To Over 700 HP

Known for producing high-performance packages to modify already fast-from-the-factory-vehicles, Hennessey Performance has hijacked headlines with their 1,000 horsepower H1000 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing or their most recent ultra-limited production of a dozen Demons with a beyond super-sized 1700-horse upgrade. The C8 Corvette is among the streetables that Hennessey has engineered a road-ready, performance-enhanced, warrantied upgrade package.

The Hennessey Supercharged Corvette C8 Stingray package includes the supercharger, intercooler, and tune. Hennessey’s professional installation is Dyno-tested and calibrated with up to 500 miles of road testing and backed by a three-year / 36,000-mile warranty.

Badging blasts notice of the heightened horses with Hennessey branding inside and out, a serial numbered engine bay plaque, and a wheel change-out. For those pondering the cost of such an upgrade, this may be a case where, if you have to ask, you probably cannot afford it, because the price is not listed and only an INQUIRE click-through is available for the info.

A Complete Hennessey Supercharged Corvette C8 Stingray Packages Include:

• 708 BHP @ 5,900 RPM
• 638 Pound-Feet torque @ 5,000 RPM
• 2.65 Liter Supercharger System
• High-Flow Air Induction System
• Air-To-Water Intercooler Upgrade
• Hennessey Calibration Upgrade
• All Necessary Gaskets and Fluids
• Professional Installation
• Chassis Dyno Calibration and Testing
• Road Testing (Up To 500 Miles)
• Hennessey Exterior Badging
• H700 Exterior Badging
• Serial Numbered Engine Bay Plaque
• 3-Year / 36,000-Mile Warranty

A Hennessey H700 Chevy Corvette C8 Stingray Shows Out In Track Action

Those considering the C8 mod and curious about what their shakedown will feel like can get a glimpse here, as an upgraded Hennessey H700 Chevy Corvette C8 Stingray was caught in 4K at Hennessey’s own Pennzoil Proving Ground Test Track.

Lingenfelter Joins Magnussen To Unleash A 700 Horsepower C8 Supercharger

Another 700-horsepower option for the C8 comes from a Lingenfelter / Magnuson supercharger collab. Famous for “perfecting the art of performance”, Lingerfelter has been globally recognized for its performance engineering since the seventies with a special focus on Corvettes. Magnussen brings their state-of-the-art engineering to the system for the TVS2650 Chevrolet C8 Corvette DI 700 Horsepower Supercharger Package, with Dyno-cert, letter of authenticity, engine bay plaque, and warranty for an a la carte price of $25,000.

TVS2650 Chevrolet C8 Corvette DI 700 Horsepower Supercharger Package Includes:

• 700 Horsepower 675TQ @ 7PSI Boost (SAE Crank)
• Factory ECM calibrated using our Lingenfelter “C-Cal” Process
• Excellent Drivability Retaining All OEM Functions
• Eaton Advanced (TVS R) High Helix Four-Lobe Technology for Maximum Efficiency Across Entire Speed Range
• ECT Intercooler and Heat Exchanger System to Optimize Air-Flow Across the Charge Air Intercooler
• Magnuson Dynamic Flow Tuning (DFT) Inlet Porting
• Maintenance Free Supercharger Technology
• Lingenfelter 95mm Throttle Body
• 3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty Supercharger Warranty
• Additional Warranty Coverage Available
• Dyno-Certified
• Lingenfelter Certificate of Authenticity and Engine Bay Plaque
• DCT Track Prep
• Supercharger Heat Range Spark Plugs

Add-Ons For The TVS2650 Chevrolet C8 Corvette DI 700 Horsepower Supercharger Package:

• High-Performance Hornet Cold Air Intake Airbox by Halltech
• G-Force Performance Engineering C8 Outlaw Axles
• Lingenfelter CORSA Performance Exhaust System
• Lingenfelter CORSA C8 LT2 Headers
• Alcon Performance Brake System
• Lingenfelter Lowering Kit
• Supercharger CARB pending, but won’t be California-legal

C8 Corvette’s Popularity Will Demand Continued Modifications To Standout

A full production release buried within the COVID-19 pandemic kept the C8 supply on the low side, while the demand was on the high side. Consumers that were once able to “build and price” their C8 on the Chevy Corvette Configurator at a reasonable, if not economical $70,000-ish MSRP, were shaken when dealerships took a turn at price-gouging with their own mark-ups. A predominant recovery in 2023 allowed production numbers to double that of each of the first three model years, pushing it very close to that of the single-year production of the C3, with its record-making 53,807. Only a difference of 22 C8 units differentiated the top sales title.

2020 – 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette Total Production Numbers

(Source: Corvette Museum)

Unfortunately, the added production didn’t eliminate the mark-up in totality. In fact, dealerships are still attempting mark-ups of $50K and more on the C8 Z06. Conduct we can only hope it becomes as scarce as the photos of the Americana Easter egg found engraved in the floorboard of a C4. Life without dealer mark-ups may be a thing of the past. They may have become a tolerated budget-add to the final purchase price; but either way, as long as there are Corvettes to buy, there will be owners that put their money into Corvette modifications.