Designed to be easy to install, the new C8 Corvette ProCharger also adds some serious power to the mix.
The C8 Corvette ProCharger was revealed last year with loads of promise, even though cracking the mid-engine machine’s ECU has thus far proven to be a daunting task. Regardless, a handful of smart folks have figured out how to work around this little problem and add serious power to the C8, including the long-running maker of centrifugal superchargers. Thus, Hot Rod recently decided to install one on a new Corvette and put it on the dyno to see just how well this new part holds up to its promised potential.
On a Mustang dyno, the stock C8 put down 458 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque from its naturally-aspirated 6.2-liter LT2 V8. The crew then set about installing the C8 Corvette ProCharger, which is actually easier than one might think, in spite of the switch to a mid-engine layout.
“The C8 supercharged system is actually ‘easier’ to install compared to the previous C7 body style since there are no body panels that must be removed, such as the front bumper in the case of the C7,” ProCharger’s Ken Jones explained. “The C8 system only requires an inner fender liner to be removed, the rear trunk panel, and the car’s under panels. So yes, even though the mid-engine layout was a complex undertaking for engineering, it actually makes for a smooth and very DIY-friendly installation of the supercharger system.”
Once that process was complete, the crew once again loaded up the freshly supercharged Corvette on the dyno to see just how much the huffer helps out in the power department. And it certainly impressed, pumping out 612 horsepower and 514 pound-feet of torque – tidy increases of 154 horsepower and 94 pound-feet of torque, all on 91 octane pump gas.
Even better, ProCharger says that this extra power shaves around 0.3 seconds from the C8’s quarter-mile time while also adding around 8 mph to its trap speed. Not too bad for a few grand and around 16-18 hours of installation time, we’d say.
Photos: Hot Rod
Keyword: C8 Corvette ProCharger Adds 150 HP With No Additional Mods