C5 Corvette Throttle Body - Getting Dialed In

Technical Assistance: Geoff Skorupa

Last month we talked about the how we were going to make some power with our almost-stock LS1 engine. Early in the project we decided the prudent use of our time and energy would be to build the stock engine we had in Project C5X instead of swapping in a brand new LS stroker. With that in mind, we decided to install a LS1X World Warhawk heads and a custom grind C4orce Comp Cams hydraulic roller camshaft and valvetrain. As most of you already know, a head and cam upgrade is one of the simplest and most productive upgrades for any car but especially so for the free-breathing LS1.

This month, we want to install a new throttle body to Project C5X and see what kind of horsepower it can mean to a near-stock Corvette. Pete Incaudo, owner of VMax Motorsports has been working with World Products for quite some time and knows their product line well. As we mentioned last month, Pete worked on the development side for the LS1X World Warhawk heads. While Pete is one of the best cylinder head guys in the country, he also knows engine air flow like nobody's business.

With over 40 years of airflow experience, Pete has also developed his own VMax Motorsports ported throttle bodies. VMax throttle bodies are available for all LS-applications on an exchange basis. All of his throttle bodies are CNC-machined to smooth the flow characteristics of the throttle body past the throttle plate while avoiding the tip-in stumbles that can plague other porting jobs. When you first see one of these throttle bodies, it looks more like a work of art than a part to make horsepower. We know we will have to modify the LS1X World Warhawk heads when we do the cam and head install so we decided we would do this TB install now to keep the results as simple as possible before the big wrenches have to turn. Let's jump right into the TB install.