The 725-HP ProCharged C8 Corvette Is Finally Real, After Almost Two Years

Complete with a fully (re)calibrated ECU and PCM, the upgrade is as easy as plug and play and requires a minimal set of (power) tools to put on the car (it should take less than ten hours). No laptop fiddling, no dyno testing, no overly complicated mechanics – “install the supercharger, install the ECU, push start.” Pretty damn straightforward – just like the drag race that the tuning pack is meant to overfill with tire-shredding, tarmac-rippling excitement.

According to the company, their power-boosting add-on produces “the coolest charge air temps and largest power gains.” The upgrade kit - fully compatible with stock C8s’ V8s and exhausts – sports a custom intake manifold and an air-to-water intercooler, amongst other delicacies.

Stage II is no permanent mod, so it can be installed at will with relative ease since exterior body panels don’t get in the way. An inner fender liner, the rear trunk panel, and under panels must be removed (the tuners provide an illustrated how-to guide for the installation).

However, PCM fine-tuning is mandatory, and this is done by ProCharger, which has a proprietary operating system for this operation. So, for a good $18,498 as a starter, a C8 Stingray will receive the Stage II System upgrade – in the English-to-HP dictionary, that spells some 230 or more extra stallions.

As you can see in the video from ProCharger, the dyno upbeat is about 668 hp with the tuner’s top deal. Again, bear in mind the fuel factor – as the presenter explains, it’s another affair when gas quality is added to the equation. Power outputs can vary by considerable margins.

Another convenient option is the ability to morph the V8 into a V4 with one push of the cruise control button (something users have been requesting). So, you get a monster at the track that doubles as a money-saving highway cruiser.

If some C8 owner decides that a Stage II System upgrade is too much for his factory Stingray, there’s the milder option of a High Output package. It’s the same as the premium offer, except for the PSI boost (just five instead of the maximal 7.5). It means a power increase of 170 hp over standard (so crank numbers go above 665 hp) and just one thousand dollars less than the top tune.

One word about ProCharger’s dyno ratings: while the crank measurements give pretty numbers, the down-to-earth (PUN intended) wheel scores are about 11% below the straight-out-of-the-engine figures. Drive train loss is painful, and ICEs-run cars experience a hefty drop in power and torque at the spinning rubber end through their mechanical transmissions.

It took the tuners almost two years after they first announced their Stage II upgrades for the C8s, and they claim they have put the Stingray in the Z06 territory (in terms of raw power, mind you). Whether the drivetrain is fit for a drag win against the performance sibling is yet to be determined (the cutthroat V8 way, if possible). The second video gives more details about the quarter-mile overall gains.

And yes, ProCharger has something in store for the not-hard top C8s. in the company’s wording: “Well, we have been listening and are thankful to announce that our R&D for that system is also underway.” So stay tuned, convertible C8 owners; something is coming your way.