Corvette C5 Horsepower Specs
- Chevrolet produced the fifth generation Corvette from 1997 to 2004.corvettes image by michael langley from Fotolia.com
Chevrolet Motors produced the fifth generation (or "C5") Corvette from 1997 to 2004. During the production of this model line, Chevy released the two-door Corvette as a convertible and also as a hatchback and hardtop coupe. In 2003, the company manufactured a 50th Anniversary Edition model and from 2001 to 2004, also produced the C5 Z06, an enhanced performance model. - The standard production option during the C5 model years equipped the Corvette with Chevrolet's LS1 engine. This aluminum block V-8 (eight-cylinder) had a displacement of 5.7 liters and used sequential multi-port fuel injection to feed gas through two valves per cylinder (for a total of 16 valves). Prospective buyers could purchase the C5 Corvette with a four-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission. Both drivetrains could achieve 345 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 350 lb-ft. of torque at 4,400 rpm. In performance, "Motor Trend" reports that the LS1 could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, hit 109.3 mph in the quarter-mile in 13.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 173.9 mph.
- In 2001, Chevrolet released the high-performance Z06 Corvette. The company equipped its flagship Z06 with a performance-enhanced version of the LS1 aluminum block V-8, referred to as the LS6. The LS6 engine utilized an overhead valve pushrod system and had a displacement of 5.7 liters and transmitted power through a six-speed Borg-Warner manual transmission. This drivetrain achieved an output of 385 hp at 6,000 rpm and produced a torque of 385 ft-lb. at 4,800 rpm with a redline of 6,500 rpm and a compression ratio of 10.5:1. In terms of performance, the Corvette Museum website reports that the Z06 hit a top speed of 171 mph, could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds and clock a speed of 114 mph in the quarter-mile with a time of 12.6 seconds.
- Starting in 2001, Chevrolet made performance modifications to the LS1 engine for the C5 Corvette. The company redesigned the fuel injection system to add five horsepower to the engine's output in 2001 for a total of 350 at 5,600 rpm and a torque increase to 360 ft-lb. at 4,400 rpm. Any Corvette from 2001 to 2004 equipped with the LS1 engine shared this performance upgrade. In 2002, Chevy also added performance enhancements of a higher-lift camshaft and airflow modifications to the Z06 engine. These changes boosted the output of the Z06 engine to 405 hp at 6,000 rpm and 400 lb-ft. of torque at 4,800 rpm. According to the Corvette Museum website, this enhanced power enabled the Z06 to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and hit a speed of 116 mph in the quarter-mile with a time of 12.4 seconds.