Ordering a new Corvette is a rite-of-passage for many owners who have put in the time and effort to ensure their build is the perfect one for them. On those new builds, every option is analyzed and determined if you can live without it, and that justification becomes easier as the option prices go up.

New Grand Sport (and Stingray) owners are now facing that dilemma of just how important the Quad Center Exhaust will be, and several have already come forward saying they made a $2,000 mistake by ordering the standard side-exit exhaust instead of the optional Quad Center-exit system.

Korey from Paragon Performance recently took delivery of the shop’s new 2027 Corvette Grand Sport X and now he discusses that decision knowing what he now knows. His original plan was to pick the side exhaust to create content for owners who might not have the budget for a center-exit system or end up buying a car straight off the showroom floor. Not everyone gets the chance to configure their Corvette, and he wanted to represent that group.

But once he got seat time in both exhaust configurations, the difference was impossible to ignore.

Sitting behind the Grand Sport X, Korey explains the Center-Exit 6.7L LS6 delivers the soundtrack you expect from a next‑gen Corvette — deep, aggressive, and unmistakably modern. The side‑exit, on the other hand, sounds much closer to the outgoing 6.2L, and in Weather or Tour mode, it can get downright quiet. His words? The side‑exit can sound “like a Prius” compared to the center‑exit’s full‑throated bark.

It was a surprise even to him. After so much time behind the wheel of center‑exit cars, he assumed the new 6.7L would shine regardless of where the pipes exit. It didn’t.

Korey does make some points on why the side‑exit still makes sense for certain Corvette owners. For example, owners upgrading from a previous Stingray can reuse their existing aftermarket exhaust — a big savings when trading up.

He explains the next plans for the car which is getting the Atlanta Custom Wraps treatment, and then a full lineup of aftermarket systems — Borla Attack, Paragon, Kooks, and more — to compare side‑exit vs. center‑exit setups and see just how big the differences really are.

It sounds like there is definitely some FOMO when it its comes to ordering the new exhaust system, and that pain may be felt more when it comes to resale values. This will be something to watch. In the mean time, check out Korey’s video below.

Source:
Paragon Performance / YouTube

Related:
[VIDEO] Battle of the Flat-Planes! Valvetronic Uncorks its C8 Corvette Z06 and Ferrari 458 Exhausts in 16-Cylinder Symphony
Florida Man Arrested for Attacking Corvette Owner who Revved His Engine at Him
[VIDEO] Jesse Iwuji Teaches You How to Get Your C8 Corvette Z06 to Shoot Flames

Subscribe Now: