So far I have done a few minor mods to the Z here and there and it basically still looks like a bone stock '06 redline except with tinted windows

The car looks beautiful as hell inside and out but it looks stock, especially to somebody who's not a Z owner. The Hotchkis drop made it look nice as hell, especially with the 15mm rear spacers. The window tint helps a lot and when I toss the rear wiper and get the spoiler painted and bolted on, it will help but will still pass for a stock Z because the rear spoiler is pretty mild and to a non Z fan, they would think it was a factory spoiler.

I'm not buying any aftermarket wheels. When my stock tires are shot I'm going to see about cramming 265/40's on the rear and using 245/40's up front. I'm still not sure about being able to safely use a 265/40 for the 8.5" wide rears since it's one size over what's recomended. If it works it works if not then I'll just stick with factory spec tires. My right rear already has a slow leak FIGURES! Lost 10lbs of air in 1 week

A vented hood would make a noticable difference in looks but so many people with problems with this and that makes me think it wouldn't be worth all the hassle, even though it would look nice or would it look rice? kidding. And I do not want a ground kit either, for some of the same reasons as with the hoods, plus I just like the Z without any ground kit.

So what the heck am I suppose to do to help this poor Z look un-stock, without buying wheels and tires, a ground kit or an aggressive spoiler?

Is a hood the only other option?

 

imo, nothing changes the look as drastically as wheels and tires. You'd be surprised.

But since you don't wanna do that, I wouldn't put vented hoods on an otherwise stock car. It'll stick out like a sore thumb. Instead, I would just keep everything stock.

 

+1 on nitrouz post, suck it up and do wheels, spacing stock wont make you stand out....and imo, any hood, especially a vented one on a stock body/rim Z would look stupid and out of place.