I need help from my fellow Camaro maniacs!

[GuestUser]

Ok so far I have long tube headers 1 7/8
SLP LMII exhaust
Texas S&P cam 231/236 (I kept it street friendly)
BMR Sway Bars front and rear
TSW NurburgercheeseNfriesring wheels and Nitto Invo tires
Speed INC. tune
Roto-Fab air filter
Last Dyno had my SS at 455 hp and 426 torque

What would be next? I'm thinking coil overs for suspension but heads and supercharger sound fun. I'd like to have a nice balance between low and high end power.

Magnuson TVS2300? Or Whipple? I'm torn between the 2.

How about gears? 3.91?

I'd like Spaceball 1 to hit ludicrous speed and then go plaid!

[greennv]

You don't need heads. The stock heads can be flowed to make better numbers than aftermarket . Brian Thompson from Thompson Automotive does a lot of the LSX research and testing for GM. I met him at his shop last year on the Hot Rod Power Tour. We dropped off two LS9's at his shop for engine harness and dry sumps and we had a lengthy conversation about it.
I'd go with the Maggie . Talk to human wiki or chapman or evowake and they can fill you in on theirs.changing gears would help also .
Also google Brian and check out the 2,000 hp engine he put together for GM . Still has that engine with over 250 dyno pulls on it . He is the guru man !


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[GuestUser]

Ok will do! Thanks greennv!

[SYCK SS]

I agree 100% with gary.

our heads flow extremely well, and the amount of gain if any that you would get out of aftermarkert or new heads can be money spent somewhere else.

I also agree that whipple is good route to go, if you arent doing turbo of course ;-)

ultimately boost is the best bang for your buck and you will be extremely happy with the results.

also gears are a good route to go too. i would say either a 3.70 or the 3.91 would be good. Dont go to a 4.10 because thats just a waste of gear then.

Also be prepared to spend some money on supporting mods by taking that next step. Some things to include in the budget are a clutch and axles for sure.

do you plan on tracking the car at all?

[Bubbles]

See me at FLP...

[GuestUser]

I agree 100% with gary.

our heads flow extremely well, and the amount of gain if any that you would get out of aftermarkert or new heads can be money spent somewhere else.

I also agree that whipple is good route to go, if you arent doing turbo of course ;-)

ultimately boost is the best bang for your buck and you will be extremely happy with the results.

also gears are a good route to go too. i would say either a 3.70 or the 3.91 would be good. Dont go to a 4.10 because thats just a waste of gear then.

Also be prepared to spend some money on supporting mods by taking that next step. Some things to include in the budget are a clutch and axles for sure.

do you plan on tracking the car at all?

Oh yeah I'd love to track my SS but I'm trying to get my mod list organized. Things are happening for me a little faster than I anticipated and I want to make sure I add parts the right way.

The stock heads I'll definitely keep on the car.

I'm stuck on what to do for suspension. I hear alot of good and bad with coil overs and I have to decide on them or go with a kit. Pfdat has a nice set and SLP has a cheaper one.

I'm also going to have to do brakes and brake lines.

Should I address suspension next and get that out of the way? Maybe do the axles at the same time or wait until I decide on boost?

Which clutch do you all favor? Say I go with Whipple, what do I need for my transmission to handle the extra power?

See me at FLP...

Will do! You got me reading on brakes and lines so I'm ready for chapter 2. Hehe!

[SYCK SS]

Oh yeah I'd love to track my SS but I'm trying to get my mod list organized. Things are happening for me a little faster than I anticipated and I want to make sure I add parts the right way.

The stock heads I'll definitely keep on the car.

I'm stuck on what to do for suspension. I hear alot of good and bad with coil overs and I have to decide on them or go with a kit. Pfdat has a nice set and SLP has a cheaper one.

I'm also going to have to do brakes and brake lines.

Should I address suspension next and get that out of the way? Maybe do the axles at the same time or wait until I decide on boost?

Which clutch do you all favor? Say I go with Whipple, what do I need for my transmission to handle the extra power?



Will do! You got me reading on brakes and lines so I'm ready for chapter 2. Hehe!

well half the battle of using more power is putting it down. So suspension does not hurt to do. Upgrading the axles is a good idea regardless of power level as it also helps with wheel hop. Plus if you are taking stuff apart back there its always worth it.

I run stock suspension as of now because I am strictly a straight line type of driver. So its better for launching. But if you plan on road racing, then coilovers are worth it for you.

I did a lot of research on clutches, and i went with McLeod RXT twin disc clutch. Good up to 1000hp and almost like stock clutch pedal. I beat the crap out of this thing and its still holding like it was new. If you arent planning for that big of power then even their RST setup is good for up to 700 hp.


something i always say is to think of your ultimate end goal and work backwards... i know too many people that purchase multiple cams, and suspension setups, and clutches. Because they upgrade in stages and it costs more in the long run.

So determine your ultimate goal with the car and final power level, and work backwards.

[GuestUser]

well half the battle of using more power is putting it down. So suspension does not hurt to do. Upgrading the axles is a good idea regardless of power level as it also helps with wheel hop. Plus if you are taking stuff apart back there its always worth it.

I run stock suspension as of now because I am strictly a straight line type of driver. So its better for launching. But if you plan on road racing, then coilovers are worth it for you.

I did a lot of research on clutches, and i went with McLeod RXT twin disc clutch. Good up to 1000hp and almost like stock clutch pedal. I beat the crap out of this thing and its still holding like it was new. If you arent planning for that big of power then even their RST setup is good for up to 700 hp.


something i always say is to think of your ultimate end goal and work backwards... i know too many people that purchase multiple cams, and suspension setups, and clutches. Because they upgrade in stages and it costs more in the long run.

So determine your ultimate goal with the car and final power level, and work backwards.

Yeah I'm trying to avoid the multiple purchase problem. I know I may have to go bigger with my cam but that's ok.

I'd like to have a car that can run a road course hard, attack the turns, but have a moderate amount of power. 1/4 mile runs are fun but I'm more of a track fan. Would mid 500 hp be a good mark to go for or can I push for more? I'm trying to decide on a power level that is good for a twisty junkie like me.

[TonyNo]

Just use the bike for the bends!

[SYCK SS]

Yeah I'm trying to avoid the multiple purchase problem. I know I may have to go bigger with my cam but that's ok.

I'd like to have a car that can run a road course hard, attack the turns, but have a moderate amount of power. 1/4 mile runs are fun but I'm more of a track fan. Would mid 500 hp be a good mark to go for or can I push for more? I'm trying to decide on a power level that is good for a twisty junkie like me.

i think the 550whp range would be plenty for what you are trying to do. My opinion though.

as far as cam, bigger isnt always better for boost. So the fact that you have a mild cam would be better for a boosted application. On a big cam, normally the overlap (amount of time that both intake and exhaust valves are open) is greater. Which is better for an N/A application to use the exhaust scavenging ability to increase TQ and HP. but on boosted, if you have more overlap... the boost is just blowing through the intake and out the exhaust. So a mild cam is better normally.

But a nice whipple, decent coilover kit, axles... should be a good start

[GuestUser]

Just use the bike for the bends!

Hehe! I do and go through footpegs more than I should. I scrape the hell out of them on the road.

i think the 550whp range would be plenty for what you are trying to do. My opinion though.

as far as cam, bigger isnt always better for boost. So the fact that you have a mild cam would be better for a boosted application. On a big cam, normally the overlap (amount of time that both intake and exhaust valves are open) is greater. Which is better for an N/A application to use the exhaust scavenging ability to increase TQ and HP. but on boosted, if you have more overlap... the boost is just blowing through the intake and out the exhaust. So a mild cam is better normally.

But a nice whipple, decent coilover kit, axles... should be a good start

Ahh cool I did not know that about cams. I'll look in to those clutch's to.

[litle88]

That's why it's important to know your final goals on your build bud. Iirc that cam does have overlap but if you ask me not enough duration on the exhaust side. With overlap its just gonna mean you'll have to spin it higher lol. But it's better to get a custom cam specd to your build. Another thing is there is differences in superchargers a roots type and centrifugal s/c give you the power a lil more differently. A roots type gives you that instant badazz TQ, so you better have your drivetrain beefed up and a sticky azz tire. A centri is no punk either but is more linear and you will shine in the top end compared to a roots type where they tend to fall off a lil bit. But you will need those upgrades too lol. The cams are different for either type too so that's why you'll need a good plan on a better cam to take advantage of either way you go. Just my .2 bud.

[HumanWiki]

If you're not going to seriously auto-x, road course, or other twisty track your car OR aren't going to want to vary the height often, don't waste your money and time on Coil Overs because you simply don't need them. For the money you'll put in to a set, you can compensate for them elsewhere or take the understanding of not having COs. If you get a bad set, the wrong set or a set that isn't designed to do what you're going to want, then you'll just hate them or feel like they were a total waste of money.

Ditto on the "have an end game in mind" thoughts otherwise you'll be part swapping more than your underpants -- and that gets costly to you (but, keeps your local shop in business)

5th Gens are heavy and already have suspension geo and traction issues to start with. You'll find that you can pick up some time just by getting the correct setup to launch with -- sticky tires (of the right size/compound), stronger axles, trailing arms/subframe mounts, etc.

If you're a 2010 and around or under the 25K VIN dear lord, whatever you do, don't go flying out of the hole. You'll shear the output shaft clean off.

Unless you're getting a deal with time/materials to coincide with other installs, skip an aftermarket clutch for now. Learn how to launch your car on the OE clutch before you replace it so you're not chewing up an expensive after market one. I ran for almost two years on the OE clutch with 12K+ miles of blower, a hard weekend at Road America, a lot of stop/go traffic plus 30-40 1/4 mi passes. As long as you're not baking it off the line, being stupid around town, etc. it should last with the mods.. Now, there will come a time it's just going to give up and no longer hold the power, but you'll start to notice that.

The Maggy/Whipple/KB you'll get a lot of opinions on. I can only speak from my Maggy. It made 560/520 on stock heads and cam, with only 1 & 3/4 Tri-Y headers, through cats and an OE clutch. That's just the little 2.3L. If you're not going for the moon in terms of power, then just get whatever blower comes with the best price and installer (if it's a package) as they'll all work just fine. If you're going to stupid absurd dyno numbers, then a 2.3 will run out on the LS3 after a bit (unless you're getting stuff from JRE, Hendrix, etc that's changing up the flow ratings). The KBs and Whipples, being larger, will get you to the higher numbers -- but, again, that's only if you're going there.

I strongly, strongly suggest that you NEVER race a blown manual Camaro on the OE axles -- unless you bring spares and can change at the track. Otherwise, the odds are not in your favor for driving off the track under your own power.

Also, depending on where you go with your power, you'll need more fuel -- which means a new pump (your blower should come with injectors). Thankfully, the dual fuel systems for the lower boost cars seem to be going away thanks to the ZL1 pump. Previously, we had extra fuel lines, tank tapping, boost switch, etc. Had it not been so expensive then, I'd have done a better in-tank pump. I was never a fan of my dual fuel with in-line pump.

At the end of the day, you really just need to sit down and decide where you're going with the car, how much $$$ you have to spend, what you're willing to live with and without, how long you're going to keep the thing and what type of racing you're really wanting to do.

Next, pick a speedshop and talk it over with them. They do this all the time and have all the insider knowledge of what really works and what really doesn't. You can't always trust what's said on forums as there's always that political aspect of getting moderated in to oblivion by providing negative (but honest) feedback on certain vendors, shops, people. So, you can't always go on who has the least amount of negative feedback as sometimes, there's none because they actively have it squashed. I don't really see that here on this board.. BUT, there are other "5"th Gen "Camaro" boards that are notorious for that....

[HumanWiki]

One more thing. Don't get stuck chasing dyno numbers... It gets addictive, it's something people love to brag on... But... You don't want to have the stigma of a slow big power car.

It's OK to be disappointed with numbers when they're truly indicating something is wrong with the car, but don't be disappointed because someone has more than you. They're supposed to be a tool for you to know how well the car is doing not a bragging right. Though, it seems the latter has become more important online.

[GuestUser]

Everything just got put on hold for now with that possible oil leak FLP found during the Dyno. Got to have a healthy car first.

I'm going to do gears for sure, the 1LE 3.91, and make some decisions on suspension/chasis. I like what you guys are telling me about coil overs but there are some huge price differences between sets on the market so I'm going to do some research before I ask anything else. Axles are on the agenda no doubt.

The SS will definitely be tracked, I could care less about the bragging hoopla on places like Camaro5, so Wiki I'm totally with ya on the point your making.

I'll hit you guys up for some more info once I do some homework. I do appreciate your comments everyone and I'll most certainly keep them all in mind.

To be continued...same Bat-time...same Bat-channel.