question for new member
#1
01-19-2007, 04:50 AM
question for new member
k guys, just got a 99 hardtop vette a few weeks ago.. only has 28k, great condition, pewter... it has borlas and thats all im pretty sure, guy at the lot said he wasnt sure if it had anything else or not. After inspection under the hood i couldnt find anything aftermarket on it. A few questions... about how much power should I expect from a new air intake (probobly going with vararam.. is this a good choice). Also, what else can I do to improve power without spending big bucks. Thinking about intake manifold etc. Also another ?, how much would handling performance improve with thehotchkis (spelling) sway bar kit? thanks folks
#2
01-19-2007, 04:57 AM
RE: question for new member
oh yeah and I just noticed halltech stinger intake on sale for 289.00 on a website.. better than vararam? thanks
#3
01-19-2007, 06:54 AM
RE: question for new member
First, you are probably aware that almost all manufacturers claim HP additions that are optimistic if not just impossible for their products.
A change to a simple improved setup like a Blackwing probably brings at best 5 RWHP. (I've seen only 3 on a dyno), even if they claim "up to 12" or something or like that. Realize the factory may have other considerations when they design and build the car (the stock intake is optimized for sound cancelation, too) but they don't give away that much power when all they need to do is mold the plastic this way or that.
A true cold air intake (CAI) ducting system like vararam, hallteck, etc., is another matter. You won't get any big verification on a dyno test because the car isn't moving fast to 'ram" air into the CAI - some of these show only a tiny gain on a dyno. But drag strip times fall enough to indicate that under the right conditions (a cool night but your have been running the car hard so the whole underhood is hot) they add 15 HP.
If you are wondering the reason the factory won't go with a CAI -- why it is willing to leave that much HP (say about 10) on the table by not installing a CAI, is that it is labor intensive. You'll find that when you install it. A Blackwing takes ten minutes or so to install, a vararam much longer with much work and twisting under the car, fitting and re-adjusting partsas you add the rest (and cussing maybe) getting the ducts and all installed straight and without gaps or rubbing, etc. Manufacturers hate labor-intensive parts/steps in the production of a car. This is the main reason cars don't have headers from the factory: stock exhaust manifolds cling to the block and are small -- they don't get in the way so the engine, with manifolds on it, can just be dropped into the car complete. Headers, on the other hand -- if the factory bolts them on in advance of installing the engine in the car, they get in the way of a smooth and fast 'drop it in, bolt it on in five seconds' production step (the headers stick out from the side and back of the engine far enough to make it much bulkier to manuveur into an engine bay, etc. Usually they have to be bolted on after the engine is in the car -- an extra step that makes them very expensive to install. Hence the factory doesn't.
Thus, in general the things you can do to get power, quickly, are:
1) A cold air intake that actually uses ducts that access cold air from the front or the car and routes it up through a low restriction (K&n) filter into the engine. There are several, all about the same in my opinion.
2) Long tube headers - a good set will make a noticeable difference -- one you feel. Get oversize cats at the same time.
3) 1.75 or 1.8 to 1 rocker arms. The cheap man's cam replacement. These increase the valve lift and can be installed quickly without really going into the engine (you just have to remove the rocker covers, etc.). The factory doesn't use these for cost and warranty (and maybe emissions) issues. They add about 15 HP. The downside is that if you have worn valve springs or a tired engine you could run into problems, the worst of which is floating a valve and having. On a car with 28K miles I would not worry too much. If you do this you can't subsequently add a new cam, etc. If I did this I would buy the whole kit (pushrods and retainers, etc., if they call for it, new springs) from a reputable manufactuer -- everything they recommend, not just a set of high-ratio rockers alone). Frankly, a new cam is not that much additional work, but we're talking real budget here.
Now,with the CAI and headers, rockers or not, w get the car "tuned" - the engine control module (ECM) reprogrammed -- by someone with LS1edit capabilities and a dyno, someone who knows what they are doing. The tune will get the max HP possible out of them and might pick up 5 or so on its own just by optimized fuel-air for your particular car.
And for the record, a lot of people also think they can pick up HP by deleting the catalytic converters (cats) but in fact that adds almost no HP on stock or only-mildly modified engines (they need the exhaust back-pressure), and is illegal, too.
.
A change to a simple improved setup like a Blackwing probably brings at best 5 RWHP. (I've seen only 3 on a dyno), even if they claim "up to 12" or something or like that. Realize the factory may have other considerations when they design and build the car (the stock intake is optimized for sound cancelation, too) but they don't give away that much power when all they need to do is mold the plastic this way or that.
A true cold air intake (CAI) ducting system like vararam, hallteck, etc., is another matter. You won't get any big verification on a dyno test because the car isn't moving fast to 'ram" air into the CAI - some of these show only a tiny gain on a dyno. But drag strip times fall enough to indicate that under the right conditions (a cool night but your have been running the car hard so the whole underhood is hot) they add 15 HP.
If you are wondering the reason the factory won't go with a CAI -- why it is willing to leave that much HP (say about 10) on the table by not installing a CAI, is that it is labor intensive. You'll find that when you install it. A Blackwing takes ten minutes or so to install, a vararam much longer with much work and twisting under the car, fitting and re-adjusting partsas you add the rest (and cussing maybe) getting the ducts and all installed straight and without gaps or rubbing, etc. Manufacturers hate labor-intensive parts/steps in the production of a car. This is the main reason cars don't have headers from the factory: stock exhaust manifolds cling to the block and are small -- they don't get in the way so the engine, with manifolds on it, can just be dropped into the car complete. Headers, on the other hand -- if the factory bolts them on in advance of installing the engine in the car, they get in the way of a smooth and fast 'drop it in, bolt it on in five seconds' production step (the headers stick out from the side and back of the engine far enough to make it much bulkier to manuveur into an engine bay, etc. Usually they have to be bolted on after the engine is in the car -- an extra step that makes them very expensive to install. Hence the factory doesn't.
Thus, in general the things you can do to get power, quickly, are:
1) A cold air intake that actually uses ducts that access cold air from the front or the car and routes it up through a low restriction (K&n) filter into the engine. There are several, all about the same in my opinion.
2) Long tube headers - a good set will make a noticeable difference -- one you feel. Get oversize cats at the same time.
3) 1.75 or 1.8 to 1 rocker arms. The cheap man's cam replacement. These increase the valve lift and can be installed quickly without really going into the engine (you just have to remove the rocker covers, etc.). The factory doesn't use these for cost and warranty (and maybe emissions) issues. They add about 15 HP. The downside is that if you have worn valve springs or a tired engine you could run into problems, the worst of which is floating a valve and having. On a car with 28K miles I would not worry too much. If you do this you can't subsequently add a new cam, etc. If I did this I would buy the whole kit (pushrods and retainers, etc., if they call for it, new springs) from a reputable manufactuer -- everything they recommend, not just a set of high-ratio rockers alone). Frankly, a new cam is not that much additional work, but we're talking real budget here.
Now,with the CAI and headers, rockers or not, w get the car "tuned" - the engine control module (ECM) reprogrammed -- by someone with LS1edit capabilities and a dyno, someone who knows what they are doing. The tune will get the max HP possible out of them and might pick up 5 or so on its own just by optimized fuel-air for your particular car.
And for the record, a lot of people also think they can pick up HP by deleting the catalytic converters (cats) but in fact that adds almost no HP on stock or only-mildly modified engines (they need the exhaust back-pressure), and is illegal, too.
.
#4
01-19-2007, 05:45 PM
RE: question for new member
Lee has covered everything very well here, i was just going to add that I installed the Callaway honker, Great intake, and I love it, I never expected the Hp rating that they said i would get from it, nor should you expect any of the Hp ratings out there for the others. this is a very inflated number, IMO.
After installing the honker, i could definately feel the Hp, but again, nothing real spectacular, i am happy with however. It's the costliest one out there, but i didn't care for the vararam because basically your not going to achieve much Hp unless your forcing that air through at the higher RPM's.
As for the sway bar, yes Hotchkis has a very nice setup, i love em, expensive, but very much worth it for me. Add a set of good shocks, I chose edelbrock's, and the feeling you get is like the car is sticking to the asphalt like glue,
If you really want more performance from your car, than follow Lee's advice on the engine Mods...Money well spent!
After installing the honker, i could definately feel the Hp, but again, nothing real spectacular, i am happy with however. It's the costliest one out there, but i didn't care for the vararam because basically your not going to achieve much Hp unless your forcing that air through at the higher RPM's.
As for the sway bar, yes Hotchkis has a very nice setup, i love em, expensive, but very much worth it for me. Add a set of good shocks, I chose edelbrock's, and the feeling you get is like the car is sticking to the asphalt like glue,
If you really want more performance from your car, than follow Lee's advice on the engine Mods...Money well spent!
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