I picked up 15-20 HP and torque on my LS1 GTO's with a good dyno tune bone stock. Of course I had them tuned in Orlando and Tampa when I lived down there. Not sure if there are any good tuners in Kansas City. It was worth the 3-400 bucks each time.

The only modification is the muffler delete and the only one planned. Other SPS members were getting tuned. But, maybe they want to race them or care about a gain of 5-10 HP. Not my deal so not applicable.

This past week or so I blew away and I mean left them in the dust. a Mustang GT500, Porsche and a Corvette. I'm coming back from the beach, tonight and some souped up drifter pulled up at the stoplight. I had him beat by a full car length when I hit 55 and backed off. It's fast enough for me.

I live in the Tampa metro area.

Question is for anyone.....Does muffler delete change RPM / performance curve? Does a dynotune blow the warranty?

Yes, a tune will void your warranty if they catch you. Not catching you involves you switching back and running x number of miles or cycles before taking it to the dealer. I've had a few tuned cars. My advice...

Don't tune your car for another year or two. Wait until a few companies have gotten really good at it and then pick one of them. Let other people be the guinea pigs. If you end up doing an email tune, make sure they get you setup to data log etc. Also, generally speaking, if you're going to tune, you probably want to upgrade the air intake as well, which can also void your warranty if you don't reinstall the original one before going to the dealer.

If it were mine, and its not, I wouldn't do any performance mods until hundreds of others had worked out ALL of the kinks.

Be careful street racing brother. Cars with power like ours can get away from us easily, especially when it is still new to us. Even if you're in complete control, what if the other guy isn't? I don't want you or some innocent family to end up getting hurt. I'm really not trying to be a dick or to preach to you. I sort of know someone who got killed and hurt a family and it sticks in the back of my mind.

It will not make any difference in your car. It will feel like it has though because the louder exhaust will get your adrenaline flowing :-)

This completely depends on the vehicle too though. The Speed3's came ridiculously tame from the factory. A basic tune can unlock 10-15 hp and keep the gas mileage reasonably the same.

Thanks man. I'm going to wait to do the tune. Getting better response today. Changed gas stations. Same 93 grade. Maybe its all in my head anyway.
Great advice. I can keep it straight and its an automatic but you never know about the other guy and shit happens. I don't know how I could live with myself if I hurt someone.

My enjoyment of the car has sky rocketed since Saturday and the muffler delete. Now, I feel like I'm actually driving a muscle car.:thumb:

This.
I NEVER street race. I've had sand kicked in my face by all sorts of trash and always refrain, even though I know I'd win about 90% of the time. It's just NOT worth the risk. I totally trust my skills, it's the other guy I don't trust. Whenever you street race, there are times during any race where you're at the mercy of the least skilled driver and ANYTHING can happen. I usually just hand the guy my card and tell him to meet me at the track on Friday night. They rarely show, but are sorry if / when they do. I've paid for several sets of wheels & tires with my winnings. :evil:

All this talk about tunes, voiding warranty, exhaust sound etc. makes me laugh and takes me back about 6 years ago to when I first bought my car. My car was never a daily driver so I got the mod bug right away. Lucky for me there were TONS of "safe" options available. In fact, Ford has a deal where if you get them to install one of the street legal Ford Racing Kits, you keep your warranty. So, I immediately went with the Ford Racing / Whipple SC 750HP Kit that they put on the Super Snakes, thus I never knew what 500hp was like as I was at 750hp when I drove off the dealership lot. I hit the gas getting on the freeway and H-O-L-Y SHIT I was FLYING! Once you're at that power level, you know exactly why you don't street race...That was a long time ago and I've done more mods to the car, and I've still never totally gotten down on the car, on the street racing another car, though I am known to do some "spirited driving" from time to time. :D

Great time to own a modern muscle car! Have fun and stay SAFE! :thumb:

So looks like a Bama Performance tune has good reviews and is pretty simple. Lifetime option available. Anyone have experience with them?

I work with a lot of different tuners. Finding one that won't blow your $hit up is important. Call 5 Star Tuning or Brenspeed and tell them that Tad at Freedom Racing sent you.

Anyone ever change the intake manifold gasket on an LT1 engine? The youtube videos don't make it look too bad. Lots of pieces and parts to unhook. How long for an unexperienced mechanic (me) to make the change?

I'm not really interested in taking my car to the track. I think my mod days are over. I want to keep it stock. I just didn't hear the same sound that I remember from my buddies 71 Scat Pack so I did the muffler delete. Very happy with that decision.

I don't care about the warranty that much right now. If I want to do something I'm going to do it. I'm still a stinking noob. The tune will have to wait till there are more done. I only know of 3 Scat Pack 6.4L Shakers in my area of 2-3 million. Gearheads are estimating there are only going to be 300-350 of the A8's made. So I don't think there will ever be a local shop with any experience tuning my car.

This is the beginning of another great muscle car era.

Ok good to know. Does it matter I'm in Phoenix?

No. They both know what they're doing and can tune remotely.

If you're not looking for hp I don't see the point.

I'm sitting in traffic. Getting ready to get up on the highway. A car pulls alongside me and reves its engine. 2013 5.0 Shelby GT. Lots of mods done. He motions for me to roll down my window. He says..........I got $500.00 that says I can beat you. I decline and he whines, come on man I've been wanting to find one of you Shakers out here and show you guys who is still the top dog out here. I didn't respond and the light changed.

Next time that happens just tell him to meet you at the track and you can settle up.

I finally got all the side windows in the car about 2 months ago. Windows are smoked not tinted. Unfortunately I had a self induced wiring mishap with my ISIS (Now Infinity Box) system and the car sat for 6 weeks waiting on a repair part. Luckily it wasn't expensive.

Finally back on the road and going to interior soon. I realized Ishould do the sound system before interior. Its getting a hidden bluetooth system, nothing crazy 4 speakers and a small sub.

http://i541.photobucket.com/albums/g...pstwv3cssr.jpg

Finally decided on the wheels, fronts will be 8x8 and rears 18x9.

http://www.billetspecialties.com/ass...cFront-BSG.png


Little sound clip running down the road. This is probably 3/4 throttle and easy shifting, just winding it out a little.
http://i541.photobucket.com/albums/g...psbqzmadrd.mp4

I like the steelies and caps better, lol.

But it's gonna look good with those too, it's really a bad ass car.

First flat tire. Picked up a big piece of metal in a tire at lowes. No spare tire with this car. The sealant/ PSI is worthless. Had to call roadside assistance. Got to be towed for a flat tire?

The tire alarmed immediately. I could see it go down. 32.31.30.etc On the highway. I knew I had to get off. Instead of hearing the rumble of a flat tire and possible damage to the rims. That was the good part.

I have the tire and rim warranty. The warranty company says they don't have a record of the policy. Dealer says uhhhh here's the policy number. Warranty says sorry. All day back and forth. Take a PTO day . Deal with this crap because I picked up a piece of metal in a tire? There has to be a better way.:hmmm:

I plan to keep them to swap out from time to time. I actually like them as well but am looking for something slightly more edgy.

I know the old school look kind of sets it apart from the usual build.

What a shitter. Thank God the wheel is ok. I am sure the inconvenience is worst of it.

Understood.

Again it's a really nice car, you should be proud of it and yourself.

Thanks, its getting closer and closer.

love that look! on my 65, gonna put red steelies on with walls, and going matte black ext, red/int

That will look sweet. I honestly debated doing a red interior.

Check this car out, you will love it. Bone stock but kick ass.

http://www.superchevy.com/features/s...chevy-ii-nova/

I just bought a car. You made your car with your own hands and ideas. Way better. That is a way too cool car. :thumb:

Holy **** that's a hell of a gash.

Yea, sealant isn't working on that.

hometeam,

any word on color options for the RS?

Holy **** that's a huge piece of metal that looks ****ing sharp!

What the **** you doing taking that car as your errand mobile?! :D

Thanks, nothing more flattering than someone liking your personal vision.

I think I mentioned last summer about this time I was in Oregon and saw what I believe was a Hellcat test car on the coast with Michigan Manufacturer's License Plates on it. I spent a ton of time looking at the car just sitting on the side of the road across from a pizza joint.

Your Scat Pak car kick ass. My brother is a Mopar fanatic and one of my first cars was a 70' Sattelite, sold to me under the guise of it being a 70 GTX. I was 15 and fell for it. Still only paid $700.

Did I mention I am going to SEMA this year? Cant wait.

I disagree with on you just about everything but you car is ****ing bad ass.

That's awesome, even love the red stripes on the tires..My wifes Nova had that all red/chrome interior too. Old Rodder down the road bulit/sold a 64 Ford Comet in that color scheme. Nice car.

Your car sounds healthy!...:thumb:

You only like it because its black if it were white you would hate it.LMAO

Yea we don't agree on much but thanks.

Cars can be a common ground for all types for sure. One of the beauties about them.

Even though I have plans for other wheels I am actually going to red pinstripe the inside lip of the ones I have. I think that will look kick ass.

No plans to go to Lowes. The wife wanted me to help her pick out ceiling fans at Lowes. I told her to just pick what she wanted. But, noooooo I have to help her pick them out.:shake:

:thumb:

ROFL

I love those original wheels, great look.

Hemi engines to be retired? V8 engines to go the way of the dodo bird? Replaced with V6 turbo charged engines?

You guys know about this?

http://news.boldride.com/2015/08/dod...ntinued/87748/

The Dodge Charger and Challenger Hellcats are some most attention-grabbing, tire-scorching, hair-igniting cars of the past decade. With a 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 making an astounding 707 horsepower, they could be the pinnacle of the modern horsepower wars. But the rein of the Hellcat will be finite, as we’re just learning that the Hellcat line may be killed off in 2019.



We live in an era of increasingly stringent fuel economy regulations and consumer expectations of higher and higher MPGs. In response, automakers are downsizing engines, and Dodge’s parents company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is no different. According to MotorAuthority, that sourced JeepTrackhawkForums, FCA is set to drop all Hemi V8 engines from the SRT lineup. That includes the 6.4-liter V8, as well as the at-issue 6.2-liter unit.

So what will power SRT vehicles going forward? Apparently future SRT offerings will be propelled by either a turbocharged inline-4, or a turbo V6. Automakers all over the world are getting 300 and 600 horsepower, respectively, from these types of engine setups, so it’s not all that insane.



With future cars guaranteed to be lighter and more focused on cornering than straight-line power, this is likely to be a winning combination. Really, when has SRT let down the enthusiast community?


With 2018 as the last model year that the Hellcats will be offered, you have to ask yourself, how fast will performance buyers will scoop up the remaining Hellcats? Dodge may have already sensed the potential for increased demand, as the Detroit News reports, pricing for the Charger and Challenger Hellcats has jumped by as much as $2,500 for the 2016 model year. A Challenger SRT Hellcat will set you back $62,495, while a Charger SRT Hellcat will cost $65,945. And that is before the inevitable dealer markups.

Full size ford trucks already have turbo v 6's they seem to have plenty of power.

Random sexy pic from a weekend road trip...

So it used to be that turbos would get extra power out of an engine but were also less reliable. Is that still true or has turbo technology advanced and become more reliable?

Turbos are reliable as long as you take care of them. Most cars' turbos are oil-cooled so that means you have to wait 30-60 seconds after taking a spirited or highway drive before shutting them off so the oil circulates and doesn't cook the bearing in them.

actually im pretty sure this is false on the newer vehicles. hell some of them shut themselves off at traffic lights...

how would the bearing "cook" when its not turning anymore?

His language is wrong but he's got the right idea.
What it's "cooking" is the oil. The sledge from that can in turn foul the bearings, not exactly good on the engine either.

If you're just putting around town, then you don't need to do it.

If you're actually using the turbo (extended highway drive or hauling ass) and you shut the motor off right when your done, then the oil that "bathes" the bearing stops circulating so it doesn't cool off the bearing so it cooks.

I know Audi turbos and Mazda turbos both have statements in the owners manual about not just shutting down the car after spirited or highway drives.

This

We have to in the big diesels. I don't know anything about these new cars. I know if the turbo is spooled up hard for very long there is a shitasston of heat running around the thing and shutting it down hotter than shit will cool it too fast will warp some of the parts inside there.

That being said there is a pretty big difference in pulling a huge plow or hauling 100,000 lb down the road. You typically don't drive gassers like that. I think some of the fancy assed pickups won't shut the (diesel) engine down until the turbo is cooled even if you shit the key off.

ME TOO!
badass car!

Same.

Though i do think the 10-spokes (if that's what they are) would look good as well.

Interestingly, I talked to dad about the 6 cyl turbo thing vs V8. He was a gearhead until real life got ahold of him and it shifted from having fun to keeping the moneymakers rolling.

He told me back in the 70s and 80s when they tried to turbo up engines that they just threw a turbo on a stock motor and they couldn't handle the extra pressure and to a lesser extent heat. Then they got a bad name because you had to work over the head after 20,000 miles

If you're going to throw a turbo on a motor you have to put a different head on and probably Pistons and rings.

That might be a gross oversimplification but after working on some shit from that era, I can see them not doing the necessary engineering to make it successful. If they've done the requisite engineering, and it seems they have, it will probably be successful.

But, the other side of the coin is that turbos add more moving parts to **** up.

eh, it depends on the motor and the amount of boost you're pushing. The new Ford Coyote 5.0's for example, can actually handle boost really well with very little modifications. The fuel rails on those motors are paper thin, so just some enhancements to the fuel system and they've been known to handle forced induction with no internal upgrades.

Im planning a Turbo build for my firebird as soon as i have money to burn. But i live in California...and pretty much everything mod related is illegal in California, so i have plans to make it a break-away system that i can easily remove when it's time to pass smog.

Im going to copy the STS design and mount a Garret T3/4 to the rear end housing. I'll mount the intercooler back there well, probably behind the back seat (Firebird chassis has a hump back there i can use). The Firebird has a Y-pipe, and i plan on installing an electronic cut-off valve just after the Y-pipe.

I'll make the pipe that leads into the intake removable.

So when it comes time to Smog, i just remove the pipe to the intake, connect the factory air plenum back to the intake and hit the switch on the electronic Cut off which will redirect exhaust back through the factory piping.

The only tricky part is the tune. Luckily, i have friends for that...i work right next to the best Dyno Shop in the county. I only plan on running 5-7lbs of boost, so im hoping i can get a decent tune that'll work well with the FI and still allow me to pass smog once the system is disengaged.

I've seen quite a few stock Diesel pickups especially the Duramax with the power chips pop head gaskets.

NEEDS MOAR BOOST!

Im trying to add boost without having to **** with the motor. 10lbs+ sounds nice, but then i'd need internals for sure, and i'd have to tune it every two years because there's no way a legit tune for 10lbs of boost would pass smog. Way too much fuel required.

If i were to disengage the turbo system, the tune would be all sorts of ****ed up.

See if there is an Cobb Accessport type thing available for the Firebird. The accessport lets you save multiple tunes on one device (like one for fuel efficiency, one for hauling balls, etc).

isnt that turbo oil and water cooled?

i would say you were right if you were boosting the shit out of the car and slid to a stop and shut it off, but most people arent idiots and know this...

Could be. I have no idea. I just own gasser pickups. The diesels I referred to are tractors and semis.

Damn I have been missing this thread a bunch.

KC Native - Color options are locked in for the Focus RS..

Also, that 2013 shelby GT has a 5.8 liter based on the older aluminum version of the 5.4, not a 5.0. If it had a 5.0 badge, it was just a regular GT.

stock for stock, you got no chance of hanging with that Shelby. A 5.0 GT would be a good run though~

Ahh gotcha. I guess I was just trying to make the point that things are designed within certain specs and tolerances. If the internals don't match the modification, it'll go fast, but it ain't gonna last. Cast iron fits are expensive.

This is all just generally speaking but your average daily driven, normally aspirated gas motor will run a compression ratio (CR) around 9:1. Performance engines can get up to around 11:1 and still run pump gas but then require premium so most daily driven gas motors meant to run on 87 octane dog water will be around 9:1.
Most purpose built turbo motors will be around 7-8:1 because they’re making up for the lost CR by pressurizing the cylinder with the turbo. This also makes more physical room for air/fuel mixture meaning more power potential. Swapping cylinder heads to ones with a bigger combustion chamber is one way of lowering the CR.
Most turbo kits that are going on your typical gas motor will run a “safe” pressure of around 5-7 psi. They keep the pressure low to reduce the risk of detonation and one way of safely running higher boost pressure is to reduce the CR.
When you start talking modern engines with the way they can precisely meter fuel and ignition timing running higher pressures at the turbo on a stock motor isn’t as much of problem as it used to be but it takes selecting the right turbo for your engine and someone that can flash a good tune into the computer for the increased boost.

Nope, just oil cooled on my motor.

And you would think that but I had a friend that had a turbo Audi, she is reasonably knowledgeable about cars and after I told her, she said, "Ahhhhh so that's why my car smells like burnt oil when I turn it off." (She drives like a bat out of hell all the time).

So the traditional RS blue is going to be one. What are the others (if you can disclose)?

Nitrous blue, shadow black, stealth grey, and frozen white.

Nitrous blue will be Focus RS only

if youve got a EGT gauge next time you flog the hell out of it pay attention to how long it takes to go from 1200+ to normal 700-800 while still driving, then see if it dips more after idling for 30 seconds.

:thumb: I'll probably be going with the blue.

Mine's still in the shop but I don't have an EGT gauge. As soon as the RS was announced, I decided I wasn't going to mod the Speed3.

Just talked to the big boss.. still no real info on exact timing when we can order and how the allocation is going to work.

Cool. Just keep me posted.

news coming down today that only 2000 will be allocated.. I will continue to look in it but there are likely 10x as many buyers as there will be cars :(

Why run something so limited on that? We aren't talking a collector's car here.

2k for the entire country?

I might have to pull what the Hellcat/shaker pack owners did and put in orders at multiple dealerships to get one.

For hot hatch fans, the first year that the RS comes to the states will be somewhat of a collector car.

I can imagine it'd be a cult car, much like the Acura RS-X or the last generation Celica.

Agree on your first statement and question the second.

A lot of the import tuners love those cars. Not quiet as fanatic as the late 80's, early 90's CRX crowd, but they're still highly sought after.

The RS-X is definitely a cult favorite though, the Celica to a lesser degree.