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Old 06-22-2006, 10:47 PM
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Default Before Tune: LS6/ Ported TB, Torque Converter, or nothing more?

I just finished putting my Pacesetter LT's and TSP ORY on and I'm getting ready to go get a tune at Speed Inc. sometime, but I was wondering, what would you do if it were you? I'm thinking about doing either an LS6 Intake/Ported TB or a Torque converter before I go and get my tune.

The LS6/TB would be about $500, a little less probably, but it would also be good to have that before the tune so I don't have to go back and pay more. Oh, and how hard is it to install these?

Then there's the Torque converter. I think I would get a Fuddle one, and the $400 version, and I'm not installing it myself, so it would be $400+installation. I would think that should be over the price of the LS6/TB cause I'm sure it would cost more than $100 to install it(anybody have a ballpark estimate?). Plus then there's the tranny cooler that would probably be like another $60 after that. Then at least the engine wouldn't have to be re-tuned right? I know there's the torque management thing(or whatever its called) to get rid of, but what happens if you don't do that right away? How would it run and why do you need to get rid of it?

So what do you think I should do? Thanks

Last edited by Speedmonster185; 06-22-2006 at 11:02 PM.
Old 06-22-2006, 11:17 PM
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i think it all depends on your future mods. if you get a h/c set up later, then a stall will probably be needed to keep your car in its power range. plus, is it a daily driver or a track car?? if you just want to shave off a few tenths in the 1/4, go for the stall. that should drop your et's by .4-.8 seconds. alot of people drive there stalled cars on the street and there is no problem. you will need a trans cooler to keep those temps down and its recomended you get TM turned off as well. check the automatic trans section and look through the treads. alot of good info.

you will gain maybe between 15-25 hp with the intake and tb, and even more with the tune. they are both going to make your car faster, but i think the stall will make it more fun to drive!!

all else fails, just ask the guys at speed inc what they think. be honest as to what your plans for the car is and see what they say. either way, good luck and keep us posted as to what you decided.
Old 06-23-2006, 12:33 AM
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Stall will make it a blast to drive.
Old 06-23-2006, 12:41 AM
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Yes this car is a daily driver and it most likely will see basically zero track time. Its just for driving around town and leaving pesky mustangs behind me (and there are a ton of them here).

So knowing that what would you say I should probably do(I still have stock tires so I already don't have any traction until like 10-15, so I don't know how much a TC would help me, what do you think?)?

And how hard is it to install an intake manifold, and what does torque management do and why does it need to be turned off?

Thanks again
Old 06-23-2006, 09:39 AM
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try this link.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/showthrea...que+management

if you do get a stall, normal DD stalls between 2800 and 3400 will work. the higher the stall you get, the more your going to need sum better tires. if you like the way your car drives and dont want to fool with anything major, get sum new gears. 3.73 would be a good one with just a bolt on car. honestly, since your having trouble getting traction now, new tires should be on your mods list. just my .02
Old 06-23-2006, 11:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Speedmonster185
I just finished putting my Pacesetter LT's and TSP ORY on and I'm getting ready to go get a tune at Speed Inc. sometime, but I was wondering, what would you do if it were you? I'm thinking about doing either an LS6 Intake/Ported TB or a Torque converter before I go and get my tune.

The LS6/TB would be about $500, a little less probably, but it would also be good to have that before the tune so I don't have to go back and pay more. Oh, and how hard is it to install these?

Then there's the Torque converter. I think I would get a Fuddle one, and the $400 version, and I'm not installing it myself, so it would be $400+installation. I would think that should be over the price of the LS6/TB cause I'm sure it would cost more than $100 to install it(anybody have a ballpark estimate?). Plus then there's the tranny cooler that would probably be like another $60 after that. Then at least the engine wouldn't have to be re-tuned right? I know there's the torque management thing(or whatever its called) to get rid of, but what happens if you don't do that right away? How would it run and why do you need to get rid of it?

So what do you think I should do? Thanks
Although a tune would be a benefit it's not required, not by a long shot.

I say get a stall (min 3400rpm) as it will be a benefit. Yes you'll want a cooler and maybe even a Transgo shift kit.

Now the engine won't need tuning for A/F or timing, but there's lots to be done. Ideally you'll want to adjust your shift points, maybe kick downs as well, remove torque managment, upper the rpm limiter, remove the speed limiter and set the lock up speeds.

Lockup can be a pain with a stall and fine tuning over a period of time might be needed, as your engine will likely read too many "miss-fires" and unlock the converter. It's not a biggy, but a pain.

For that reason you may very wish to invest in some tuning software such as EFi Live (my preferred choice) or HP Tuners as this will allow you to do this all at home. You can even adjust fueling and all the other tuning issues as well if you wanted.

Now I'm assuming you only have a Ls1 intake?

A LS6 is worth it ($400 from TSP) and a ported TB you can do yourself. However know that you have saved $$$ from not tuning you could look at getting a FAST 90 and a Nick Williams 90mm TB instead.

You still wouldn't need a tune.

Then if you do a cam (and heads) you can get a tune then.
Old 06-23-2006, 12:02 PM
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I'm not planning on getting a cam or heads, I'm basically just doing bolt-ons. Taking that torque management off sounds almost dangerous to the drivetrain because thats what the thing is designed to do, protect it. Is that true?

What else does a stall do besides let you go hard off the line? Cause I don't know how much harder I could go right now on these tires.

Its going to be a while before I get new tires for the car cause I'm only a college student right now(so in other words, not much money at all ) and the car only has 20k miles, so theres still a decent amount of tread left. I don't know what kind of traction they have compared to other ones cause I've never had any others. They're the Eagle F1's(I don't know if the put different tires on different cars or not).

So I don't know if that will affect what you guys think I should do, but I would like to know if you think I should do either thing before my tune, or just go get it without anything else. Thanks
Old 06-23-2006, 12:12 PM
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Originally Posted by Speedmonster185
I'm not planning on getting a cam or heads, I'm basically just doing bolt-ons.
A lot of people say this, but I have no idea why. There really is no difference, a mod is a mod.

It doesn't particulary cost anymore to do internal mods nor are the risks any greater.

Originally Posted by Speedmonster185
Taking that torque management off sounds almost dangerous to the drivetrain because thats what the thing is designed to do, protect it. Is that true?
Well yes, but the thing is with a stall and/or shift kit when you change gear TM is likely to kick in which just feels like you've driven into a brick wall. So it really has to go. But adding power will run the risk of blowing the stock auto tranny anyhow. So you're buggered every which way.

Originally Posted by Speedmonster185
What else does a stall do besides let you go hard off the line? Cause I don't know how much harder I could go right now on these tires.
Stalls are great.

Essentially when you floor it from a dig a stock stall will see maybe 1500rpm, an aftermarket one will flash higher so it puts the engine in the power band sooner, it also multiplies torque.

You can also hold the car on the foot brake upto higher rpms which allows you to lunch harder.

Traction can be an issue, but you just need to re-learn how to drive it.

In every way a stall is a benefit.

Too higher stall may be a pain though as it will feel loose, meaning the engine will rev high on a light throttle even when going slow. MPG may suffer ona big stall.

Best bet speak to Fuddle Racing, or Yank Converters and they'll advise what to get.

Originally Posted by Speedmonster185
Its going to be a while before I get new tires for the car cause I'm only a college student right now(so in other words, not much money at all ) and the car only has 20k miles, so theres still a decent amount of tread left. I don't know what kind of traction they have compared to other ones cause I've never had any others. They're the Eagle F1's(I don't know if the put different tires on different cars or not).
DR's will help, but aren't great in the rain or when it's cold.

Originally Posted by Speedmonster185
So I don't know if that will affect what you guys think I should do, but I would like to know if you think I should do either thing before my tune, or just go get it without anything else. Thanks
If you want to go for a tune now it's your choice, but I doubt you'll gain much and if you do any further mods it'll only throw it out.

There's a link to a mod guide in my sig, might be worth a look/read
Old 06-23-2006, 12:23 PM
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Get a set of good drag radials (although, they're right, they are TERRIBLE in the rain, and I mean TERRIBLE), and a nice stall, that will make a huge difference. With the higher stall, it will compliment any future modifications by keeping it in the power range.




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