Dynamometer Results & Comparisons - Am I crazy for feeling like this......

Today I test drove a 2003 C5, A4,convertible. The car had a ls6 crate engine swap, Melrose LT, Hurricane Intake with Air Bridge, Ti exhaust, slightly higher stall converter I think 2600 and c5 z suspension components. The guy had the mechanic that did the work tweak it with ls1 edit tuning software.

Basically an auto c5z, without the manual tranny. The car was strong, crisp and responsive, but from a 50 to about 100 punch it honestly didnt feel as strong as my trans am and not a whole lot stronger than my coupe.

I planned on swapping some 243s and ls6 cam into one of my rides, but this made me a little hesitant. The mechanic is legit, seen this car build plenty of cars and he is ase certifed. I dont think he is the best tuner though. Help me out fellas, is it in the tune, the gearing, my trans? Am I over confident in my rides?

Today I test drove a 2003 C5, A4,convertible. The car had a ls6 crate engine swap, Melrose LT, Hurricane Intake with Air Bridge, Ti exhaust, slightly higher stall converter I think 2600 and c5 z suspension components. The guy had the mechanic that did the work tweak it with ls1 edit tuning software.

Basically an auto c5z, without the manual tranny. The car was strong, crisp and responsive, but from a 50 to about 100 punch it honestly didnt feel as strong as my trans am and not a whole lot stronger than my coupe.

I planned on swapping some 243s and ls6 cam into one of my rides, but this made me a little hesitant. The mechanic is legit, seen this car build plenty of cars and he is ase certifed. I dont think he is the best tuner though. Help me out fellas, is it in the tune, the gearing, my trans? Am I over confident in my rides?

prob just the way the car feels man, i went through the same thing when i sold my 01 ss and bought a new 2011 mustang 5.0, at first the stang didnt feel as strong but later i found out as i started taking it out some nights i realized it was faster just didnt feel faster. but thats just my 2 cents, could be the feel or could be something up with the car. idk

Butt dynos are notoriously inaccurate. In fact, they are completely subjective. Moreover, there are WAY more good mechanics than good tuners. A big difference is also in your stall, few things kick you in the butt dyno more than a good torque converter. That's probably the biggest single factor. Only way to really know about the other car is to dyno it and go through the tune to see if there is something else up.

Honestly in my opinion, swapping stock 243s and stock ls6 cam into a ls1 is a lot of money and work for the results you will see. I'm not surprised at all you were disappointed.

A very mild cam and the same 243s could get you significantly more power.

Butt dynos do tend to be off alot. Especially in FWD cars. I swear my buddies civic SI feels faster than my Z28.

My car makes 385 to the wheels with a six speed, essentially a stock LS6.

Weighs 3800lbs with me in it, runs 115mph in the traps.

Drives like a STOCK car, gets 29.5MPG running 72mph.

I love this car, sleeper all the way.

Op, may I ask what kind of mods you are running on your T/A and Camaro.

My mods are listed in my sig, check the original post.

I had that setup in my 01 ws6 with longtube headers, slp cold air, sfc, lca, and 3.90 gears. The car went 11.71 @ 118. Then added ported tb, cutout, underdrive pulley and went 11.50 @ 120. The car didn't go to the dyno until I changed motor.

my car did not feel fast when it was almost hitting 60 in the upper 3 second range. but it was. cant wait to have it back. you just have a need for more power.