Sgt Drags

So I recently bought an '01 Camaro SS with the M6 and I have a couple questions and hope you guys can give me some good advice. Here goes
1. I have noticed that while the car is running, I can hear a slight pinging noise coming from the motor. It is not a knock and it does not get louder as I give it gas. I am presuming that this is just normal noise from the valvetrain. Does anybody else hear this with there LS1? The engine has 36,000 miles on it.
2. With the M6 tranny, is it safe to do starts from 2nd gear? Also, it is bad on either ther cluth or tranny if I downshift from 5th to 3rd when I come up to a residential area? Should I go from 5th to 4th and then 3rd, or is it or to skip a gear when downshifting?
3. Lastly, my SS came with the SLP dual/dual split exhaust. My question is if I will see more hp/tq if I install a different exhaust. I am looking at getting the SLP Loudmouth or Magnaflow and I am curious if I will see gains from either of them. I also plan on getting the SLP LT headers.

Thanks in advance for the help guys.

sappertodd

Before you get the loudmouth exhaust you might want to look the sound up. I have have it on my car and its loud but it kind of sounds like those imports with the 5'' pipes coming out of the back. I also have SLP's header on my car and I love them. I looked on ebay and found them for about $850 still in the box, I think they around around $950 so you might want to look around. You have to watch your starter wires because they are real close to the headers. This sight help out alot with the install so you might want to look it over. http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tec...all/index.html
good luck with your search.

94Firehawk161

iTrader: (7)

1. Your "pinging" noise may be piston slap, injector noise, or valve train noise. Many of these cars have piston slap that is very audible at idle. It is not something to worry about, it is something that GM was trying to correct for years. If it is injector noise, it is also normal. Valve train noise is common if the car has aftermarket rockers on it. If it has factory rockers, you may want to pull the valve covers and make sure the rockers are in good shape. Many times the rockers will lose the needle bearings from the fulcrum (center pivot) and will need to be replaced. Another sign of this is a small cylindrical piece of metal stuck to the oil drain. That is usually a needle bearing that has worked it's way to the bottom of the engine and on to the magnetic drain plug. I don't want to freak you out, but I figured I would share some of my many years of trial and error and experience with these cars.
2. I wouldn't recommend shifting from 5th to 3rd all the time at high rpm's. It just puts extra strain and wear and tear on the drivetrain. But, that doesn't mean that it isn't fun and shouldn't be done from time to time.
3. Don't change the exhaust until you hear it with your long tubes. I have installed dozens of long tubes and SLP loud mouth systems. You will either love the noise or hate it and want to shoot yourself. The stock SLP exhaust sounds great to about 90% of my customers and the other 10% don't want any exhaust! If you do go with a loud mouth hang on to your old system for a while.

mcalus

iTrader: (14)

LS1sounds.com is your friend. You can listen to tons of setups. Do you put Premium (93) if you dont you might get a pinging noise. Read this about different gas. https://ls1tech.com/forums/new-ls1-owners-newbie-tech/906654-what-king-gas-do-you-all-use.html

I have heard a lot of bad things about SLP headers, you might want to search a and read about different headers. Pacesetter headers WILL be the best bang for the buck.

Sgt Drags

Hey guys, thanks for the quick reply's and the advice. I will definantly do some research and reading up before I make any desicions.
As for this slight "pinging" noise, I have been using premium gas every time I fill up. Too bad premium in Nebraska is usually only 91 or 92 octane around where I live. Thanks again for the info guys.