[VR] 388 LSX/Kenne Bell 4.2/ProEFI/4L80E build - 8.915 @ 152mph in testing!
06-22-2017, 07:43 AM
#1
[VR] 388 LSX/Kenne Bell 4.2/ProEFI/4L80E build - 8.915 @ 152mph in testing! 
Our great friend and customer Brian Landfried has owned his CTS-V for many years now, which began life as a modest Lingenfelter package equipped bolt-on car that he used to cruise around in on the weekends, and make the occassional trip to the local dragstrip with his fellow car friends. Over the years, Brian decided that a 12-second luxury car just wasn't enough, and the quest to go into the single digit ET range at the track began. Brian's addiction for speed started with the first phase of the car's drag racing build that he used for quite a while, which was an at the time still stock bottom end LSA engine with a custom Vengeance Racing camshaft, CNC ported cylinder heads, full bolt-ons, E85, and a friendly dose of nitrous from a Nitrous Outlet spray bar system. This combination put Brian into the mid 9-second area very quickly, as well as some very impressive 160+mph passes down the 1/2 mile.
After the stock bottom end could no longer handle the abuse that we were putting it through at these track outings, the plan was initiated to start building a 388ci LSX shortblock for the car to handle most anything we could throw at it. The shortblock was topped off with a more aggressive camshaft, a set of MAST Motorsports LS3 cylinder heads, and backed by a built Circle D 6L90E transmission and torque converter. Driveshaft Shop also supplied a set of axles and driveshaft to help keep the drivetrain alive as Brian dipped further and further into the 9's with the nitrous fed combination.
Eventually, as happens with most all racing enthusiasts, the current power level just wasn't enough and it was time for the next phase to go even faster! Brian knew from the start that he wanted his car to end up being unique as well as keep in line with the base CTS-V pedigree of a positive displacement supercharged LS engine platform. Therefor, we decided to answer the challenge that many before had issues in completing which was making the MONSTER 4.2L Kenne Bell supercharger effective in these cars. The basis for the supercharger system started with a D3 Kenne Bell kit designed to fit the CTS-V as a "bolt-on" upgrade. However, the tight space on the cowl and firewall forced the kit to have a very restrictive intake and cooling system compared to other comparable systems, especially at the power levels we were shooting for. After some initial testing and fitment on the base system, our in-house fabrication team began working on a better solution immediately.
Kenne Bell supplied us with their 164mm "BIGGUN" throttle body commonly used on the high-horsepower Ford Mustang kits to help force as much air into the blower as possible. Our fabricator created a plenum to mount to the rear of the blower and angle the throttle body through the back side of the hood as pictured below, giving the best direction of air flow possible given the combination. The throttle body as well as the rest of the engine's functions are controlled by a ProEFI Pro 128 ECU, giving us infinite control over the engine, safety features to prevent catastrophic failures, and traction control functionality to ensure the best possible track experience.
06-22-2017, 07:44 AM
#2
The last piece of the puzzle to ensure the best track times as well as reliability at the 1,000+rwhp that the car now makes on just the supercahrger alone was the transmission. The 6L90E platform could no longer handle what we were putting to it with the Kenne Bell, and would certainly not hold up once the Nitrous Outlet direct port system was turned on, so we called upon our friends at RPM Transmissions in Indiana to collaborate on the best combination possible for the setup as well as keep the car as streetable as possible. For this, they developed a custom full manual valve body 4L80E transmission retaining overdrive and converter lock up functions while still offering ultimate power handling capability.
Once everything had been installed and tested here at the shop, it was off to our second home of Carolina Dragway, aka the "House of Hook" for preliminary track testing. After only 5 runs shaking down the car and dialing in the ProEFI system, it was time to see what this car could do on full-tilt before the rain set in for the day. The car left extremely well, but with a lot of tuning still left to do, and still went a best of 8.915 @ 152.16mph!! This ET set Brian as the 2nd fastest recorded CTS-V down the 1/4 mile in the world, and still has A/C, radio, and most all other creature comforts in the car to enjoy a Sunday drive! This pass was done without the assistance of the nitrous system installed on the car, and we still have quite a ways to go with tuning before the combination is fully dialed in this summer. We will keep everyone posted as we get further along and make even faster passes with this Kenne Bell powered monster!
If you have any questions on our CTS-V projects or would like more information on our products/services for your late model GM performance vehicle, please call us at 678-513-7105 or email us at david@vengeanceracing.net today!
Once everything had been installed and tested here at the shop, it was off to our second home of Carolina Dragway, aka the "House of Hook" for preliminary track testing. After only 5 runs shaking down the car and dialing in the ProEFI system, it was time to see what this car could do on full-tilt before the rain set in for the day. The car left extremely well, but with a lot of tuning still left to do, and still went a best of 8.915 @ 152.16mph!! This ET set Brian as the 2nd fastest recorded CTS-V down the 1/4 mile in the world, and still has A/C, radio, and most all other creature comforts in the car to enjoy a Sunday drive! This pass was done without the assistance of the nitrous system installed on the car, and we still have quite a ways to go with tuning before the combination is fully dialed in this summer. We will keep everyone posted as we get further along and make even faster passes with this Kenne Bell powered monster!
If you have any questions on our CTS-V projects or would like more information on our products/services for your late model GM performance vehicle, please call us at 678-513-7105 or email us at david@vengeanceracing.net today!
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06-22-2017, 12:41 PM
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04-06-2018, 07:59 AM
#17
Great deals I have a good line on the KB and they are in my opinion a superior product, made from Billet vs Cast and have cooling for both the intake air and rotor assemblies.. not taking anything away from the Whipple, I chose KB for customer service and they actually give you feedback... nearly nonexistent with Whipple.. I have twin Precision Gen1 6266 new that I’ll either hold onto or sell, since the blower is much simpler for exhaust and very limited fabrication time.
04-07-2018, 08:42 AM
#18
The reason it was chosen on this build is since it was originally a kit made to fit the CTS-V, where the Whipple would require quite a bit more at the start to fit the CTS-V. That being said, we did some EXTENSIVE modifications to the "kit" that originally came from D3 to make the power and cool properly for what we were doing with the car. Whipple makes an excellent product as well.
