Questions about STS
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (23)
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,411
Likes: 0
From: Baltimore, MD
Questions about STS I have been having a lot of trouble since pickin up this damn sts kit from my buddy. here is an overview of my car: it is a 2000 Z28 A4 with 106k miles, everything is stock, including the fuel system. i got longtube headers, but im gonna go back to stock manifolds and im gonna wrap all of the exhaust. its only at 5 psi right now, and the max i will ever put it at is probably 7 psi. i dont have any major mods in mind. i just wanna get this kit running right.
my buddy was tellin me that i should keep the stock injectors and fuel pump; he has been it for a couple of years with everything stock. but everyone i ask is tellin me that i have to get better injectors and pump. what u guys think?
also, he told me to run it with ngktr55 gapped at .3. I went ahead and did that. but i was reading that ngk6s r better for turbos. is there really a big difference?
my buddy was tellin me that i should keep the stock injectors and fuel pump; he has been it for a couple of years with everything stock. but everyone i ask is tellin me that i have to get better injectors and pump. what u guys think?
also, he told me to run it with ngktr55 gapped at .3. I went ahead and did that. but i was reading that ngk6s r better for turbos. is there really a big difference?
Last edited by Yahelou; Feb 15, 2011 at 06:11 PM.
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,501
Likes: 7
From: Ft. Irwin, California (But Virginia is home)
Lot of info on this. You're having probs for several reasons. Here's a highlight:
1. LT's w/ unwrapped exhaust gives too much surface area to cool exhaust. Result is sluggish spool w/ lots of turbo lag.
2. Stock fuel system is inadequate. Need at a minimum a 255gph in-tank pump and 42lb injectors.
3. W/out a FMIC car will pull lots of timing in warm weather (due to high IAT's) which = low power output.
4. Stock valvesprings will probably begin floating around 5K RPM = crappy power.
5. TR55's .3 bigger in gap is probably still too hot of a plug. TR6's are what most peeps run.
There's more, but this is a generic overview. Again, lots of info out there. Zombie has some excellent threads on this.
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (23)
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,411
Likes: 0
From: Baltimore, MD
Lot of info on this. You're having probs for several reasons. Here's a highlight:
1. LT's w/ unwrapped exhaust gives too much surface area to cool exhaust. Result is sluggish spool w/ lots of turbo lag.
2. Stock fuel system is inadequate. Need at a minimum a 255gph in-tank pump and 42lb injectors.
3. W/out a FMIC car will pull lots of timing in warm weather (due to high IAT's) which = low power output.
4. Stock valvesprings will probably begin floating around 5K RPM = crappy power.
5. TR55's .3 bigger in gap is probably still too hot of a plug. TR6's are what most peeps run.
There's more, but this is a generic overview. Again, lots of info out there. Zombie has some excellent threads on this.
Get the stock exhaust manifolds back on the car, coat and/or wrap the pipes all the way to the turbo then. Pick up a racetronics pump and hotwire kit then throw some 42-48 lb injectors at it. With the milage some 918's or some duel gold valve springs and maybe even some 317 heads to lower the compression. An intercooler is a great investment. Get the colder plugs like a tr6 or tr8.
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (23)
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,411
Likes: 0
From: Baltimore, MD
Get the stock exhaust manifolds back on the car, coat and/or wrap the pipes all the way to the turbo then. Pick up a racetronics pump and hotwire kit then throw some 42-48 lb injectors at it. With the milage some 918's or some duel gold valve springs and maybe even some 317 heads to lower the compression. An intercooler is a great investment. Get the colder plugs like a tr6 or tr8.
well let me ask u guys, how the hell did my friends car survive so long without injectors or fuel pump?
Trending Topics
How long has it lasted? What does his setup consist of? How much boost is he running?
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
well there aint much i can tell u that these fellas havent said. but from my own expiriance. long tubes are a no no. stock manifolds are the way to go.and a fuel system upgrade is a must. i was under the impression that u had to have a boost a pump or something of an upgrade for this kit to operate the way its supposed to. also these sts kits make decent power but if u really want to get good results with a turbo kit you need a aps or a custom. the sts kit is just not efficient enough and doesnt produce power through the range like the others do. its a good kit there are just better ones.
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (23)
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,411
Likes: 0
From: Baltimore, MD
he had it on his car for about 2 years and he was running it at about 7 psi. only difference between my car and his is 6.0 heads, and just his car was 2 years newer and had less miles. thats it.
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (23)
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,411
Likes: 0
From: Baltimore, MD
well, i think im gonna go ahead and get the svo 42 lb injectors (green tops) and a fuel pump, what u guys think?
is there any fuel pumps where i dont have to drop down the gas tank to change?
is there any fuel pumps where i dont have to drop down the gas tank to change?
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,501
Likes: 7
From: Ft. Irwin, California (But Virginia is home)
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (23)
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,411
Likes: 0
From: Baltimore, MD
Yep. You can actually cut a hole in the trunk panel and replace an in-tank pump from the top w/out dropping the tank. Here's a link for how to do it: https://ls1tech.com/forums/showthrea...replacing+pump If you need, I can also post pics of mine for reference
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,501
Likes: 7
From: Ft. Irwin, California (But Virginia is home)
Stock cam and heads.....the 42lb "green Tops" you mentioned will be a good choice. I'm personally using MotoTron 60lb injectors, but that's because I have both an aftermarket cam and low compression heads. Before that I had the 42lb injectors and they were fine.
60's here too but also got a cam, 317's, and the vic jr. If you go with a ractronics walboro pump you won't have to cut up your fuel bucket like I did. It has the venturi setup like the factory to keep the bucket full. I went with a GS 340 so if I upgrade then I can easily drop a 2nd one in there.
Someone mentioned the pcm pulling timing....are you doing anything for tuning/logging?
Also, I had 20k miles on my stock block and was getting valve float on the base STS setup at 8 psi. So, I would imagine at 120k miles, that is going to be an issue.
As for the injectors, think about your final goals before buying them. I bought 42's which were fine for the stock block, but even if you only add a cam it wouldn't be enough. So think about 60's just to save the $$ in replacing them a year down the road....I did that, and it was a waste of money.
Also, I had 20k miles on my stock block and was getting valve float on the base STS setup at 8 psi. So, I would imagine at 120k miles, that is going to be an issue.
As for the injectors, think about your final goals before buying them. I bought 42's which were fine for the stock block, but even if you only add a cam it wouldn't be enough. So think about 60's just to save the $$ in replacing them a year down the road....I did that, and it was a waste of money.
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,501
Likes: 7
From: Ft. Irwin, California (But Virginia is home)
Someone mentioned the pcm pulling timing....are you doing anything for tuning/logging?
Also, I had 20k miles on my stock block and was getting valve float on the base STS setup at 8 psi. So, I would imagine at 120k miles, that is going to be an issue.
As for the injectors, think about your final goals before buying them. I bought 42's which were fine for the stock block, but even if you only add a cam it wouldn't be enough. So think about 60's just to save the $$ in replacing them a year down the road....I did that, and it was a waste of money.
Also, I had 20k miles on my stock block and was getting valve float on the base STS setup at 8 psi. So, I would imagine at 120k miles, that is going to be an issue.
As for the injectors, think about your final goals before buying them. I bought 42's which were fine for the stock block, but even if you only add a cam it wouldn't be enough. So think about 60's just to save the $$ in replacing them a year down the road....I did that, and it was a waste of money.
Anyhow, that's where you saw it. It was just my $0.02 observation.
Thread Starter
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (23)
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,411
Likes: 0
From: Baltimore, MD
well, im definitely gonna get it dyno tuned when everything is ready and runnin right. i would love to get an intercooler, but i just dont got the money right now. maybe in the near future, i will do a huge upgrade. but for right now, its just the sts and stock engine.
but u do bring up a good point about the fuel injectors. but i was lookin the sales section, and ppl are not losin that much when they resale their injectors, so i guess they have a good resale value.
with that in mind, anybody got a good place to buy the green top injectors for cheap? i found some on ebay for $350 shipped.
but u do bring up a good point about the fuel injectors. but i was lookin the sales section, and ppl are not losin that much when they resale their injectors, so i guess they have a good resale value.
with that in mind, anybody got a good place to buy the green top injectors for cheap? i found some on ebay for $350 shipped.
I mentioned that as a reson why an intercooler is needed. IAT's go over 110+ (logged IAT's on my STS at 135-155* in Hawaii before adding a FMIC) and the PCM does pull timing to prevent detonation. Sure you could program that out....but probably not a safe idea. Figured that if his IAT table was near stock, the car's probably pulling 5-7* timing at any given time w/ out the front mount intercooler.....which is a big hit on HP.
Anyhow, that's where you saw it. It was just my $0.02 observation.
Anyhow, that's where you saw it. It was just my $0.02 observation.
Yachelou, do you have anything in the car to keep track of this stuff (data logging, etc)? I will tell you the best mod I ever did was getting HP Tuners, and learning some the tuning stuff. Tuning a turbo car takes patience and time...and if you end up changing anything on the car, you have to keep paying a tuner to do it. Might as well get the software, and learn how to do it.
step 1 get stock manifolds and wrap entire exhaust
step 2 get injectors / pump
step 3 get valve springs
step 4 get intercooler
step 5 get tuned
These steps are not optional if you want your stock engine to live.
Optional but wise things to add:
317 heads (cheap) better flow and lowers comp.
methanol injection
wideband
scan gage to see if knock is happening
step 2 get injectors / pump
step 3 get valve springs
step 4 get intercooler
step 5 get tuned
These steps are not optional if you want your stock engine to live.
Optional but wise things to add:
317 heads (cheap) better flow and lowers comp.
methanol injection
wideband
scan gage to see if knock is happening