How is making 600rwhp with a blower any different than making 550rwhp with heads/cam and wanting more? Friend made 580rwhp, then added a 100 shot, then upped to a 150 shot, now wants to add a blower. If you aren't going to be happy with 550-600, it doesn't matter what route you go, you will want to upgrade later.

 

^^100%^^^ Youll want more regardless of which car you chose, the horespower bug bites regardless of vehicle or engine. Why buy a Z if you have to fix the sleeves? I mean yeah aftermarket heads will go on, but a stock ls3 with blower will have better street manners imo

 

Its much easier to turn the boost up then it is to hook up a nitrous system. If I really want more, yeah sure I can swap cams or add nitrous but max Hp isn't the goal. As far as an ls9 cam making1400rwhp idk about that one. I did look in to the mantic clutch, def might be going with them. Btw what's the duty cycle on your ID1000s at 1100rwhp? I didn't think they could support that

 

Anyway, concensus seems to be ls3 with a blower. Probably go that route after I test drive a GS.

 

80%

Twin PTE 64mm billets on a 434 ERL block is what made 1400+ with the baby cam. With enough turbo you can do wonders.

 

I've owned both.

Blown GS and a C6Z

Put it this way.... I still have the Z and sold the GS to a buddy.

The blown GS was a beast of a car but the sound of the Ls7 revving to 7k was worth the price of admission by itself. That and well.... It mean its a Z06, it's the sexy lightweight model that the other vettes want to be like. That and when people see it they always ask "is it a z06?"

A well built Z is just shy of 600rwhp, my old blown GS can't keep up.... if you have built heads then the dropped valves aren't an issue. I got used to the power of my Hci z and added spray, A full bottle lasts me many months as I never need to use it, when I do I lay down over 700ft pounds of torque. My friend upped the boost and has more power than I do now but he can't even come close to my torque numbers and still loses.

Sorry for being so scrambled, I'm typing on an iphone

 

I love both, but it seems like if you are better off with a GS.

 

All depends on the setup, my blower car makes 920rwtq. Plenty to handle most cars.

 

Exactly why I want one! I just get worried about the sleeve cracking stuff. I doubt it happens on h/c cars. I love FI and if I were going to do a drag car it would be turbo'd but I think FI would be too much for a road race car. But an
ls3 can't get me to 550rwhp with a little help. I m not a stranger to either or how they drive, I just want something reliable for what I m going to spend

 

Go over to the Corvette Forum and see how many heads and cam guys are have problems with the sleeves cracking.

 

It does happen on heads/cam cars. I built a 440ci LS7 for a guy because his 600whp N/A ZO6 failed when he was romping on it after work. No signs of detonation, bearings looked new, but 3 sleeves had cracked around the top flange and vertically downward. Steve at RED in California resleeved the block and it's been running strong since.

It doesn't happen to everybody, however, there are ZO6's spraying nitrous at the TX Mile on the stock shortblock and haven't had any issues.

 

If you are only considering a H/C combo on the LS7 you need to be more concerned with dropping a valve with the stock heads. If the fuel and tune is in proper order then cracking a sleeve should be the least of your worries.

 

I have a C6 Z with mild mods: cam, LT's, lightly hand ported intake and throttle body. The car has put down 540-550rwhp consistantly. Most people don't believe me when I tell them it's "cam only" but it truely is. Instead of replacing the heads I just sent them off and had the sodium-filled exhaust valves swapped out for stainless steel and the valve guides replaced with bronze guides. It's hard to beat the flow of stock ported LS7 heads so to me the thousands of extra dollars wasn't worth it buying new heads.

Driveability is all in the tune and clutch in my opinion. My car used to be a beast to drive with the RPS BC-2 clutch. Driving around town would about wear out your leg! I've since gone with a Centerforce DYAD clutch and man what a world of difference! I can honestly say it drives like stock.

The LS7 paired with the TR6060 is a tough combo to beat. It feels like it just never stops pulling no matter what gear or rpm you are at. I've beaten quite a few simliar if not slighty more hp cars with my combo. Thats when most people don't belive me when I say "cam only".

Example: I have a friend with a 07 c6 coupe. Built 402 putting down 552rwhp. I walk him every time by about 2 cars. I belive it is mostly because of the engine and trasmission gearing. I am able to hold out my revs longer and pull more than he. Its funny because he gets so aggrivated lol. until he sprays on me that is

And its music to my ears every time i approach that 7k rpm mark!

I plan on adding spray to mine this winter. Ive seen numerous nitrous cars pull blower cars making more power. It just seems like nitrous hit harder and have instant power where as blowers have to take more time to spool. I'll probably only spray a 100shot, 150 with a stand alone just to be safe. Then I'll probably be close to 700hp and tq and thats plenty for me. I've talked with a few tuners and a few shops and they all say that with a stand alone, a 150 shot is plenty safe. I could hurt a lot of feelings with a 700rwhp C6 Z. probably beat up at few 800hp cars.

 

Nothing strange about that. My cam only car with heads never off made 560rwhp. My friends car I setup/tuned made 580rwhp with SS valves, cam, no porting. On a 100 shot it makes 688rwhp/650ftlbs. Runs hard.

That being said, I would still take a blown GS over a heads/cam Z.

 

550whp is a perfect goal for a heads/cam Z06 that's still streetable and enjoyable to drive. It'll also perform better on a road course than the heavier GS (and the GS will be even heavier with the addition of the supercharger, etc). Plus, an NA engine will do better than a heatsoaked supercharger on race day. See: ZR1 vs Z06+Z07 pkg, the Z06 will be outlapping the ZR1 before the end of the day and that's not even necessarily going to be on a 'hot summer's day'. Even a stock Z06 would eventually outlap a blown GS.

I really wouldn't worry about sleeves cracking, like someone else said the valve dropping issue would be more prevalent and you would end up fixing it going the h/c route anyways.

A heads/cam Z06 will definitely do everything you're asking for and it seems like that's where you were leaning (in that post) anyways. On the plus side, it's a Z06... the 'ultimate' NA Corvette.

I'll echo what others have already posted... if you want to go FI and know you're not going to be happy with 550whp forever, then go with the blown GS. It'll do well enough for the occasional track day (and do great in your other goals), but you might be wishing you had gone with the Z when you get passed by that GT3...

 

It boils down to, if you want performance, Z. And(depending on how large of a cam is chosen) gas mileage will go to the blown GS.

Changing my earlier opinion actually... I would pick the Z over the GS, superchargers are cool but heat soak will definitely rear its ugly head at some point, where as a H/C car will keep going strong with about the same power +/- a couple.

Not dwelling on the negatives, however adding a blower also adds complication. Not trying to start an anti S/C war here, just an opinion. Superchargers A. need to be rebuilt every once in a while(Varies, some go many many miles without any work except an oil change), and also provide stress to the other belt line components. Tuning is also a key factor for a supercharger setup. If it detonates, you would wish you had bought a Z. Just my .02, again

Good luck with the choice