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Old Apr 1, 2011 | 06:55 PM
  #1  
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Default Already getting bored..

Had the car for only a year.. Getting real sick of only having a handfull of SMALL available upgrades for our engines, or a $6k turbo kit.. Plus any upgrades REQUIRE a built transmission.. Really thinking of getting something else..

Does anyone think this f**king car will get 300+ at the wheels N/A? It's ridiuclous to think I NEED a turbo kit to get any kind of power out of an LS V8.. Any body else feel like they've wasted time/money on a car with not much of a chance?

I lost to a S/C Saturn Ion Redline last night with nothing but a catback exhaust.. Bullshit.. Mind you I had a full tank of gas and two 200 pound passengers, but still embarassing nonetheless.. Starting to hate my LS4...........

EDIT: May I add, the paint is starting to look like ****, especially at the seams where the front tires send dirt/pebbles flying.. The finish on the rims is starting to corrode.. I leak oil from the back valve cover and BURN oil with DoD... WTF is this car even worth? Dealer tells me $10k.. Awesome................
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Old Apr 1, 2011 | 07:14 PM
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Is your car stock? how much did you lose by? this was a thread about oil burning that the dealer was replacing the liffter and valve covers. As for losing to the ion redline they probably weight around 3,000 lbs. compared to our 3,600 and thats without the passengers you had
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Old Apr 1, 2011 | 07:44 PM
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Ya, I'm still stock... I'd like to upgrade my car but all the small upgrades dont seem to do much, even with a tune.. Even given the circumstances, those Ion's only make 205hp...... It was def embarrassing..

I worry everyday about my trans blowing, too.. What does a TEP, FULLY built tranny cost with 3.29 gears? I've sent him quote requests but never get a response..
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Old Apr 1, 2011 | 08:28 PM
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Built trans is about 2200-4000

I put down 277 with rockers, head work, Magnaflow exhaust and Ls1 intake with number 4 injector unplugged. Stock my car made 238

I just stripped my motor down today and will be pulling the cam out tomorrow. I got a custom spec'd cam going in with LS7 lifters and a ported LS6 intake manifold.

Trans will stay stock till it blows. I did install a trans cooler and shift kit. Shifts great and is very snapy..

As for you car.. You need to ditch the weight.
What are your mods? I got rapped by a mid 90's M3 when I was bone stock and I didn't feel very good for about a week.

300fwhp is not that hard to get. Just add 1.8 rockers, exhaust, CAI, headers, and a LS1/LS6 intake manifold. If you want more then swap out the cam or go forced induction.
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Old Apr 1, 2011 | 08:53 PM
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well ill start off with when you have passengers in the car with you it kills the hp. i can notice it everytime i get on it and i have a passenger in the car it just seems slower. then adding a full tank of gas on top of it thats a lot of weight added to the car.
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Old Apr 1, 2011 | 10:05 PM
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Hmm my car does pretty good..Ive won against a few 05-09 mustangs with a decent lead..Im not even tuned or anything either..I think alot of it was from the passengers in your car..But I do agree its pretty annoying not having much options..
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Old Apr 1, 2011 | 11:34 PM
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Yea i think the passengers was what killed you
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Old Apr 2, 2011 | 01:42 AM
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Nope I don't feel that way about my car at all. I have a catback and a Lew tune, there's a ton of mods available but this is good for a car I can take my parents to dinner, my dog to the cottage etc.

You gotta stop thinking bolt on mods...heads, cam, stall, trans upgrade...anything you can do with any other engine is available for this engine.
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Old Apr 2, 2011 | 09:56 AM
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Originally Posted by LS4:20
Had the car for only a year.. Getting real sick of only having a handfull of SMALL available upgrades for our engines, or a $6k turbo kit.. Plus any upgrades REQUIRE a built transmission.. Really thinking of getting something else..

Does anyone think this f**king car will get 300+ at the wheels N/A? It's ridiuclous to think I NEED a turbo kit to get any kind of power out of an LS V8.. Any body else feel like they've wasted time/money on a car with not much of a chance?

I lost to a S/C Saturn Ion Redline last night with nothing but a catback exhaust.. Bullshit.. Mind you I had a full tank of gas and two 200 pound passengers, but still embarassing nonetheless.. Starting to hate my LS4...........

EDIT: May I add, the paint is starting to look like ****, especially at the seams where the front tires send dirt/pebbles flying.. The finish on the rims is starting to corrode.. I leak oil from the back valve cover and BURN oil with DoD... WTF is this car even worth? Dealer tells me $10k.. Awesome................
Molded mudflaps?
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Old Apr 2, 2011 | 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Hawkins04
Yea i think the passengers was what killed you
I agree! I feel a big difference with just a few hundred extra pounds and you had 500 pounds.
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Old Apr 2, 2011 | 01:11 PM
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Yeah...500 lbs is a half-second slower in the quarter.
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Old Apr 2, 2011 | 02:19 PM
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Would you like some cheese with that whine?
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Old Apr 2, 2011 | 03:24 PM
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I feel your pain my man. The aftermarket for these cars are rather small. On top of that these engines don't respond to mods as well as a mustang,charger,challenger, trans ams etc. Plus who wants to spend 6 grand just on a turbo when you can add a supercharger that pretty much would put out more power on the cars I just named for about a grand or 2 more? Plus they shoved this big engine under the hood so we can't get a supercharger which sucks
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Old Apr 2, 2011 | 04:02 PM
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Originally Posted by TiredGXP
Would you like some cheese with that whine?
Driver mod anyone?

There's plenty of sub $1k mods that will completely change that car. They've been well documented in this section. I guarantee that if you added intake, exhaust (+ catless DP) and a tune, you would change your mind. I won't even get into suspension parts that will make the car even more fun to drive around daily.

But in reality it's a 4 door FWD GP, it's not marketed to be a sports car. Mods are few compared to other platforms. Go get an fbody and mod to your hearts content like I did and you'll realize just like I did that I miss the comfort and practicality of my MC. Wbodies are a great compromise between performance and comfort, add some performance mods and maybe a 100 shot and keep the comfort.
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Old Apr 2, 2011 | 05:46 PM
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Originally Posted by SSCoop
I feel your pain my man. The aftermarket for these cars are rather small. On top of that these engines don't respond to mods as well as a mustang,charger,challenger, trans ams etc. Plus who wants to spend 6 grand just on a turbo when you can add a supercharger that pretty much would put out more power on the cars I just named for about a grand or 2 more? Plus they shoved this big engine under the hood so we can't get a supercharger which sucks
We have enough issues with traction and torque steer as it is and you want a supercharger?

Do you even know the difference between the two?
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Old Apr 2, 2011 | 05:53 PM
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You can do any mod to the motor as you can any LS based engine...with that said, you have the ability to put heads, cam, intake, exhaust, etc. on the car, a turbo is NOT the only way to make power in an LS engine. Is it really worth it, that's your choice. I was looking into getting one, but was turned away because of the trans issues and all the little smaller things...
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Old Apr 2, 2011 | 10:07 PM
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What suspension parts make it more fun can i know because I will put them on in a heartbeat
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Old Apr 2, 2011 | 10:11 PM
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Originally Posted by SScali
What suspension parts make it more fun can i know because I will put them on in a heartbeat
STB's will help tremendously and are probably one of the cheaper suspension mods ... lowering kit with new springs and shocks - pricey but lower center of gravity and looks ...

start with the strut tower braces IMO
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Old Apr 2, 2011 | 10:38 PM
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Originally Posted by LS1 Racing
Yeah...500 lbs is a half-second slower in the quarter.
i beat a dodge challenger R/T at the track. he had a passenger and bad start.
WEIGHT Kills speed
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Old Apr 2, 2011 | 11:18 PM
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I worry everyday about my trans blowing, too.. What does a TEP, FULLY built tranny cost with 3.29 gears? I've sent him quote requests but never get a response..


In regards to your question on a TEP rebuild they are $1,750. Dave at TEP is a really great guy. I exchanged about 12 emails before I decided to go with him. He is honest and has a great reputation. I am supprised that he did not respond. I was not even going to go with him as he is 230 miles away and there was a repair mand 30 miles away but Daves reputation was flawless.
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