LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

Autobahn Reliability

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Old 04-15-2012, 06:27 AM
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I agree on checking over the suspension first (shocks, panhard bar/LCA's and their bushings, upper and lower A arms, tie rods, basically anything that is connecting the tires to the body LOL). I guess I wouldn't feel safe just hopping in a 17 year old car and going top speed without checking it over very well first.

If everything is still stock/origional those old shocks are probably not doing much dampening anymore and depending on how the car was maintained you may need to freshen up a few other things.

I'd look into a good shock/spring setup and maybe some sway bars. When my car was stock I didn't feel comfortable going over 110 MPH (on our shitty roads) as the car was not very stable IMO. I added Strano springs, Koni 4/4 shocks and Strano hollow sway bars and the car is a completely different animal, quite amazing actually. Now 140MPH is the new 85MPH The car is very predictable and stable at high speeds.
Old 04-15-2012, 08:38 AM
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When I was young and dumb in the 90s I regularly hit 150+ in my then new 94z. The car did perfectly fine even with sustained speed. Condition was a huge factor there and I would be hesitant on a car I didn't know very well.

Hitting 200mph in an lt1 camaro will require more than 500hp. The aerodynamic limitation on the front alone will be a huge problem. The headlight pockets will cause the hood corners to lift so pins may be needed.

Let us know how it does.
Old 04-15-2012, 04:50 PM
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Great news guys. This morning on the way to work I was according to the GPS speedo get it up to 262kmh (163mph) but was kinda on a downhill. I was able to keep it above 220kmh (140mph) for about 10 mins and on turns. I didnt think I would be able to pass 150mph, but it ran great and smooth. Small vibrations but thats normal at those speeds. The temperature needle stayed in the middle but once I slowed down to get off the exit it shot straight just under the red. Is this normal for these cars? My previous car BMW 850csi would stay around 200 temp no matter what. So far im liking the camaro better then the bmw keep up the good work in engineering The camaro also accelerates kinda faster. The only negative things I have to say is it rides rougher and all the gas it ate up I maybe only got 2 miles per gallon lol. But sooner or later I might throw in the LSX 454 and update the suspension, control arms ect.

Ive heard you can stroke the LT1 to a 396. How much power can you get out of that and how reliable will it be?
Old 04-15-2012, 05:50 PM
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A LTx built right will be reliable its a chevy 350. Yes you can bore and stroke a LTx out to a 396. With heads and cam on a stock stroke and bore LTx you can make over 400rwhp so thats close to 500 at the crank. Stroke it and bore it you can make over 500rwhp.
Old 04-15-2012, 06:12 PM
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Originally Posted by GermanLSX
Great news guys. This morning on the way to work I was according to the GPS speedo get it up to 262kmh (163mph) but was kinda on a downhill. I was able to keep it above 220kmh (140mph) for about 10 mins and on turns. I didnt think I would be able to pass 150mph, but it ran great and smooth. Small vibrations but thats normal at those speeds. The temperature needle stayed in the middle but once I slowed down to get off the exit it shot straight just under the red. Is this normal for these cars? My previous car BMW 850csi would stay around 200 temp no matter what. So far im liking the camaro better then the bmw keep up the good work in engineering The camaro also accelerates kinda faster. The only negative things I have to say is it rides rougher and all the gas it ate up I maybe only got 2 miles per gallon lol. But sooner or later I might throw in the LSX 454 and update the suspension, control arms ect.

Ive heard you can stroke the LT1 to a 396. How much power can you get out of that and how reliable will it be?

your more than likely need to get a bigger radiator. the temp spike may have been heat soak and when you slowed down your coolant flow decreased. 163 is a good number. my old 94 was out of *** at 147. also like every one else said concentrate on the suspension.

don't forget to get use some video.
Old 04-15-2012, 08:32 PM
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Definitely need a video next time you do that.
Old 04-15-2012, 09:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Speedy
Definitely need a video next time you do that.
Good Idea, ill look into buying a cam recorder tomorrow. Any recommendations?

I read somewhere that some of the LT1 cars were geared to reach 255mph but obvious that I dont have enough power. By any chance does anyone know what rear end ratio is in my car?
Old 04-15-2012, 09:36 PM
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Stock a six speed comes with 342 gears.
Old 04-15-2012, 09:44 PM
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A lot of people use go-pros, I plan on getting one... one of these days.
Old 04-16-2012, 05:58 AM
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Ive had my LS1 to 164 on GPS and climbing..

These cars aren't designed to do that for extended periods.

Its comfortable to about 130, then after that its just pathetic.

A well built german car is so much more mannered at those speeds, especially for extended periods, I wouldn't even bother with a camaro.

Make the camaro 1/4 mile well, or set it up for road race. But there are 100s of better Autobahn cars....

.02
Old 04-16-2012, 06:10 AM
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Id see how fast it will go in 6th, and cruise at that speed, probably around 130. 5500 RPM for extended periods trying to maintain 160 in 5th is going to require some new parts, first thing on the list would be a good set of road racing valvesprings, some long tube headers, a bigger radiator keeping the mechanical waterpump, and a good set of lowering springs with good shocks to both reduce drag and add control. LS1 lid with a CHRIS1313 setup would also really help on the intake side, take advantage of some ram air. Ive done 155 for about 2 minutes and the car felt ok, but if I were to be doing this alot, those would be my first parts.
Old 04-16-2012, 10:26 AM
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yea 150 for a long period of time on a stock suspension Z is kinda scary lol....modified they're great........ive had my stock suspension GTO at that speed before and its like a caddilac at 60.....can cruise 130-150 no problem solid as a rock..........different platform though......
Old 04-16-2012, 03:09 PM
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Originally Posted by GermanLSX
Good Idea, ill look into buying a cam recorder tomorrow. Any recommendations?

I read somewhere that some of the LT1 cars were geared to reach 255mph but obvious that I dont have enough power. By any chance does anyone know what rear end ratio is in my car?
out side the car the gopro hd hero2.


inside any hd camcorder should do fine. i have a sony hdr-cx160 that's nice. it will do 60 frames a second in 1080p. makes for nice high quality slow motion video.

this was a 153 mph run and as you can see the suction cup mounts works real good.


Old 04-16-2012, 04:21 PM
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I lived in Giessen, i daily drove mine and it did fine in Germany.
I mostly had it around 90-120 and never had any issues.

I did a flush on all the fluids, lubed every part and made sure the tires were properly inflated and balanced...
Old 04-16-2012, 04:31 PM
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Originally Posted by quik95lt1
yea 150 for a long period of time on a stock suspension Z is kinda scary lol....modified they're great........ive had my stock suspension GTO at that speed before and its like a caddilac at 60.....can cruise 130-150 no problem solid as a rock..........different platform though......
This. There's a huge difference doing a spurt up to 150+ and backing off compared to cruising at it passing cars and semi's. I burried my needle going 170+ (6300 in 5th with 3.73's) when I had stock suspension and it was definitely not something I would want to do more than once.

With my current suspension I ran my car and my dad's 00 WS6 at the drag strip back to back, and at 120mph in a straight line and on perfectly smooth road. I couldn't believe how much more stable and planted my car was at that low of a speed.
Old 04-16-2012, 04:33 PM
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when it mine was close to stock with all new bushings, suspension and minor performance mods i did 110 cruise to work everyday. 435 east from overland park to lees summit.
Old 04-17-2012, 04:53 PM
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Yeah ive been in america. Great roads, great people but sometimes there not enough lanes and the people never move out of the fast lane lol. They just linger there its kinda irritating but I always thought that it was a safety hazard. No Offense I dont see the U.S having an autobahn like system. Its just a hope that young kids in america would like but aren't taught well enough how to drive. These kids get killed in accidents that could of been prevented by better attention. The driving style in the states is just different then Germany along with europe. I guess us Germans like taking a thrill in speed and have moment of euphoria

The U.S: Drag racing
Germany/Europe Road Race

I know my camaro wasnt made like a german car was but i can try my best to mix it up with european. Because all of our ancestors came from Europe but not the Japs but we all share one thing in common: Passion for Speed
Old 04-17-2012, 05:34 PM
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Originally Posted by speed_demon24
The first thing I would do is a set of konis and c5 brakes. The stock shocks and brakes are definitely a saftey factor for anything over 100mph. Other than that I would keep an eye on oil temp, trans temp, and rear diff temp.
Yes! Upgrade your brakes!!! The LT1 brakes fade very badly, very quickly. Speaking from experience here. Upgrading to C5 brakes is very simple and really is something you should do.
Old 04-18-2012, 03:39 AM
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I never had my car over 140. Ive tried once and around 110 it started to vibrate badly but i kept going. Got worse around 125 but i was thinking nothing bad was going to happen. Around 130 my hands started to get that numb feeling from gripping the wheel tightly and the strong vibrations and was think 20 more and ill be at 150. Around 138ish my car all of a sudden got smoother with little to no vibrations. I then said the hell with this and shut it down. I love the thrill of high speeds ( when im driving) but when the car went all smooth on it, it freaked me out.
Old 04-18-2012, 06:24 AM
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Originally Posted by Konman93
Around 138ish my car all of a sudden got smoother with little to no vibrations. I then said the hell with this and shut it down. I love the thrill of high speeds ( when im driving) but when the car went all smooth on it, it freaked me out.
same thing here ... anyone know what happens the 135mph speed?

i have a stock steel drive shaft that is the cause of a lot of vibrations so i have been told. does that just smooth out going so fast?


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