2000Z28

A neighbor of mine told me to check out this site and I am glad I did. I just bought a Z not too long ago and I was wondering what to do with it (if anything).

I have driven a few SS's since buying it and I think my Z runs a little better than a few of them, kind of in the middle... I can't tell exactly what the previous owner did to it besides the hooker catback. When I really punch it, it really takes off. A whole heck of a lot better than the other Z's I test drove. It tries to lift the front up, but not quite strong enough.

If this were your car, what would you look for. A few friends of mine think it may be chipped somewhere. They say that it is unusually punchy. The airbox lid is stock, fram air filter, nothing out of the ordinary. Any ideas or should I just be happy with what I have?

98sspullin'em

iTrader: (-1)

all cars are different and react to things differently.. i have heard that people get lucky and just buy fast cars.. a buddy of mine bought one and recked it and then got a new one and he said that the 1st one had a lot more power than the 2nd and they were both stock!! thats what i think... just be lucky!!!!

2000Z28

That was pretty much my assumption. Whoever had the car before me really took care of it and it shows. That was the reason I picked that one over all the others.

unit213

Sorry, I don't mean to be rude...but I'm going to trash your post.

Generally speaking, that's not true. LS1's dyno anywhere from 290-320rwhp depending on the transmission and the year. 98-00 usually dyno less than 01-02's. The same goes for A4 tranny's compared to M6's. The manual tranny (M6) has less drivetrain loss. With that said, there are a few "factory freaks" out there that make more power...along the lines of 330rwhp. No one can pin point the cause of these "freaks". Maybe they don't have piston slap. Who knows. As a rule of thumb, as LS1 is an LS1 is an LS1.

Your car has most likely been lightly modified. I would have it dyno'd. That will tell the tale. If you can't see any mods visually, it's possible there is some internal work done...such as a camshaft. A cam will really liven the car up! I would look at the intake track as well and compare it to pictures of a stock engine bay. I'd also look under the car. Suspension components as well as rearend stuff will stick out like a sore thumb. Check spark plugs too. Chances are it ran nitrous if you find NGK TR6's.

Can you post a pic of the engine bay? We can tell you pretty much everything that's been changed externally.

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

Welcome to the site fellow Houstonian. I'd take unit's suggestion and have the car Dyno'd locally. That will tell you the tale of what is or isn't modified on your car. The reason your Z might feel as fast or faster than an SS, is because they are the same vehicle. The SS is basically just an appearance package on a Z28, not really a performance package.

Tony

unit213

That and the Z28's are usually a bit lighter. I forgot to mention that LS1's don't have a "chip". The computer is tuned directly. Just a piece of info for you...

Welcome to LS1Tech.com. (forgot that part ) Stick around and really lift the front wheels off the ground.

MadIceV8

iTrader: (12)

Welcome to the board.

02PHOENIX

Welcome 2000Z, you definitly came to the right site for LS1 info!

98sspullin'em

iTrader: (-1)

well unit you just controdicted yourself by saying theyre all the same but there are also freaks?? and none of them are exactly the same. some cars like big cams and others barely can run when you put them in!! and if you dyno's 10 ls1's not all of them would be exactly the same , correct??

unit213

Your post was extremely vague. I tried to be more specific for a new member. I contradicted nothing. I'd say about 1% of LS1's are "freaks". Like I said, an LS1 is an LS1 is an LS1.

slik98z

my 98 z dynoed at just over 300 rwhp bone stock, i got it in september 2003 with only 30k miles on it. car was owned by a middle aged woman from Colorado, and she traded it in for a z06 when she moved to the D.C area. as soon as i got it i dynoed it cause it felt way to strong to be stock. and the dyno showed that its probably your average ls1.

with the mods listed in my sig, i haven't spent all thatmuch money. witha catback and lid i dynoed at 313 rwhp. i haven't had it dynoed lately with the free mods and what not, but im sure its a little more.
if youd like to get a little extra punch, just doa catback and/or cut out, lid, free mods, and get yourself some drag radials. you'll enjoy these mods, great sound, some extra power, and you can find great deals in the classified section or on our sponsors sites listed at the right of the page. if you are like me and get bored every now and again with your power output, look intoa nitrous kit. the NOS 05177 kit is basically "nitrous for dummies". very easy to use and the 75 shot has given me a nice extra treat when ineed that rush.
its all up to how much you'd like to spend, how much you can afford, and what your speed threshold is. personally, i think considering you've owned these kinds of cars before, id get a nitrous kit. you'd really enjoy it.
hope that helped good luck.
~T

unit213

Now there's a good post. Nice job! Very good advice there...

Blackbird_CS

whats a "free mod"?

02PHOENIX

Stuff you can do with or to exhisting parts for very little or no money.
Free ram air
TB Bypass
TB home port
TB bumpstop
!EGR
!AIR
MAF descreen

y2k_ta

iTrader: (80)

If nothing else, just enjoy the time you spend modifying your car. I've learned so many helpful skills just by digging in and figuring it out. But remember, once you start modifying it's hard to stop!

2000Z28

Thanks for all of the responses.

I need to get my *** over to MTI and have them dyno it. My neighbor told me not to do anything to it before talking to him first. He told me a lot of the stuff I have reading about. He is a GM mech, so I trust his judgment. He told me the K/N filters weren't all that, cutting under the air lid for the ram air, torque convertors, etc. He did all of that stuff and more to his SS and has it running really good.

I would be glad to post a few pics, but I don't have a digital camera at the moment.

Locomotive Engineer

I would just do basic things a coplete cold air package from SLP is great, I was always told start from the ground up. I got a few things done to my T.A

Locomotive Engineer

I got the Slp cold air package eibach springs 373 gears hipertech stage 3 programer 160 thrermistat 85 mm mass air frow meter. I need some gmmg white faced gauges

jrp

iTrader: (16)

if your refering to the slp flow pac then its a waste of money. i bought it before i really new anything about ls1's. there are better and cheaper ways to do your induction then the slp route.

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

My car dyno'd 306 stock. I test drove a SS right after I bought my Z28 (hey, I could have got a good deal ) and I decided I didn't want it because it just didn't seem as strong as my Z28 did. Both were stock at the time. The only difference between the two was my Z had 85K miles, whereas the SS had 32K.

For cheap stuff, I don't have much into my car, and I think it runs pretty good for what's done. I will be getting it dyno'd in the spring to see just how much i've gained. At the track, my mods were good enough to drop a half second and gain 4 mph (that and I dropped my 60' from 2.3 to 2.1). Good luck!