MN_V

iTrader: (5)

I'm going LSA supercharger on my LS2 V1. My question is I'm leaning towards staying with the stock LS2 cam for driveability and mpg. It's a DD. My goals are about 500whp so pretty mild for that S/C but I don't want to do the whole job and find out the stock cam doesn't work well. Having said that, if anyone here has a great cam in mind that would worthy, - please let me know!

krazy4

iTrader: (5)

It should make 500whp easy on the stock cam.

MN_V

iTrader: (5)

Thanks -

I'm also replacing the factory 243 heads with LS3 823 heads so it'll flow better through there also. Not many of us have done this swap yet so there's limited info but it looks that I will be at my HP goals with the stock cam.

My friend is really thinking to get a special blower cam in while we're doing all the work, but I don't want to trade mpg or the rush hour friendliness.

I'm open for others opinions and am going to continue to research. I know lots of 05-07 Vette guys have supercharged their LS2 cars.

silvea

iTrader: (1)

There's quite a few guys that have done this swap on lq4's and G8's. It's pretty simple. Use ls3 heads and a lsa front accessory set up and that's pretty much it haha

MN_V

iTrader: (5)

Right on yeah I've got it all on order. Going to be a helluva DD and maybe surprise some people too being an old V1.

neverstop

500whp will be piece of cake with almost any parts. there are guys making >500whp on ls2 with just h/c/i

silvea

iTrader: (1)

Ok I'm sorry I didn't really have a lot of time and ability to write a longer reply as I was sitting in the drive through line at In-N-Out for my first reply. SOOO

You stated you had a V1 CTS-V with a LS2 and 243 heads. Now that is not what came originally in the car. It would have came with a LS6 and 243 heads. If that is the case this whole set up wont work The LS6 does not have a 4" bore like the LS2 so the LS3 heads wont fit on it due to valve size. In addition to that if you try to run a LSA blower on cathedral heads you have to run some stupid adapter plate and its all a giant mess and not worth it for your power level.

So we come down here now. This is the section that if you did swap a LS2 into your CTS-V V1 we have hope. Now you are correct in swapping to the LS3 heads as you need the rectangular heads to mount the LSA blower to without some stupid adapter plate. Now as far as accessories go its easy just bolt on CTS-V V2 accessories to the front of your engine and thats accomplished. Looking good so far HOWEVER we are going to make some assumptions here. The entire LSA kit (Blower, Lid, heat exchanger, pump, LS3 heads and LSA accessories) is going to cost damn near 5k. You will still need injectors and a Walbro 450 fuel pump. Now once you take your heads off to swap them you are going from cathedral to rectangular. A cathedral NA cam isn't the greatest for a rectangular port blower engine HOWEVER the LS9 cam from Lingenfelter that came in the ZR1 Corvette is less than 200 bucks. Now since you are spending all of this money and will have the heads off anyways this is a VERY important piece to get. It will give you stock driveability and make considerably more power. Including springs this is a 500 dollar upgrade and probably the best bang for your buck on this swap. Next we will assume you have a full exhaust system Long tube headers, no cats/high flow cats, and a quality cat back.

SO!!! what does all of this get you? Well a stock CTS-V2 from what I have seen dynos at around 500rwhp stock. Add in the LS9 cam, free flowing exhaust, and raised compression from the LS3 heads and you are looking at close to 600rwhp. You also have the ability to increase the boost level and make upwards of 700-750rwhp. Much more than your goal for quite cheap once you have gone this far without sacrificing the ability to DD it or spending much more money. Now an LS2 is a gen 4 engine and if when you put the heads on it you use ARP head bolts you should be good for some major power. How much is up in the air but 800rwhp has been done multiple times with decent results.

So what I think is best would be to do the swap with the LS3 heads, a free flowing exhaust, the LS9 cam, and keep your boost on the lower end. Shoot for mid 500's RWHP and it should be reliable, DD able, and fast as ****. Realize though that by the time you do all of this with supporting mods, tune, ect... you will be looking at close to 7-10k dollars. And as with anything you modify you decrease reliability so the harder you push it the more likely things are to break. With that said at 550RWHP you should be on the safer side and able to drive it like you stole it and not break anything IF YOU TUNE IS SOLID. You might also want to think about meth injection as I assume you will be on either 91 or 93 pump gas and meth injection is cheap insurance. Some of these things do cost money like the cam swap and meth injection but whats an extra 1000 when you are already spending 10k ya know?

Black89Z51

iTrader: (2)

04-05 V1s have the LS6
06-07 V1s have the LS2

MN_V

iTrader: (5)

I appreciate the response and your thoughts are generally in-line with mine. Yes it's an '06 V so it has the LS2. I used to think it would be better to just sell and buy a V2 to people who wanted to increase power, but now that my V1 is SOLID and been a great car the last 5 years I'm going to keep it. Plus the values for these used cars are in the toilet like most other LS vehicles. So sell it for $12k and get a higher mileage used V2 with possibly an assortment of issues needing to be addressed for $30k? Or put about $6000 into my V1, and sell off the stock stuff for $500. I also like the fact of having a sleeper in the V1 compared to every V2, and even after adding the S/C it will be 330lbs lighter and should getter better mpg as a kicker for my commute.

I've done the research and have all the supporting pieces coming in. Will be running V2 balancer, water pump and accessory drive along with all supporting fuel and sensor needs, heat exchanger and pump. DW300 fuel pump going in soon will be fine for fueling up to my needs. Along with the LS3 heads and my kooks headers complimenting the LSA I'd have a hard time believing it won't meet all my HP needs. I can only run a 275 width rear tire so it can only handle so much for street use. Thanks guys.

I do like the LS9 cam idea as the heads have PAC 1218 springs that will support it.

silvea

iTrader: (1)

That's embarrassing Gaga. I know my GM's prettt well. I can't. Believe I didn't know there V1 with ls2's. That being said I've never been a huge V1 fan. That ls9 cam will keep it pretty mellow. It will have a super slight lope to no lope. Just remember Long tubes take away from the stealth. Ever considered a boost activated cut out? Set it up to open at like 4-5 psi. That way when you are driving around town it's kinda quiet and when you snack the throttle full on beast mode

MN_V

iTrader: (5)

I'm on the throttle too much for that lol... but couldn't be any happier with my exhaust it is a great combo. We'll see how it sounds under boost.

silvea

iTrader: (1)

The supercharger will be running low boost to make that kind of power. At 4-5psi you would have to be wot, or trying to get the cut out open. People don't tend to just drive around in boost. I think it is Hobbs controlled as well as an electronic set up. You can install a switch either to deactivate the cut out even in boost.

MN_V

iTrader: (5)

Truthfully I've never been a fan of cut outs. Car sounds like a beast with the exhaust now at WOT without having everyone within a square mile staring at you.

silvea

iTrader: (1)

It will super loud when you have long tubes and a blower lol

rkupon1

iTrader: (3)

This is pretty cool, i hope your doing a build thread. I to have an ls2 cts-v. Have been kikn around the idea of a top end swap like this, or just a really decent head cam n intake set up with the ls2 and same supporting mods. Prolly net me 450whp n be pretty reliable. I had a supercharged set up on my lightning. All bad arsery, but they are defly heatpumps.

MN_V

iTrader: (5)

I've done all the research I can and I'm planning on running the LS9 cam. A little more lift and more duration should yield a nice top end increase. I won't be hurting for low end power either way with our gearing. It also has about the widest lobe seperation angle you can find on a cam, which should make for as good of gas mileage as possible with the setup. Not that I'm looking for a prius, but the smaller gas tanks already yield short range and I don't want something that gets less than 20mpg highway. I will update as the build progresses. Lots of little things add cost to the build. About $500 in smaller miscellaneous expenses in addition to what you'd see on a parts list.

baller

i had a 2005 cts-v with the ls6 and i just did a maggie with 10lbs of boost and b&b exhaust and a tune and cold air kit and lightened flywheel and it made 604 rwhp!

MN_V

iTrader: (5)

An MP112? No offense but that 604whp was not accurate.

baller

a magnacharger! this is one i got from them in 2005 for the car when i got it brand new.i dont even see it available on there site anymore.anyway with those bolt ons and 10 lbs of boost with the 2.6 pully made 6004 at redline performance almost 13 years ago.it worked really well and screamed!

Tuckin15s

iTrader: (10)

A buddy of mine is running a stage 2 PDS btr cam that he states is damn near stock driveabilty. If you are busting it all down I would put a cam in it, but that's just me.