LSCHLEM

In the scheme of modding my car I found going from 400 RWHP/TQ to
450 RWHP/TQ to be the most dramatic as far as the onset of necessary changes & maintenance to be performed to enjoy this new found power level. Please share your experiences too

Yes I have 450 RWHP exacerbated by 4.10 gears.

1. I find that I have to replace clutch fluid almost as much as I put gas in the tank. The clutch stuck to the floor and had to cry out RANGER.

2. From the days of 385 RWHP I would hope to get the wheels spinning
in first gear. At 400 + the wheels would spin in first and a little in second.
at 400 + 4.10 gears wheel spoin in 1st, 2nd, and a little in 3rd. But when I installed the SPINMONSTER CAM now the torque is so intense that from a slight roll If I punched it in first The tach would immediately go to 6800 RPM in 1 sec and the same with second but maybe 2 sec
then wheelspin in 3rd and she finally hooks and its awesome from that
point on.
It would be senseless to add more HP/TQ to the little LS2 without taking care of some of the traction problems plaguing the car.
From full BOLTON W FAST & 4.10 To the addition of the CAM I only picked up about 12 RWTQ and its hard to believe such small amount of torque increase can cause the low end and midrange to jump out like a monster ?

3. I honestly believe I need the following things done so I can enjoy
the pure acceleration of those 1st & 2nd gears
(a) wheels on the back to provide a ZO6 footprint
(b) a tire with a good compound for all around driving.
(c) a better clutch than the ls7
(d) z51 sway bars
If any of you guys have had similar things happen I would like to know what your cure was. Please Jump In Leon

ChopShop1

Your plans sound like you are headed in the right direction. The only thing that has me curious is why your clutch is acting up like that. I dont' think that a 450 car would push the clutch to that point, but I could be wrong. Either way, it sounds like the car is loads of fun to drive(a torquey car is the best imho). I think the tires are going to be the biggest thing. Also, I am looking in to the pfadt trans and engine mounts, as they are supposed to help limit wheel hop once you get to that point. That might be something for you to look into as well. GL, and enjoy

LSCHLEM

Only after I put the CAM in did I become aware that the clutch is acting funny. Checked into it and learned that it should be checked very regularly. It was like tar when I flushed it the first time and it took about 5 reflushes to clear it up and miraculously the problem went away but it did not take long to get dark again.

ChopShop1

Wow, I would not have expected that. It will be interesting to see what kind of clutch recommendations come across, keeping in mind that you want the car to be enjoyable to drive regularly too.

LSCHLEM

The Car is fantastic to drive with all the cam issues like bucking & surging solved in my last tune. It drives at low speeds like a kitten and it turns heads when driving thru a mall parking lot or stopped at a red light when they hear the CAM thru those BORLA STINGERS.
BTW I have a FORMATO PORTED OEM MANIFOLD which gave me about
15 RWHP/TQ when I put it on the dyno that day. I think the numbers went from 365 to 386 with the addition of the PORTED TB & PORTED OEM. Later
I put the ported FAST on and that took me to 408/412. The ported OEM
I have sitting in the garage in the FAST box. Give me a PM if you might be interesting in buying it.

Slwsvt

Put the right tire back there. Plain and simple that is the key. 450rwhp is easily manageable, even with 4.10 gears.

YLOFEVR

I have the same problem with the clutch fluid changes. I'm not YET making as much rwhp/tq as you, but the clutch fluid is a regular pm thing at this point. I'm not so sure that the clutch assembly is the only culprit, but rather the design of the slave which allows disc dust to enter the hydraulic system. Just my .02--I'd like for someone to chime in who has another perspective on this. TIA

oldmansan

If you're looking to do a wide/sticky tire, I'd probably opt for a different sway bar in the rear than the Z51. It really depends on the type of driving you do.

I went with the Hotchkis sways because the rear is adjustable. I have it in the middle which is the same stiffness as a Z06 bar and I like it fine. I have the option to increase the stiffness 30% more than a Z06 rear bar. That might be good for all-out race tires. I'm currently running the Toyo R888s, 295/18 front and 335/18 rear. I'd go wider in the rear but that's the widest 18 Toyo makes in that tire.

If you had it to do again with the horsepower you're making, would you consider the 3.90s? I don't drag and am considering a rear diff. for street/roadracing. I have the base transmission (MN6 non Z51).

San

LSCHLEM

I like the idea of the adjustable sway bar. I may go that way. For a regular c6m6 I would go 4.10 again. I can always add a taller tire to
effect a 3.90. I am making some changes that should get me to 470
but still up to 500rwhp/tq I would stick with the 4.10 DIFF.

gatti-man

You need better shocks and springs or coilovers. Ever since I replaced my z51 suspension with pfadt coilovers I have noticed far more available gip in corners and straights from a dig and while moving. I currently have 420rwhp and stock gears but from a grip perspective the car is much improved.

LSCHLEM

I was thinking of the LGM 19x11 rear wheels. They came out with some info but i need info on offsetts . I may also ship my wheels to weldcraft
and go the spinmonster route. I forgot what the stock offsets are and could use some help on this.

timd38

I did the same, but upgraded to Pfadt coilovers and Pfadt bars and it made a big difference over Bilstein shocks with Hotchkis bars.

SpinMonster

With 471 on my LS2 through 4.10's (same 228/232 cam you now have) and LS3 heads, I then put on 18x11 wheels in the rear with nitto 555r2 tires and it dead hooked in first gear with awesome acceleration. I too had wild wheelspin in 3 gears and could break the runcraps (new ones) loose at 60-70mph. With stock gears it would have been 480rwhp.

The tires are good traction and great handling. I adjusted the front alignment to be really aggressive to hold up with the rear r-compounds.

The car could also hold a 75 shot on top of that in second gear at 560rwhp and I mean floored as it has to be with nitrous use. Third may have handled a 100shot.

Its your next move Leon. Just send out wheels to be widened to 11". If you go the Z06 fender route, a street tire will not hold as well as an r-compound. Your choses are 345/18 and 345/19 hoosiers or 18x12 MT et streets (best) or M&H 345/18's whcih I never used but high powered members here on the forum sya theyre good. The 18x11 with stock fenders is a great way to go:




The first two are with the 555r2 305/35/18 and the bottom one is the MT ET street 305/35/18 both tires on a 18x11" widened front rim. The tires hold it all and they will show you why 4.10's with H/C power beats so many FI cars with more power. Your 0-60 will fall to 2.5 to 2.6 seconds as verified with a g-tech or in a scan.

theVcar

Spinmonster, I'm really going to have to look you up when ready to mod. I like you langauge.
David

I bought new in 06, 6mn z51 and have 54k and they are real fun miles. Warrenty up at 60k. What would you do safely to this motor to get to say 425rwhp/tq.
TIA
David

LSCHLEM

SPIN, I definately do not want to widen the fenders and I have the same 5 spoke chrome wheels as yours. I have 19" in the rear and 18"
in the front. Is it necessary to widen all four wheels or will the car work
just widening the rears to 19x11 then using a 345 hoosier w R compound. Im sure its a taller tire and would I wind up with a 12" footprint. Am I on the right tyrack or did I get confused ?

PowerLabs

Not sure about 450RWHP, but I have been daily driving 600RWHP for over 1 year now, logging nearly 30,000 miles at that power level, including drag racing, autocrossing, pulls to 190 miles an hour, and much driving in rain and some driving in snow.
I have replaced my clutch fluid exactly once. I know a lot of people here think clutches don't work unless you replace the fluid every time you stop for gas, but in reality if your clutch is failing the problem is not with the fluid in the reservoir; that fluid has a replacement interval of 60,000 miles. My stock clutch held that power level just fine, even with 305/35R18 Nitto 555R2 and Toyo Proxes R888 tires, two 100-Threadwear, Race Compound tires that will hook all 600RWHP/518RWTQ the car puts down in 2 gear every time and 1st some times.
I started out with 600RWHP on an otherwise completely stock car running good street tires (Michelin Pilot Sport PS2). They could hook 2nd gear some times when warm if I eased into the throttle, but became very dangerous when cold; the R-Comps completely fixed ALL my traction issues. The stock clutch was completely fine but I replaced it before a racing event because I was worried about it failing on the drag strip. I also got a C6Z06 swaybar installed at that time, for autocrossing. Your choice of swaybars has virtually zero effect on how much traction the car gets in a straight line.

Other than that it looks like a stock car, drives like a stock car, and has all the maintenance requirements of a stock car: Fuel and Oil. That's it. It won't last as long as a stock car, obviously, but its been completely trouble free so far. It will be rolling over 60,000 miles in about a week

da vette guy

What happens when you reach 450 rwhp ? yee-haw......... not a valueable contribution but it's all i got.....

Mike V.

I think you've gotten off track. I'll let Spin get it straight. But in a nutshell Spin used a set of 18s from the front had widened to 11" with the proper offsets by adding an inch to the inside to fit the stickier R-compound tires he's running as they do not make them in 19". The mod from widening a stock 19" to an 11" will allow a 325 with some mods to the a-arm as well as cutting out the plastic inner fender lining. Do a search there's a post post that meticulously documents the mod. I doubt very seriously any wheel offset will accommodate a 345 w/ stock fenders. Can I assume you're running the stock tires? If so their age has made them harder, the miles lost tread, end result no traction for the power. When I picked up my car after cam & tune resulting in 452/418 the GYSCRF had about 12K & over 2 years of age & they were flat out dangerous! Virtually any tire will be better at this point, but realistically your basic street tires aren't up to the task. Spin's mod, based on his feedback, which I trust as the truth period, is an excellent solution. The fronts rims may remain unchanged except you want to match the rear tires by brand & compound.

LSCHLEM

I got 7,000 miles on the car. Did not have excessive traction problems before I recently replaced the CAM. The clutch fluid was like tar and
I did solve that with flushing the assy. I may very well have the kind of
net torque you do because of the 4.10 gears but I dont think the car will live to 60,000 miles even at 450 or 471 RWHP . I am pretty much sold on nitto 555 but if I understand you right you are running the stock wheels except the addition of r555 or t888 compound tires. You are right about the sway bar.

low c1500

Q: What happens when you have 450 rwhp and stock tires??

A: You will get beat by a stock car with R888's or 555's.

Most guys mod the power and forget about the tires. Pull the trigger on some good rubber and don't look back.

BTW 305/30/19 R888's will fit perfectly on stock 10" rims, no weird buldge.