Procharger on stock LS6. IS. IT. SAFE.?

Or, Should I stick to basic bolt-ons/Tune?

Reliable power & longevity is my goal. I would like to be in the 500-550 WHP range. I'm not looking to break any records. Nor would I be tracking the car. Just some weekend driving with the occasional spirited pulls.

 

Why 500-500hp? medium cam, tune and bolt-ons will get you 450-470HP/TQ and be your best reliability, but you lose some drivability (up to you to decide how lumpy you can handle). 450whp/tq makes a fast and fun and reliable.

Big question is What do you want to spend? that will help determine what direction you should go and help decide what power level you will realistically be looking at.

Lots of guys running a Procharger/Vortech on Stock LS6 for long periods of time, others have not had good luck with the boost and longevity... Alot depends on your tune and cutting corners or not.. seen other guys running 5.3L truck blocks and big boost for good power and cheap after the LS6 pops. You will want to do LT headers, upgraded clutch and a good fuel system as well to help your numbers to were you want them to be. The basic kit low boost should get you in the 450HP range and reliable and drive like stock around town. there are many vendors here that can help you decide what is best for you like A&A and ECS to name a couple.

Both NA and Boosted 500+HP can get expensive once you consider everything else you have to do along with it. to get over 500HP NA you will want to go with a larger CI setup LS2/3 block. Boost will get you to the 500+ range faster with stock displacement but it is not cheap.

Seems like alot of NA guys build the motor and then say "I wish I went FI" and alot of FI guys say "I wish i want big cubes NA"... hard to say what you will be happy with.. might try to find someone locally that has boost and another with NA and ask for them to take you on a ride and see what you like the best.

I like Boost personally but the more i think about it i am starting to lean toward lowering my power goals (500WHP) and thinking medium cam and 450WHP/TQ.. for reliability... I drive similar to you as well and a couple trips to the track.. A good friend of mine has had every combination i can think of (FI, NA w/Cam, and larger CI)... Big cam stock CI NA 480ish C5Z, Vortech/A&A C5 LS1, Single Turbo C5 LS1, C6 Z06 and a C6Z w/ a Vortech and boltons.. and after riding in them all i am just as confused as ever on what i would like to do.


S

 

Personally I sold my Cobra to buy a C5Z so I could avoid going the blown route and stay n/a'd. A cammed C5Z with exhaust and tune should be plenty enough for you for a while. If not save your money from the blower and buy a 2006-07 C6Z. They are coming down in price now with the C7 out.

 

Thanks for the responses. @Red- I don't mind spending the money, that's not my concern. To do it right, and acheive 500 would be my goal. My concern, However, is that if I do spend this amount on the procharger kit with the basic necessities (Lt headers, valve springs, clutch, exhaust,) is it going to hold up? Or will I be digging in my pockets to fix something else? I suppose what I'm getting at is that I don't see the point in upgrading parts, just to upgrade stuff that don't need upgrading. I've never owned a boosted vehicle so that's why I'm fishing. The car has 48,000 miles on her and is in absolute gorgeous shape. It's a weekend driver for me. Other than that, it's babied and stays in my garage.

@Cobra- First off, wise choice in ditching the cobra for the Z. Secondly, I would never trade my C5 for a C6. Ever.

 

there are plenty of 500hp SC vettes on here. A lot the reliability will be in the tune.. You might want to post in the Forced Induction section and ask the same question and see what the SC guys reply with. I dont know at what point you will need internals... 500hp is not unreasonable power levels for a SC car with supporting mods. Again the tune is what will make the difference in reliability, Cyl 7 likes to lean out with boost... A good tuner knows to skew the #7 injector to run a little richer then the rest (due to the intake manifold design is what i hear).

Might also want to change the title to something like "500hp S/C LS6 reliable?" might ketch a few of the SC guys here with the title.

 

Even a really good stock cube, NA setup won't give the "WOW" factor of a supercharger/turbo. I had a great combo NA, and it wasn't enough to scare me, so.....

 

Where can I change title?

 

Hit the edit tab in your first post, then go advanced tab. You'll see the whole layout.

 

It changed it once you click on the thread, but not in the open section.