Thanks for all of the good info and help guys.... I really appreciate it. Yes, I'm feeling like something is just not right and hoping to address these issues (armed with the info you guys have kindly provided) with the builder when he comes back from vacation next week. I definitely feel as though something is not right....whether it be the hardware, the tune or a combination of the two, but I am definitely going to expect it to be right or get a refund, which I think is fair. I'll keep everyone posted on my results after looking at some more stuff tomorrow (checking for oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil) and a few other little things, and certainly after I've seen the builder/tuner and gotten more input. This just has to resolve for me because I'm really wanting my car to be right and be able to move onto other improvements. I was considering a supercharger in the spring, but so far the way it's running, it's definitely NOT a supercharger worthy engine/setup.

 

I am quessing that 410 is really rwhp. If so moving from approx
300rwhp to 410 rwhp is a big jump. You can have serious driving
problems and NOT very steetable. Wrong cam would be the first
thing I would address. Sure some tuning will help but all the
temperment your vette has will only be rectified by a DD cam.
Good luck.
When I was a kid you would have a vette that I would love now..
I want a DD stock feeling vette. I drive one of those now with
550 rwhp. It's all in the planning.

 

Yes, dyno'd at 409 rwhp... Was really hoping for closer to 440-450 with this setup, but if it would just run well (like a regular family car) and not give me any problems, I would be happy with the 409...

 

I have 409 rwhp just cam only with cai. I would think you should have been arourd 450 hp with heads.....

 

I'd buy a STOCK crate engine and throw the POS away. Mods just ruin a great car.

 

Honestly, I wanted a Corvette BECAUSE of some of the great mods I've seen done to these awesome engines and to the cars in general over the years. I don't agree that they ruin the car. Of course, I've been a hot-rodder for many years and I've NEVER had a completely stock car..... Heck, I even mod my "family cars" to tweak them for performance and such.... If you're truly a gearhead (one who enjoys the tinkering aspect of machines as a hobby) as I am, you just can't help it. And modifying a car makes it more personalized as well, so it feels more like "MY" Corvette and not just "A" Corvette. Some people look at something and see it as a complete work of art.....others see a canvas that could use a few improvements to be perfect to them. I respect that some of the purists in our community prefer to leave the cars stock and just drive them, but I think anything has room for improvement. For example, the new ZR1's are incredible cars and as a simple nurse, I could never even dream of having the kind of money that it would take to own one. But, if one somehow fell in my lap, I think I could still find something to improve, based on the reviews I've read!! Those of us who mod just need to have a little patience and perserverence as well.....sometimes it takes time to get things just right. But, headaches and frustration are part of the hobby.... Just my two cents...

As for the stock engines...... Not nearly enough horsepower for me. I was very disappointed when I drove even a stock ZO6. This has been hammered to death, but I know guys who have 650+ hp motors that don't have any problems at all. I know it can be done...I've just got to get mine tweaked a bit more.

 

man i cannot stop laughing about this! did you really just post this please tell me your joking

 

I agree 100%

My 06 MN6 Z51 Coupe came from the FACTORY only able to get about 26 MPG highway on a good day and had the stock HP. It was never a good efficiency car like my 02 ZO6.

I added headers, ported TB, VARARAM and got it tuned by someone who knew what he was doing and on the last trip to BG and back, I was seeing high 28 and some 29 MPGs and the throttle response and increased HP was significant. The driveability of the car was factory identical. NO bad manners! PERIOD! ALL IMPROVEMENT!

So, why cant the factory tune be that good??? Theres a LOT of fine tuning that can be done to ANY factory tune to make it better.

My 02 ZO6 saw 30 MPG Highway stock,,, if I drove it for fuel mileage .

I heavily modded it with heads, cam, Ported FAST 90, 90mm TB, headers, VARARAM and it makes 450 RWHP. It has a fairly aggressive cam and it still gets 28 if you drive it nicely. The road manners are not as good as stock but there NOT bad. My wife can drive it with out any issues. Thats close to 100 HP increase and I still get close to the same fuel mileage and it drives just fine.


BC

 

Once you clear up your crankcase ventilation or other issue, you may want to consider camming down. I ran almost the exact same setup as yours on my LS1 (Wegner PP 243s 11:1, 1 3/4 headers, LS6 intake, UDP, PP TB, 30# SVO injectors, w/3.90 gears, w TI exhausts) ran 409, 398 at the rear with fantasitic gas mileage above 20 most of the time in daily driving till I got on it. . . completely driveable, no surge, bucks, 6th gear friendly. I was running around a 224-228 range (proprietary no other specs.. told it was in mid-20s range with small split). There are a lot of cars running in the sleeper mode with zero issues and great driveability. Hope everything turns out well with your engine.
Mike C sends

 

See....?? I just keep hearing these stories and think.... "Why can't my car be like that?" These are the things I was expecting from the car. I suspected that my cam may have been a little too aggressive, but some folks say they've got bigger bump sticks and managed to tune them in. I don't know a lot about this stuff yet, but it seems to me that the amount of time spent on the tune and dialing-in a particular car makes all of the difference.... That is, if you can get your tuner to take that time. I had a problem with the cost of the tune anyway, being that it's $500 or more.

A note for you would-be tuners out there...

Now, I'm an RN (as in, degreed professional with a license) and I'd have to work a lot of hours to make $500.....and what I do makes me responsible for people's lives...literally. These guys spend MAYBE a couple of hours loading this stuff in your computer (most suitable profiles can be downloaded free at HP Tuners) and walk away with $500. For that kind of money and with that little effort..... I feel like it had better be right.....THE FIRST TIME!!

 

No $hit......back to the General section ztheusa.

 

 

Sounds to me like you need a knowledgeable tuner...

 

I really just need the tuner I have to acknowledge what's going on with the car and fix it. I keep getting the "everything is fine" party line, but clearly there is something wrong with the car. I just took the car back to my transmission guy and he noted that every time I bring the car back to him, it runs worse than it did before. I think he's got a point. As soon as he's done, it's back to the builder/tuner AGAIN. This is the last time though....then it's refund time and off to find someone else if it's not right. I'm really getting sick of making payments on a car that I can't drive.

 

Maybe you should just think those thoughts and not really post them. You don't help the OP at all. Just a suggestion.

 

Okay, so I went back to my builder who told me he was "booked until March", but he would "try to get me in"..... So far, not only has he not gotten me in to look at my car again, but I've called him three times with no answer and no return phone call and I've been by his shop twice in the middle of the afternoon to find the place vacant. I'm going by again this afternoon to try and contact him once more. If he doesn't arrange to make the car right soon (and come through and ACTUALLY fix it, I'm demanding a full refund and going elsewhere. If he refuses a refund, I'm having my attorney contact him and filing a lawsuit. Doesn't it suck to have people with such a crappy work ethic? Is it like this everywhere, or do some people actually get quality work done in a timely manner?

The car is still not right. My transmission guy says the car "thinks" it is in "limp mode", but it shifs normally. It cuts out when I'm accelerating at times and still generally runs poorly. And I still have emissions pouring out of the cheap *** breather the guy put on my car instead of actually putting a functional pcv system on the car. Bottom line, I'm pretty pissed.

I know everyone is dying to know who this builder is and I'd like to make sure nobody else gets burned like this. In the spirit of fairness, I'm giving this guy one more chance to make it right, just in case there is some sort of misunderstanding or the guy has been on vacation or something. If the guy doesn't make it right, I'll let you guys know so you can steer clear. I'm a nice guy and pretty easy going, but I've had enough and I'm tired of making payments on a car that I can't drive...

 

"booked until march" ??? no offense that sounds like the first blow off.


EG is right you NEED a competent tuner.

 

Hope you gave him a link to this thread so he can see he will be taking a hit on his business if he does not give the customer what he paid for when you post his name.

 

^^^^^^^^ X 1,000
It sounds like ( if all sounds great in the valvetrain,etc) that the tune is definately off! Get it to a tuner before more damage is done. Does it smell very rich at idle? Cruising? All this gas is going somewhere, likely out the exhaust unburned. Do you have any check engine lights or codes stored? Any obvious connectors undone? O2 sensors maybe?

 

When you have some spare time, read through the saga of another "easy going ....nice guy"

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...lxr-heads.html