So I come to the conclusion I cant decide which way to go next for added power on my auto C5 & need advise form the LS gurus on the forum.

My car is a 99 C5 auto coupe with the 3.15 gears 106k miles on the clock, everything about the car is still strong & I have a DD, but usually I prefer to drive the vette to work, anyways My plan was simple bolt ons & run an A&A charger..... The more I think about the mileage of the LS1 that's in the car I am starting to consider another LS series motor. I had a full bolt on, Heads Can Intake 98 Camaro & still wasn't at the power level I wanted to be.

I would be content for a year of so I'm sure in the close 500hp range....no spray( because the power isn't always there, I'm not a track person)

So it boils down to should I supercharge my LS and enjoy it for now, & as Items break from being old & general maintenance replace them OR should I just go bigger motor, & later down the road Supercharge???

I'm not sure what motors are a popular swap into the C5's ( LS2-3)& I know a new motor will be a few K more than the Supercharger kit.

With this motor swap I would like every creature comfort to still work so that's why I lean to the supercharger, but then the high miles sits in the back of my mind....

Any advise from other motor swap C5's or high mileage Supercharged guys would be great, both good news & any regrets by doing so

Thanks in Advance

P.S. I don't have a particular budget but i also have limitations to my spending habits

 

As the sign at the first speed shop I bought from said, " Speed Costs. How FAST do you wanna go?"
I have gone all of these routes over the years with other vehicles.
First, you have to decide what your goals are. 500 HP can come in several forms.
Do you want a nasty idle, soft low end, and pull hard at the upper RPM range 500? [NA: you will need gears and a good converter+ engine mods]
Do you want INSTANT tire melting torque and response? [A maggie]
Do you want streetable power without having to rev to the moon, with near stock drivabiity? [Centri or turbo]
On a smiles per dollar basis, I think the consensus will be for the centrifigal blower.
Personnally, I am partial to turbos. But trust me, it can get expensive.

 

Well, This go around im not looking for the nastiest sounding car I can get, I enjoy a nice cammed LS, but I'm getting old & wait to enjoy my radio and a conversation with any passenger in the car, I'm more of a top end person than a stop light killer,

Im sure running a Supercharger will give me some fun for awhile with the LS motor, I just don't want to run the kit, then have internal motor issues plus I know most part interchange on the LS motors but a lot don't, I wont be happy to throw expensive bolts ons @ the LS1, to later go with an LS3 motor as I think those are different all around correct?

What LS motor is a popular upgrade for the C5's?? as you mentioned you have to pay to play, im looking to pay for reliability is key ( although I know any part can fail at anytime) & 500 HP @ the wheels is the goal with wiggle room to go higher later down the road...this all without the bottle

 

Are you talking about something like this?

http://www.golenengineservice.com/en...hp-replacement

http://www.golenengineservice.com/en...hp-replacement

 

Thanks duegatti- There site answered almost every question i had, but does all my external LS1 engine accessories bolt up??, headers( even tho i am manifold now, since i cant decide) alternator, AC, etc?

Im guessing my factory harness would work and I would just need a good flash/ tune on the electronic side, I understand it said:

This LS high performance engine starts its life off as a 480hp GM Crate Engine. We change out the cam and valve train to bring the power level to 530hp. We then Dyno Test it to ensure it is broken in properly before you install it.

Direct bolt in replacement engine for LS Based Cars
Great Daily Driven Street Engine

but what "hidden" gremlins will I have to pay more coin for on the motor change?

and what would everyone else do in my boat, I love to drive my C5 like everyone on this forum, with more power and reliability I would drive it daily weather permitting

I understand an A&A installed is about 6,500 tuned out the door

The LS3 is just under 10k no install no tune, But its also basically a new heart for the car, so if I spend 6k on the charger, Ill still have the tired LS under the hood like a time bomb, I know these motors are some of the best built by GM since the conception of the 350 4 bolt main, but i feel like im 13 years old with speed of the car( we have V6's pushing the same power as our Stock LS motors), if i drop a few thousand in bolt ons I still wont be happy with the car, I have handled most other aspects of the car, its time to focus on the motor & more HP

would anyone have done something different in the early stage of there C5 mods, I know Im one of the fewer high mileage C5's but I love the car to much to not drive her, even tho I enjoy looking at her sparkling clean sitting still also

One more thing, this car will never leave my family so that would not be a consideration of getting rid of the car as in trade in or selling or what the value would increase or decrease with either choice...

 

Supercharge it! Just make sure you get a good tune and don't get greedy with boost (not easy) and you motor should last a long time. Expect over 500rwhp. You can always build a forged motor later when your ready for more or add meth for safety.

 

I did head's and cam first, then nitrous. Now I'm supercharged. If I had it to do all over again I would have went supercharged and skipped the other mods.

 

thanks molten vett, that was the kind of advise i was looking for,

My first thoughts were to supercharge out the box, then do bolt ons later, as every small but pricy bolt on doesn't add up to the gains from a supercharger... im pretty sure i would enjoy the instant jump in HP from the supercharger to give me time to add my bolt ons and get gains from there as i go

 

Originaly I went H/C and all bolt ons, then went F/I -

Doing it all over again, and I have said many times, I would go F/I first! and never llok back!

You can achieve 500+ RWHP on your set-up and do so safely!
and still retain your same stock driveability and MPG!!! and have all that power on tap!

Thanks,Matt

 

thanks matt, yall are really motivating me for the A&A

or do you all recommend any other style?... I really like the stock hood sleeper look

A&A seems to be the best choice for us C5 guys from what i have been reading the past month everyday....all day

 

it's often said that a well maintained shortblock is just getting warmed up at 106K miles.

I'd be tempted to get a fresh set of 243 heads, small blower cam and a set of headers. Give you a chance to get inside the engine a bit, replace the timing chain, oil pump, balancer and add a pin kit. Then supercharge it.

BTW....your 4L60 and diff will need some help to live under the new power.

Do all this and you will have a car capable of mid tens with the addition of a set of drag radials. And be DD docile to boot.

ron

 

Thanks Ron,

I was planning on a LT setup and factory TI exhaust while the car is being supercharged that way I can get all things done on the tune aspect

I looked into a Yank stall ( im used to 6 speed cars)

would it really be worth the amount of that yank or will it be minimal & I could wait to do that when I upgrade the axles & tranny?

The pin kit will defiantly happen during the charger upgrade & im guessing do an LS2 chain, its what I changed over to on my old LS1

The 243s, I would wait till I get a little blower cam as you mentioned I haven't heard of any fun with a cam swap on these C5's, the one on my 98 Camaro was a breeze in my Garage but Im not longer with that option so any major work will be done @ a recommend speed shop in South Louisiana.

 

A&A, best deal and excellent service -

Andy will set you up with all you need to do your true BOLT-ON Supercharger!

Hands down the best BOLT-ON you can buy $ for $

Thanks,Matt

 

I looked at a few kits but i finally decided on the ECS kit. There was just more room for me to expand later with this kit. I would give them a call and discuss your goals. Either way you cant go wrong

 

I don't have any of these answers for you - I'm just interested in the discussion as well. I've read a number of excellent threads regarding heads/cam vs. supercharging, and roots vs. centrifugal supercharging, but nothing comparing mods to our motors at 350 cu in vs. these built motors. I know the built motors get more expensive quickly, but I'd be very interested to know what the dyno charts and driveability are like, compared to the ubiquitous A&A supercharger. Something about NA, or low end response, appeals to me.

 

well, I contacted Golen & this reply should shed some light on the LS swap over

"We can set the LS3 up to be a easy direct bolt in for your Corvette and you will be able to use your wiring harness, ECU and all front accessories. If you have headers on your LS1 now they will bolt directly up to the LS3 engine no problem. The LS3 engine will come with a brand new LS3 intake that has fuel injectors and fuel rails and we will supply all of the conversion harnesses for an easy install.

We will change the reluctor wheel inside the engine to a 24x so it will match your factory ECU.

For the most part the engine will come with everything you need to install it just hook up your accessories, headers and have your ECU tuned to match and you will be up and running."

 

I may be able to help you out. I am selling my motor that is boost friendly. You will also have money to get a S/C system. There are pics and an idle clip on the second page! LMK!

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-p...42k-miles.html

 

I know this motor, its saved as one of my computer wallpapers

Is the motor still in the car at this moment? can you PM or E-mail me everything that is included with the motor for that price?

we are about 13 hours apart, but I can travel- gives me an excuse to get out of this state for a few days, Very interested

 

id supercharge it. i did. when i purchased my car it was bone stock and had 70k miles on it. at 84k i installed the kit. car now as 94k miles and is still running just as strong putting down 575whp. i got bored with it and decided instead of messing with a stock ls1 that could pop at any time i decided to build a forged ls2.

just remember the more you can do up front the "cheaper" it will be in the long run. for example, headers, blower cam....if you wait to add them down the road you will have to pay for another tune (cost money) install etc... when the shop installs the blower they will have everything out of the way to do a cam, so the cost would not be much extra.