Hi everyone,Im a new member here so please forgive me if I may sound as a Newbie. im planning a mod list to improve performance and daily drivability of a 2011 C6 GS Auto.
my plan for the car is to not keep it as a daily driver, but a car that I can enjoy from time to time and on occasions can take to work with no issues in driveability.
so far this is my mod list:
Dewitts Aluminum radiotor (I havn't decided which one yet).
Elite Engineering oil catch can & Tunnel brace to reduce the heat coming to the interior from the Transmission.
160 thermostat
engine oil cooler and transmission oil cooler (don't know which brand to get or whether I need them)
vararam CAI
1/7 8 LT headers (havn't decided between TSP or KOOKs or Henson, mainly because I heard that TSP Headers are really tight)
Stock Catback with M2W switch
finally a Cam Package from TSP.

so far that's what I have in mind, I would really appreciatte your feedback and suggestions regarding the above mods and your comments are always appreciatted.

Thank you all in advance.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you all for your replies, I truly appreciate it.

what brands would you use for the mod list I posted above?and is it true that the TSP Headers are a really tight fit or should I go with hinson Headers?
would love to hear your feedback.

thanks

 

Sounds good so far...let's see a pic of the car if you got one.

 

IMO no need for the radiator unless you are trying to solve a problem of over heating due to something like a blower... you arent...

160 thermostat... again, mostly useless... Ive never personally seen anything from all the claims that lower temp thermostats do anything.

As far as an EOC and TOC, you already have a TOC being an auto... As far as an EOC, are your oil temps running way hot? My guess is no or you dont know...

Im partial to Halltech CAI's.

I ran TSP's in my 07 Z06... they hang LOW to the ground, I drug them a decent amount. Besides that they were good bang for the buck and fit was good. Hinsons are mild steel with a coating unless something has changed. I would skip them based on that. In my 11 GS I will most likely be running American Racing or maybe Kooks...and definitely ceramic coated.

I wont talk you out of doing a cam, but just realize that anything that will give you decent gains will become a pain in the *** to drive and require more parts than you want to throw at it(as was said above a proper stall converter).


Im planning on going to a centri blower from A&A on my 11 GS and leaving the rest mostly stock except for headers... I may also go to a Dewitts(with EOC and TOC) as well as a D3/Prospeed fan setup to help control temps down here in Texas once you block the front with an intercooler.

 

That's a nice build you're planning brother, regarding the EOC, the radiator & thermostat I was just gonna install them for the peace of mind because the weather in UAE is really hot here, but regarding the headers I might get the Kooks, LG or even ARH Long tubes ceramic coated ofcourse, the Cam Package should be a tough one cause if I go to big of a cam I will need a stall converter as some members here have said.

 

I would recommend a set of long tubes with full flow cats and x pipe through to Corsa Sports. Then I would use a Halltech CIA with the Bee Hive and then get it tuned. You should be somewhere north of 400 rwhp and 400 torque. That is a lot of power and you can save the trouble on the cam and other stuff. I have a Snow Meth injection on mine also for when I really run it hard in the 1/2 miles.

Works for me. If you want to really get crazy just put a Procharger on it...... 550 rwhp will get your attention.

 

FWIW, I also have an '11 GS A6 with the DeWitts 32-1139105A rad and Elite catch can. I didn't go for the optional 2-fan system, simply because that requires some custom wiring and can be added after the fact if needed. I thought about getting the DeWitts that had the optional EOC and blocking off those ports in the event that I didn't like the oil temps and wanted to add an oil cooler, but I didn't. Most everything else is stock. As has been stated by a few folks above, the 160 stat won't do much for you particularly if you are stuck in traffic, other than give you a few minutes of reserve cooling before the fan ramps up to 90% and you are in the +220F range. To my mind, the folks who designed the LS3 and specified the optimal operating temperature have my vote as to what stat should be in the car, and with the DeWitts rad there's no problem keeping the operating temps between 221 - 223 F even when stuck (read stopped) in traffic with an outside ambient of 108 F. Coolant temps are controlled by the fan programming, and not the stat under these circumstances, although it is possible to modify how soon and by how much the fan comes on with a 'tune'. If you are traveling above 45 mph (or so), then the fan shouldn't be coming on at all, and at highway speeds, I find that I'm pretty much running at stat temp regardless of ambient up to 108F, having driven across the Texas panhandle (keeping up with traffic where the speed limit was 80), and on across the desert into Barstow in the summer. Engine oil temps were below coolant temps pretty much all the time, and transmission fluid temps were even lower, IIRC. Can't say what happens past 108 F, not having experienced it. As far as the catch can is concerned, it does capture oil before it pools in the intake manifold. Whether or not you need the can is controversial on this forum for sure, but everyone is entitled to their opinions. I did some research on it, and also had a lengthy conversation about the cans with a club member, who also happens to have around 40 years experience as a GM mechanic, and has worked on LS3's. He relayed a story wherein the first time he removed the intake, he held it up against his chest vertically, and oil poured out of it, ruining his work shirt. The Elite can is quite easy to install, especially using their bracket and mounting kit.

Insulating the tunnel might help keeping heat out of the console - things get quite warm in there after a few hours of driving, but nothing I had in there melted or got ruined, including on old I-pod Shuttle, which works just fine plugged into the USB port. With the air running, the cabin is very comfortable, and I didn't notice any unusually hot surfaces, but things do get warm. With the roof off, there was enough air flow in and around the cabin so that the heat really didn't build up. Our bags sitting in the hatch got warm for sure after driving for 6 or 8 hours, but not ridiculously hot. However, if you are going to drop the exhaust for the mods you have in mind, then by all means insulate the tunnel at the same time.

I got the vette as a touring and cruising machine, and not as a daily driver. I've got 2 other boring cars to do that. I've had it since October of last year, and put over 12000 miles on it touring and cruising, even though it can't be driven pretty much from mid Nov to mid Apr where I live. It's seen the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and if my health holds and pigs don't learn to fly, I'm planning right now to drive the Dixie Highway this late spring / early summer from Sault St Marie to Miami, on to Key West, and then follow Route 1 (mostly) up to Fort Kent ME before heading back home. Enjoy your GS, they are great cars.

 

A thermostat wont cool your car any, it just makes it come up to temperature slower. If you're that worried about temps, the radiator and a higher performance water pump would be on my list. The thermostat will do nothing for you. The engine oil cooler likely wont fo much unless you're on a track. It will only cool better if you're moving, at which point your coolant is doing most of the cooling of the oil. The EOC is for situations like racing where you are moving but also creating a lot of heat at high rpms all the time.

Long story short, you're better off spending that money on routinely having the sand cleaned out of the factory coolers. The car was designed to cool itself in your temperatures. Even if outside temps were 120F, that's still VERY cool air compared to your coolant and oil.

 

Thank you brother for sharing your experience and info.

 

Thermostats control the minimum temperatures and airflow controls the maximum temps. It's just that simple. The stock fan lacks the ability to cool even a lightly modded C6 in stop 'n go traffic with 90 F ambiant temps, however you can cruise at 50 mph all day in 115 F heat with no fan and coolant temps will never exceed the t-stat by 15 F.

In Phoenix, I monitor the coolant temps most of the year. When I see it going 230 F+, the AC goes off, the windows down, and the heater on full blast until I can get out of the slow speed congestion to gain radiator airflow. My body can take the heat a lot longer than my car.

 

Great point here. Might want to look into higher output fans first and foremost.

 

I would generally agree with this.

 

I would leave the car alone. Spend money on maintenance and tires. In my opinion adding after market junk just messes up the car and will deprecate the resale value.