So what mods do I need on my 2011 GS to eat a stock LS3 for breakfast at a stoplight to stoplight run? I'm talking sausage gravy and biscuits, bacon and eggs, muffins and apple butter... the whole sh'bang!


If I did:

American Racing Header Package
Airaid CAI with SCT Tune
..and a FAST LSXR 102mm Intake Manifold (if it would work well with the other two)
...and then a good tune to tie everything together...

What would be the HP/TQ gains I could expect to see out of those and would I notice a SOTP difference?

How would it stack up vs. a stock LS3 - stoplight to stoplight? (drivers being equal)

 

The FAST intake on an LS3 car isn't going to do much without FI or head work.

If you're all about stoplight to stoplight, and your car is so new, I wouldn't mess with any of the mods you listed and just get some gears, 4.10:1 if your car is a manual, not sure what your options would be for an auto.

IMO, that's what you want for stoplight to stoplight.

 

Hey Kevin,

Thanks for your input. I don't think I want to go the gear route, simply because of gas mileage. Does the GS have a higher gear than a stock Vette to being with?

So you say "no" to the FAST, but what about the headers and CAI? I've been seeing some very impressive gains claimed on both individually. Thoughts?/

Thanks.

-John

 

take it easy.......how much $$$$ do you want to spend? The mods you listed above will not beat a stock LS3 with a good driver behind the wheel. You can start with headers, about $1800 installed and tuned, but that will only gain you 30-50RWHP and 50 being on the very very high end. You sound very gun hoe, so why not go FI with a set of headers to start. Thats should yield you 550RWHP. Better yet drive to ECS have them install and tune an ECS SC Kit, headers, meth and fuel system for about $12K and you will have a car that will beat 90% of vehicles on the rd!!!

 

Do the driver mod first.

 

the rest at the track
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/foru...ng-videos.html

 

The GS doesn't dictate what the gearing is in of itself. If you have a manual, you have the 3.42 in the rear end. The auto has other ratios depending on whether you have the suspension package or not, I think they call it Z52 now. You'd have to put your VIN in a VIN decoder or reference your window sticker.

The FAST for the money is just not there on the LS3 at your modification level (stock motor).

I personally don't care for the look of the CAIs that cost less than $500 and I don't want to spend that on a CAI, so that's my $.02 on that.

Headers are a sweet value, but there's a downside. I live in CA, so staying emissions legal, headers weren't an option. That being said, you'll need a tune in order to not set your CEL. That tune will void your powertrain warranty if it really came down to it.

I know it's not what you want to hear, but... Have you considered driving the car through the season and worry about modding in the Winter? Or as my step brother recently told me, "The season is here, don't start your project now!"

Basically, I'm not sure of your financial situation, but having such a nice car and a couple grand to play with, I'd focus on putting miles on the car! I am going to try and get some lessons at a HPDE and otherwise just go places. Gas, hotel rooms and a helmet

 

I am sure you already know this, but the mods will kill your warranty.

If money is not the issue, then mod up or trade up to a Z06 or ZR1.

 

I should have known an attorney would write something as foolish as this. They're good at opening their mouths and spewing a bunch of garbage that adds no value to the situation.

Let's see, I've had over 10 hours of private instruction at Bondurant when I lived in the Phoenix area, and since moving to NC, I have attended the Buck Baker 3-day course and have logged 105 laps at CMS. I certainly wouldn't consider myself an expert by any means, but I sure could lap your slow *ss any day of the week. Here, let me get that foot out of your mouth!!

Anyway, I joined this forum because out of all the ones I researched, this one seemed to have the most respectful members. Those who, above all, helped the new members become more educated with their Corvettes. I don't appreciate cheap shots. So next time you think your being funny, why don't you ask yourself if you're adding any value to the topic. If not, then keep it shut. Case dismissed!!

P.S. Thanks to all those who HAVE offered up valuable information.

 

Thanks Grumpy. I wasn't aware of that rule, but I completely understand why it's in place. I've lost a friend to street racing. Although it was said tongue-in-cheek (as I don't really go around racing stoplight-to-stoplight), it was not a good reference to state the question. Thanks for the education.

 

If you have a manual: tune it and put good tires on.

If you have an auto: tune it, put a converter and good tires.

That's all you need to leave a stock LS3 in the dust with your GS from a stop.

All the power in the world will get you nowhere if you don't have good rubber to hook it up. You don't need power to win, you need traction.

 

That's it right there. Stoplight racing is about getting the car off the line and its best measured by your 60' time.

Tires first. Then gears for the M6, or a converter for the A6.

I haven't been to Bondurant, so i don't know if they teach you how to launch the car or not. Until you can step onto drag strip and consistently cut a 60' on stock tires below 2.0 don't be surprised if a bunch of other M6 drivers and almost all A6 drivers leave you in the dust at a stoplight. you might check out this if your specialty is road course and not the drag strip.
http://www.rangeracceleration.com/Launch_Tips.html

 

Hey Shawn,

Thanks for the info. It makes perfect sense. What tune would you recommend? Or are you thinking a custom tune? I really like the Airaid & SCT Tune combo. Would you not go the CAI tune route? If not, why? What about the Airaid and a custom tune? I guess I'm just stuck on the CAI because I've had some good luck with them in my previous cars.

BTW, I've read A LOT of your posts over the past few months while doing my research, and have a TON of respect for your opinion. I was surprised to see you're only 26. I guess I just assumed you were an older guy with a lot of experience, but I guess you're just a younger guy with a lot of experience!! Thanks a lot for what you bring to the forum and for all the knowledge you bestow on us newbies.

 

least expensive rout would be a N2O system and a good tune.

 

I see you are local. Who are you having to do your work? Header install, tune, etc.? If you go that route?

If you are going to go FAST intake, might as well step up the cam too to take full advantage.

 

Ha ha, thanks. I wasn't aware I had a growing fanbase

I wouldn't mess with a CAI on the LS3 as a first step. The air intake design is superior to the LS2 and doesn't show huge gains in real world situations. The best bet would be to propr open the plastic shroud underneath the intake and let it feed off of outside air versus the heat of your engine bay. I'd spend the money on headers or something that would give a bigger bang.

I was referring to a custom/dyno tune, but when your car is pretty stock a canned tune from a programmer or email tune will get your car very close.

 

Thanks Joel. My GS has 325's in the back so I've got a pretty decent contact patch compared to the base Vette. I did gears in my old Mustang and was pretty bummed with them. The gas mileage sucked and the revs were too high on the interstate. I'm not disagreeing with you, because I know that gears and more tire will get me there..... I just don't want to go that route due to what I just mentioned.

As for Bondurant, they don't teach any type of drag racing or launching, and I'll be the first to admit that I suck at it! Launch control works (even though I think it produces too much wheel spin, but that's another thread for another time), but I want to learn how to launch w/o the electronic nannies. My 60' times are NOT good, but I know they will get better with practice. The experienced guys definitely clean my clock, but I'm learning from them more and more each time I go. I've only just started getting into that type of racing.

Thanks for the link. That's awesome. That will help me out a lot.

Take care.

 

LFZ,

Yea, I live up in the Lake Norman area. I haven't gotten anything done yet, but I've been looking at a few shops around here. Have you had any experience with any shops in the Charlotte area? I'd be interested to hear of any if you do. I believe Heinz and Tic Performance are up this way but I've not heard what kind of work they do. I believe they do specialize in the LS engines though. I'm way more confident in word of mouth than I am anything else, so just let me know if you have any experience with the shops. Thanks!

P.S. I'm also looking to meet up with some local Vette owners. Other than QCCC, are there any informal meet-ups that you know of?

 

PM sent.

 

Sorry, but your are wrong on the gearing. The GS does have different gearing then the base C6 and it on all Grand Sports. If the GS is a manual, the gear ratios within the transmission are different from the gear ratios in the base C6 manual transmission, even though all manual tranmission C6's(incl Z06 and ZR1) have the same 3.42 rear axle. If the GS is an auto, then the rear axle ratio is a 2.73 whereas the base C6 has a 2.56 rear axle. No exceptions. The gear ratios in the auto transmission are the same for all applications(base & GS), unlike the gear ratios in the manual transmission cars.