Howdy everyone. I just got the car back from Redline Motorsports. A few years back I eventually found myself in a position to get into another vette, so I called Howard to talk over a couple things. Even though I told him I hadnt bought the car yet but made the decision to start the search he still gave me his time which I was appreciative of, and said to myself when I get the car I’ll definitely be using them. Unfortunately right when I started the aggressive search I caught cancer. Fast forward a few years of treatments and major surgeries and I was finally able to buy the car. It’s a 2011 grand sport with M6. Prior to buying my car we literally drug my buddies car to Redline from a hack shop. Redline completely rebuilt the car with a 416 and a whipple. Easy choice on which shop to pick. On my side of things after much debate over eBay or top tier I ended up going with ARH 1 7/8” with off-road x and kept the stock NPP. Reason for ARH was the price I found and shipping times. I had concerns it wouldn’t be loud enough, my c5 had headers with borla knockoffs so it was pretty loud. I can tell you it’s plenty loud at WOT and pops a bit more than I thought it would but it’s tolerable. It’s not farting down the street and In quiet mode only a seasoned ear would notice the tone that the car even has headers. I really like how much bass it has at idle but how much it screams when you rip on it. I also had them do an oil change (dry sump), plugs, 160 t stat and they tuned it. I was a dummy and forgot to ask for a picture of it on the dyno. Car ended up making 432/424 SAE and it still has the factory intake. I am really happy with the numbers, and when I first looked at the graph I mixed the tq with hp and didn’t even notice until after I text my buddies before even leaving the shop, got home and looked at the graph and I had to revoke the text but at least I had the proof of being able to send a picture of the graph. Redline got me in for the job quicker than expected, did a good job and the car made more power than I expected. I feel like I’m 23 again. Now it’s time for an intake, shifter, clutch master, set of drag radials and we be out there. Which one I don’t know, but unfortunately none will be nearby after PBIR closes end of this year. I had to rush out of there quickly because I was on breakfast but wanted to once again thank Howard and all of the guys.

 

Impressive numbers!!!!

 

I thought the same thing, but I thought this car was a bit of a factory freak. My c5 was a turd on the dyno, made 331, but when we swapped the diff the dyno numbers went down to 315whp. Still was able to go a best of 11.80@118. This car isn’t geared quite as as low as the other one, but it’s got over 100whp more so hoping to go deep into the 11s the way it sits on a 17” rim and drag radial.

 

If you can get a 1.7 60 foot or so, I would say low 11's in the 1/4 in the low 120s.

 

Congrats on your purchase! Would’ve been nice to see some before pulls as those are very high numbers with just headers & a tune. Most stock M6 GSs dyno around 370-375, so a 50hp gain is pretty unbelievable.

 

Nice 🚗. How much did it cost? I’m thinking about Redline for my project, because I’m from FL

 

Thats what I was thinking. With my C5 I was only able to make 6-7 passes with the gears before I ended up selling the car. My 60's were in the 1.74-1.79 range, there was a good bit of room for improvement I just didn't get the car out a second time on the newest setup.

I wanted to get a before # but we just didn't have the time and we have a pretty good idea what they dyno stock. I don't think the car gained 50whp from this work. It could be possible if the factory tune was really off, but I don't think it was you would have to ask Howard. I think the car was strong from the get go. Headers and tune is usually good for 25-40 depending on the base #'s. Nobody believed my C5 only made 315 either though, people were constantly looking for nitrous on that car. I think I went from having a dyno turd to a factory freak. Maybe my luck is finally swinging in the right direction lol.

Depends on what your project is. I would give Howard a call to discuss that. I ended up ordering the headers online because I found a good deal. I have used shops like RPM, ECS, and Cartek when I lived in the NE. I can tell you Redline was cheaper that some of these "vette experts" down here in south florida and likely similarly priced with other reputable big name shops. I talked to a few other shops after getting a quote from Redline because I've been out of the game for 10 years and didnt know pricing, and ended up going with Redline for peace of mind because I know the job will be done right. If you just look at the amount of Engines that Howard builds himself.... there aren't many people that are taking it to that level. Most shops outsource or purchase direct from engine builders.

 

Please let us know if we can be of assistance in the future.

Also with respect to numbers; our dyno typically reports 380-390 RWHP with the Grandsports Manual trans cars. That said his numbers are relatively on point!

HT

 

What was the before numbers?

 

We didn't do the before #'s because they weren't needed. Knowing exactly how many hp the car gained on the dyno means nothing to me. How it performs is what matters, and shes quite a bit stronger now.

 

Thank you

 

Congrats on the nice numbers Dave. I'm looking forward to seeing time timeslips in the 11's.

It sounds like your looking at a 17" rear wheel/Dr combo. Any prospects?

 

I am sort of looking. Unfortunately PBIR our closest track is shutting down. I think the closest decent track is now going to be Bradenton. I also still need to have the master cylinder fixed. I am not a nice weather, I’ll usually only go to the track if I know the prep is going to be good and the DA is going to be good. I honestly don’t care what rim I use as long as it fits. Cheaper would be better so possibly c5z fronts. For a drag radial probably either the Hoosiers or toyos if they still even make their drag radial. A 275 series drag radial would be plenty for this car but I haven’t even started looking into sizes just yet. Edit: I also haven’t ordered my shifter yet, they’re 4-6 weeks on backorder too. Hopefully gonna order that, blacked out side markers and tires soon. My front tires are bald, car needs an alignment too lol. Never ending

 

My 2013 GS manual baselined 385 and after headers/catted x-pipe/intake/tune it was 423. Your numbers are as they should be.

Video of mine on the dyno.

 

Just for comparison, when my 2011 GS with A6 transmission was bone stock, it dyno'd 371 RWHP (SAE)

Installed 1 3/4" headers with cats and a dyno tune ... Then dyno'd at 405 RWHP (SAE)

34 RWHP increase.

 

My '08 base has a Vararam and LT headers/exhaust. I had it dyno tuned last April. It made 455 HP on a Mustang Dyno. The tuner suspects it has a mild cam.

 

Looks like HP was still climbing when they stopped the dyno

 

Based on the numbers and where peak HP is, I would say it definitely either has a small cam or possibly some beadwork. I do have to admit that I am usually suspicious of mustang dyno numbers but your numbers look normal for a small cam car. How does it sound at idle? I was pretty surprised how hard the stock cam chops in the LS3, quite a bit more than my LS1 that’s for sure.

 

I can't really tell a difference at idle, but when going through the RPM range during acceleration, it does sound like it has an aftermarket cam.