First I want to thank the forum for giving me someplace to ask my boat loads of questions lol. RWD will defiantly take some getting used to coming from all FWD. Every car has a different feeling and that takes time to become accustom to.

Is there a certain mod setup that proves "best" in our LT1 cars? A certain brand/model of intake? Short ram versus COI? Or even a K&N drop into the stock box if it was proven to help. Which headers sound/flow the best? Which catback gets the best/deepest muscle sound with optimal flow? Borla, SLP, Bassani, Dynomax, Magnaflow, Flowmaster, other? I'm probably leaning towards GMMG or Borla at the moment. Found a used Borla for the LT1 for under $300. Not a bad deal. Any suggestions for an ORY? Do I need a tune/chip after basic upgrades like intake/exhaust/tires/rims? While we're at it, any suggestions for cams/heads/etc? Hopefully someone's past trial and errors can steer me in the ideal direction .

I will only be driving the car on nice weekends so emissions shouldn't be a big concern since it's not a daily driver. As long as it's not pouring boat loads of black carbon monoxide everywhere, I should be fine lol. How big of a difference is there between a high flow cat versus a testpipe/no cat?

I will do my research but I am very much open to opinions!

 

It all depends on what your final goal is- a horsepower/torque monster or a car that will behave nicely on the road but look gorgeous.

There is no one way that works better than others. Start reading previous posts and go from there. Figure out what your end goals are and then you have a place to start.

BTW- a borla for $300 isn't bad as long as the tips aren't all jacked up...but personally I'm not a fan of the Borla tips

 

I can't have both?

I've done a lot of reasearch since I made the first post. I am pretty much set on getting this Borla. If the tips are scuffed, I'll probably try to clean them or find different tips. Though the design of the Borla could be much better. The passenger side tail pipe doesn't even run through the muffler . Very strange design by Borla indeed.

 

The Borla should come with a few plates for the passenger side pipe. You can run a solid plate and all the exhaust would run thru the muffler. Run no plate and the exhaust runs mostly out the passenger side and skips the muffler. There is one or two with different size openings to dial in how much goes thru the two sides and or how much noise you can handle.

 

That's because the Borla is "adjustable"... as noted above, you use the "plates" to vary how much exhaust goes through the muffler and out the driver's side tip, and how much bypasses the muffler and flows out the passenger side tip. In effect, its a varialble cutout. That was originally a $600 catback, and one of the best on the market for the LT1.

Dyno results, for various bypass plates:

http://www.ws6.com/mod-5.htm

You can have your PCM tuned at any point in time. The stock programming is too rich at wide open throttle (WOT = PE mode), so leaning it out can net you 12HP or so on a stock setup. But simple changes like exhaust mods, a cold air intake, throttle body coolant bypass, etc. do not require tuning. Similarly, as long as you hold the tire diameter close to stock, you don't need to correct the PCM/speedo for changes in tires and wheels.

You're in the "Exhaust" forum. The questions about engine mods should be asked in the "LT1 Based Engine Tech" forum.

In my opinion, its very possible to have a good looking car, that's comfortable to drive, and has huge amounts of HP.... my setup makes a very streetable 500HP at the flywheel, and has another 300HP worth of nitrous for the track......

http://www.injuneer.com/images/photos/Frt34vwD.jpg

http://www.injuneer.com/images/photo.../DCP04255a.jpg

 

Inj- you are right, it is possible but typically most people focus on one area or the other. It takes a lot of time/money/effort to get a lot of power that is streetable and a car that looks very nice too.

My car once dialed in should come in above 500 rwhp, but the stage 4 spec clutch isn't as smooth as a stock clutch. Again, that was my choice and when its burned out I will try a different set-up. My 9" Moser with a Detroit locker isn't smooth as a stock rear-end posi, but I know that I won't break it either. The sportlines don't ride as smoothly as the factory springs, but make the car look a lot better.

You are right- it is possible to have a ton of power and a nice looking car, but eventually something has to give for the direction you want to go. Usually your big-cam motors, heavy clutchs, etc aren't very nice to driving on the street, but its a sacrifice we all make because when you push the go-pedal the smile more than makes up for it!

Mix- if you are just talking bolt-on performance parts you should not run into any steetablity issues- you'll do just fine- The borla is a nice exhaust system, I'm just not a fan of the tips...

 

When your car starts to look like this... you'll know you've crossed the line between appearance and performance.....

http://www.injuneer.com/images/photo.../DCP03860a.jpg

But it still looks sort of stock from the front....

http://www.injuneer.com/images/photo...B/IMG_0710.jpg

But that's the 1,350HP version of the car. When is was "only" at 1,125HP it was still streetable and not uncomfortable to drive. Still had the plush leather seats, power windows, stock 17" SS wheels narrowed to 6" in the front, no extended spoiler, and the chute mount was removable, so that the average person would not know it was there. Even the cutoff switch for the rear mounted battery had a removable handle so it wasn't visible on the street.

 

Wow, impressive cars Injuneer. Did I really read 1,350HP correctly? That's pretty much insane .

So I decided to go the streetable road (no pun intended), and mod the car lightly for speed. Just picked up the Borla this morning . I'll probably go as far a Moroso or K&N intake, LT headers, ORY (or a y-pipe with a high flow cat), and the Borla cat back. I don't see the need to go much further than that at the moment. I do want cams in the furure, mostly for how they'd sound at idle with headers and the Borla .