Maija

Ok, I'm not sure of what mods to do next. My goal is to have my car run 13s. Right now my personal best is 14.48 I'm definitely going to be adding a Supercharger in the spring so until then, should I...

1. Buy a set of Drag Radials? (thinking about 275/40/17s, not sure if this is a correct size choice though)

2. Upgrade to 4.10s from my current 3.73s (or will the 4.10s be too much when I get my S/C?)

3. Forego the S/C in favor of a Zex Nitrous Set up with Racers kit and follow Scrming's blueprint.

4. Work on strengthening the car before installing the Power Adder(braces, better brakes, etc)

I've read the archives on this forum and others, but I'm still not sure of what direction to take. Any advice or input will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Gash05

D/R's will definately get you some lower numbers once you get the S/C installed but remember to take care of that 7.5" rear end once you have the sticky tires and near 300rwhp, you might break something

I say leave the 3.73's, they're just fine. Shop around for a used 8.8" rear, not sure if GT owners are dumping them yet or not but try to find one USED if you can, eBay or something. You already got the LCA's which is really good. Hmm I guess I'd do this:

-Girdle for your rear end until you can find an 8.8" rear
-Set of D/R's
-Keep the 3.73's

I also just noticed your car is an auto...this'll buy you a lot more time on that rear end since you won't be launching the car (unless you get a stall). So go ahead and get the girdle then get your sticky tires and you should be breaking into the high 13's.

Thomas S

Totally agree on all points.

scrming

D/R's are definitly on my list... I'm looking at the M&H 275/50/17s. They are about an inch taller than stock... finding a good size DR for our cars be a little tough... With the 4.10 gears I don't want to go much smaller than a 27.5 inch tire... I have nitto 450s right now, 275/50/17s (27.8 inch tall) and they are about the perfect size for me... which is why I think I'll go with the M&H.

My 4.10s are actually a litte much with the Zex... I have got a lot of tire spin... I would say stay with the 3.73s...

Zex is a very cost effective way to pick up extra ponies... Now, some will point out that Nitrous is not an "always on" power adder... for me this is a plus... around my town my 193RWHP is plenty enough and already gets me in enough trouble... the 4.10s get me off the stop lights plenty quick.. I don't street race... and no ones even really rev'd on me! LOL! But when I go to the track I wan the extra power... and the Zex fit the bill.. The 100HP shot lowered my ET over a second... The first time we took the car to the track it ran 14.9... best ET to date is a 13.4...

Still toying with the idea off adding a S/C or T/C... but still have a lot of other things I want for my car... and since the Zex is working so well I have a hard time coughing up the extra money for an S/C or T/C...

And yes, that automatic diffenitely makes life easier on your drivetrain... I still plan on adding an axle girdle some time this spring... most likely before I stick D/Rs on...

Also when I added the Zex there was really no S/C or T/C on the market... I'm still waiting to see the market mature...

rygenstormlocke

Also, just some more food for thought, I did inquire on a 8.8 rear end with my local shop, Excessive. They said they are very hard to find and in hard demand. He said he can't even get one right now, and if one is to be found expect the price to be high!

Go with a girdle and relocation bracket and a strong diff.

scrming

well...... people who seem to be in the know have told me that the 7.5 should be able to hold up for us guys with automatics..

1) we won't be launching at 5000RPM! More like 1800 with stock TC and brakes...

2) We can preload the driveline which take a lot of shock off the system when we do launch...

rygenstormlocke

Thats good to know Scrming, and I know you posted this before. Personally its not an option for me unless I snap the TLOK, which I doubt will happen. I am curious what the power on the auto will look like on Zex with 3.30s and 3.73's. Just out of curiosity, I hope someone posts a dyno with an auto and stock gears just to see if what the curve looks like.

Maija

Thanks for the replies, I went shopping for Drag radials and the Zex kit today. Now I just have to find the time to get it installed. You guys are awesome.

ManEHawke

Without an upgraded stall speed for the TC, would Drag radials give a big gain for the auto that has a factory stall speed of around 1800?

Gash05

I just remembered a conversation I had with my buddy a while ago who has a built 402cui in his 2002 Camaro SS. He runs low 7's in the 1/8 mile (low 11's, high 10's in the 1/4 I THINK, correct me if I'm wrong) on the stock 7.5" rear and he has an automatic. I'm not too sure if the SS's come with a 7.5" rear but he said his was only 7.5" and an automatic. So I think if his rear can handle enough horsepower from a N/A engine running sub 11's in the 1/4 mile I think our's would be just fine with a little reinforcement (girdle).

Excepcion13

Hey, does anyone know how secure my system is? I ask because I have a manual and may juice my baby this summer.

Detroit TT
Girdle
3.73s

Should be fine with just about anything I can throw on it, right?

Gash05

SHOULD be...be careful if you plan on adding D/R's later on...just don't launch at a crazy RPM and you should be fine...btw was looking at your avatar, love the way the black stripes fade into the grill, looks good

Thomas S

The axles may break if you launch hard with slicks and NOS. Powerhouse broke their axles. The driveshaft is also suspect. You may want to replace it or at least get safety loops, or both. Now this is only if you plan on launching really hard at the track. I have the exact same setup, or at least I will after this week.

rygenstormlocke

Yea, but Powerhouse broke a ford racing tlok didn't he? We are talking trutrac here, a completely differnent design. As for the driveshaft, I have no clue.

Thomas S

The TT isn't going to make the axles any stronger. Powerhouse broke the axles before he broke the T-Lok I believe.

Excepcion13

Didn't know that... IS that why you are upgrading your axles? Have you seen any carbon fiber driveshafts for the V6 yet? BMR makes one $1,100 but I am not sure if it is for the GT or universal.

http://www.lmperformance.com/5996/73.html

Let us know more about the axle swap. Where did you get them, etc. Let us in, brother!

Thomas S

I didn't get axles yet. I've been thinking of getting them though. They are like $300 through Moser, I don't know if they are worth it. Maybe I'll just wait until the stock axles break, and really, that probably won't happen. scrming says that the manual is much tougher on the drivetrain than the automatic since you can launch harder. That makes plenty of sense. I may get some driveshaft safety loops, they aren't that much. If you have a manual and plan on launching at 4000RPM+ with slicks then you might want to consider new axles, other than that you should be just fine.

Excepcion13

Thanks! I will have to consider it. I am still not sure if I am going to race or not. Rygen will probably talk me into it... But before I race, I will have to look into shortshifters and the like.

Didn't I read in another post that racres laucnh at like 5,000+ RPMS? WOW! That would be like an almost immediate shift to 2nd!

ManEHawke

If you do that regularly, dragging and launching hard, a better clutch will be in order later. I have no idea how long the stock one will hold out before any fade, but it seems Mike is doing ok so far with his stock one.

The T5 isn't suspect, at least I can't see anything obvious yet.

rygenstormlocke

You are going to the track, count on it. I will need you to hand out the a$# woopin if I can't take someone. LOL.