How will you upgrade your ZL1?

[Sales@Hennessey]

Originally Posted by KaotiK

Wow, it's that easy to get a response from Hennessey!?! Im a big fan of Hennessey performance and have been following what you guys have been doing with the Cadillac CTS-V, most specifically the V700 upgrade.

My question is what kind of numbers are we looking at for the equivilent package (HPE-700) for the ZL1 seeing as how the base horsepower is already higher that the Caddy? Also do you guys have any Canadian dealers/installers for the HPE-700 package?

I am seriously debating having this package installed on my ZL1 either soon after it arrives or maybe the following summer! I guess that being said, is it best to do these types of performance mods right out of the gates, or wait one season till the motor is broke in?

Thanks for any info/help you can provide!

Cory

Cory,

Thank you for the reply. Since no one has seen or tested a true production ZL1 yet, we are all in the same ballpark right now waiting to see what the car is going to do both stock and once its modified. We know that unless there is something completely different inside the engine, our HPE700 package is going to make atleast 707bhp over the factory 580bhp, however we are not making any claims just yet. We do have several ZL1s slated to arrive to our facility and will begin testing as soon as they arrive. We do have a GM Canada dealer in Calgary, Alberta that is capable of our upgrade packages.

As far as break-in of the motor. There are 2 schools of thought, in my opinion, at least as it relates to an LS V8:

A. Break-easy for the first 1000 miles. If you want to run many hundreds of thousands of miles then this is probably the best way. The rings will remain tighter against the cylinder walls which is good for super longevity. Tighter motors also have more drag and a bit less hp.

B. Break the motor in by running it hard for the first 500 miles. This will make the motor a bit "looser" and give it maybe another 15-20 hp. Will it last to 350k miles? Maybe. Will it last to 500k miles? Who knows. Will it last 100k miles and beyond? In my opinion, yes. And this is how I have broken in every V8 / V10 motor over the past 20 years and it's never been a problem.

Other opinions may vary. All that being said, making a handful of runs on a chassis dyno on a new motor does not equal B. If the owner chooses to go the A. route then the dyno tuning session will not change his desired break-in procedure.

[htron50]

Originally Posted by radz28

LB - removing cats' would require tuning to tell the PCM not to look for them anymore. The dealer, if they have to scan your PCM down the road, will send that PCM data, for warranty, to GM and they will see your reflash count is not what it's supposed to be and there could be a warranty situation (at least, that's my understanding, and I'm abbreviating a bit because I'm typing wit one hand, lol). I believe Solo has some aftermarket converters that aren't setting off the MIL indicator, so a retune may not be necessary. Eliminating cats' though, will turn the MIL ob, though :(

You need the cats' because the post-cat' O2 sensors are looking for different readings than the pre-cat' O2s, so you can't just leave them out because they will all will be reading the same and trip the MIL. You can eliminate them, so-to-speak, but GM can see how many reflashes you SHOULD have and if the counts don't jive, they're going to think you've had someone poking around in the PCM and if there is a warranty claim that is connected with that PCM, they might pull the plug. Sorry if this reads much like the prior paragraph but I needed to be more precise. Try those SOLO cats', or at least read-up on those in the LS3/L99 Section. The last I checked, they seemed to be doing the trick. It's also going depend on the design of ZL1's exhaust... Yet to be completely determined...

Thanks Chuck! My instinct it just to darken the windows and forget it (other than some protection 3M on the front possibly. Save my $$ for those winter tires I might need. Dunno? But not losing my warranty!

[KaotiK]

Originally Posted by Sales@Hennessey

Cory,

Thank you for the reply. Since no one has seen or tested a true production ZL1 yet, we are all in the same ballpark right now waiting to see what the car is going to do both stock and once its modified. We know that unless there is something completely different inside the engine, our HPE700 package is going to make atleast 707bhp over the factory 580bhp, however we are not making any claims just yet. We do have several ZL1s slated to arrive to our facility and will begin testing as soon as they arrive. We do have a GM Canada dealer in Calgary, Alberta that is capable of our upgrade packages.

As far as break-in of the motor. There are 2 schools of thought, in my opinion, at least as it relates to an LS V8:

A. Break-easy for the first 1000 miles. If you want to run many hundreds of thousands of miles then this is probably the best way. The rings will remain tighter against the cylinder walls which is good for super longevity. Tighter motors also have more drag and a bit less hp.

B. Break the motor in by running it hard for the first 500 miles. This will make the motor a bit "looser" and give it maybe another 15-20 hp. Will it last to 350k miles? Maybe. Will it last to 500k miles? Who knows. Will it last 100k miles and beyond? In my opinion, yes. And this is how I have broken in every V8 / V10 motor over the past 20 years and it's never been a problem.

Other opinions may vary. All that being said, making a handful of runs on a chassis dyno on a new motor does not equal B. If the owner chooses to go the A. route then the dyno tuning session will not change his desired break-in procedure.

Thanks for the reply! I will be definately following the R & D done by Hennessey on the ZL1. I hope they see similar, if not better gains than the CTS-V.

[Indpowr]

Time to make the interior match the power and technology the car has

[Hennessey Performance]

I would guess that the ZL1 will be a few tenths and a few mph better than my CTS-V sport wagon, which is heavier:

Originally Posted by KaotiK

Wow, it's that easy to get a response from Hennessey!?! Im a big fan of Hennessey performance and have been following what you guys have been doing with the Cadillac CTS-V, most specifically the V700 upgrade.

My question is what kind of numbers are we looking at for the equivilent package (HPE-700) for the ZL1 seeing as how the base horsepower is already higher that the Caddy? Also do you guys have any Canadian dealers/installers for the HPE-700 package?

I am seriously debating having this package installed on my ZL1 either soon after it arrives or maybe the following summer! I guess that being said, is it best to do these types of performance mods right out of the gates, or wait one season till the motor is broke in?

Thanks for any info/help you can provide!

Cory

[KaotiK]

Originally Posted by Hennessey Performance

I would guess that the ZL1 will be a few tenths and a few mph better than my CTS-V sport wagon, which is heavier:

John,
I am amped to see what you guys do to the ZL1 when you get your hands on one! I've got one on order in Canada and can't wait to mod it once you guys have your packages ready for the ZL1.

I have my eye on the HPE-700! Turn that beast lose!
Cory

[mlee]

Originally Posted by Indpowr

Time to make the interior match the power and technology the car has

Oh Nooooo you're not doing that again are you...

....can't wait to see it...

[ADM PERFORMANCE]

Originally Posted by tsnow

ADM for:

LS9 cam or similar grind with supporting hardware
pulleys to bring boost back to stock
thermostat
tune
ADM intake?
pull cats?
ported TB and blower snout?
crankcase evac system?
separate clutch fl. res. from brake master?
hopefully stock fuel system will support these mods.

You have a good list here,Basically our Stae 2 Package you have listed with your own twist.

Our Stage 1 packages should start at just $2,000 installed and tuned.(Or $2300 mail order)

Stage 1 - 65-75rwhp
Ported Inlet(Exchanged)
Ported Throttlebody(Xchanged)
1 piece or 2 piece pulley(Installed)
Airbox Mod wth K/N Filter
Dyno Tuned for 93 octane

[mmarx82]

Other than some kind of K&N setup, the mild to wild exhaust mod and maybe a pulley swap mine will remain stock, at least for a couple years. The only other plans I have for it is a lot of lighting accents.

[Bushidopupil]

I know what I would do

[tsnow]

Originally Posted by ADM PERFORMANCE

You have a good list here,Basically our Stae 2 Package you have listed with your own twist.

Our Stage 1 packages should start at just $2,000 installed and tuned.(Or $2300 mail order)

Stage 1 - 65-75rwhp
Ported Inlet(Exchanged)
Ported Throttlebody(Xchanged)
1 piece or 2 piece pulley(Installed)
Airbox Mod wth K/N Filter
Dyno Tuned for 93 octane

Yes Andy, looks like stage 2 with a few additions.
Might have to find a cam with a bit more duration on the intake side, that ZR cam comes up a bit short there.
The glitch for my car will be the tune, I will be running 90 octane as that is all we have up here for premium.

Looking forward to the new website and working with you next summer.


/

[7second]

pulley, cam, springs, skinnies, 15" drag tires, solid axle, th400...........

[IcePick06]

Originally Posted by Sales@Hennessey

Cory,

Thank you for the reply. Since no one has seen or tested a true production ZL1 yet, we are all in the same ballpark right now waiting to see what the car is going to do both stock and once its modified. We know that unless there is something completely different inside the engine, our HPE700 package is going to make atleast 707bhp over the factory 580bhp, however we are not making any claims just yet. We do have several ZL1s slated to arrive to our facility and will begin testing as soon as they arrive. We do have a GM Canada dealer in Calgary, Alberta that is capable of our upgrade packages.

As far as break-in of the motor. There are 2 schools of thought, in my opinion, at least as it relates to an LS V8:

A. Break-easy for the first 1000 miles. If you want to run many hundreds of thousands of miles then this is probably the best way. The rings will remain tighter against the cylinder walls which is good for super longevity. Tighter motors also have more drag and a bit less hp.

B. Break the motor in by running it hard for the first 500 miles. This will make the motor a bit "looser" and give it maybe another 15-20 hp. Will it last to 350k miles? Maybe. Will it last to 500k miles? Who knows. Will it last 100k miles and beyond? In my opinion, yes. And this is how I have broken in every V8 / V10 motor over the past 20 years and it's never been a problem.

Other opinions may vary. All that being said, making a handful of runs on a chassis dyno on a new motor does not equal B. If the owner chooses to go the A. route then the dyno tuning session will not change his desired break-in procedure.

I'm with you on Route "B"...I always break in my stuff hard and I have never had any problems (bikes/cars). I say when your ZL1 arrives, just drive it like you normally would any day of the week and you will be fine. If you are a "slower" driver than you will naturally lean towards the easy break-in procedure. If you have a heavier foot, you will probably lean towards the hard break-in procedure.

[toilets]

Weight reduction! Seats, carpet, poly carbonate windows, 6 point cage the works. Plan on using every bit of this car on the road course and autox events.

Obviously springs, alignment, tune are a must for me as well