Help me plan a Whipple build

[Iron Maiden]

Goals: mid 120's mph quarter. I'm not really concerned with 1/4 time, but estimating low to mid 11's. Maybe 520-550 rwhp?

At the moment, my car is bone stock 2010 A6, 18k miles (Not my daily driver). I havent had my car long enough to even get a baseline quarter mile run. It's coming Friday. I do not want to go internal with this motor. With that said, I understand that with forced induction, I need to go into this thing with the mindset that it is only a matter of time before something blows up. Plus my luck with cars kind of sucks. I want a milder build, with room to grow later on, which is why I like the whipple.

I know this is an odd first post, but I've lurked around well before I bought my SS. The supporting mods I am thinking are as follows:

1) Kooks Headers - 2" primary to 3" collectors with full 3" off-road exhaust all the way to tips (no 2.5" sections anwhere), will be using mufflers. Cant remember where I saw these, but thinking they also came with Magnaflows as the mufflers. Will drone be unbearable?

2) CAI. Completely undecided as far as which one. The all look really nice. Everybody has their preference, I still need to do more research here.

3) 102 mm Nick Williams TB. Is this worth it for minimal mods + supercharger set up? I read 2 different posts claiming 31 rwhp from just this change on a whipple set up. Can't remember their other mods.

4) Whipple 2.9 - black probably, though I think if it ever came down to resell value of the car, I think the extra $500 or so for polished finish might be worth it. The completeness of this kit and room to grow make it attractive even with the steep pricetag.

4a) What size pulley would you recommend for the goals above? I know big headers, larger exhaust, no cats, etc. will lower boost, so is it safe to use a smaller pulley to compensate?

5) Dyno and drivability tune. Need to look around in Tulsa area, may have to go to TX. Ed Wright tuned my LS1, not sure he deals with the newer stuff. Also, I'm not going to run crazy lean, or set shift points crazy high. It's going to be halfway conservative, even if that means falling short of my goals.

6) Nittos or some form of hybrid track/street tire w/drag or lighter wheels. I have not even began to look into this, but I know I will need to put it to the pavement at some point. Much more reserach to be done by me.

Etc) Depending on how the above mods go, I will may or may not consider the following - stall, gears, suspension.

Nope) No cam, no heads, nothing internal, no nitrous. Open to these options after something blows up and all internals are upgraded.

The idea with these mods are to help the whole system breathe better in, and out, while leaving lots of room for growth later on, when I enevitably will blow something up.

I have a couple of friends, both good with cars, that will be helping with the installs. One is certified mechanic, so I think we should be fine.


Would love to hear other people's opinions and ideas. I will continue to read up on this stuff as much as I can in the meantime. Thanks guys.

[VADER SS L99]

1.) This looks good. Only thing I would recommend is a dual 3" in/out mid muffler to go along with the rear mufflers.

2.)Recommend ADM race with scoop or CAI inc. with scoop.

3.)I would skip this one for now and save some money. For one I don't think they have the issues corrected with the TB slaming shut under full boost and two it is pretty hard to tune. You could always get one latter on.

4.)The Whipple is a great choice for this car. I would use the 4.0" pulley. At least until you get used to the power and yes the 4.0" pulley will meet your goals.

5.)ED Wright was awesome with the LT1 stuff but IDK about our cars. Remember not only will the tuner need to be skilled with FI LS3 tuning but also the 6L80E. A great tuner can make the 6L80E live at the 700RWHP range and high 9's low 10's. A bad tuner can destroy the trans on a stock car. I recommend ADM which is located just North of Dallas.

6.) Recommend some TSW 18 x 9.5" wheels with Nitto 305/45R18 NT05R tires for the track. Use what ever wheel tire combo you desire for the street. I plan to get some Forgestar wheels with a 20x10.5" rear and 20x8.5" front using stock size front tires and some Nitto 305/35R20 NT555R tires for the back but that is just what "I" plan to do and you should get whatever pleases YOU visually for the street.

Etc.) These mods are not necessary at all if you do the blower first but they will complement your setup. I would recommend 3.70 gears and a 2600 RPM stall.

Nope.) This is where you should give a little ground and atleast change that Nope to a Maybe. If you had a LS3 under the hood then I would not even be typing this but since you have a L99 with crappy AFM/DOD parts I would ask you to seriously consider a LS3 conversion. Putting a blower friendly 3 bolt LS3 cam in there using better valve springs and changing all the lifters to LS7 type might help you sleep better at night. Look at my sig. If I trusted the AFM/DOD parts or if my car came with a LS3 I would already have a Whipple under my hood.

Things not mentioned that I would recommend.) ZL1 fuel pump, ID850 injectors, trailing arms, and a trans cooler. Some lowering springs or coil overs are not needed but really help the car look better.
Everything I mentioned above I either have or plan to get. If you decide to have a really good professional do the work for you I would recommend ADM performance.

[Jakeman]

I'm looking a similar set up. So far the Kooks LT 3", Airaid CAI, Borla S axle back exhaust and last week did the Lashway 3.91 LTE differential with Jannetty tune. Right now car is pretty powerful. I'm looking at Whipple, SLP or Edlebrock superchargers. SLP has the GM warranty option but since I have a vert, I like having the under hood support brace that SLP doesn't offer, and Edlebrock does. Whipple is supposed to give most efficient boost, but is the street difference that much noticeable?
Once I supercharge, may not be able to run at track without a roll cage, so that is the issue.
Any ideas?
Let us know how it goes.

[Pro Stock John]

I would push off the 102mm stuff to the future.

Since you've had bad luck with cars before as you said, I think you should go for a conservative tune on the car. You'd be changing a ton of stuff on the car at the same time. Where you will have problems I'd think is getting the A6 transmission tune correctly.

I would add a robust trans cooler to your combo as I see 180-200 with bolt-ons, and with a blower those numbers will increase. Heat kills clutches and will reduce the life and properties of the transmission fluid.

What I would do in the past is I would not hot lap a highly built car. I let stuff cool off. Having had this car since April, I would not run this car if the coolant temps were over 195 (after a tune), and the trans temps were over 205. These are just my opinions.

Your weak links will be the transmission and perhaps the axles.

Don't get to crazy with wanting to run mid 120's and low 11's. If you throw a bunch of stuff on the car at the same time, there is a learning curve to figuring out how to get the cars to run their best.

My nitrous Camaro in my sig was the most reliable build I ever had, I drove it 45 miles to the track and back. But it took me a few months to figure out the right shift points, and we did tweak the tune a bit too. First time I ran NA I went 11.4@118 but I eventually went 10.92@123 with no changes other than weather, shifts points and some added timing.

I'll probably do a blower at some point unless a sweet deal on a 416 CID stroker comes up.

[Iron Maiden]

I appreciate the posts, and I'll definately check out the tuner you suggested. My worry is that I'll throw a bunch of money at it, and that it either will not be quick or will break. Is a fairly safe and consistent mid 120 mph 1/4 unrealistic with stock internals? I dont want to spend upwards of $10k and be back where I was with a heads cam LS1. I had a stalled auto that ran 118 at 12.01 (not a good launcher). I'm hoping to get a noticibly quicker car than that with the supercharger and have reliability too. And A/C again, because good Lord it is hot this summer.

It's so hard to pace myself with this car, even though my warranty is good through Oct 2013. I dont think I can make it to Oct of this year...

I like the idea of trans cooler. I will look into one. I was under the impression that the boost a pump and injectors in the whipple kit would support my goals. Am I mistaken?

Who makes some nice converters for these cars? I'll research, just curious on opinions. I had a Circle D and Vigalante in my 4l60e, and they were both very nice quality. I just dont know if I'll see the track enough to warrant one. Same for gears really.

Lastly, anyone know any with some good combos going around from vendors? really looking to buy items 1,2, and 4 (complete kit), all at once. Holding off on 3 as recommended.

[jrpxxii]

Originally Posted by Iron Maiden

I appreciate the posts, and I'll definately check out the tuner you suggested. My worry is that I'll throw a bunch of money at it, and that it either will not be quick or will break. Is a fairly safe and consistent mid 120 mph 1/4 unrealistic with stock internals? I dont want to spend upwards of $10k and be back where I was with a heads cam LS1. I had a stalled auto that ran 118 at 12.01 (not a good launcher). I'm hoping to get a noticibly quicker car than that with the supercharger and have reliability too. And A/C again, because good Lord it is hot this summer.

It's so hard to pace myself with this car, even though my warranty is good through Oct 2013. I dont think I can make it to Oct of this year...

I like the idea of trans cooler. I will look into one. I was under the impression that the boost a pump and injectors in the whipple kit would support my goals. Am I mistaken?

Who makes some nice converters for these cars? I'll research, just curious on opinions. I had a Circle D and Vigalante in my 4l60e, and they were both very nice quality. I just dont know if I'll see the track enough to warrant one. Same for gears really.

Lastly, anyone know any with some good combos going around from vendors? really looking to buy items 1,2, and 4 (complete kit), all at once. Holding off on 3 as recommended.

Yes this is easy to achieve on a minimal budget with mods suggested. Just adding the whipple, it will be fast. You might be able to get by with just a boost a pump and injectors but you will be much safer to get a dual pump setup as the fuel is VERY crucial and a cheap investment considering if you get it wrong it will cost you a new motor. COAN makes a really converter as this is what I am running but several others on here have other converters and are happy as well, but will definitely make a big difference for times. Axles are a must and then a driveshaft as this will be a weak link with wheel hop at this hp level.

[Iron Maiden]

Update 8-8-12:

1) Went withStainless Works 2" primaries to 3" full catless exhaust with retro chambered mufflers

2) Went with CAI Inc, black, RotoFab ww relocation kit, and ADM scoop

3) Sticking with stock TB. Sounds like it should be more than enough for my goals

4) Whipple complete kit, black

4a) Went with 4" pulley to be safe. Always upgradable later

5) Undecided, leaning towards ADM, but havent got ahold of Andy to discuss anything.

6) Got some Corvette Grand Sport 18x9.5 reproductions with M/T 305 45 R18 ET Streets

Etc) BMR driveshaft loop, thx Apex Chase. Rx Catch can and breather, thx SC2150. 160 thermostat, not sure if its needed. Stall, Gears, and a few basic suspension mods will be in my future now. Much later though. I just brought my 98 H/C/I trans am with 3.73s and a 4000 stall out of hibernation today. Sooooo much more fun to drive than my stock camaro . I hope that will change after all this is installed.

Nope) Still not doing anything internal until something breaks. Also not doing anything to the A6 or axles until something breaks. Track use will be limited to maybe 30-40 passes a year, so I think I can stretch the life if I'm easy on her.

Thanks to Juiced Motorsports for # 1, 2, and 4.

Whipple is backordered a couple weeks, no fault of vendor of course, I understand how it works. Doesnt take away from the fact that the wait is going to suckkkkk!!!!

When it's all here, me and 2 of my buddies are planning a 3 day (just in case...) weekend to install. Fun times, but man does my wallet feel lighter

[t!mbo]

Nice choices, and I hear you on the waiting time for the whipple. Mine is on order since Monday, too. Got told 4 weeks...

[snizzle]

What is the difference between the tuner kit and complete Whipple kit?

[iUAE]

Originally Posted by snizzle

What is the difference between the tuner kit and complete Whipple kit?

no injectors and tune

[snizzle]

Originally Posted by iUAE

no injectors and tune

So basically, if you decided to drop off your car with a tuner, they would buy the tuner kit. Self install, you'd need the complete kit?

[t!mbo]

Originally Posted by iUAE

no injectors and tune

Are you sure about that? I think the Whipple comes all the time with injectors, just not with tuner...

[VADER SS L99]

Originally Posted by t!mbo

Are you sure about that? I think the Whipple comes all the time with injectors, just not with tuner...

Tuner kit doesnt have injectors, boost a pump, or a tune. Tuner kit is really what you want if having installed by a shop and/or if your long term goals exceed the Whipple supplied injectors or boost a pump. For example when I get my Whipple I will get the tuner kit and have the ZL1 fuel pump, ID-850 injectors, ADM fuel controler and ZR1 map added to it all tuned and installed by someone like ADM so the Whipple supplied BAP, injectors, and tune would be useless to me.