V8 Performance Options
 

Ok, so the only thing I'm torn about right now are the "Performance Options". I'd like to add some of these but are they worth the cost?

I think most people will say go for aftermarket as it will be cheaper. I guess I'd really like to know what each performance option is adding.


So to me it looks like there are 3 main performance options. Catback Exhaust, Performance Air Intake, and Shorty Headers.

Could someone breakdown the benefits to each? And tell me if it's worth the cost?

Catback MSRP: $850

Air Intake MSRP: $450

Shorty Headers MSRP: $1000

Any help is appreciated!!

Catback MSRP: $850

Gain - Noise.

Air Intake MSRP: $450

Gain - Maybe a little power under curve.

Shorty Headers MSRP: $1000

Gain - None. Get Longtubes. Shortys are a waste of time and money.

Catbacks will be available aftermarket with the top quality ones most likely around the same price, but many should be avaiable for less with good quality. All catbacks add roughly the same hp, but sound varies greatly.

I expect intakes to be avaiable for much less than $450, and will be equal quality and as much hp gain.

Shorty headers should be avaiable for much less also, adding about the same hp. $1000 is more along the price of a high quality long-tube which will add a lot more power, but these are not emissions legal in many states.

Based on past experiences and my goals, I'll be going aftermarket for all my mods.

Catback MSRP: $850
Basically for Sound - I'm going aftermarket for the sound I want. You may gain a few HP here but will be comparable to other aftermarket catbacks as well.

Air Intake MSRP: $450
You will gain a few HP as well here. Maybe 10? I'll be going K&N FIPK if/when they come out with it.

Shorty Headers MSRP: $1000
You will see maybe 10 - 15 hp here with these .. combined with a good high flow cat xpipe and new catback you will see more gains with these. $1000 is steep but I believe dealer installed will not void warrenty .. Long Tubes are not emmissions legal in most sates and unless you are putting out insane power, you won't need them. (IE Factory Ford manifolds supported 509rwhp / 520rwtq just fine and would support higher as well.)

Crowley

I don't know that you'd get much more than about 20 RWHP for the combination of these parts. Although I don't exactly share these same opinions, I think there will be gains, but for the money, I think there might be a better value with aftermarket parts. However, all of these parts are engineered by the people who engineered Camaro, so there is value in their knowledge and experience with the car and they know all the little idiosyncrasies. The one biggie that comes to mind is the CAI. I think there are going to be a lot of aftermarket CAI companies that go with open element air filters in open air clearner boxes, where it looks like GM is staying with their air box, adding a chrome lid, and getting rid of the resonators and intake mufflers with a nice polished aluminum tube. The biggest gain here will be removing the restriction from the resonators and mufflers, but there could be, I imagine, some power left on the table by introducing colder air from outside the engine compartment; even with using ram air, so-to-speak. The catbacks from the aftermarket are going to probably net about the same gains, and some will probably be cheaper, and the shorties will leave power on the table, but be 100% legal in all 50 states. I doubt there are going to be any worries with leaks, cracked welds, or rusting with these, but the price they've listed, to now, is on par with high quality long tube kits.

I think one thing to keep in mind is it seems like the prices in the catalog include installation too. There's a chance you might be able to find these same GMPP parts and install them yourself, and save some money there. I have to deal with smog, therefore, unlike my current '02, I'm going with shorties because apparently law enforcement has an APB out on my car and I literally get pulled over for the most silly things (and I'm tired of paying $250 fines for illegal headers). Anyways, depending on smog laws, and your willingness to abide by them, you will have a lot of choices to consider.

:word: There will be very competative parts out there in terms of price, quality, and power.

Be careful to use those pricing figures as a guideline for ballpark figuring only because the official pricing is not out yet. Those prices are not necessarily what you'll be paying for them. With that said, go ahead and get 'em dealer installed. That way you will stay legal and for sure won't void any warranties. :thumbsup:

I recommend waiting for long-tube headers because they will yield more performance.

The catback and intake will yield a few more ponies, and those parts will be warranted by GMPP.

Ok, so sounds like 20-30hp gains from these three options for roughly $2300. Hmm might be a tough sell this early in the game for me...especially since I'm already dropping 35.5k to begin with.......

Probably going to wait on these options. If they were cheaper, I would probably just do it.

On second thought maybe the power intake and catback......that's only $1300. With GM Discount I might get those for under $1000..... hmmmm.

Personally, I'll wait until these parts are in the wild and until folks have done some dyno testing (w/ & w/o tunes, w/ & w/o other mods, etc.) to see what the real benefits are....

The LS3 in the 2008 Corvette, being an identical motor, is a good guide for what we can expect. Those guys are getting whopping gains just from bolt-ons and cams. I seem to recall baseline LS3 dynos in the 380 whp range, and close around 460(!) whp with bolt-ons. Here's some evidence of that: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65802
http://lgmotorsports.com/gallery/dis...album=3&pos=10

Of course until we have parts on our LS3s, this is kind of speculative, but still, this is informative.

Understood. My point, however, is that we have no empirical data regarding the GMPP shorties, cat-back or intake. Take the intake, for instance -- with the GTO, most of the aftermarket CAIs were actually HAIs and were generally NOT a wise investment (yes, I had one of them on mine...)

Personally, I suspect they will each be well engineered for suitability and each will likely contribute a small gain (plus provide room for growth from other bolt-ons) but we really won't know the details until these particular bolt-ons have actually been bolted on and tested.

:word::clap:

A Dyno tune will give you 20 hp and is about $ 400. But wait until you have done the mods to get the most out of this. You can specify a Premium fuel tune for max hp. An X pipe is also good with the V8. I would wait for the Magnaflow system. it is coming and should have an Xpipe.