Some help with power mods for Drag & Drive??

[SSKID]

Hi, All! New here but been lurking for a while.

I did a Drag & Drive Sept of 24 and had a blast. My 2013 2SS auto is almost bone stock, is a Texas car with no rust (I live in the rust belt so not used to that), and turned a consistent 13.5 quarter mile with my amateur driving skills. Launch at the line was a big issue on this 4200 lb heffer, even with the TC off.

My current plan is a 2.9L Whipple SC and some shorty headers first to get off the line a little quicker. The concern with this is that I'll have the engine torn apart for the SC about 1/2 way to AFM delete & a cam. Really don't like doing things twice but my current budget is an issue. I'm sure a 2800 to 3200 stall converter would help a lot too. I would like to end up with around 600-800 hp but keep it reliable for the "Drive" portion of the events I plan to do. I will also get it professionally tuned. I'm sure I need her to lose a few lbs without compromising creature comforts too.

Ultimately I would like to run 10.5s or better and keep it road reliable with decent drive-ability. Not a daily but occasional cruiser & drag & drive car.

What do you think the best mods and power adders are to accomplish 10.5s reliably? What are the common drive train and other problems at 600 - 800 crankshaft HP? What is the best progression of mods to achieve where the car needs to be to accomplish this? Am I on the right track or is there a better approach?

[InFiD3ViL]

First thing out of the way. With those goals on the 6L80e, you are going to absolutely have to beef that transmission up (and supporting mods). Without that, the rest of this will be pointless. That stock trans will not tolerate those power levels, especially under any kind of abuse (racing), for very long. The 6L80e can be built very strong and reliable for whatever power level you desire, but money is always the deciding factor. Others prefer to swap out to the robust TH400, but there are of course sacrifices going that route.

I am only around 460-470 rwhp, but I can already tell my transmission is getting kind of tired and lazy. I haven't even installed my new stall convertor yet, so that has me nervous...especially at 174k miles lol.

You are also going to want some rear end mods as well to be able to put that kind of power down without breaking things due to know wheel hop issues on this platform. Trailing arms, toe rods, LCAs, and would also recommend cradle/diff bushings. Rear axles, diff strengthening or replacement...it's never ending. There is plenty more you can, and will likely have to do, but these are a few that jump out at me right off the bat based on your goals.

But most importantly, welcome to Camaro5!

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by InFiD3ViL

First thing out of the way. With those goals on the 6L80e, you are going to absolutely have to beef that transmission up (and supporting mods). Without that, the rest of this will be pointless. That stock trans will not tolerate those power levels, especially under any kind of abuse (racing), for very long. The 6L80e can be built very strong and reliable for whatever power level you desire, but money is always the deciding factor. Others prefer to swap out to the robust TH400, but there are of course sacrifices going that route.

I am only around 460-470 rwhp, but I can already tell my transmission is getting kind of tired and lazy. I haven't even installed my new stall convertor yet, so that has me nervous...especially at 174k miles lol.

You are also going to want some rear end mods as well to be able to put that kind of power down without breaking things due to know wheel hop issues on this platform. Trailing arms, toe rods, LCAs, and would also recommend cradle/diff bushings. Rear axles, diff strengthening or replacement...it's never ending. There is plenty more you can, and will likely have to do, but these are a few that jump out at me right off the bat based on your goals.

But most importantly, welcome to Camaro5!

Yes sir, all of the above mentioned stuff!! And if you plan on a SC, ditch the shortie headers, and go for long tubes! The shorties will just choke off the output of the SC. It needs to breath, in and out to make the power you want to go that quick. Also you are going to need a good sticky set of drag radials to get the car off the line and hook up. Welcome, and good luck! It's going to be an expensive endevor, and fun if you can do it.

[MSgt O]

First issue I read was "my current budget is an issue" Please, just save the money, and do it right. If you try and piecemeal it all together, you wont be happy, your car wont be happy and most likely, you'll damage something expensive and have to add that to the budget! Enjoy the car for what it is right now, and save your $$. There are "blower" cams and stuff you will want to match as you do a supercharger, yes other "street" cams will wor with a blower but not to the optimum range. If you want to just do something, long tube headers and call it a day for now.

[SSKID]

Thanks for the feedback!
The Whipple, long tubes & exhaust eats all of my current budget so it won't be making all that power just yet. With only 100K on the trans I was hoping the 6L80E would last the season this year, then build it for next year along with the 2800/3200 stall converter, AFM delete and cam. I have considered bushings, diff and suspension upgrades but have not looked into or priced any of that yet. Then it will likely be brakes and a line-lock.
I'm off to a good start though with a good cold air intake and nice set of wheels and drag radials. Ordering the Whipple this week!

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by MSgt O

First issue I read was "my current budget is an issue" Please, just save the money, and do it right. If you try and piecemeal it all together, you wont be happy, your car wont be happy and most likely, you'll damage something expensive and have to add that to the budget! Enjoy the car for what it is right now, and save your $$. There are "blower" cams and stuff you will want to match as you do a supercharger, yes other "street" cams will wor with a blower but not to the optimum range. If you want to just do something, long tube headers and call it a day for now.

^^^ Some more great advice!

[MSgt O]

Originally Posted by SSKID

Thanks for the feedback!
The Whipple, long tubes & exhaust eats all of my current budget so it won't be making all that power just yet. With only 100K on the trans I was hoping the 6L80E would last the season this year, then build it for next year along with the 2800/3200 stall converter, AFM delete and cam. I have considered bushings, diff and suspension upgrades but have not looked into or priced any of that yet. Then it will likely be brakes and a line-lock.
I'm off to a good start though with a good cold air intake and nice set of wheels and drag radials. Ordering the Whipple this week!

You should talk with @andrewcammer! Wish you the best! Enjoy the car! Post some pics when ya can!! huh...you cant @someone can you??

[fz4k98]

Your supercharger budget should be 2 times the supercharger cost so there's money for all the upgrades and broken parts needed. It's fine until you put sticky tires on.

[102SS]

If you want to go fast now cheaply get a good triple disc lock up 3800 stall convertor a one piece driveshaft a set of DR`s and a good tune and you should run low 12`s all day

The triple is over kill now but you will need it with your power goals in the future

Power is great but you need to put it to the ground

DA(Density Altitude) plays a significant role cooler denser air makes power and heat and humidity robs it.

Your car should weigh 38XX unless you added weight like a sub box.

Mine weighed 3850 with a full tank of fuel and on a cool spring day it ran real close to a 12 bone stock with a half tank.

JMHO

[SSKID]

So, you have all convinced me that the supercharger is not the first thing I should do. I can afford it along with the exhaust right now but I think I'll put the SC on the shelf for when I can afford the AFM delete and cam and do all that at once...likely this fall. I will try do the torque converter and trans next winter before the season starts June of next year. Participation in the drag & drive is important to me and I can't do that with a broken car so I guess I'll just have to be patient this year.....just anxious I guess.


Would the stock computer tune adjust for long tube headers and 3" exhaust without a tune? I would prefer to only spend the $1000 for the dyno tune once.
Any suggestions for headers?


On a side note, have any of you heard of Hutter Performance? They are local to me and who I plan to use for tuning. I will order some build parts through them, mainly the cam and AFM delete kit since they design and grind their own custom cams. They build engines to your specs too if you need that service. I try to support local businesses.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by SSKID

So, you have all convinced me that the supercharger is not the first thing I should do. I can afford it along with the exhaust right now but I think I'll put the SC on the shelf for when I can afford the AFM delete and cam and do all that at once...likely this fall. I will try do the torque converter and trans next winter before the season starts June of next year. Participation in the drag & drive is important to me and I can't do that with a broken car so I guess I'll just have to be patient this year.....just anxious I guess.


Would the stock computer tune adjust for long tube headers and 3" exhaust without a tune? I would prefer to only spend the $1000 for the dyno tune once.
Any suggestions for headers?


On a side note, have any of you heard of Hutter Performance? They are local to me and who I plan to use for tuning. I will order some build parts through them, mainly the cam and AFM delete kit since they design and grind their own custom cams. They build engines to your specs too if you need that service. I try to support local businesses.

On the long tube headers, you can install them, but you most likely will get a CEL without a tune, plus you will be leaving about 10-15hp on the table. Me personally, and what I did, was wait until I had ALL the funds available to do what you are wanting to do. That will save you money from doing some things twice. Do your homework, and get some of the parts you will need that aren't expensive now, so when you get the major money saved up, do it all at once. That's what I did. Good luck with it all. And don't forget, if you do get a converter, you will need a cooler for it to keep the trans fluid cool.

[SSKID]

Originally Posted by 102SS

If you want to go fast now cheaply get a good triple disc lock up 3800 stall convertor a one piece driveshaft a set of DR`s and a good tune and you should run low 12`s all day

The triple is over kill now but you will need it with your power goals in the future

Power is great but you need to put it to the ground

DA(Density Altitude) plays a significant role cooler denser air makes power and heat and humidity robs it.

Your car should weigh 38XX unless you added weight like a sub box.

Mine weighed 3850 with a full tank of fuel and on a cool spring day it ran real close to a 12 bone stock with a half tank.

JMHO

When I had it weighed at the tracks last Sept it was 4220 to 4260 lbs with my 240 lb arse in it. The car has every bell & whistle and, at that time, 1/2 to 3/4 tank of fuel. I plan to remove the back seat & carpet, trunk pad, and pull a trailer so none of my "stuff" is in the car when I make a pass. Had tires in the back seat, tools, luggage and food for travel in the trunk. Still, I think 13.5 quarter is decent for bone stock with my limited driving skills in a 100K car with all that stuff going on. I will try to manage my fuel better this year so it's not trying to carry an extra 70 to 80 lbs down the track for no reason. Just hoping to get in the 12s this year I guess and work on 10s for 2026 season unless I have a windfall of cash.
Are there any other weight reductions that can be done without compromise to creature comforts or vehicle integrity? I want to retain A/C, cruise and tunes at a minimum.
Maybe I should concentrate more on the exhaust, trans & stall converter now because my biggest problem was getting off the line. I thought the SC would fix some of that on it's own but it sounds like the stall converter will help that more than SC. I have some good drag radials.

[joshnmn]

Of course the SC will help but shouldn’t be the first step. You can get where you want to go with drag radials, gears and a converter swap. Look here; a member logs how he got in the 10s on motor. Definitely not easy, but should set you in your way

[ss camaro-monte]

12s are easy. I ran 13.1 with stock 2015 L99. Headers, cai, tune mid 12s add a stall with drag radials low 12s. Add gears you will be in low low 12s high 11s. Ported heads, small cam. This is where I am now mid 11s with traction problems.

If I slapped a lsa on with stock boost and I could get a good 60ft 10s would be there with little effort.

12s can be done for pretty cheap, 11s with some stock cube motor work but 10s are much much harder on just motor. Big stall 3800, 3.91s, big cam over 600 lift and at least high 220s duration, ported heads and full track setup will get you to high high 10s.

Imo if you want more than mid 11s and be a true daily street car a supercharger is a must. But have you ever driven in a 11 second car? I know 11s are everyday cars nowadays but an 11 second car is freaking fast. I can get to triple digit speeds pretty quick if I wanted to. Find someone with heads,cam, gears 5th gen and even if they haven't run it at the track that is the aveage set up for an solid set up 11 second car. If that's not enough then do the supercharger imo.