ROLNSLO's FUN44

[rolnslo]

Some end of summer pictures from today...

[mlee]

WoW... the ABL looks great... Nice camera work too...


Here's a couple snapshots Sue got of your car last weekend...

[rolnslo]

Cool! I was hoping someone had pictures from the drive.

I completely forgot we had a camera with us until I was cleaning out the car after we got home.

My next photography attempt will be at the Texas Camaro Nationals. I won't be racing but I will be taking pictures. I'm sure it will be quite the challenge with the cars headed down the 1/4 mile. Taking pictures of my car sitting still is so much easier.

[mlee]

Originally Posted by rolnslo

Cool! I was hoping someone had pictures from the drive.

I completely forgot we had a camera with us until I was cleaning out the car after we got home.

My next photography attempt will be at the Texas Camaro Nationals. I won't be racing but I will be taking pictures. I'm sure it will be quite the challenge with the cars headed down the 1/4 mile. Taking pictures of my car sitting still is so much easier.

Burnout shots are always the best..

[rolnslo]

Fun day last Saturday....H-Town Camaro Club Dyno Day at ARD (Advanced Racing Dynamics in Houston).

I guess getting a new transmission wasn't all that bad. I picked up an additional 11hp and 14 ft-lb on the dyno.

I'll have to scan in the actual dyno sheet but my best run of the day was 251.93 hp / 237.54 ft-lb. Not too shabby for a lowly V6 that first dyno'd about 20hp less last summer.

At least I put down more HP than the '03 Mustang GT that was there but he still had me beat in the torque department. There was an '09 CTS-V that kicked everyone's a$$ when it came to putting down the most power (629.5hp/606.19ft-lbs).

Here's the video:

[rolnslo]

Hit 25,000 miles today!

Still as happy with my Camaro as the day I picked it up.

I must be getting slower as I age...my average speed from the last 25k miles....28.3mph. Ugh... Must find better shortcuts around traffic...

Now, if the weather would just cooperate, I might be able to get it cleaned up and detailed again... C'mon spring, hurry up! ...

[rolnslo]

Finally tracked down the slow leak in one of my original rear tires. Damn pinhole leak in one of the treadblocks. Oh well, it was about time to get new tires anyhow.

As a daily driver, I needed something with more life than the P-zeros. I really didn't do too bad though, I made it 25749 miles on the original Pirelli tires.

I picked up Hankook Ventus ST RHO6 this time around. Should be good for about 50k miles. I also swapped out the front 20x8 wheels for another set of rear 20x9s. Now running 275/40R20 on all 4 20x9" stock wheels.

Here's some pictures of the new setup...now I just need to drop it an inch or so...

[Da Hose]

You build thread just needs............TO BE HOSED!!!!!

[rolnslo]

Originally Posted by Da Hose

You build thread just needs............TO BE HOSED!!!!!

And I was just reading your build thread. Looks like it could use some red in it...way too much green going on in there...

[rolnslo]

So, I spent about 4 hours over at Vararam today with Steve and Patrick. Thanks for the opportunity to help out here and get this intake into the hands of the V6 crowd.

First off, I've got to applaud Patrick. Dude knows his stuff!

A few different setups were tested out on my car to see if any changes would be needed from the design they've put together based on the auto V6 (which if I remember correctly, has about 28k test miles on it). Patrick was really trying to find that sweet spot where things ran just right, while looking to see if any improvements could be made for the manual V6. At the moment, I've got a unit on my car that he wants to make a few minor tweaks to, both in the design and fit. When I left he was already planning on getting started so we could get the updated unit installed ASAP.

My impressions of the one I've got at the moment...

Definite improvement in throttle response and performance, especially mid-upper RPM range. Can't wait to see what the next unit is like because Patrick said the unit on the car right now is leaving some gains on the table and he should be able to get those as well with the new unit. No check engine lights and engine runs as smooth as stock.

Dyno? Not today. My butt dyno says there are definite gains already and, after 26k+ miles with this car, I'd say my dyno's pretty well calibrated. We'll arrange an official dyno session once the updated unit is in.

Installation? Looks to be super easy. Almost took longer to get the stock unit out than it did to put the new one in.

Design? A bit different than the one used for the SS. As you'll see in the pics below, there are a few basic design elements that are used here. First the filter housing seals against the underside of the hood. Second, there is a lower piece that extends down between the radiator and core support to catch and force incoming air directly into the filter. I like that the filter element is actually exposed when you open the hood so you can easily check the condition of it.

Looking forward to the updated unit and getting some dyno results. One thing I did notice on my drive to the office this afternoon was that my pure freeway mpgs (60-70mph) were up around 32.5-33mpg. Typically for this 15 mile stretch of road at those speeds, I'd be looking at 28.5mpg or so. Definitely plus, especially in light of the performance gains.

[rolnslo]

Just a few pics of the radiator and how the Vararam intake sits. This is mostly for reference for those that are concerned with how the radiator is held in place.

[rolnslo]

Well, after nearly 14k miles of no problems on my second AY6 (now at @27.7k miles), it happened again. No bind, just a horrible grinding sound going from 1st to 2nd. Light changed and I ran it up to about 6k in 1st, hit the clutch and tried 2nd...GRIND...awe $#!+, what the hell...quick double check - yep, the clutch is all the way in..tried 2nd again...GRIND! SOB!

I sure hope GM finds a suitable replacement soon for this POS excuse for a performance transmission....

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by rolnslo

So, I spent about 4 hours over at Vararam today with Steve and Patrick. Thanks for the opportunity to help out here and get this intake into the hands of the V6 crowd.

First off, I've got to applaud Patrick. Dude knows his stuff!

A few different setups were tested out on my car to see if any changes would be needed from the design they've put together based on the auto V6 (which if I remember correctly, has about 28k test miles on it). Patrick was really trying to find that sweet spot where things ran just right, while looking to see if any improvements could be made for the manual V6. At the moment, I've got a unit on my car that he wants to make a few minor tweaks to, both in the design and fit. When I left he was already planning on getting started so we could get the updated unit installed ASAP.

My impressions of the one I've got at the moment...

Definite improvement in throttle response and performance, especially mid-upper RPM range. Can't wait to see what the next unit is like because Patrick said the unit on the car right now is leaving some gains on the table and he should be able to get those as well with the new unit. No check engine lights and engine runs as smooth as stock.

Dyno? Not today. My butt dyno says there are definite gains already and, after 26k+ miles with this car, I'd say my dyno's pretty well calibrated. We'll arrange an official dyno session once the updated unit is in.

Installation? Looks to be super easy. Almost took longer to get the stock unit out than it did to put the new one in.

Design? A bit different than the one used for the SS. As you'll see in the pics below, there are a few basic design elements that are used here. First the filter housing seals against the underside of the hood. Second, there is a lower piece that extends down between the radiator and core support to catch and force incoming air directly into the filter. I like that the filter element is actually exposed when you open the hood so you can easily check the condition of it.

Looking forward to the updated unit and getting some dyno results. One thing I did notice on my drive to the office this afternoon was that my pure freeway mpgs (60-70mph) were up around 32.5-33mpg. Typically for this 15 mile stretch of road at those speeds, I'd be looking at 28.5mpg or so. Definitely plus, especially in light of the performance gains.

Bro, That VR looks killer, with one exception, you were just slaying on Da Poser, and then you go and stick that silly green filter in there... I think Hoser got loose in the filter factory... nothing is sacred to him at all...

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by rolnslo

Well, after nearly 14k miles of no problems on my second AY6 (now at @27.7k miles), it happened again. No bind, just a horrible grinding sound going from 1st to 2nd. Light changed and I ran it up to about 6k in 1st, hit the clutch and tried 2nd...GRIND...awe $#!+, what the hell...quick double check - yep, the clutch is all the way in..tried 2nd again...GRIND! SOB!

I sure hope GM finds a suitable replacement soon for this POS excuse for a performance transmission....

Ouch, Bro, get em on it, we got four weeks...