FI questions

[b1gr3dmachin3]

Hey guys, so I'm kind of a noob when it comes to FI...I've been reading the forum trying to gather as much info as I can but I still have some questions that hopefully some of you might be able to answer! I have a 2012 V6 LFX and it is my DD.

1. First of all, I need to choose if I'm going SC or Turbo...can you guys explain the differences and which one you would recommend? I'm looking for as much power as possible obviously, but especially in the low end to kill those dead spots since it is my DD.

2. In terms of price, what can I expect the damage to be? Probably with installation since I don't think I'll be comfortable doing it myself.

3. I've never driven/been in a V8 camaro or a FI v6 camaro for that matter...So what does the difference TRULY feel like? I know it might be hard to explain, but for example my dad has a corvette and when you hit the gas on that thing you literally feel like you are taking off in a space launch or something, its so amazing.

4. This question is basically a combo of 2/3...basically is it worth it to spend the money for FI on a v6? This is my first car and I LOVE it and I really want to keep it forever but if the price is really high, would it just make more sense to get a V8? Or once it's done, even with my V6 would I be able to beat V8s?

Thanks for your time and input everyone, I really appreciate it!

[Nutbutt]

Since Mine is a daily driver I went with an IPF SC kit. It was the most mature kit and offers the least modifications to the engine compartment. Like you I love my car and wanted to keep it but wanted more power.
A twin turbo system offers more power at the lower end but a SC does give a V8 kick when you hit the gas. You can definitley beat a lot of V8s that are out there.
You should figure on about $6K if you want a kit and have someone install and Dyno tune.

[BaylorCamaro]

Originally Posted by b1gr3dmachin3

Hey guys, so I'm kind of a noob when it comes to FI...I've been reading the forum trying to gather as much info as I can but I still have some questions that hopefully some of you might be able to answer! I have a 2012 V6 LFX and it is my DD.

1. First of all, I need to choose if I'm going SC or Turbo...can you guys explain the differences and which one you would recommend? I'm looking for as much power as possible obviously, but especially in the low end to kill those dead spots since it is my DD.

2. In terms of price, what can I expect the damage to be? Probably with installation since I don't think I'll be comfortable doing it myself.

3. I've never driven/been in a V8 camaro or a FI v6 camaro for that matter...So what does the difference TRULY feel like? I know it might be hard to explain, but for example my dad has a corvette and when you hit the gas on that thing you literally feel like you are taking off in a space launch or something, its so amazing.

4. This question is basically a combo of 2/3...basically is it worth it to spend the money for FI on a v6? This is my first car and I LOVE it and I really want to keep it forever but if the price is really high, would it just make more sense to get a V8? Or once it's done, even with my V6 would I be able to beat V8s?

Thanks for your time and input everyone, I really appreciate it!

First of all you have a 2012, which is awesome. Tuning is MUCH easier for 2012+ V6's. So you're in good shape there. If you want a supercharger you have two options, IPF or RX. I've heard good and bad things about IPF but most have been good. Personally I had the RX system and when it worked it was pretty nice, but I had more problems than not. I ended up selling the car because of how much a headache it was (I now have a ZL1). I'm not saying EVERY RX kit is bad or has issues. BUT in my experience I had a ton of issues. RX also has a roots style system, numbers seem pretty good. However it has only been to market about a month, and with my experience I would wait a while for several of these to be sold and for RX to work out the kinks.

Turbo Systems there are a few more to pick from. BUT I believe the newest turbo to market (IPS?) is BY FAR the best looking and I think it has made the most power. Stay away from STS, that kit is total junk.

In general the centri supercharger is much more simplistic than a turbo set up and thus (in theory) less likely for something to go wrong. Most turbo (twin turbo) set ups are rear or mid mount, which if it is your daily driver might be an issue if there was a serious rain storm with flooding.

My supercharger system on my old V6 made around 350-360 rwhp and pulled pretty decently, however the boost wasn't really made until 4,000 rpms. The ZL1 def pulls much harder, lol. I know sycraft has a sweet IPF sueprcharger set up, and then of course there are some sweet twin turbo builds (GretchGotGrowel being the top dog). IMHO nitrous seems to be the best power adder for the 5th gen V6's. Simple, cheap and great power.

[Vader2011v6]

My car is a daily driver as well.I have the Ipf Supercharger kit.As written above the 2012 is way better on tuning then the previous models.Ive had the kit runnning for about 4 months.Ive done only regular maintanence.It is a very good kit.

[hunterv6]

Turbo more tq. If sized right would be my pick. With the 2012 tuning is not a issue. I would look for something custom made and have it put in the engine bay. The builder who did mine mess up a lot of member I am one of the lucky ones. The gas mileage was perfect went up in imho. I been in a few v8 a properly tune turbo will out run most depending on the mods on the v8 if you can get it to hook. And will make good dd. which ever option you choose make sure you get some suspension upgrades wheel hoop will happen.


Sent from my iPad2 on space mountain

[GretchenGotGrowl]

Turbo will be the most expensive, but will give you the most power (especially low end). The ISP kit looks good, and I think the AGP kit could be made to fit the V6. I would stay away from STS.

That being said, don't discount the centri supercharger from IPF. It may not make as much power down low, they have had very consistent results at the track.

[sycraft]

My IPF kit had been great, with a custom tune I am well over 400 HP and it is a daily driver as well, +1 for IPF.

[KMPrenger]

IPS for turbo. More low and mid range grunt but more expensive and likely requires more maintenance.

IPF for supercharger...not going to get the low end power, but they give you that rush feeling when you step on the gas....400ish rwhp is nothing to sneeze at lol.

[BaylorCamaro]

Another thing to consider is who is going to do the tuning. Matt is a great tuner who I will eventually have tune my Z. I'm not a fan of the whole mail order tune, it will never be perfect and I battled that for a year, so I know.

[b1gr3dmachin3]

First of all, I just want to thank you all for the great responses. Really appreciate all the great insight, opinions, and info!

Originally Posted by Nutbutt

Since Mine is a daily driver I went with an IPF SC kit. It was the most mature kit and offers the least modifications to the engine compartment. Like you I love my car and wanted to keep it but wanted more power.
A twin turbo system offers more power at the lower end but a SC does give a V8 kick when you hit the gas. You can definitley beat a lot of V8s that are out there.
You should figure on about $6K if you want a kit and have someone install and Dyno tune.

I've been hearing nothing but great things from IPF for both their SC. So I think if I go the SC route, I'm going to go with them. So does the SC give you any more power in the low end at all? Or do I have to hit 4k rpms everytime to notice a difference? Seems like you and others are saying around 6k for the price. In your opinion, do you think it was worth it?

Originally Posted by BaylorCamaro

First of all you have a 2012, which is awesome. Tuning is MUCH easier for 2012+ V6's. So you're in good shape there. If you want a supercharger you have two options, IPF or RX. I've heard good and bad things about IPF but most have been good. Personally I had the RX system and when it worked it was pretty nice, but I had more problems than not. I ended up selling the car because of how much a headache it was (I now have a ZL1). I'm not saying EVERY RX kit is bad or has issues. BUT in my experience I had a ton of issues. RX also has a roots style system, numbers seem pretty good. However it has only been to market about a month, and with my experience I would wait a while for several of these to be sold and for RX to work out the kinks.

Turbo Systems there are a few more to pick from. BUT I believe the newest turbo to market (IPS?) is BY FAR the best looking and I think it has made the most power. Stay away from STS, that kit is total junk.

In general the centri supercharger is much more simplistic than a turbo set up and thus (in theory) less likely for something to go wrong. Most turbo (twin turbo) set ups are rear or mid mount, which if it is your daily driver might be an issue if there was a serious rain storm with flooding.

My supercharger system on my old V6 made around 350-360 rwhp and pulled pretty decently, however the boost wasn't really made until 4,000 rpms. The ZL1 def pulls much harder, lol. I know sycraft has a sweet IPF sueprcharger set up, and then of course there are some sweet twin turbo builds (GretchGotGrowel being the top dog). IMHO nitrous seems to be the best power adder for the 5th gen V6's. Simple, cheap and great power.

Yeah, I heard 2012+ are MUCH easier to tune, so I'm thankful for that haha Again, I've heard many positives about IPF for their SC's, and I also heard for turbo IPS (ISP?) is the way to go. So at least I narrowed which brands I'm looking at lol.

I live in Las Vegas, Nevada where it hardly rains so I wouldn't be really worried about that with the Turbo. If it was raining and flooding, I would just would drive my wife's car. In terms of maintenance and reliability, your saying since the SC is a more simpler design, so it would probably be more reliable and require less maintenance correct? How much more are we talking about? I've done some work on my car and installed some things by myself and others I had some friends who are experts help me but I myself am no expert. Would I be able to handle the turbo in terms of care?

I really would like more power in BOTH the low end and top end since like I said this is my DD. Does the SC do nothing in the low end? I feel like it would be a waste to me if that was the case...

I honestly haven't researched anything about nitrous, so I know very little about it.

Originally Posted by Vader2011v6

My car is a daily driver as well.I have the Ipf Supercharger kit.As written above the 2012 is way better on tuning then the previous models.Ive had the kit runnning for about 4 months.Ive done only regular maintanence.It is a very good kit.

Was it worth it in your opinion? Hope you don't mind me asking, but how much did you pay total for your kit? How much is the power difference do you feel and at what RPMs?

Originally Posted by hunterv6

Turbo more tq. If sized right would be my pick. With the 2012 tuning is not a issue. I would look for something custom made and have it put in the engine bay. The builder who did mine mess up a lot of member I am one of the lucky ones. The gas mileage was perfect went up in imho. I been in a few v8 a properly tune turbo will out run most depending on the mods on the v8 if you can get it to hook. And will make good dd. which ever option you choose make sure you get some suspension upgrades wheel hoop will happen.


Sent from my iPad2 on space mountain

Thanks for the info, which builder did you use and how much did it cost you?

Originally Posted by GretchenGotGrowl

Turbo will be the most expensive, but will give you the most power (especially low end). The ISP kit looks good, and I think the AGP kit could be made to fit the V6. I would stay away from STS.

That being said, don't discount the centri supercharger from IPF. It may not make as much power down low, they have had very consistent results at the track.

Thanks Gretchen, I've looked at your build threads in the past and their amazing. If I want more power overall and especially the low end it looks like I would have to go turbo right? Not really looking for track results, just some better acceleration 0-60

Also is it IPS or ISP for turbo? Or are they two different companies LOL

Originally Posted by sycraft

My IPF kit had been great, with a custom tune I am well over 400 HP and it is a daily driver as well, +1 for IPF.

Nice, that's a SC right? Did you get any added power in the low end or is it only after you hit 4k rpms like the previous posters have mentioned?

Originally Posted by KMPrenger

IPS for turbo. More low and mid range grunt but more expensive and likely requires more maintenance.

IPF for supercharger...not going to get the low end power, but they give you that rush feeling when you step on the gas....400ish rwhp is nothing to sneeze at lol.

How much more maintenance are we talking about for the turbo? That does concern me. I understand 400 is a lot for sure lol

Originally Posted by BaylorCamaro

Another thing to consider is who is going to do the tuning. Matt is a great tuner who I will eventually have tune my Z. I'm not a fan of the whole mail order tune, it will never be perfect and I battled that for a year, so I know.

I'd have to ship my car out to him correct? I would love to find a place near me that would be able to install+tune, of course I want them to do it well though lol

[GretchenGotGrowl]

Originally Posted by b1gr3dmachin3

First of all, I just want to thank you all for the great responses. Really appreciate all the great insight, opinions, and info!



I've been hearing nothing but great things from IPF for both their SC. So I think if I go the SC route, I'm going to go with them. So does the SC give you any more power in the low end at all? Or do I have to hit 4k rpms everytime to notice a difference? Seems like you and others are saying around 6k for the price. In your opinion, do you think it was worth it?



Yeah, I heard 2012+ are MUCH easier to tune, so I'm thankful for that haha Again, I've heard many positives about IPF for their SC's, and I also heard for turbo IPS (ISP?) is the way to go. So at least I narrowed which brands I'm looking at lol.

I live in Las Vegas, Nevada where it hardly rains so I wouldn't be really worried about that with the Turbo. If it was raining and flooding, I would just would drive my wife's car. In terms of maintenance and reliability, your saying since the SC is a more simpler design, so it would probably be more reliable and require less maintenance correct? How much more are we talking about? I've done some work on my car and installed some things by myself and others I had some friends who are experts help me but I myself am no expert. Would I be able to handle the turbo in terms of care?

I really would like more power in BOTH the low end and top end since like I said this is my DD. Does the SC do nothing in the low end? I feel like it would be a waste to me if that was the case...

I honestly haven't researched anything about nitrous, so I know very little about it.



Was it worth it in your opinion? Hope you don't mind me asking, but how much did you pay total for your kit? How much is the power difference do you feel and at what RPMs?



Thanks for the info, which builder did you use and how much did it cost you?



Thanks Gretchen, I've looked at your build threads in the past and their amazing. If I want more power overall and especially the low end it looks like I would have to go turbo right? Not really looking for track results, just some better acceleration 0-60

Also is it IPS or ISP for turbo? Or are they two different companies LOL



Nice, that's a SC right? Did you get any added power in the low end or is it only after you hit 4k rpms like the previous posters have mentioned?



How much more maintenance are we talking about for the turbo? That does concern me. I understand 400 is a lot for sure lol



I'd have to ship my car out to him correct? I would love to find a place near me that would be able to install+tune, of course I want them to do it well though lol

Sorry, my mistake. It is IPS. Another way to get that low end grunt with a supercharger is to change the gears in the rearend. If you have a manual that's simple. If you have an auto then you can only do 3.55 gears without swapping to a different differential. Finally, with an auto you can change the stall which get you in the powerband quicker. So don't rule out a supercharger. Get with a couple of the vendors and see what they think is best for your desires.

[b1gr3dmachin3]

Originally Posted by GretchenGotGrowl

Sorry, my mistake. It is IPS. Another way to get that low end grunt with a supercharger is to change the gears in the rearend. If you have a manual that's simple. If you have an auto then you can only do 3.55 gears without swapping to a different differential. Finally, with an auto you can change the stall which get you in the powerband quicker. So don't rule out a supercharger. Get with a couple of the vendors and see what they think is best for your desires.

I have an auto. I remember reading something on here something negative associated with changing the gears because I was looking into doing that a while back. I don't remember what is was though...

Right now I'm trying to find a good place that does it here locally in Las Vegas but I'm having a hard time!

[GretchenGotGrowl]

Originally Posted by b1gr3dmachin3

I have an auto. I remember reading something on here something negative associated with changing the gears because I was looking into doing that a while back. I don't remember what is was though...

Right now I'm trying to find a good place that does it here locally in Las Vegas but I'm having a hard time!

That I can't help you with. I really don't know any shops in LV or NV. I'm sure someone will chime in though.

[PoorMansCamaro]

i used to live in vegas. talk to figspeed near the automall (east side of the 95), wickedHP near the drag strip, and total performance engineering TPE. some people don't realize the v6 Camaro switched engines. so let them know you have an LFX that can be tuned with HPT and EFI live. because most shops won't touch the LLT motor, in las vegas.

there's also leading edge performance, but has mixed reviews. i would talk to every shop, and see who you get the best vibe from. good luck.