How to make 500rwhp?

[Pro Stock John]

Steven, is New Era Performance not too far for you? Mike and the guys there are pretty knowledgeable. They had a high 10 second 5th gen auto that was haads/cam/intake/gear/converter/tune/tire.

[StevenBateman]

Originally Posted by Pro Stock John

Steven, is New Era Performance not too far for you? Mike and the guys there are pretty knowledgeable. They had a high 10 second 5th gen auto that was haads/cam/intake/gear/converter/tune/tire.

I live in Niagara falls, Ontario! So I've got a shop in Toronto I go to.

[StevenBateman]

So here's what I'm gathering, bolt ons( headers, cai, UDP) cam package and ported heads, all with a solid tune. Maybe gears, converter depending on how big the cam is too. Missing anything?

[jc615]

Originally Posted by KonigWolf

You're looking to spend 5k+ to make 500. You might get lucky and hit 500 and be under 5k, but I wouldn't hold my breath. I know I tried.

Big cam. ((I run GPI's SS4.))
Aftermarket heads. At the very least ported and polished stockers.
I run 2in long tubes as I plan to go boost later in life.
3in exhaust header back. ((I gained nearly 2 cars on my brother's car when I helped my ole girl breathe.))
25% Underdrive.
Good lifters.
Oil Pump so you can spin more than 6500 without worry of cavitation.
GPI's intake rod mod gained me 8hp/10tq peak, and solid gains in the whole pull.


I dyno'ed my car two months ago; 481/427 was what I ended up with, I've changed a few things since then, and willing to bet I am beating on 500s door. If not, when I switch to E85, it should get me over the hump.
I'm going to get a hold of GPI to see if they will do a "Check Up" tune on the car for a reasonable price if only to see what my latest mods did net me.

Have same mods plus e85 and made around same as you. i have 3.91s and circle d 1e

[Moto-Mojo]

There is a lot of information on this forum and I read a lot of it. I swear just this week I read a post by a pretty familiar gear head here who said something to the effect that ported heads would net you 15HP. That's a lot of do-re-me for 15HP. There's another thread where a CAI DYNO'd 16 more HP. BIG $ diff right there!

I like the notion too that just because you dyno with bigger numbers doesn't mean your car is 'faster.' Be curious OP how all this comes out and for how much.

[StevenBateman]

Originally Posted by Moto-Mojo

There is a lot of information on this forum and I read a lot of it. I swear just this week I read a post by a pretty familiar gear head here who said something to the effect that ported heads would net you 15HP. That's a lot of do-re-me for 15HP. There's another thread where a CAI DYNO'd 16 more HP. BIG $ diff right there!

I like the notion too that just because you dyno with bigger numbers doesn't mean your car is 'faster.' Be curious OP how all this comes out and for how much.

Seems like that's a chance you end up taking though right? Because you never really know how much power any given mod is gonna produce.

[Bo White]

Rwhp depends on the dyno. Its a tuning tool, nothing else.
Only time you can compare dyno numbers is at the same dyno on the same day like on a dyno day. Ive been on quite a few dynos and they have varied by 30rwhp.
ET is even more something that cant be compared. Track times vary from track to track because of prep, DA and other things.
Skill, traction, DA are things that vary the most from driver to driver and car to car and track to track.
Only time you can truely compare ETs is same day same track.

[ZYBORG]

Originally Posted by Bo White

Rwhp depends on the dyno. Its a tuning tool, nothing else.
Only time you can compare dyno numbers is at the same dyno on the same day like on a dyno day. Ive been on quite a few dynos and they have varied by 30rwhp.
ET is even more something that cant be compared. Track times vary from track to track because of prep, DA and other things.
Skill, traction, DA are things that vary the most from driver to driver and car to car and track to track.
Only time you can truely compare ETs is same day same track.

Ding ding ding ding!

We have a winner!

[Bo White]

Originally Posted by Moto-Mojo

There is a lot of information on this forum and I read a lot of it. I swear just this week I read a post by a pretty familiar gear head here who said something to the effect that ported heads would net you 15HP. That's a lot of do-re-me for 15HP. There's another thread where a CAI DYNO'd 16 more HP. BIG $ diff right there!

I like the notion too that just because you dyno with bigger numbers doesn't mean your car is 'faster.' Be curious OP how all this comes out and for how much.

Yes but 15-20rwhp is 15-20rwhp you didnt have. If your doing ported heads more than likely you already have a cold air intake on the car. If your trying to make as much power as you can you will do it all. Some HP gains cost more than others.
I gained 15rwhp as well off ported heads but gained 20rwhp moving up on cam from stage I to stage III. I gained more off the cam than I did the heads especially for the money but it just shows that some things are more bang for the buck than others. If your going for max effort you will need it all no matter what you gained the most off of for the money.
Some people will go smaller on cam for better driveability and go ported heads to optimize power as much as you can.
A stage I cam with ported heads vs a stage III cam with stock heads may make the same power but the stage I cam will drive better.

[Moto-Mojo]

Originally Posted by Bo White

Yes but 15-20rwhp is 15-20rwhp you didnt have. If your doing ported heads more than likely you already have a cold air intake on the car. If your trying to make as much power as you can you will do it all. Some HP gains cost more than others.
I gained 15rwhp as well off ported heads but gained 20rwhp moving up on cam from stage I to stage III. I gained more off the cam than I did the heads especially for the money but it just shows that some things are more bang for the buck than others. If your going for max effort you will need it all no matter what you gained the most off of for the money.
Some people will go smaller on cam for better driveability and go ported heads to optimize power as much as you can.
A stage I cam with ported heads vs a stage III cam with stock heads may make the same power but the stage I cam will drive better.

That makes a lot of sense. Mama always said life was about perspective. She also said, happiness is achievement divided by expectations! Cogitate on that one...At first blush, ported heads (and their relative cost) would seem to bring more bang for the buck. But I'm beginning to see the total package that adds up to real HP. I appreciate the more honest, real-world answers, much like this.

I think the rub is, most people have to approach mods piecemeal, simply based on budgets. No one would find fault in that. But it's invaluable to hear things from those who made the mods (and mistakes, yikes!) before you head down that path.

[Moto-Mojo]

Sooo, what would a stage 1 cam with stock heads do power wise? Is that one of those, "I wish I woulda gone more" mods? If you convinced yourself that a 'reasonable' boost in HP is fine, how about a stage II cam with all stock heads? (deleting the AFM lifters of course) I guess that leads to...while you have the heads off...

[StevenBateman]

I think I'd be doing the heads because id end up doing them anyway so i may as well do them while I'm getting the cam done. I'm having a bit of trouble finding ported heads heads for the l99, could someone point me in a good direction?

[moose517]

so i've got a question as i see people talking about underdrive pulleys, i get why you'd do it, less parasitic draw on the engine for the accessories, but doesn't doing so cause your like coolant temps and other things to suffer because of being underdriven?

I've never really heard of doing this to a non SC car and its got me curious as i'm trying to get to that magic 500+ myself, trying to go as far as possible before having to boost

[UNRIVALED SS]

If it says L92 or LS3 you can run them. The L99 valves aren't sodium filled on the exhaust side. Anyway, for what you're trying to do you need every ounce of HP you can get.

Good luck!