ZDan

That would be 540 at the flywheel, I didn't say or mean to suggest 540 RWhp!

It actually *did* put down 517rwhp on a Mustang dyno, but that might be optimistic...


It has shaved L92 heads (identical to LS3 heads except with solid valves), LS3 intake, and a mild/medium cam: 222/230degrees 0.597" lift.

It's really astonishing how well these stock TRUCK heads breathe!

It ran 129.2mph in the 1/4 with a 2240' density altitude (~2:00 PM, Oct 2, 2011 at San Antonio Dragway).
That is a ZR1 trap speed.
Scaling the ZR1's 638 flywheel hp by power/weight puts my LS2 at ~540hp at the flywheel.

Yee haw!

Excalibur

Ok please enough with the boxster talk. Idk why anyone would even buy that car. If it were given to me free and clear, I would sell it for something else. I also would rather have an s over a vette for rarity and the fact that I like the way it looks; however, I don't dislike the corvette looks either and it has crossed my mind, but I have the S now and would prefer to make the S the way I want instead of just trading cars once again.

Driving the car today with the 40 degree temps made me realize that putting down 100+ more torque than my turbo setup, might just be a challenge. Not to say I wouldn't do it though. I'm still waiting on some shops to hit me back with quotes and whatnot.


Anyone know of any deals on ls3's?

ZDan

While I love the LS3 idea, if you already have a turbo setup, I'd sooner develop that than go to the trouble, time, and expense of an LS swap. Unless power goal can only be met with big displacement AND boost (i.e. 600+ hp).

Excalibur

That's some of what I was thinking. I love the look of the ic in the grill also. A part of me though likes the idea of it being more reliable or atleast mechanically sound on the regular basis (even though I have had no issues yet, knock on wood) and the fact that it's so unique. On the other hand, I drove the car yesterday in 35 degree weather and the car completely loved it and with just 300 wtq, it's a chore to keep straight when getting on it sometimes, so just imagine another 100+ wtq that comes on instantly like a v8 would.

20aeman

I'm in favor of "not burning money". If you want a fast car, save up and get one that was engineered to be fast by a small army of very smart people.

You can throw an LS3 into an S2000 and have good acceleration. But that doesn't sort out the short wheelbase, narrow track, knife edge handling, etc. All those things are fun when you have no power; add power and they become liabilities.

The C6 is a better overall package for that V8.

fishfryer

Dude, you better hope that ZDAN doesn't read your post. It may get ugly.

ZDan

What people refer to as "rear wheel torque" or "torque at the wheels" is a total misnomer. It is *not* the torque at the rear wheels, it is the engine torque minus losses.

*Actual* torque at the wheels at a given speed is a function of engine POWER, not so much engine torque.
It is engine torque multiplied by trans gearing and diff gearing. WAY more torque than what people call "rear wheel torque"!

Long/short, you won't have any more trouble putting down the same 428rwhp from a 7000rpm 400rwtq V8 than with your higher-revving 300rwtq turbo I4.

With stock AP2 trans and diff gearing, you're actually going to be getting MORE torque at the rear wheels in a given gear with your 307 lb-ft than you would with a 407 lb-ft V8 with T56 trans and 3.55 diff. WAY more torque multiplication with the AP2 trans/diff.

turbo 2nd gear AP2 trans/diff: 307 lb-ft * 2.47 * 4.1 = 3109 lb-ft at the wheels
V8 2nd gear F-bod T56/3.55 diff: 407 lb-ft * 1.78 * 3.55 = 2572 lb-ft at the wheels

Of course the V8 setup is geared much taller overall, so you stay in lower trans ratios longer. Gear them so that speeds in gears are the same and you'll get comparable *actual* rear wheel torque numbers. Because the *power* is the same.

ZDan

That's the safe way, yes. If you're smart enough and have the resources to build your own, though, you *will* save money building your own FAST car by putting big power in a smaller/lighter weight car.

A very good argument for never modding a car for more power.

I never had any issues when I doubled the power of my 240Z (255rwhp). I just went WAY the hell faster at the track (outran C5 Z06s, Vipers, 911 turbos, etc. in its/my day).

I've only tracked the RX-7 twice with the LS2. Teething issues with the power steering hampered efforts both times, but overall the car was a hoot to drive.

Of course, with greater power comes greater responsibility, but for many of us trackhounds, having to modulate the throttle exiting corners can be fun, and going faster is pretty much *always* fun />/>

It is a much slower overall package for that V8, that's for sure...

billios996

Take your current s2k and throw the shorter geared rear (Ford 8.8 swap) now. You can get that acceleration and big torque feeling immediately for way less than the cost of the V8.

giant HP and tall gearing makes no sense to me unless you're doing top speed runs like ZDan or you're looking for bragging rights (my amp goes to 11). I've never seen value in a big HP car geared for speeding > 150 mph on the streets.

Excalibur

I don't think I could handle shorter gears than what I have now. I need to get the 390's imo for my turbo setup.