Horsepower – Car of the Day

527 – Rear Wheel Horsepower

garythepowers — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:10:00 +0000

This fall I took the plunge and supercharged my GTO. It is incredible!

Here’s the video of the car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2_J521ZqkE

A big thanks to East Texas Muscle Cars for the great build.

The car now has 620hp measured at the crank if you factor in a 15% drivetrain loss.

The LS2 is Where?

garythepowers — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:20:22 +0000

The ubiquitous GM LS2 V8 is one of the great engines for sale right now. It evolved from the infamous LS1 engine and turned into the 6.0 liter 400hp heart of the 2005 Corvette. The LS2 has also served time in the Pontiac GTO, Chevy Trailblazer SS, Chevy SSR and the Cadillac CTS-V. The LS2 is also serving in GM’s European and Australian cars in the Vauxhall Monaro VXR and the Holden Special Vehicles.

There is one more place that LS2 is put into duty by Saab in their SUV. The Saab 9-7 Aero is an AWD SUV with 400lb-ft of torque and 390hp.

This Saab SUV firmly places the ”Sport” in SUV. It also has a great does of style and luxury. Saab is proud of this vehicle. The MSRP is $47,000. However, right now, GM has its employee pricing, and there a ton of incentives on this gas eating 364cid V8. People aren’t interesting burning that much gas for a go fast SUV. However, if you are looking for a high speed, luxury, stealthy SUV then you can get a great deal on the 9-7 Aero.

The current incentives put this $47,275 SUV at $34,788. That is over $12,000 off! That’s a heck of deal if you can afford the gas.

The Mod Squad

garythepowers — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 02:33:44 +0000

No, not that Mod Squad. I’m talking about the people that “mod” their cars.

There is an entire industry out there where a lot of people are making some serious coin around aftermarket modifications of their vehicles. There are a lot of reasons people will modify their vehicles, but they can really be organized into 2 simple categories; “Go” or” Show”.

If you want your car to look unique, personalized or cooler you throw some “Show” mods onto the car. This can range from wheels to window tinting, glowing lights under the car to bumper stickers declaring your affiliations.

If you want to make your car perform better you start bolting on the “Go” mods. Perhaps cold air intake, an exhaust, a cam, headers, or even a supercharger might fit the bill. (if you don’t mind paying that bill)

The cool thing about mods is that they are as varied as the customers who purchase them. It gives an automotive enthusiast a way to customize or personalize their car into their own creation.

I’ve done a fair amount of modding to my vehicles and I started thinking about why I’m driven to make these modifications to my vehicle. I don’t really car about having a custom creation. I don’t care about “personalizing” my vehicle. I could do that with a pinstripe with my initials in it.

What it is boils down to is that I simply love my vehicles. And at times I may want to improve on a vehicle’s deficiency. Let’s say a car has crappy traction, that is fixed with a suspension mod or some really sticky tires. And other times I may want to improve on a vehicle’s strength. Especially, if that strength is one of the reasons that I like my car.

For example, a 6.0 liter V8 LS2 is a very nice engine. And the aftermarket has a number of parts to improve the power output of that engine. I’m not talking about risky modifications. I’m not talking about one-off custom changes to a motor. I’m talking about tried and true, installed on thousands of motors all over the world, proven improvements.

There a folks out there driving cars that have strong aftermarket support for them. Not strong support because their car is a the bestselling car in the land, but because is a platform that has significant racing support behind and room for improvement.

The GM LSX engines have a vastly superior aftermarket for their powerplants when compared to say the bestselling sedan in the country the Toyota Camry.

People aren’t buying Camrys to mod them and make them better. They are buying them to go from point A to point B. The entire automotive enthusiast world is lost on them. Camry drivers are really looking for a good selection of beige and other dirt-ish colors so they don’t have to wash their car. I’ve actually heard Camry owners beam about their slop-brown colored car by saying “oh yeah, and you can’t even tell when its dirty.” To which I think, “Great, a car that looks dirty all the time.” I’m going to stop my Camry rant now. (If you want to read more Camry ranting go here.)

Anyway, I love the way my car goes. I now want to make it go faster. I like the way it looks. I now want to make it look better. These are the base thoughts at the heart of the aftermarket customers.

(excuse me, I’ve got to go study what my next mod should be)

Does the American muscle car have a future?

garythepowers — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:00:29 +0000

A few days ago The Truth About Cars posted the question to its readers of “Does the American muscle car have a future?”

Here’s my response to that question. (For best results this should be read with a redneck accent.)

Whoooweee! Man, what’chu talkin‘ ‘bout? Does the American muscle car have future? Dang me. Who knows? I can tell you what though. The American muscle car has got itself one heck of a “right now”.

The boys in Dee-troit, might be screwing up their bidnesses, but they got mo’ power now than ever before. And speaking of mo’ power let’s start with the boys at over at Dodge and Plymouth.

Well crapmuffins! I done forgotted that they already runned Plymouth in the ground. Maybe, if they had called it Prettymouth, they’d still be making cars, but I de-gress.

Anyhows, Mopar is still alive and hunt’n with their SRT fellers. They got themselves a 420hp Jeep with 4 wheel drive. There’s the SRT-8 sedans, the 300c and Charger both with 425hp fire-eating 6.1 liter Hemis! And everyone knows that Jesus drives a Hemi.

And of course there is the mother of all Chrysler powered SRT vehicles…..(while angels sing and a spotlight shines down on this car)….. the rebirth of the General Lee! I know the first General was a Charger, but the new one has got too many doors to weld shut. The Dodge Challenger SRT-8 gits it right. I’ll take mine with the big hemi, orange paint job, and the stars and bars on the roof. Oh, fartknobbers, I almost forgot, they still got that V10 515hp Viper. It’s got a little git-up in its get-along. That ‘bout covers the mopar guys. You might call them the .8 of the big 3, but when it comes to horsepower, they’re bringing the whole stable.

Ford may not have the variety of high horsepower vehicles, but the ones they do have make a pretty whine. I’m talking ‘bout the whine from the superchargers on that hot rod Mustang and that Ferrari eating GT. I’m mean what’s so great about Ferraris or even Italy for that matter?

And speaking of Italy and all things foreign, you ever notice how much car magazines love the Japanese, German and Italian cars? I find it a mighty bit suspicious, that those are the same countries my Granddaddy fought in WWII. Is it just me or is the third Reich trying to invade us with superior automotive technology. The only good Nazi is a dead Nazi! Well, chitlin stew, I done veered off topic like my drunk granny on the John Deere.

Chevy, yep, them some good Americans over there. A great American muscle car is alive and kicking with a future so bright, it just might graduate from community college. (and it don’t git no better than that where I come from) I’m talking ‘bout the shiny new Camaro. The cars at Chevy benefit from being related to Corvette and it has historically been a simple engine swap to get Corvette power in another car. (See the Firebirds, Camaros, GTOs, Chevelles and Novas.) And the current king of corvettes, the Elvis Presley of American muscle is the new ZR1 with 638hp. It’s one part V8, one part supercharger and 4 parts goes-like-stink. As long as there’s a Corvette, there’s a power train for GM muscle cars and the completion will compete with their own muscle cars.

So, back to the question at hand, does the American muscle car have a future? Does moonshine still need running? Yes and heck, yes. Chevy’s got themselves plans for the next Corvette with the top secret code name “C7”. (you didn’t hear that secret name from me)

Yeppers, I was pondering this question, real serious like, out on the porch, and then it hit me, hit me like the kick of double-barreled 12 gauge shotgun, loaded with buck shot. The future of the American muscle car depends on the Americans and in particular the American muscle car fan.

We all know that Al Gore wants to kill the V8. But he ain’t the boss of what car I buy. And we can’t all get farm emission exemptions for our cars. We also gots to be nicer to mamma Earth and use less gas. These things sound like bad news to sports cars, kinda like learning your girlfriend is your cousin.

This has all happened before. Back in the early 70s when Petty was the king of NASCAR and beer was cheap, the future looked bad for the muscle car. The muscle car even took a few years off. At that point if you wanted muscle you went to the used car market. And then the muscle cars started coming back as technology caught up to the laws back then.

So worst case scenario, muscle cars go on hiatus. But if they do, they will be back like Willie Nelson; we love them too much for them to become extinct.

600HP for $25k

garythepowers — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 23:37:07 +0000

So the 2006 GTO has resurfaced as my “Car of the Day”. (COTD) The 2006 GTO received the same 6.0 liter engine from the Corvette.

With a stock 400hp and 400lb-ft of torque it is has some pretty stout performance out of the box.

However, under the twin scoops of the hood, sits a very tunable motor. The LS2 engine has a lot options to get even more horsepower out of it. The GTO is a great platform to handle more power.

One of the easiest and most cost effective ways to really “boost” the horsepower is a supercharger. There are plenty of supercharger systems designed specifically for the GTO. They are relatively low cost, around $5,000 and can add as much as 200hp to the GTO. All a supercharger really does is simply push more air into the engine. More air = more power, it is that easy.

This can be very appealing to speed freaks out there and would allow a person to keep a relative stock feeling to car without modding the engine to the edge of reliability. A supercharger with a low psi on this engine would have little to no effect on reliability.

In fact, a lot of manufacturers are supercharger their cars from the factory or including a supercharger dealer option. Companies like Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Chevy, Saturn, Toyota, Ford and Lotus just to name a few are all have or are currently offering supercharging options.

One of the problems with boosting the horsepower on cars is the reliability problems. This isn’t a problem with the GTO and one of the kits made specifically for the Pontiac. It is being done a lot out there, so watch out for any GTOs that seem to have a little extra whine. They could be sporting a 600hp boosted engine.

Reliable, powerful, and a good deal, what more could you want? This makes a GTO an even more appealing option. At 400hp the GTO is fast, at 600hp it would be a real sleeper capable of running with nearly anything.

If a GTO lands in my garage it wouldn’t stay stock for long and is a big reason the GTO is the COTD. I’d be looking for a power boost.

The Evo X is the COTD

garythepowers — Mon, 26 May 2008 04:18:49 +0000

The Car of the Day is simply about what car do I really want to buy today.

The car I want to buy today is once again the Mitsubishi Evolution. I’ve appreciated the Evolution since it came to America. There is something about a simple car that has converted into a super-car beater that appeals to me. I love the technology in an Evo. It is a purpose-built speed machine. Evos share a direct link to their rally car origins.

The Mitsubishi Evolution is a car for enthusiasts who prefer performance over style. The car doesn’t apologize for what it is and what is not. I love the turbo-charged engine that is a simple ECU from hitting nearly 400hp. I love the AWD with the active yaw control. I love the huge front-mount intercooler. The price tag might seem steep if all you see is a Mitsubishi Lancer, but if you can look past the econo-car roots and appreciate the little Evo for what it is in the automotive food chain. It is one of the best all-around performing 4-door sedans on the market. There are cars that may be quicker to 60mph and quicker to finish the quarter mile and quicker around a road course, but not by much. And if they are they probably cost 50% to 100% more than the car that started life as an Evo. And if it a car is faster, it wouldn’t take very much to get tune to Evo make it an even faster vehicle, so the list of cars quicker than it shrinks even smaller.

The Evo X is a has grown up a little from the previous versions. It is actually a little understated compared to the Evo IX. It also is a little softer riding and more livable daily driver. And what a nice daily drive that would be. And much to the chagrin of my wife it is the current COTD, sorry, but it is what I like.

The Supercharged Mustang Bullitt is the COTD

garythepowers — Sat, 24 May 2008 06:27:36 +0000

Ford’s top of the line Mustang is the GT500 it is the 500hp supercharged 5.4 liter V8. However, this comes with the nearly a 500lb weight penalty. Sure, its the fastest factory Mustang, but there is another Mustang that has pretty close performance numbers, especially when you add the Ford Factory Racing Supercharger to it.

You can’t buy the Bullitt supercharged from the factory, but you can get a Ford supercharger added. And that will add all the performance of the GT500 and then some, without the penalty of the 500lbs that the GT500 gets because of its iron-block engine.

The Bullitt is real muscle car and sleeper at the same time. The Mustang also has a strong after market to support the quest for more power. And there are all the Ford Factory Racing parts that you can add to your Mustang.

Today’s COTD is a supercharged Mustang Bullitt. The Bullitt is special and the supercharger takes it to next level of performance. The level of my former COTD a Mitsubishi Evo with a Vishnu tune.

BMW tii

garythepowers — Tue, 20 May 2008 05:09:44 +0000

Today’s car of the day is one of the greatest COTD’s ever and that is a car that isn’t out yet. When you obsess over cars and it seems like you want a new car every day, the car that has not been released yet is an attractive option.

A former COTD is the BMW 135i. It is the little brother to the BMW 3 Series. It is powered by the same 300hp twin-turbocharged engine that drives the 335i. This engine has a bit of reputation of being underrated, significantly underrated. When the 335i’s first started showing for road tests with the automotive media, car journalists were incredulous at the numbers this “300hp” sedan was putting up. So there were several well documented dyno tests of the 335i and the net results of the tests showed that BMW was underselling the performance of the new engine. It was not uncommon for the cars to show 300hp at the wheels meaning it really had about 350hp at the crank.

Why would BMW under-promise by 50hp? My theory is that the previous generation 333hp M3 was sitting in the showroom at the same time that the BMW 335i hit the floor. This meant that if BMW really advertised the true horsepower rating of the 335i it would have more hp than the almighty M3. Thus they over promised and under delivered.

I said all of that to say this that the BMW 135i has a special edition car coming out soon. The BMW 135i tii, is an homage to the great 2002 tii, in execution and theory. The tii is a lightweight, turbo-charged, small coupe that continues to perpetuate the brand that is the Ultimate Driving Machine.

Do you Vishnu?

garythepowers — Thu, 15 May 2008 04:28:57 +0000

The great thing about modern turbo charged engines is that they are a simple reprogramming away from a serious horsepower “boost”. It isn’t uncommon for a proper tune on a turbo charged engine to result in an extra 100hp!

Is a Mitsubishi Evolution, Subaru STI, Legacy GT, Forester XT, WRX or a BMW 335i on your list of potential next cars? Do you wish that your future car had a little more power? Each of these can get an easy 40-100hp from just a new ECU.

A 300hp BMW 335i can become a 400hp BMW 335i with just the Vishnu ECU tune. Vishnu turns the 335i into a car that hit 60 in 4.4 seconds and cross the 1440 ft mark in 12.7 seconds.

If you have a Mitsubishi Evo IX then Vishnu has a deal for you. For $750 you can add about 100hp to your Evo and turn it into a 380hp beast that can do 60mph in 3.9 seconds and trip the ¼ mile lights in 12.3 seconds. That is a great deal and only takes about 20 minutes to install.

If any of the cars Vishnu tunes ended up in my garage, I guarantee that the Vishnu tune would end up under the hood and seriously boost the output of my ride.

Learn more about Vishnu at http://www.vishnutuning.com/.

BMW’s 135i, 335i, and 535i are giving away free horsepower!

garythepowers — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:47:14 +0000

For those of you that don’t know the “35” designation on the back end of BMW series number refers to the BMW’s 3.0 liter twin-turbocharged inline six cylinder motor. The folks from Munich don’t want us to forget that the “M” in BMW stands for “motor”.

When the 335i first hit the streets a lot of automotive testers couldn’t believe the performance numbers that they were getting from the car. They couldn’t believe it so much that the 335i’s were being sent to dynos to get a real rear-wheel horsepower number. The 335i’s that ended up on the dyno were regularly showing 276hp and 300lb-ft of torque at the wheels.

To understand why the 335i was underrated by BMW it helps to think about the showroom at BMW dealers across the country. When the 335i was first introduced it shared the floor with the outgoing 333hp BMW M3. BMW couldn’t have its much vaunted M3 outgunned by an average 3 Series.

This is an award winning engine. If you are fortunate to drive a “35” powered auto, count your lucky stars because it is a great motor with great potential.