Warranty is almost up, I have a boxed up blower. Do I take the plunge?

[BacDoc]

Originally Posted by shadybx7

good idea on the DD, Check out the new Colbalt SS sedan, it gets 30mpg on the highway and holds the FWD record at Nürburgring


http://www.autoguide.com/manufacture...eview-961.html

Colbalt is a stud. So is the MS3. I just need something small, roomy, and able to hit cones with....cheap! 4 door SVT Focus is prefect, especially for $6500.

[Luna.]

Originally Posted by Doctornick

I decided to keep the car and slap the maggie on. Big paycheck coming next week, so I'll use those funds to do whatever I can to make sure its as reliable as possible and throw some into finding a backup LS6...
I also think I am going to "pull a bacdoc" and buy a SVT focus, Civic SI or Mazdaspeed 3 as a daily driver for those high mileage days.

Very cool.

Then again, I'm a fan of doing your previous idea, with a slight modification. Why? Because I was THIS CLOSE ---><---- to doing exactly that.

Sell the maggie, get a Madman differential, and build a 427" or, even better, a 441" motor from scratch (a 441" would use a 4.125 stroke crankshaft)--I would NOT do a crate LS7--that's WAY too much work imo.

Motor + Madman diff? Say $23k or so. Less, say, $4k for the maggie, that's $19k out of pocket. Further, you can probably sell your existing LS6 as well, further reducing your out-of-pocket expenses.

Expensive? Yes, no denying that. But you'd have a motor that would be 100k+ mile reliable, would put down ~500 rwhp N/A WITHOUT even sweating (much more if you want more--I'm thinking CA smog legal), and would make your car greased lightning...

The weak link in the drivetrain then becomes the Tremec T-56 transmission. Unless you're dropping the clutch at 6,000 rpm at the drag strip or something, I don't see this as a huge issue though.

Damn--making me ponder about that big time right now...

[DisposableHero]

Originally Posted by Luna.

Very cool.

Then again, I'm a fan of doing your previous idea, with a slight modification. Why? Because I was THIS CLOSE ---><---- to doing exactly that.

Sell the maggie, get a Madman differential, and build a 427" or, even better, a 441" motor from scratch (a 441" would use a 4.125 stroke crankshaft)--I would NOT do a crate LS7--that's WAY too much work imo.

Motor + Madman diff? Say $23k or so. Less, say, $4k for the maggie, that's $19k out of pocket. Further, you can probably sell your existing LS6 as well, further reducing your out-of-pocket expenses.

Expensive? Yes, no denying that. But you'd have a motor that would be 100k+ mile reliable, would put down ~500 rwhp N/A WITHOUT even sweating (much more if you want more--I'm thinking CA smog legal), and would make your car greased lightning...

The weak link in the drivetrain then becomes the Tremec T-56 transmission. Unless you're dropping the clutch at 6,000 rpm at the drag strip or something, I don't see this as a huge issue though.

Damn--making me ponder about that big time right now...

must be nice having that kind of money lol

[darkman]

Originally Posted by Luna.

Very cool.


Expensive? Yes, no denying that. But you'd have a motor that would be 100k+ mile reliable, would put down ~500 rwhp N/A WITHOUT even sweating (much more if you want more--I'm thinking CA smog legal), and would make your car greased lightning...

Reading this paragraph by itself you could be talking about the V2 option.

[Max-Q]

Originally Posted by rand49er

In June '07, I still had about 19 months left on my warranty with 35k miles on it. I went to the dealer, got a new diff, brought it home, and did the maggie in early July. Last January, my warranty was up. Now, about 10.6k maggied-miles later and with nothing other than a leaky pinion seal that just showed up, I couldn't be happier!

I say, DO IT !!!

I agree. I installed my maggie with exactly 35,000 miles and a warranty. Now 18 months later I have almost 50,000 miles and I have had zero issues. My wife uses it as her daily driver and drives about 65 per day.

The only thing the maggie did was it really woke this car up and made it even more of a pleasure to drive.

Install that thing and fall in love with the V all over again.

[c4ss]

Anyone know the most mileage put on a maggied V on the forum? Max said 15k in about a year for him. Just wondering out of curiosity because I plan on going that route eventually.

[MauiV]

My Maggie went on Oct 6, 2008. Since then I have added 23,XXX miles with no real problems. I have replaced the diff bushing, motor mounts, radiator and some other stuff that are standard on almost all Vs. The only real PITA thing has been the oil pressure sensor which also seems to be quickly becoming another standard fix problem on these cars. Mine just reads --- and I get a Service Vehicle Soon message .

23k miles in 9 months!! 53k in just under 2 years!! If I wanted something pretty to look at I would have bought a painting. I bought the car because I love to drive it, so I do. Its a machine and I use it as such. I have a Jeep Cherokee sitting next to it in the garage and it gets its turn in the snow, otherwise its a V day.

[Luna.]

Originally Posted by darkman

Reading this paragraph by itself you could be talking about the V2 option.

Perhaps. I still think it would be more expensive to go the V2 route though, especially if you start modding that.

And, don't forget, the V2 is a much heavier car. ~500 rwhp in the V1 feels much faster than 500rwhp in the V2, to say nothing about throttle response (V2 throttle response isn't the greatest--yes, it has some advantages, but that is another story).

And I just threw out 500rwhp as a super conservative number, especially in case one was concerned about the T-56 transmission. I believe Andy got ~580rwhp in a very similar engine with just a little bit of cam. It's just a N/A beast that's super reliable (the way Andy would build it, it would be good for, say 800-900 rwhp, so 600 would be a walk in the park...).

You can definitely get ~580rwhp out of an LSA, but that requires some decent modifications. I know that HPE got ~600 rwhp, but they did heads/cam/blower snout, etc.

Of significant concern in the LSA, however, are the PISTONS. Inexplicably, GM opted to install cast pistons into the LSA rather than forged. Many are very concerned about reliability over time of the LSA at higher power levels.

Just food for thought is all. The gentlemen said that he was considering installing an LS7, so this is right along those lines, but far, far superior, as the power would be much higher, reliability would easily be as good, if not better, and installation would be 10x easier if for nothing else than not having to worry about the computers talking to one another...

[DRKSIDE]

Seriously - has anyone here ever even seen a V2? That car makes the V1 look like an early 90's Mustang! The V2 isn't just adding 150 hp to the deal. The suspension, interior, styling... it makes our V1 virtually obsolete! If I had a V1 that ran 10's in the 1/4 and 7.50 on the ring I would still have to jump on a V2 provided money was not an option.

Don't get me wrong, if I had a Maggie in the closet and couldn't afford a V2 (I am half way there - I have no Maggie) I would have to slap it on and enjoy my new love. But if I had Maggie in the closet and the bank for a a V2 I couldn't get to the dealership fast enough!

Just my opinion I know, but V1 is to V2 as C4 is to C6!

[c4ss]

Originally Posted by DRKSIDE

Just my opinion I know, but V1 is to V2 as C4 is to C6!

Whoaaa that's a little rash I think. Maybe more like c5 to c6 . I do love my V1 though and am totally fine in waiting a few years for a V2. I say throw maggie on and be done with it.

[darkman]

Originally Posted by Luna.

Perhaps. I still think it would be more expensive to go the V2 route though, especially if you start modding that.

And, don't forget, the V2 is a much heavier car. ~500 rwhp in the V1 feels much faster than 500rwhp in the V2, to say nothing about throttle response (V2 throttle response isn't the greatest--yes, it has some advantages, but that is another story).

And I just threw out 500rwhp as a super conservative number, especially in case one was concerned about the T-56 transmission. I believe Andy got ~580rwhp in a very similar engine with just a little bit of cam. It's just a N/A beast that's super reliable (the way Andy would build it, it would be good for, say 800-900 rwhp, so 600 would be a walk in the park...).

You can definitely get ~580rwhp out of an LSA, but that requires some decent modifications. I know that HPE got ~600 rwhp, but they did heads/cam/blower snout, etc.

Of significant concern in the LSA, however, are the PISTONS. Inexplicably, GM opted to install cast pistons into the LSA rather than forged. Many are very concerned about reliability over time of the LSA at higher power levels.

Just food for thought is all. The gentlemen said that he was considering installing an LS7, so this is right along those lines, but far, far superior, as the power would be much higher, reliability would easily be as good, if not better, and installation would be 10x easier if for nothing else than not having to worry about the computers talking to one another...

I don't disagree with any of this. I was just thinking more generally that given a choice between two blown motors the oem-blown motor will tend to be more reliable than motor with an aftermarket blower (and installation).

Additionally, I don't know if you can take 400hp motor and mod it to 500hp and actually be CA smog legal. Perhaps you can pass the periodic test if the inspector checks none of your hardware but you will not actually be legal. This is because the CA regulations actually forbid many aftermarket parts even if they accomplish the same result. The LS7 option (which I failed to consider) might get you there.

[c4ss]

Originally Posted by darkman

Additionally, I don't know if you can take 400hp motor and mod it to 500hp and actually be CA smog legal. Perhaps you can pass the periodic test if the inspector checks none of your hardware but you will not actually be legal.

I really hope this type of thing STAYS on the west coast. I can't imagine having so many regulations as far as enginework on a daily driver goes.

[darkman]

Originally Posted by c4ss

I really hope this type of thing STAYS on the west coast. I can't imagine having so many regulations as far as enginework on a daily driver goes.

I think opposing all more stringent emission regulations is like standing in front of a freight train - we will lose.

So I think we should work for exceptions to the general rules for limited production cars, like the CTS-V, and for aftermarket equipment that does not increase emissions. After all, the problem is caused by the general fleet of cars on the road, not the handful of CTS-Vs, Corvettes, Vipers and hotrods built by enthusiasts. We ought to be able to have clean air and our hotrods too.

[Luna.]

Originally Posted by DRKSIDE

Seriously - has anyone here ever even seen a V2? That car makes the V1 look like an early 90's Mustang! The V2 isn't just adding 150 hp to the deal. The suspension, interior, styling... it makes our V1 virtually obsolete! If I had a V1 that ran 10's in the 1/4 and 7.50 on the ring I would still have to jump on a V2 provided money was not an option.

Don't get me wrong, if I had a Maggie in the closet and couldn't afford a V2 (I am half way there - I have no Maggie) I would have to slap it on and enjoy my new love. But if I had Maggie in the closet and the bank for a a V2 I couldn't get to the dealership fast enough!

Just my opinion I know, but V1 is to V2 as C4 is to C6!

With FG2s & Hotchkiss sway bars, I honestly prefer the V1 suspension over my V2. The interior of the V2 is better, but some things they did drive me nuts (for example, the visual appearance of the speedo/tach IS nice, but the recessed appearance makes them often harder to read!). Yeah, they aren't too big a deal, but the V1 holds some cards over it.

Styling? Again, I prefer the V1. Call me silly, but I like the looks of the V1 better.

The V2, however, fixes the cursed differential issue, fixes the clunk, fixes the wheelhop, comes from the factory with ~470rwhp, is far more sturdy than the V1, as it was built to handle much more HP, etc. Those are the significant advantages of the V2 over the V1 in my mind and the biggest reasons I purchased the V2 rather than have fun with my V1.

Originally Posted by darkman

I don't disagree with any of this. I was just thinking more generally that given a choice between two blown motors the oem-blown motor will tend to be more reliable than motor with an aftermarket blower (and installation).

Additionally, I don't know if you can take 400hp motor and mod it to 500hp and actually be CA smog legal. Perhaps you can pass the periodic test if the inspector checks none of your hardware but you will not actually be legal. This is because the CA regulations actually forbid many aftermarket parts even if they accomplish the same result. The LS7 option (which I failed to consider) might get you there.

I'm not sure you're understanding. I'm not talking about modding an LS6...Andy (anyone for that matter) would build a 441" motor (that's bigger than the LS7) and this motor would soar over 500 rwhp, naturally aspirated. And, built correctly, there is NO WAY a mass-production motor would be as reliable as a properly built after-market motor; it's not even in the cards.

With a set of headers, LS7s can get close to 500rwhp. A 441" motor would easily surpass that of an LS7 and I bet you can add a little cam and still pass the CA sniffer. I'm not sure that the cam Andy used to get 580rwhp out of a similar 441" motor is CA smog compliant, but I bet a 540rwhp one might be. And, don't forget, that's naturally aspirated.

If you throw a blower on top of it, you'll EASILY pass CA smog and can get just about any rwhp number you want. BUT, that costs a lot more money and then you have to deal with the blower. When I was discussing my options with Andy, I said I wanted to go N/A, be CA smog compliant, and exceed 500rwhp, hopefully sitting at around 550rwhp. In the V1, that would SMOKE a V2, even tuned (I got 521rwhp after tune in my V2). Granted, a few mods later and the V2 can get its rwhp numbers way up, but that is another story...

[darkman]

Originally Posted by Luna.

With FG2s & Hotchkiss sway bars, I honestly prefer the V1 suspension over my V2. The interior of the V2 is better, but some things they did drive me nuts (for example, the visual appearance of the speedo/tach IS nice, but the recessed appearance makes them often harder to read!). Yeah, they aren't too big a deal, but the V1 holds some cards over it.

Styling? Again, I prefer the V1. Call me silly, but I like the looks of the V1 better.

The V2, however, fixes the cursed differential issue, fixes the clunk, fixes the wheelhop, comes from the factory with ~470rwhp, is far more sturdy than the V1, as it was built to handle much more HP, etc. Those are the significant advantages of the V2 over the V1 in my mind and the biggest reasons I purchased the V2 rather than have fun with my V1.



I'm not sure you're understanding. I'm not talking about modding an LS6...Andy (anyone for that matter) would build a 441" motor (that's bigger than the LS7) and this motor would soar over 500 rwhp, naturally aspirated. And, built correctly, there is NO WAY a mass-production motor would be as reliable as a properly built after-market motor; it's not even in the cards.

With a set of headers, LS7s can get close to 500rwhp. A 441" motor would easily surpass that of an LS7 and I bet you can add a little cam and still pass the CA sniffer. I'm not sure that the cam Andy used to get 580rwhp out of a similar 441" motor is CA smog compliant, but I bet a 540rwhp one might be. And, don't forget, that's naturally aspirated.

If you throw a blower on top of it, you'll EASILY pass CA smog and can get just about any rwhp number you want. BUT, that costs a lot more money and then you have to deal with the blower. When I was discussing my options with Andy, I said I wanted to go N/A, be CA smog compliant, and exceed 500rwhp, hopefully sitting at around 550rwhp. In the V1, that would SMOKE a V2, even tuned (I got 521rwhp after tune in my V2). Granted, a few mods later and the V2 can get its rwhp numbers way up, but that is another story...

I am not talking about just passing the "sniffer", I am talking about actual compliance with California law which means no headers, stock cats, and no aftermarket tune. So your "modified" motor has to have stock exhaust manifolds, stock catalyic converters, and an unaltered OEM ECM. Under those restrictions how much horsepower can your naturally aspirated moded motors make?

By the way, the author of this thread does not appear to live in California.