[fholm]

Hey!

So I was mucking around with the idea of getting a smaller sports-car as a secondary to my daily driver ATS to get something which has a little bit more omphf to it, but decided to scrap the idea as I simply don't feel like I can drive anything other than my ATS It's just... amazing.

However, I do want some more performance out of my ATS. Now since I don't live in the states, it's hard for me to keep track of what shops are still available/which can ship to Europe, etc. And it might be possible that I re-iterate a few things which are common knowledge here on the forums.

First question (#1): Pfadt is out of business/closed down, correct? So that means whatever kits were available from them is out of the question.

I then found D3, and this kit: http://d3groupinc.com/2-0t-cadillac-ats-intake-package-woptional-downpipe-now-available/ It seems to me like they will ship to Europe (I even think there's a retailer here that I can order through). Second question (#2): Has anyone fitted this kit to their ATS, and if so what were the gains like?

But what I would really like is to be able to put 400+ WHP to the ground.

And to my joy, I found ZZPerformance and oh-boy do they have parts, I do like the D3 kit and I might start with that if I can get it shipped to Sweden, but considering the range of items that ZZPerformance offers I figured getting in the excess of 400+ WHP would not be impossible (assuming you spend a pretty penny on it). Third Question (#3): Has anyone fitted ZZPerformance parts to their ATS?

Also, I have a (#4) fourth and kind of weird question: Can you find information on what the max HP/TQ figures GM claims that the ATS engine/drivetrain can withstand? This is not because I wan't to stay "under" it and assume that I'm "safe", but because the laws in my country requires information from the manufacturer on how much you can increase the power output of the engine without it becoming "dangerous", due to road safety regulations (yeah I know... sigh).

Edit: I also found KPE, which like the other three options listed offer ATS specific parts and tuns: https://www.kpe-products.com/product-category/cadillac-ats/ Anyone have any experience with these guys?

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

I also found KPE, which like the other three options listed offer ATS specific parts and tuns: https://www.kpe-products.com/product-category/cadillac-ats/ Anyone have any experience with these guys?

They are great to work with. I have their tune but not the hard parts. I think their tunes are the best if you are looking to just plug and play. Tremendous low and midrange increases and (possibly because a lot of dealers use their tunes) I haven't seen or heard or any problems that you see with other tunes that require adjustments for some cars. I suspect its because KPE doesn't go so far for that last tiny extra that causes other tunes to not work as well on cars at the fringes of production tolerances. And they have a 100% money back guarantee on their tunes and a discount for forum members. KPE also includes a tune that lets you run up to E85 without any hardware modification but I'm not using it because of a lack of E85 stations in my area. Like many things, some are better for some and not for others.

 

[fholm]

Thanks for the input, right now I am looking at the following combination:

KPE Tune, KPE Exhaust (parts), D3 Performance Kit (parts).

I would like to go all the way with the ZZPerformance engine blocks, etc. but I think I'll do with this for now

 

[louie1487]

No experience with them, but Vermont tuning is another possible option.

 

[fholm]

Oh... their stage 2 /w upgraded turbo does interest me quite a lot with over 100 more whp around 5700 RPM.... damn, not even that expensive. Wonder if they ship to Sweden. I wonder how well the rest of the drivetrain on the ats holds up to increase hp/tq? Maybe I should post another thread on that, yeah.

 

[mikesul]

I have the Vtune w/upgraded turbo, catless d-p, and E85 addition. In place since 7/2013 and no problems, only very nice hp gains and great driving enjoyment. Will visit Brian 6/4 in VT for in the car road tune. Really looking forward to the
visit as Brian is very knowledgeable, and extracts nice gains without going overboard. This doesn't mean I am unhappy now as the car is a joy to drive. But I am always looking for " a little more".

 

[fholm]

@mikesul have you dyno'd your car? or at least have an estimate on how much it puts to the ground? And yeah what I'm looking for is exactly what you said in your sentence: "extracts nice gains without going overboard". Also E85 conversion would be amazing as over here there's basically E85 everywhere.

I really do want to re-build the entire motor with a block, pistons, etc. from ZZPerformance, but maybe after the car has a bunch of miles on it, feels bad "throwing away" the current and fully working engine

 

[louie1487]

And I believe E85 burns cleaner.

 

[fholm]

And I believe E85 burns cleaner.

Yeah it does, it also has a very high octane rating and cooling properties
which means it's less prone to knocking.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Yeah it does, it also has a very high octane rating and cooling properties
which means it's less prone to knocking.

That's why I wanted to run it in mine. KPE has a tune that lets you run E5 to E85 without any hardware changes but the only E85 station even remotely near anywhere I drive is some boutique car spa where the E85 is even more expensive than premium at REAL stations.

 

[fholm]

That's why I wanted to run it in mine. KPE has a tune that lets you run E5 to E85 without any hardware changes but the only E85 station even remotely near anywhere I drive is some boutique car spa where the E85 is even more expensive than premium at REAL stations.

Yeah, i'm in luck as E85 is pretty much available at most stations over here, some of the unmanned tiny ones only have 91 (95 RON) / Diesel, but most carry 91 (RON:95)/93+ (RON:98+)/E85/Diesel.

Do you know of anyone thats been running an E85 tune for a long time? How does it affect the engine? I know some older cars once converted to E85 would have issues with the engine and seals degrading as they wouldn't stand up to the E85 corrosion, is this still the case for our engine (2.0T for me) of today?

 

[mikesul]

I have put 10K miles and 2 years running only E85. It runs $0.80-90/gal less than 93 locally. I have 2 stations within 4 miles of my house. No dyno since installing the E85, but before that had 317 rwhp with dp, larger turbo,
and 93 octane tune.

 

[Boat]

Oh... their stage 2 /w upgraded turbo does interest me quite a lot with over 100 more whp around 5700 RPM.... damn, not even that expensive. Wonder if they ship to Sweden. I wonder how well the rest of the drivetrain on the ats holds up to increase hp/tq? Maybe I should post another thread on that, yeah.

I'm thinking of buying an ATS4 and am looking at my options for upgrades...

This kit from Vtuning is very appealing, I'd have to run meth though as there isn't much e85 around me...have you found any other testimonials regarding the durability of the drivetrain with this power increase?

 

[airframer84]

So I saw your post and looked into all three, D3 for their stage one kit come with intake, inter cooler pipes, and a cat less downpipe for 1500, TRS which is on Facebook quoyed me 650 for the same setup.

 

[louie1487]

So I saw your post and looked into all three, D3 for their stage one kit come with intake, inter cooler pipes, and a cat less downpipe for 1500, TRS which is on Facebook quoyed me 650 for the same setup.

TRS may come with a catch can too.

 

[Nite_Hawk]

According to D3 site, it says the collaborated with TRS to make their kit.

 

[dpelow07]

Yes the parts are the same from trs. Just go through Trent on trafabricarions Facebook page

 

[airframer84]

He told me the same thing, that D3 uses his stuff. Can't complain about that kind of price.

 

[dpelow07]

I have all those parts and more. They are all great quality and fit perfectly but If you decide to go catless you will need a custom tune