[Ecotec] Disconnecting a supercharger

[commodore665]

Gemini it up.

That'll work

 

[Decicrate]

Look, no doubt they go pretty good in a light car. Mine went good, was definately fun to drive. However, i got to the point where i was going to have to throw a lot more money at it to go any faster as i'd gone about as far as you can go in terms of bolt on mods. Sure, people like Decicrate have certainly pushed the envelope to see how far they can go and i respect that, but for me i decided to go for what i thought was a better option for my situation. With bolt on mods, you get pretty good power for dollar value, but IMO, once you start cracking open the engine, that power for dollar value diminishes.

For the record, i am in no way trying to run down the L67, i think they're not a bad thing, that's just my experience/thoughts.

The good thing about when you post is that you have actually had a L67, and for quite sometime followed the L67 scene so you actually know what you are on about.

So many arm chair experts on this forum that have not got a single clue at all about what they are talking about.......

 

[Grennan]

The good thing about when you post is that you have actually had a L67, and for quite sometime followed the L67 scene so you actually know what you are on about.

So many arm chair experts on this forum that have not got a single clue at all about what they are talking about.......

But we all said pretty much the exact same thing.

They are not a bad engine, if you have the cash to throw at it.

As soon as you get past the bolt on mods, they are expensive to get what is in comparison, smaller power from. It doesnt take owning one to know this nor should it be a requirement of owning one to comment on that FACT. Ive seen countless people both on forums and in my friend circle spend thousands upon thousands on L67s and barely crack what a VX SS has with a tune and OTR and this is my one and only beef with this engine.

I dont have an issue with anyone who wants to modify or who owns an L67, everyone has a tuned LS and a good L67 is surprising. What I have an issue with is the assumption from some people that they are easy to get power from and people who expect similar power figures to other engines.

 

[EYY]

I thought there was some silly posts in this thread, but that by far takes the cake as the most silly.

I'm talking in terms of practicality, not performance. Obviously if money is no object, or you don't do much driving then it's not worth it. If you live in the middle of nowhere like myself and everything's quite far away, then it's a very viable option. $45 for 500km+, it's awesome.

When I said 'best of all', it wasn't supposed to be taken THAT seriously. It's just another advantage if you don't have cash to throw around. And if done properly, there is no noticeable loss in performance. The people who hate lpg don't understand it, or have had bad experiences with dodgy installations.

 

[383 hatch]

I'm not going to get involved in a debate about LPG (this thread has enough debates going already). However, I understand how LPG works and it really is a junk product. It's a short term gain, long term loss type of deal.

 

[Decicrate]

But we all said pretty much the exact same thing.

They are not a bad engine, if you have the cash to throw at it.

As soon as you get past the bolt on mods, they are expensive to get what is in comparison, smaller power from. It doesnt take owning one to know this nor should it be a requirement of owning one to comment on that FACT. Ive seen countless people both on forums and in my friend circle spend thousands upon thousands on L67s and barely crack what a VX SS has with a tune and OTR and this is my one and only beef with this engine.

I dont have an issue with anyone who wants to modify or who owns an L67, everyone has a tuned LS and a good L67 is surprising. What I have an issue with is the assumption from some people that they are easy to get power from and people who expect similar power figures to other engines.

They are like any other engine, the more you throw at them the more you get out of them. It really comes down to what the owner of the car wants at the end of the day.
Some may want a 1/4 mile racer some may only want a 10PSI upgrade and nothing more, some maybe happy with one in its stock form.

So if someone wants something with a nice amount of low end torque and is nice and snappy out of the blocks, then maybe a L67 is something that may tick the boxes.

You say that they get expensive after all the bolt on mods?? I find that the bolt on mods are the expensive part when it comes to these. I find that they are about the same price when compared to say a LS engine, forged pistons are about the same price, cams are about the same and to have any machine work done is a little cheaper.

Now by no way am I saying that the L67 is the greatest thing out there, I am a realist.

But bang for buck they are not as bad as some like to bang on about.
Some parts are a little expensive, like cooler systems, but when you are producing small amounts dedicated to one style of engine that only had a handful released in Australia, compared to other engines, then of course they are going to be a bit more expensive.

I think that good information is always what should be given, not some diatribe, wheezed out by some arm chair expert......

Power figures.................. I don't know how many times people start to say that they don't make a bucket load of power, whilst this maybe true, what people do not understand is the torque figure.
Understand the toque delivery, and then the power figure is not as important.
If people looked at the 60ft times of a mild L67 they would be surprised at what they do.


I will agree that I too have seen many throw large amounts of money at these and go nowhere. Why? most because they tend to listen to the arm chair experts and not the guys that have the runs on the board.
When you have a toothache you don't go and see a landscaper to have it fixed.

at the end of the day it is horses for courses, some will like the L67 and others won't, I have no issue with that.

It would be a boring world if we all had the same engine with the same cam and same OTR and the same tune...........

 

[commodore665]

A few years back not long after we arrived from SA , we had a VS Calais , with the supercharged 6 , the only mods I did to it were a SS induction OTR intake , and a cat back exhaust , but even without those mods it was a good engine , enough power, passably economical if driven sedately , I always thought , that Holden missed a chance to really develop the L67, but lets be honest it's a dated engine , it was already probably passed it's best when Holden got hold of it as well . But it has a truck load of potential , if you have the wonga to throw at it .

 

[TI3VOM]

Unsure why you keep using my first name.

But anywho. You cannot see how you posting the incorrect information and making the claim that the Super 6 was faster than the V8 could start an argument? Thats exactly the same as someone saying "Buy a V8".

Jecs, the laws are changing again, but currently in Vic, you cannot drive any petrol car with forced induction, turbo diesels etc are fine in some instances. From memory under the new laws coming in the Calais SC6 were ok, although not entirely sure. They havent applied to me in 5 years so I havent bothered to researc

No I mentioned it was more powerful, I knew one of the super 6 models was VERY close to the V8 version, a couple of kilowatts and the slight torque difference between the two was minimal.

I'm really not looking for this thread to go any further, but I'm glad some other people have admitted that the L67 isn't as bad as what it's always made out to be. I hope this is a positive step towards a more accepting forum, it shouldn't matter what engine your car has in it, as long as it drives and makes you happy.

 

[TI3VOM]

I always thought , that Holden missed a chance to really develop the L67, but lets be honest it's a dated engine

So true....

 

[Immortality]

WOW, I missed this thread.

My comments are based on facts and experience.

Facts:
Standard Ecotec: 152 kW (204 hp)
L67 running 6psi of boost: 171 kW (229 hp)

An extra 19kW (25 hp) from 6psi, or to put it another way, an extra 12.5% power from an increase in VE of approximately 40%, or to put it yet another way, "they are ****".

Experience:
Having driven both the stock and charged versions of the ecotec, and also having spent 18 months developing my own charged buick 3800 running 6psi. It was pulling 220kW (295hp) out of a well used 3800 with an SC14 at 6psi.

Not that what you did wasn't impressive but how exactly did that end? If I remember correctly either blown head gaskets or broken pistons or both?

Sure you made good power however when someone like Holden release an engine they have to do it in a manor where they can ensure the engine will cope with crap fuel and what ever else cars deal with during their years of service as well as survive a reasonable amount of mileage. If Holden released a supercharged V6 based on what you had they would be broke with warranty repairs within a couple of years (and we won't talk about NVH, ADR or emissions compliance).

Peace out.

BTW, when Holden first used the L67 in the VS models the standard ecotec made 147kw, the 5litre V8 made 165kw which was the same as the L67 @ 165KW, the V8 makes 10Nm more torque but the L67 makes it's torque earlier in the power band. BTW BTW, the L67 used in the Commodores was borrowed directly from the US but detuned as they came out with 180kw/380Nm standard in the US in 1996. Holden also never used the newer version of the L67 (L32) which made more power again with a newer generation M90 blower.