Vl Under-bonnet Mods where 2 start ?

[sando_3000]

Hey Ppl,

It's come 2 the stage in my Vl's life in which she could do with sum under bonnet mods but i dunno wat 2 start with. n e tips ? much appericiated

Cheers Sando.

[Bax]

Whats your budget?

extractors, 2.25" or 2.5 inch exhaust.
advance timing.
K&N panel filter.
Cold air intake.

Or do you mean shaving, balancing, boring etc etc etc.

[sando_3000]

Ummm i'm looking at about $3,500 budjet yeah most likely i'd go 4 the Exhaust n cold air intake an filter i'v herd around the place that an Rb30 to RB26 Head Swap over is also a good option wat do u think bextor ?

Cheers Sando.

[Bax]

rb25 would be the way to go i'd say, alot cheaper to pick up then the rb26 head and you'll hardly notice a difference i don't think.

if thats your plan i'd be keeping whatever you've got stock now and researching what you want, figure it out, get what you need, get it done, then do everything else afterwards.. your exhaust etc.

[sando_3000]

Yeah Cheers Boxter thats given me sum ideas thanks mate

[dan_man31]

mate if u got the spare paper put the best i heard that u can get a supercharger for cheap $$$$ turbo's are crap also go wit the exhaust options the pod filters also is your car a manual or an auto cause manuals will also give your commodore some boot and get the in car options also like 5 1/2 inch tacho and the clear white dials u recommended for my car would make it look mint thanks also u could get like 3 1/2 inch exhaust with extractors and such cool tell us how it goes

dan

[Bax]

mate if u got the spare paper put the best i heard that u can get a supercharger for cheap $$$$ turbo's are crap also go wit the exhaust options the pod filters also is your car a manual or an auto cause manuals will also give your commodore some boot and get the in car options also like 5 1/2 inch tacho and the clear white dials u recommended for my car would make it look mint thanks also u could get like 3 1/2 inch exhaust with extractors and such cool tell us how it goes

dan

And I'd ignore that post completely.. Burn it from your mind forever.

Edit, Sorry: I'll elaborate.

Superchargers are cheap, but theres not too much room for upgrading down the track, apart from a bigger pulley and a front mount, injectors etc. Compared to a turbo, where you can upgrade turbo, more boost with much less hassle then getting a larger pulley made up. The turbo will last longer, and its not that much more expensive. Oh and it won't run out of puff as much.

Secondly, why do you say turbo's suck? I won't say any more until I hear why your saying they suck.

Thirdly, 14" Tacho? Why? Do we even know if this guys car is auto or manual? Even if it is manual why do you need to waste a huge amount of money on a tacho that you already have on the dash? - And if not, why not go a stock dash for alot cheaper. Then white dials? I guess thats all personal preference, but yeah.. Eww...

And last but not least, 3 and a half inch exhaust.. Thats even rather large for a turbo thats spitting out so much more air.. Oh it'd sound terrible, I really hope your post was a G up, because I'm honestly scared that there's people doing this too cars and recommending it to others.

Have another drink mate..

[seventh path]

i have to agree with bextor on that post......also, turbo's don't drag the engine....they run on exhust gasses instead of on the front pulley, which also goes with the basic way of modifying.......more air in + more exhust out = faster car.......basically

[VLACS]

so what ur saying is i should just get for example - extractors, exhaust, a pod filter and perhaps some cold air in there. i dont plan on putting in a turbo cos of financial issues so would it be worth going furhter than this

[sando_3000]

yeah bextor i kno wat u mean bout the 3 1/2 inch pipes there way too big n yeah i agree with u about the turbo upposed 2 the charger in the way of a turbo wat do u think of the Ceramic Y2K Ball bearing Turbo's ? they dont seem bad from wat i've read

Cheers Sando.

[dan_man31]

hey bextor wats with the personal attacks first of all in saying turbo's are crap in my opinion they are in comparison with the turbo's im not an A grade mechanic but i know that a supercharger supplys instant power turbo's have the lag this is only my opinion also who ever said n e thing about a 14" Tacho? Why?

also i agree with your remarks on the 3 1/2 inch exhaust i meant the 2 1/2

and $3500 would not cover the bits to install a turbo then u need to start installing bigger things such as i believe an intercooler which retail for big $$$$$ also stronger diff heavier tailshaft 4 wheel disc brakes to compensate for the power increase even if it is a small difference i dont know whether u have to do anything physical to the motor im not sure whether u need such things as compresion plates and stuff like that

but in the way of turbos i had a look at the y2k looks decent supporting up to 2000hp seems the way to go (not saying his would do that much)

and i got another question with a turbo in ur standard rb30 would ur auto be able to hold on to a power increase or do u need to start changing that shit as well

baxtor my beer was great thanks for asking

tell us how it goes thanks sando

good sites for turbo's http://www.turboneticsinc.com/turbochargers.html

[Bax]

Wasn't a personal attack sorry mate, I just answered your post with my thoughts.

The superchargers- ones that I'm talking about are the cheapo's. Made for a 2litre engine, so its fine for something without much capacity, but as soon as you start bolting it onto a 3 litre, once you hit third gear she'll lose her efficiency and you'll basically be running off the cars own power + a tiny little bit of aid down very low in the range. But as I said, once you start getting 3rd and 4th gears its basically gone.

Yeah its instant, and yes you have the added bonus of being able to have it on a switch. However, with the stock t03 your still looking at boost at around 2 grand, which honestly is barely nothing. Considering idle is around 750rpm and most n/a boys launch at 3ish or more anyway.

The t03 is good for 150-325hp
Whereas the y2k is good for 2000+

With the increase of power output- you get the increase in lag, as it takes longer for the turbo to spool to get more power through the large housings. I believe thats how it works.

Now, you stick a to3 on a low compression turbo, and you've got a nice engine.
However, you stick a to3 on a high compression engine, and you've got yourself an engine that has more low down torque, less lag, and more power on the same boost level.

Decompression plates are an item of interest, alot of people hate them, and alot of people say theres no problems. I personally, am sticking with the high compression and not touching gaskets or decomp plates at all. If it aint broke, don't fix it.

Now, costs.. You can say the SC14 setup can be done for 600 dollars on the cheap.
But in reality, alot of people would have alot of trouble getting the mounts made up, the pulley made up, and the piping made up, unless they could find a good friend in the business. Or, on the other hand, they would/ could pay 1800 straight up to have it all installed straight away.

Then you face the brakes/ gearbox strengthening options the same as the turbo. Rear discs and n/a fronts, they aren't flash, but they'll do, as long as you put a priority to do them, as even being plain n/a.. I know mine aren't good enough.

So, 600-1800 for the SC14 setup, without brakes or gearbox.

Turbo, Depends I guess, but I consider myself fairly lucky. Most average prices I see to aim for is 1500. Thats for All the bits you need for the turbo, the turbo ecu, and injectors. I got all mine for 1000..

Intercoolers and go on both, as they both do the same thing, lowering intake temperatures, helping retard premature detonation and thus making your engine run better.

And yeah/ it'll hold the power, but the main problem is getting the timing/ and detonation, well, lack of detonation working to a t. Once you get rid of detonation, if you have any to begin with at stock boost. By retarding your timing etc.

Once you have your timing spot on, and your getting enough fuel, and your intake temp is not too hot and your not getting any pinging, you can crank the boost up a bit, the more you go the more it would be advised to get an intercooler to lower those intake temps, as I said before, to help retard pinging.

[VLACS]

did i read correctly

$1500 for a turbo with all the stuff to do including strengthening stuff

[Bax]

Theres no strenghtening there. As I was trying to say in that previous post was that if your sensible about it you don't need to strenghten anything.

But- It would be advised to upgrade your gearbox and brakes. The manual should live if you treat it nicely, but it'd die after a while, same with the auto, its been done with a transmission cooler, but I think it started slipping pretty quickly.

[jcd256]

SC14 isn't worth it... Go with a whipple blower or something, cost about the same as a turbo will... But a heap more power, and zero lag!

I'm currently planning my upgrades with a whipple charger... Going to be 'spensive in the scheme of things, but the power figures are nuts!

SC-14s are loud as well, and make the car shake like all hell... Don't bother!

[Bax]

Its cheap power.. Whats wrong with that?

[jcd256]

Cheap, yes... But as a few others have done that I know... They've ended up removing it after things started to rattle off inside the engine bay.

They have lots of torque and so on, and a nice bit of boost untill you get up high, but it's lacking the real power all the way through the gears and so on.

To quote some reasons why from another person I know with a supercharged VL:

SC-14 blower:
No lag.
Low boost only on a 3 litre (6-7psi MAX on a well setup engine)
Cheap.
Poor top-end airflow (boost will drop off as revs get high)
Loud.

Turbo:
Expensive.
Big power figure on a dyno.
In reality, laggy on the street and generally poor response in low rpm situations.
Goes pssssht if you want it to.
Can really run any boost you want to provided you have the money for a big turbo.

Whipple blower:
Ability to run up to 30psi.
Quiet.
About as expensive as a new turbo.
Capable of 700 horses at the engine.
No lag.
Extremely efficient (85% volumetric efficiency everywhere) so no boost drop as RPM increases. Boosts holds constant and massive top-end power is achievable.
Reliable and much less likely to detonate (no exhaust back pressure)

[Bax]

Why do people always say turbo is expensive, big hp setups are yes with reliability, but if thats the case then the Blower will be just as dear.

Anyway, I'd still like to see it done, I've seen alot of VK's and VH's with huge chargers and absolutely loved them- But I'm yet to see it done nicely on a vl.

[jetspin_vn]

I wouldn't mind a supercharged RB30, but in doing it I'd be rebuliding and beefing up several key engine components (pistons, bearings) to allow for future expansion. It's the sort of thing that has to be done right.

And don't go sticking moster tachos on Commys, it will only get you disowned.

[sando_3000]

Lol yeah wats wit ppl puttin the Monster taco's on n e way most i'v seen r in stock (auto) vl's " oh i'v gotta kno when the cars gonna change gears"

[jcd256]

The only time I can understand a monster tachy, is when it's a manual, and you're racing, because some helmets you can't hear anything through, so the rpm count is nice... But what's the deal with a shift light? You need a little blinking annoying piece of junk to tell you when to shift up or down? Go back to driving school!

[Bax]

I'm the opposite, I'd rather a shift light over a tacho. Purely for the fact that you can see it without having to take your eyes off the road/ where your going to look. Once again, only in a drag/ circuit situation where you have a helmet on and can't hear too much.

Apart from that, most of these lads with tacho's have the hugest stereo's and worst sounding exhausts ever. See the common link. Their music is up that loud they don't know how shit the car sounds and what revs the car is doing.

Turn the music off, often theres no sweeter sound then an engine screaming its tits off.

[sando_3000]

I second taht"

[VLACS]

i also am inclined to agree. mine doesnt sound particularly loud or special though. can an exhaust make the car sound good. im thinkin bout getting one but i dont want one that sounds like a vacuum cleaner. some of my mates have those and you cant hear shit over the top of them. meaning no point having a sound system cos you cant hear it

[jcd256]

I suppose if you get a mandrel bent exhaust system, high flow cat and two hi flow mufflers with all the right sound deadening material, then it should be fairly quiet (Compariatively, it'll be louder than a stock, as it's breathing more, but quieter than a straight through with only one muffler on it)

There is a certain amount of the set up affecting the note that comes from the end of it, and how loud it really is. I've seen a few cars lately that have extremely LOUD exhausts, and even louder sound systems (That... And they drive around with all the windows open, making the car louder to them, so they put the music up more! I have my window open when driving because I can't afford a regas at the moment, sheesh)