VN Upgrades - What and Why...

[theVNkid]

I'm really not sure what to do next to my '89 VN, there are so many options out there. What would be the best thing to do next, something that will improve HP without blowing the budget? Also, what kind of power gains are we talking?

I've considered a larger throttle body, stage 3 crow cam, shift kit, cold air intake + pod filter, extractors, etc...

So far all I've done is put a 2 1/2" Lukey exhaust to give it that mean sound and obviously allow better air flow.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

theVNkid

[cruzncommo]

hmm, you pretty much summed it up well there, maybe 3:8 or 4:11 diff gears?

[1991_Vn2nV]

3.9 ratio diff gears made the biggest difference for me..

Extractors are inevitable at some point but dont make a massive difference. Neither did a stage 2 crow cam, I suggest going custom ground if getting a cam and have been told to go Wade cams instead of Crow.

Cold air intake from Holdens is only $53 so that would be the first step. The VS S/C intake.

Transgo shiftkit is another good idea, but wont increase hp (neither do diff gears obviously) but they are worth the money spent.

[theVNkid]

Thanks for the replies.

Why go a Wade Cam rather then a Crow?

What about a Port & Polish, what kind of difference would that make?

[1991_Vn2nV]

Apparently crow cams dont tend to make much power in comparison, and I can definitely vouch for that with my stage 2 crow cam. Although I have never had a wade cam.

But according to greenfoam, all the go fast V6 boys tend to use Wade Cams and I guess there is good reason for that.

[SlowVac]

if you want power get a custom grind cam made from wade without geting an aftermarket ecu, heavy duty valve springs, extractors, shiftkit, LSD with higher diff gears, stall convertor to match the cam and diff gears (approx 2500rpm stall), larger throttle (65mm from the V8) improves throttle response, CAI.

For starters I'll go for the CAI, extractors, shiftkit (transgo are very good kits) and LSD to get the power down on road before going crazy with the engine.

[theVNkid]

Awesome. The LSD and shift kit seem to be the best way to go as well as a CAI.

I know this is putting it out there but do you guys know what kind of power gains you can get by supercharging the buick 3.8?

Thanks again for the input.

[1991_Vn2nV]

Thats a very broad question, it depends on the supercharger, boost, other mods etc.

[theVNkid]

Yeah, that's true. My bad there.

Alright, what is a good supercharger to go with for the VN 3.8 to give optimum power with just a few other upgrades (ie exhaust, CAI etc) without blowing the budget?

Also, what are the most common superchargers used by VN drivers?

[Matt_vp]

do a search

[1991_Vn2nV]

What do you classify as 'blowing the budget'?

CRS kits are cheap and common, and they use the SC14 supercharger off a Toyota MR2, but are limited to like 3psi.

Raptor Superchargers who sponsor this site make much more powerful kits capable of higher psi, but are more expensive.

At the end of the day you get what you pay for...

[Matt_vp]

the SC14 supercharger off a Toyota MR2, but are limited to like 3psi.

??? are they ???

[stocky]

??? are they ???

if you keep them stock. couple of weeks and mine will be 8-10psi

[88GreenVN]

Best mod to make for the 3800 is good leads, CAI and a SV3800 TUNE. It made a big change to my car - no cam or tricky dicky ECU - Just the SV3800 tune and now the VN goes much harder. I've had the car for 18 years so I can vouch for the car going better. - Go the SV 3800 tune, CAI & new leads first and you will be very happy. cost less that 250.00.

[Mr_Slim]

Best mod to make for the 3800 is good leads, CAI and a SV3800 TUNE. It made a big change to my car - no cam or tricky dicky ECU - Just the SV3800 tune and now the VN goes much harder. I've had the car for 18 years so I can vouch for the car going better. - Go the SV 3800 tune, CAI & new leads first and you will be very happy. cost less that 250.00.

would the SV3800 tune work on a VP? what about a manual VP with gas (which it should be in a weeks time)

in theory i could get the manual SV3800 tune, but then the gas people would have to retune it wouldn't they?

[88GreenVN]

would the SV3800 tune work on a VP? what about a manual VP with gas (which it should be in a weeks time)

in theory i could get the manual SV3800 tune, but then the gas people would have to retune it wouldn't they?

I dont know if they re tune for gas - have not heard of this. As for a SV 3800 working in a VP - couldnt tell. I know the VP memcal I had in my VN didnt work well at all. So it may not work for you.

[14secvp]

have had this tune in my vp not very good some of the tweaks in the tune are good like when the tourque converter locks up and stuff but less power when in vp mad in the vn though plus its not set up to turn the injectors off when on lpg so no go with the gas.

[Matt_vp]

if you keep them stock. couple of weeks and mine will be 8-10psi

yeah i know, i was just wondering what vn2nv ment..

[theVNkid]

Blowing the budget - doing the most you can without the price getting too outrageous.

An SV 3800 tune you say? I'll look into it. Thanks for the tip.

[88GreenVN]

Blowing the budget - doing the most you can without the price getting too outrageous.

An SV 3800 tune you say? I'll look into it. Thanks for the tip.

I have seen one on Ebay for $100.00 If its the real deal it would still be good value.

[J_D]

I have seen one on Ebay for $100.00 If its the real deal it would still be good value.

And if its not the real deal you could lunch your engine. I wouldnt buy something like that off ebay, you cant prove it has the sv3800 tune on it unless you have a memcal reader in which case you could burn it on a chip yourself. Im keen to do that mod but I want to make sure its done right. I have thought about getting a reader/writer but CBF. To much stuffing around for my likeing.

[1991_Vn2nV]

??? are they ???

If you read my post properly I was referring to the CRS kits. They run 3psi, maybe 3.5psi MAX. Thats all you get without modifying the kit, smaller pulley and a re-map of the ecu.

[Matt_vp]

If you read my post properly I was referring to the CRS kits. They run 3psi, maybe 3.5psi MAX. Thats all you get without modifying the kit, smaller pulley and a re-map of the ecu.

yeah i read the post, it was the word limited i was wondering about because they aren't limited to 3 psi, that just the starting point.

[1991_Vn2nV]

The kit is limited to 3psi, the charger isn't. Thats probably the way I should have worded it.

The CRS kit is basically 2 grand ($1990 or something) for anyone wondering, but its just as easy to find an SC14 charger on ebay etc. and go about doing it yourself, especially if you want to run more than 3psi.

[JD]

spray it hot pink