How much faster than stock is this Calais v 6.0

[Ian Johnston]

I agree with Zerone, I see a lot of people wanting more power, but neglecting things like brakes, and suspension. I have taught my daughter to look at these things before anything else with her 2 Clubsports. She is happy she listened.(although the stereo had to figure early in the builds:smoking

 

[muso]

Yeah, its a shame how some forums can turn a discussion like this to crap.
To be honest, as a consumer, we really need both Holden and Ford to produce world class cars in Australia.
If one brand stops manufacturing, the other manufacturer will slacken off.
(Also the parts supply chain will inevitably die due to the costs involved in producing lower volumes).

I think if you were to say that you were going to buy a Chery, or Great Wall POS, and wanted to know how it compared to an I6T, then the discussion would be completely different Lol.



Also, any ideas what you want to do with the CalaisV if you end up purchasing one ?
(Of all the mods I have done so far on mine, the Brembo/HSV brake upgrade rates very highly, followed by the IQ upgrade).

Yes Holden and Ford need each other so that they both continue making great cars for Australia, I love them both It is a healthy rivalry with the Australian car buyers being the winner! Neither Ford nor Holden would be where they are today as vehicle manufacturers without each other!

Yes I agree with the brake upgrade my xr6t had crappy taxi brakes so I replaced rotors with DBA's and QFM Pads all round no problems now, I don't even think about it anymore
What mods would I want to do to a Calais V 6.0? I wouldn't want to go too far they are nice as they are but If I could get it moving as quick as the Calais in the Video in my first post or as quick as my tuned XR6T I'd be really happy, I don't like noisy cars so I would have to be cautious of exhaust upgrades and go for more flow with minimal noise.

What is the IQ upgrade? Bear in mind that I'd be buying a used 08-09 Calais V.

Oh I forgot I would certainly try at getting it put on Liquid gas like my xr6t, if there is something I really like about my car it's the equation (12 sec + family car = $30.00 per week to run)

 

[Zerone_V]

The cool thing with the VE models is that we have HSV and Caprice models to borrow bits from to fit up.

Here is my VE with HSV E2 Series triple gauges, and cluster. (And HSV Steering wheel, SSV pedals and shift knob).

I then upgraded the Headunit to a Series II (Holden IQ) model, which is touch screen, and has much more options than the Series I stuff.

The Holden IQ (Fitted to series II models) is a much nicer headunit to live with day in day out.
With the Sat Nav option (And the latest firmware and Map updates), the thing is a real gem to use.

Other things to look for, Brake upgrades (Brembo front brakes) on VEs are a pretty cheap upgrade.
(I got these for $700 used on fleabay), and I have seen them listed a couple of times at this price.

The second image shows HSV Rear Brake Callipers (Which I later resprayed and fitted to mine).


I hope this gives you some ideas ???
Cheers
Matti

Oh LPGi rocks. I have wanted to do this for a looong time, but the lack of Govt rebates has put me off. (Unlike the good ol days where you could get close to $2000 in rebates for fitting LPG).
I don't do a lot of driving, so it would take me around 2 to 3 years to get a return on the $5K + investment.
But on the flip side, I have heard nothing but praise for these systems, both on the Falcon I6 and L98/L76 motors.

 

[muso]

Wow, that looks great, how hard was it to upgrade to the series 2 IQ screen? What kind of cost? Did you get the parts from a wrecker or new? Great photos thanks for posting
LPG is good but when the rebate came in the installation price of some systems almost doubles, eg venturi system on V6 VX commodore $1750 before rebate came in, same system after rebate was introduced as high as $3,400 from one place I got a quote from. I really think even the injected systems are way overpriced, I think it should only cost $2,500 all up for a good gas injection system, I just don't know why they can cost double that.

 

[Zerone_V]

Obtaining an IQ unit is the tricky part. (Well obtaining one for a decent price is).
The first one I got was from an Omega (So it didnt have Sat Nav, diversity antenna support, and CD ripping support).
I got that for around $400 with some trim bits. (The wrecker was a pain in the bum to deal with).
I didnt fit the Omega unit, as I had Sat Nav, and I didnt want to lose this function, so the Omega IQ unit sat around for a bit...

The HSV IQ unit cost ummmmmm, more than it should have. (Lets just say there wasn't much change left out of $3K).
Luckily I sold my old Headunit, the Series I Sat Nav, some trim bits from the IQ unit that I didnt need, and the HSV E2 Gauges for close to $2K (So the upgrade cost me around 1K all up).
That included pretty much all new bits for the center console. (As the HSV E3 stuff only comes in black, and it looked a bit weird having the light urban (Beige) console bits.

Having said all that, I have seen Calais IQ units go for around $800 - $900 with some trim bits (And Sat Nav).
There was an IQ unit from an SSV (with Sat Nav) that was selling for $1100.

There are also a few hidden costs with upgrading to an IQ unit.
1) $350 - Programming. (You need to have the VIN number on the IQ unit programmed to match your cars VIN, but while you get this done, you may as well ask the programmer to enable EVERYTHING on the IQ unit)
So you can have a reverse camera, the Rear Seat DVD player play audio and display video on the front screen whilst driving (Video In Motion), Change the Startup Screen (HSV, Holden or Chev), and do a firmware upgrade too.

2) Video - $150 If you want to use the video input, you will need to either source the connector from a wrecker, or buy one that plugs in to the IQ unit (at $150 a pop)

3) Wiring Adaptor - $150 (The wiring plug is the same for Series I and Series II models, but the wire locations are completely different. So you need an adaptor to convert the S1 wiring to work with the IQ unit)

4) Trim Bits $$$$ (Depending on how terrible the wrecker is, you will probably have some broken trim bits, or will need to purchase stuff that is missing. This is what caused me a lot of grief

5) Series 2 Cluster - $300 and up (Note this is only really needed if you have Sat Nav, as the Series I cluster doesnt work very well with the Sat nav prompts and data. (It works, but is a pain in the bum to live with).
^^^^^ I still need to do this step, and I am going to try and fit a Grange cluster up and get that working. (Which is going to be more pain in the bum)

 

[muso]

I still quite like the look of the old screen in the Calais V series 1 it is a bit low and should have been designed high up more at eye level in the first place for safety reasons.
The Calais V has Sat nav standard doesn't it?

I was surprised that a reversing camera is not standard in the Calais V, with the high rear window you really need it, parking sensors may not tell you when you are about to reverse over a cat, dog or even worse child, but I think many used Calais V's have it as an option anyway, looks good what you did but it wasn't without trouble and expense but certainly worth it if you are keeping the car and will add re-sale appeal

 

[arronm]

Obtaining an IQ unit is the tricky part. (Well obtaining one for a decent price is).
The first one I got was from an Omega (So it didnt have Sat Nav, diversity antenna support, and CD ripping support).
I got that for around $400 with some trim bits. (The wrecker was a pain in the bum to deal with).
I didnt fit the Omega unit, as I had Sat Nav, and I didnt want to lose this function, so the Omega IQ unit sat around for a bit...

The HSV IQ unit cost ummmmmm, more than it should have. (Lets just say there wasn't much change left out of $3K).
Luckily I sold my old Headunit, the Series I Sat Nav, some trim bits from the IQ unit that I didnt need, and the HSV E2 Gauges for close to $2K (So the upgrade cost me around 1K all up).
That included pretty much all new bits for the center console. (As the HSV E3 stuff only comes in black, and it looked a bit weird having the light urban (Beige) console bits.

Having said all that, I have seen Calais IQ units go for around $800 - $900 with some trim bits (And Sat Nav).
There was an IQ unit from an SSV (with Sat Nav) that was selling for $1100.

There are also a few hidden costs with upgrading to an IQ unit.
1) $350 - Programming. (You need to have the VIN number on the IQ unit programmed to match your cars VIN, but while you get this done, you may as well ask the programmer to enable EVERYTHING on the IQ unit)
So you can have a reverse camera, the Rear Seat DVD player play audio and display video on the front screen whilst driving (Video In Motion), Change the Startup Screen (HSV, Holden or Chev), and do a firmware upgrade too.

2) Video - $150 If you want to use the video input, you will need to either source the connector from a wrecker, or buy one that plugs in to the IQ unit (at $150 a pop)

3) Wiring Adaptor - $150 (The wiring plug is the same for Series I and Series II models, but the wire locations are completely different. So you need an adaptor to convert the S1 wiring to work with the IQ unit)

4) Trim Bits $$$$ (Depending on how terrible the wrecker is, you will probably have some broken trim bits, or will need to purchase stuff that is missing. This is what caused me a lot of grief

5) Series 2 Cluster - $300 and up (Note this is only really needed if you have Sat Nav, as the Series I cluster doesnt work very well with the Sat nav prompts and data. (It works, but is a pain in the bum to live with).
^^^^^ I still need to do this step, and I am going to try and fit a Grange cluster up and get that working. (Which is going to be more pain in the bum)

Yep , you talked me into it. Calling up about it on monday. They offer drivein, drive out in Perth.

Can I just get omega colour screen if I dont want sat nav. Can I get different air vents, i dont like the round ones. I have a rear mount DVD, will that incorporate.

Any other advice you can give me.