[Evansa22]

He said his 125 hp package does very well on track especially with the ethanol to help the engine run cooler. Would think removing the restrictions in and out helps the engine be more efficient but not sure that'll help with heat. Never logged the car completely stock tho so I have no hard data before/after

[SFV1LE]

Originally Posted by Evansa22

He said his 125 hp package does very well on track especially with the ethanol to help the engine run cooler. Would think removing the restrictions in and out helps the engine be more efficient but not sure that'll help with heat. Never logged the car completely stock tho so I have no hard data before/after

I didn't see any mention of how it does on track or effect on cooling in this post below, was it in another post about the JRE kit?

EDIT: just realized by "He" I think you mean Ted from JRE. I know Ted said that but I was asking for real world CUSTOMER feedback. Thanks!

"Fair question… for me there are a couple answers. Number one, part of the enjoyment I get from owning this vehicle is not just from waiting all week until Saturday morning when I get to wipe it down and take it out for a drive, but equal part detailing it, and modifying it. Looking back at the cards that I found this one is no different, I get an equal part of pleasure researching, planning, and doing the work myself, I get just as much fun out of doing that as I do actually driving in. The second reason is, this is still a pony car. This is not a supercar. We will never be able to say that Chevy spared no expense. It’s actually quite the opposite, Chevy had to pinch a lot of pennies to make a car that’s great at this price point. For me, 650 fly wheel horsepower is not enough for a car this heavy. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very quick car in stock form. But after you drive that car for a while and you start getting used to the power level, I don’t know how people don’t start wanting more. I can tell you that once I went from 650 fly wheel horsepower to 650 rear wheel horsepower, this thing is so much more fun in every way, and I see no reason that GM could not have done this from the factory. Even if they would’ve at least given us a flex fuel sensor with the capability of running 85 or a blend, this car would’ve been at a whole new level. I guess that’s also why I’m planning my third round of mods which will add another hundred horsepower. Pulling the engine to add the cam it’s going to be so much fun for me. Hopefully that gives you some insight. I think it all comes down to peoples aptitude, interests, and how their hobbies and skill sets intersect with the toys that they have. For many of us on the forum, modifying our cars is 50% of the fun of owning one. Hopefully that helps you understand. Good luck on your journey."

[Camaro1973]

Originally Posted by Drnick

I don’t understand it either?! All that horsepower is fun, but quite useless
In this country, unless your a cop, and even then, I’ve seen cops give
Tickets or worse, to other cops!….I guess it comes down to whoever has
The biggest set of balls and thickest wallet!

It’s a hobby for many of us. A lot of us old timers had old 1st Gen cars with big blocks back in the 70’s, to us it’s just a hobby building them up, going to shows etc.

Anyone can buy a stock car, we just have enjoyment of modding them.

[Evansa22]

Originally Posted by SFV1LE

I didn't see any mention of how it does on track or effect on cooling in this post below, was it in another post about the JRE kit?

EDIT: just realized by "He" I think you mean Ted from JRE. I know Ted said that but I was asking for real world CUSTOMER feedback. Thanks!

"Fair question… for me there are a couple answers. Number one, part of the enjoyment I get from owning this vehicle is not just from waiting all week until Saturday morning when I get to wipe it down and take it out for a drive, but equal part detailing it, and modifying it. Looking back at the cards that I found this one is no different, I get an equal part of pleasure researching, planning, and doing the work myself, I get just as much fun out of doing that as I do actually driving in. The second reason is, this is still a pony car. This is not a supercar. We will never be able to say that Chevy spared no expense. It’s actually quite the opposite, Chevy had to pinch a lot of pennies to make a car that’s great at this price point. For me, 650 fly wheel horsepower is not enough for a car this heavy. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very quick car in stock form. But after you drive that car for a while and you start getting used to the power level, I don’t know how people don’t start wanting more. I can tell you that once I went from 650 fly wheel horsepower to 650 rear wheel horsepower, this thing is so much more fun in every way, and I see no reason that GM could not have done this from the factory. Even if they would’ve at least given us a flex fuel sensor with the capability of running 85 or a blend, this car would’ve been at a whole new level. I guess that’s also why I’m planning my third round of mods which will add another hundred horsepower. Pulling the engine to add the cam it’s going to be so much fun for me. Hopefully that gives you some insight. I think it all comes down to peoples aptitude, interests, and how their hobbies and skill sets intersect with the toys that they have. For many of us on the forum, modifying our cars is 50% of the fun of owning one. Hopefully that helps you understand. Good luck on your journey."

Fair enough, and yes I was talking about Ted. He also mentioned he had no problem pulling on gt500's on track with the package. Could be drivers, idk

[Smokin19]

Originally Posted by Camaro1973

It’s a hobby for many of us. A lot of us old timers had old 1st Gen cars with big blocks back in the 70’s, to us it’s just a hobby building them up, going to shows etc.

Anyone can buy a stock car, we just have enjoyment of modding them.

I've mentioned my age before so for me muscle goes back to the early 60's. It's been my hobby and interest all those years. Look at Carrol Shelby and their are millions more like him in this country, guys who held their interest till the end. I am one of those millions.

[Cardiak]

Why do people buy ZL1's?

[mariojas]

650 is enough for street. Mine is daily driver so I am not touching it
But if it would be a truck weapon only - different story

[ST1LE]

Originally Posted by Smokin19

I've mentioned my age before so for me muscle goes back to the early 60's. It's been my hobby and interest all those years. Look at Carrol Shelby and their are millions more like him in this country, guys who held their interest till the end. I am one of those millions.

Me too. Albeit a different generation, but it's in my blood just like you. I have been without a manual V8 for a while and its like not seeing the sun

[JBones81]

I don't have my zl1 yet, but for all the other cars I've owned, I was never happy with the stock performance. Adding some power, tuning it, doing a couple suspension things, brakes, etc. makes the car so much more pleasant to drive. For example, my RS3 is a cheat code at the moment. I watched what other guys had done, and tried to choose only the mods that would allow me to maximize speed w/o compromising durability and drivability. By adding 200hp, changing the brakes, wheels & tires, and a couple suspension pieces, the car out accelerates nearly everything else on the road, takes turns very well, and then stops when I need it to.

For the ZL1, I'm doing the same thing - reading on here for months while I wait for mine to get here. Then, I can do the the best overall mods to increase the fun factor without hurting the car.

[RobZL1]

Originally Posted by KingLT1

Because you don't get 650hp half the time with a stock ZL1...what you have is the ECU limiting power due to heat, lack of octane, and lack of traction. Tire, flex sensor, e60, and tune...then you will have a legit 650hp car all the time.

YES! I discovered this for myself when I took my first couple of logs last week. I think I'm going to start my tuning journey on this car by raising some torque limits and giving a little more driver demand rate leeway.

Hadn't planned on tuning this early in my ownership, but it's annoying to see it yank throttle when it gets to 650 engine torque on a pull (at least that's what it looks like).

[Idaho2018GTPremium]

I live at ~2,700 feet elevation, so that plays a role in how that power feels depending on temperature and ambient conditions. During the summer, density altitude is 3500'+ early in the morning, up to 6500'+ in the late afternoon, and 7,000' on very hot days. It's 74 deg F right now, with a DA of 4,200'.

For me, at my location, the ZL1 in nearly stock form (I have a K&N carbon fiber intake and Tony Mamo ported throttle body that I measured before/after gains with) is enough when it's pretty cold out as DAs may be below 1,500' or even occasionally under 1,000' if its cold enough. I notice a drop off in power at warm/hot air temperatures, not only due to less dense/warm air, but also the ZL1's timing tables are less aggressive in warm/hot weather (higher air intake temperatures reduce timing). So the high-ish elevation combined with warm/hot air is a double whammy. I don't like that I'm leaving power on the table, so to speak.

The problem is when it's cold, the tires don't grip, so I can't really use that extra hp compared to warm weather anyway, unless I've been driving for a while and the tires are up to temp.

I wouldn't mind some basic mods to make up for much of that power loss in the summer. That probably requires a few bolt-ons and higher octane fuel to do the trick (so less timing is pulled due to less chance of pre-ignition).

The saving grace is that everyone around me deals with the same bad DA, but some of the modded cars have E85 and better intercooling and tunes to minimize the timing impact of the warm air (I'm talking about all forced induction cars, not just ZL1s as those are pretty rare around here). They also obviously may have pulleys (or running more boost in turbo cars) and other mods to get more mass airflow to maintain better power.

[ZX-10R]

1. The human heart is never satisfied, read Ecclesiastes 1 sometime - it's all 100% true. The older you get, the more you recognize it.

2. These cars make closer to 560 rwhp on a dyno. Good, but not extraordinary these days. 800 rwhp would be better, and I get it, I love power, but can you use it on the street? Maybe 2% of the time - and even then you probably risk going to jail

3. Many people just love to modify their cars, even though they know it's an absolute zero return investment on what is often tens of thousands of dollars. That could change if we go into recession and gas prices stay high. For me, I like to get something new every few years and I have a standing offer of $8k above what I paid for the car, modifications would just reduce the value

4. There aren't many high power, decent handling alternatives. Z06 is like driving on ice and I'm not a vette guy with a paunch. The M5 is comfy but it's a boat. E cars are heavier yet. AMG GT? GT3? Sure if you have $150k

[ZX-10R]

Originally Posted by JBones81

For example, my RS3 is a cheat code at the moment. I watched what other guys had done, and tried to choose only the mods that would allow me to maximize speed w/o compromising durability and drivability. By adding 200hp, changing the brakes, wheels & tires, and a couple suspension pieces, the car out accelerates nearly everything else on the road, takes turns very well, and then stops when I need it to.

What made you buy a musclecar coming from a tiny RS3 (tiny but heavy and not great handling on a roadcourse)?

[Blackdevil77]

The thing also with modifying cars, you always get used to the new power and it will no longer feel fast at some point, so then you mod some more. It’s a rabbit hole. If you’re not competitive with the car, best way to keep the car feeling fast is to stop driving it for a few days and drive a slow piece of crap in between.