MotorTrend Pits the ZL1 vs GT500 on the Street, Dragstrip, and Racetrack

[evolve]

Originally Posted by PQ

I went PD because it's just more fun to me. Instant big TQ.

The cost DID have to do with it too and I could do the work myself.

This is the exact same reason I stuck with a PD blower Turbos are very expensive!

[8cd03gro]

Originally Posted by evolve

This is the exact same reason I stuck with a PD blower Turbos are very expensive!

But they are oh so fun. Blower whine is great. Open external wastegates are intoxicating.

[PQ]

Originally Posted by 8cd03gro

But they are oh so fun. Blower whine is great. Open external wastegates are intoxicating.

And a dead giveaway.

[tt335ci03cobra]

Blower wine is very badass, I loved my eaton setup for all the same reasons. So fun to have it in second around 40mph, and floor it while passing a bus stop or a group of people on a sidewalk and scaring the ever loving shit out of people.

I still do that from time to time now with my wastegates and bov's while going under freeway ramps.

I was driving past a lemonade stand and the kids there did the burnout/tear ass spin it sign by spinning they're hands. The look on people's faces when they hear wastegates roar to life is like a deer in the headlights followed by huge grins. Same with blower wine, it's pretty cool when your car makes badass sounds that most people don't understand unless they're into cars.

[8cd03gro]

Originally Posted by tt335ci03cobra

Blower wine is very badass, I loved my eaton setup for all the same reasons. So fun to have it in second around 40mph, and floor it while passing a bus stop or a group of people on a sidewalk and scaring the ever loving shit out of people.

I still do that from time to time now with my wastegates and bov's while going under freeway ramps.

I was driving past a lemonade stand and the kids there did the burnout/tear ass spin it sign by spinning they're hands. The look on people's faces when they hear wastegates roar to life is like a deer in the headlights followed by huge grins. Same with blower wine, it's pretty cool when your car makes badass sounds that most people don't understand unless they're into cars.

Are you dumping to ATM or do your dumps route back into your downpipes?

[C5RocksC5]

Since bench-racers just cant seem to get enough of back and forth bickering and both unwilling to accept facts and would rather keep arguments in the spin cycle, lets just say...It's dead even. They both suck! End of story. Now go f'n drive your cars.

[PQ]

Originally Posted by tt335ci03cobra

Blower wine is very badass, I loved my eaton setup for all the same reasons. So fun to have it in second around 40mph, and floor it while passing a bus stop or a group of people on a sidewalk and scaring the ever loving shit out of people.

I still do that from time to time now with my wastegates and bov's while going under freeway ramps.

I was driving past a lemonade stand and the kids there did the burnout/tear ass spin it sign by spinning they're hands. The look on people's faces when they hear wastegates roar to life is like a deer in the headlights followed by huge grins. Same with blower wine, it's pretty cool when your car makes badass sounds that most people don't understand unless they're into cars.

I like to open the headers in the tunnels.

[LeviG]

Originally Posted by firecross91

OK so you guys have me decide to trade in my ZL1 for a Cobalt SS. I'm going to get a 10-71 supercharger off a bus and 2 turbo's off of Freight liner, a commercial air conditioning unit to cool the intake charge and put 26's all around. I'm gonna be bad a$$. Who wants to race?

LOL!!! Leave this topic NOW. Its for your own good! Trust me!

[stymie]

SOLUTION: put a ghetto grade BOOMBOX in your trunk with a transducer that amplifies the cars "natural" exhaust TONE @ the flip of a switch to about 140dB. IF you get pulled over by a revenue enhancement officer, flip the switch & go: whut?

I'm also working on prescription windshields for near/far-sighted drivers so they can drive w/o cumbersome eye glasses. There will be the optional window tint change rheostat for other such encounters to defeat tint-o-meters.

For the hard core driving enthusiast attempting to defeat radar, ECMs like the AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) could be deployed with wonderful results.

[LeviG]

Originally Posted by PistonsFan

You are right, they both create similar amount of heat through compression. The difference is that superchargers are usually directly mounted into the intake manifold and the heat exhchanger is in the manifold. That heat exhancher can only be so big and can only pull out "x" amount of heat. The turbo system typically uses an external cooler (like a front mount air-to-air cooler) that is highly efficent.

I know this will not apply to either the ZL1 or the GT500, but centrifugal superchargers, which are mounted elsewhere in the engine compartment, can use external intercoolers as well. Which would make them as good as, or better (no turbo lag) than a turbocharger. Again, I know this doesn't apply to these two cars, but it kinda negates the "supercharged cars are bad for racecourses" arguement.

[evolve]

Originally Posted by stymie

SOLUTION: put a ghetto grade BOOMBOX in your trunk with a transducer that amplifies the cars "natural" exhaust TONE @ the flip of a switch to about 140dB. IF you get pulled over by a revenue enhancement officer, flip the switch & go: whut?

I'm also working on prescription windshields for near/far-sighted drivers so they can drive w/o cumbersome eye glasses. There will be the optional window tint change rheostat for other such encounters to defeat tint-o-meters.

For the hard core driving enthusiast attempting to defeat radar, ECMs like the AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM) could be deployed with wonderful results.

HARM is a beast.

[LeviG]

Originally Posted by PistonsFan

This is an internet myth. Supercharged cars won't heat soak on the track - unless they are poorly designed. Look at this test. Thee laps and no degradation in the performance. There's plenty of fresh air going through the intercooler to keep the supercharger cooling system cool.

Heat soak is a problem at the drag stip, where you run WOT and then stop the car. All of the heat soaks into the engine, supercharger, and cooling system while it's just sitting there.

The reason why superchargers aren't used in professional sports car racing is in large part due to poor fuel consumption and rules. In SCCA World Challenge, the CTS-V is not allowed to run the LSA.

I think some of this is also coming from the article on this site about the Lingenfelter ZL1 that they took to 200+ mph. It experinced heat soak, which initially hindered them from reaching their target speed. BUT this was on modified car built for top speed, not for circuit racing.

[stymie]

My other invention is a blower run by a Briggs & Stratton 4 stroke engine independent of the LSA's crankshaft/pulley system.

A JATO assist is also in the works!

[8cd03gro]

Originally Posted by LeviG

I know this will not apply to either the ZL1 or the GT500, but centrifugal superchargers, which are mounted elsewhere in the engine compartment, can use external intercoolers as well. Which would make them as good as, or better (no turbo lag) than a turbocharger. Again, I know this doesn't apply to these two cars, but it kinda negates the "supercharged cars are bad for racecourses" arguement.

Though a centrifugal supercharger makes boost quickly, it makes boost linearly. It will not make peak boost as early as a proper turbo setup as boost builds with RPM with a centrifugal blower. Turbo lag is really not a big deal anymore. I have a journal bearing turbocharger from 2005 on a 2.5l 4 cylinder and I see peak boost well before 3,500 rpm. Some of the newer ball bearing designs in different configurations will actually help the engine make peak torque BEFORE 2,500rpm. The cobalt SS/TC for example. Centri blowers are great options for the aftermarket, especially if you're making big numbers, but they have some key drawbacks that really keep them from being as great all around performers as a proper turbocharger or twin screw/TVS.