SHE'S ALIVE!!!

[dbtk2]

After 14 months I finally took the STE out for a ~10 mile drive today. Pulls like a scalded kitten. No traction in first gear (although the streets are kinda wet today in some spots since the snow is melting), once it hits 2nd the computer must see something wrong because it falls on its face. The gas in the car is 14 months old so maybe its getting some KR. Right now it seems to be running ~11psi. I'll try turning the boost down a bit to see what that does. Either way, its driveable and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

 

I'll fill you in on some more details after I drive it a bit more.

 

Shawn

[Guest TurboSedan]

congrats Shawn

[Intlcutlass]

Was that the first drive with the new cam?

[GP1138]

I thought the tranny was dead in it??

[Nick1234]

I thought the tranny was dead in it??

 

he actually got yet another tranny for it.

 

By the way next time im in michigan i want to ride in it.

[Bossman429]

Awesome!

Congrats, It always feels weird when I drive my TSTE after a long break.

I cruise on weekends, and have two cruisers to chose from, so each sits for a couple weeks most of the time.

Congrats again! Hopefuly this one lasts for a while.

[z284pwr]

Was that the first drive with the new cam?

 

Yes, I want to know too, how is the bottom end and how it top end pull in first?

[dbtk2]

Was that the first drive with the new cam?

 

No, I drove it for about 3 months with the cam/topend swap. That is what killed the trans but until then the thing pulled like mad. The problem was I never really got the boost where I wanted it and whatnot, the car was never really "done" before the trans went. Since I had ~14 months to play with it I got all kinds of things adjusted and more how I wanted them.

 

Now that I've run that tank of gas out and drove it a bit (I'm in OH with it now) its running a lot better. Boost is only about 9psi right now, but thats about where I want it because my injectors are way maxed out and its running in the high 800's for 02's which is a little lower than I would like. The thing pulls HARD through first gear, has no problem smoking the 245/50 Nitto's from a 20mph roll. In 2nd it seems to fall on its face just a little at first, but then it picks right up and takes off. On the freeway in 3rd is where it really shines, since I had ~150 miles of freeway driving I took advantage of it and she doesn't stop pulling. I can't wait to get the GT2871R on it with ~14psi and a FMIC, then this thing will really go! It also has no KR.

 

Shawn

[z284pwr]

Was that the first drive with the new cam?

 

No, I drove it for about 3 months with the cam/topend swap. That is what killed the trans but until then the thing pulled like mad. The problem was I never really got the boost where I wanted it and whatnot, the car was never really "done" before the trans went. Since I had ~14 months to play with it I got all kinds of things adjusted and more how I wanted them.

 

Now that I've run that tank of gas out and drove it a bit (I'm in OH with it now) its running a lot better. Boost is only about 9psi right now, but thats about where I want it because my injectors are way maxed out and its running in the high 800's for 02's which is a little lower than I would like. The thing pulls HARD through first gear, has no problem smoking the 245/50 Nitto's from a 20mph roll. In 2nd it seems to fall on its face just a little at first, but then it picks right up and takes off. On the freeway in 3rd is where it really shines, since I had ~150 miles of freeway driving I took advantage of it and she doesn't stop pulling. I can't wait to get the GT2871R on it with ~14psi and a FMIC, then this thing will really go! It also has no KR.

 

Shawn

 

Your 2nd gear sounds a little bit like mine does if my trans doesn't slip, same with 3rd gear. It hits 3rd gear and just takes off like crazy right? Even though you are doing 80+ by then and don't have much room for more, legally, unless you are high speed running the thing

 

What kind of chip are you running and what is the rev limiter on that chip?

 

Oh and one more question. How is the bottom end from a STOP? 20mph roll-ons don't count here I know what happens then I'm more curious about low bottom end.

[Nick1234]

im willing to bet he can't get traction at all from a stop.

[dbtk2]

Your 2nd gear sounds a little bit like mine does if my trans doesn't slip, same with 3rd gear. It hits 3rd gear and just takes off like crazy right? Even though you are doing 80+ by then and don't have much room for more, legally, unless you are high speed running the thing

 

What kind of chip are you running and what is the rev limiter on that chip?

 

Oh and one more question. How is the bottom end from a STOP? 20mph roll-ons don't count here I know what happens then I'm more curious about low bottom end.

 

im willing to bet he can't get traction at all from a stop.

 

This is definately true. At any speed below 20, traction is unheard of. The cam did not hurt the low end at all, it actually improved it. Which, since it has more lift and duration and less overlap than the stock cam, makes sense. Nothing that I have done to the car has hurt the low end power at all, in fact, since I got the car I've improved the low-end torque significantly. I have full boost at ~1800rpm. Basically right now it has plenty of power through the whole powerband. I am running the TopGun 160 chip, which from what I've been told has a 6200rpm limiter, but I haven't looked at it on my scan tool to verify that the rev limiter is in fact 6200rpm, it seems close though. It pulls hard all the way to the limiter, I'm going to raise it to 6600 and it should do better then. (once I get the injectors and bigger turbo of course)

 

I'm loving every minute of driving this thing, its SO much fun!!!!

 

Shawn

[z284pwr]

Oh I'm so jealous of your bottom end, I don't get full boost until 2500 atleast. You should definitely raise the rev limiter though. My custom chip has the rev limiter around 7800. It pulls to 6500 no problem, the trans won't shift manual anymore though so I've ran it up to 7,000. I don't think the TG160 chip is 6200 though, I think its actually lower, things start coming apart somewhere around 6300 stock from what people say.

[dbtk2]

Oh I'm so jealous of your bottom end, I don't get full boost until 2500 atleast. You should definitely raise the rev limiter though. My custom chip has the rev limiter around 7800. It pulls to 6500 no problem, the trans won't shift manual anymore though so I've ran it up to 7,000. I don't think the TG160 chip is 6200 though, I think its actually lower, things start coming apart somewhere around 6300 stock from what people say.

 

The low end power is useless though, it wouldn't bother me if it were gone. All it results in is a lot of wear on the tires, and if you're not careful in bad weather (rain or snow) then it is kinda a PITA to have the torque there. TGP's with stock turbos will always have tons of lowend power, the turbo is just way too small so it spools really quick.

 

I've been planning on raising the limiter, just haven't gotten around to doing it. I think 6600 should be good. I'm not sure what the TG limiter is, but I've been told its 6200, I need to go verify it with my scantool to see though. Stock I don't know what would come apart at 6300....the bottom end would have no problems at all spinning that high, the valvetrain should spin that high with no problems either it just might get valve float before it hits that point, I can't see anything coming apart though. By the end of '06 I should have everything figured out and adjusted how I want and I'll dyno it and see exactly what all the work I did has done. It will see the strip as well...obviously.

 

Shawn

[Garrett Powered]

that seems kinda backwards from common knowledge though. most turbo experts,and the people that designed this car and the performance chip, will tell you that all the power should be made at lower rpms, and the higher rpms are less useful. and it makes sense because Curtis kept blowing up trannys.

[dbtk2]

that seems kinda backwards from common knowledge though. most turbo experts,and the people that designed this car and the performance chip, will tell you that all the power should be made at lower rpms, and the higher rpms are less useful. and it makes sense because Curtis kept blowing up trannys.

 

While I would rather have a lot of torque than topend horsepower, in first gear this power is useless because I can't get traction. If I could run slicks all the time I would love the power! Its very streetable how it is because you don't have to work hard to get it up to speed around town. Right now, due to the traction condition, I'd rather lose a little low-end power and gain some topend power in place of it.

 

Shawn

[Garrett Powered]

Tell that to your tranny :bawl:

[dbtk2]

Tell that to your tranny :bawl:

 

The low end torque that it has will rip through the tranny quicker than the topend power will. You should see the hard parts that came out of my 1st STE trans....the gears were stripped right off the ends due to the torque. The trans in it now has a 3 year/100000 mile warranty, so if it breaks, a new one is free. I'll add all the power I want...for 3 years.

 

Shawn

[Prospeeder]

is there beefier internals for the 4t60? mabye help it stay alive longer, why stay with an automatic, most people on this board are just dying for a 5 speed in thier cars

[Garrett Powered]

And why do you think it did that?

[Garrett Powered]

is there beefier internals for the 4t60? mabye help it stay alive longer, why stay with an automatic, most people on this board are just dying for a 5 speed in thier cars

what :shock: WTF, I dont want a 5 spd. that would be a pain in the ass, way too much power to be messing around with gears, too many gauges and sounds to monitor. plus I need that hand free, dont want it on a knob all the time when I am cruisin. 8)

[dbtk2]

is there beefier internals for the 4t60? mabye help it stay alive longer, why stay with an automatic, most people on this board are just dying for a 5 speed in thier cars

 

Because to be honest with you, I didn't want to go through the work of getting a 5 speed donor car, or finding all the parts without a donor, and then getting a chip to make it work, and mounting the clutch and all that. It would be nice to eventually get a 5 speed, for right now I have another 5 speed car and this car is just for cruising around. Probably when this trans goes I'll get a 5 speed.

 

And why do you think it did that?

 

Why do I think what did what?

 

Shawn

[Prospeeder]

werd, i love my auto, iv drivin manual, and thery seem like such a burden for daily drivers, and the fact our cars dont have cup holders makes it dificult to have a cup of coffe or an icy, i usually put it between my legs, but it either gets my nuts hot or frozen, lol

[Garrett Powered]

werd, i love my auto, iv drivin manual, and thery seem like such a burden for daily drivers, and the fact our cars dont have cup holders makes it dificult to have a cup of coffe or an icy, i usually put it between my legs, but it either gets my nuts hot or frozen, lol

[Prospeeder]

i actually have always thought, the cup holders on the rear center consol, because thier soo shallow, what about cutting out the bottoms, then they have further to go, scince the go what, 1/4 of an inch down on a 3 inch thick center consol lid

[dbtk2]

I just use the front part of the center console. That little square in there will hold most medium sized drinks, so you just flip the lid all the way back and you're in buisness. But I don't eat or drink in my car very often at all so its very seldom that I need to do this.

 

Shawn