Lingenfelter Announces an Edelbrock based LS3 Kit: Good for 670 HP
As if the Edelbrock E-Force supercharger for the LS3 weren't being received well-enough, it is now the center-piece for the new Lingenfelter LS3 package. Lingenfelter, who have become synonymous with high-end Corvette performance, announced today that they will be making a new performance package for LS3 powered Corvettes that will increase the vehicle's HP output to 670! By combining this package with the incredibly handling Grand Sport, you'll suddenly take a great car in to the class of world-killer Supercar, but that's exactly what is to be expected whenever the name Lingenfelter is attached.
At the heart of this package is the Edelbrock E-Force supercharger for the LS3. That system, while giving a lot of power, does stop short of the 670 Lingenfelter is claiming from their package, so where do the extra ponies come from? Lingenfelter has also included high performance fuel injectors, an electric fuel pump booster, Lingenfetler ported heads, and Competition Cam's GT9 ZR1 Supercharger camshaft. All of this makes for one very sweet performance package, especially when you add in the fact that because the E-Force supercharger is a low-profile one, it all fits under the stock hood!
Of course, to get yourself a Lingenfelter package, it's never cheap. Where as the Edelbrock E-Force package comes in at a respectable $6-7k, the complete Lingenfelter package rings in at $13,845. That's a pretty penny, but it does include Lingenfelter install, dyno, and the Lingenfelter name. Few things are as intimidating to another car as rolling up next to a Corvette and seeing the Lingenfelter badge down the side. It insists, with authority, that the vehicle is not one to be toyed with lightly.
Once purchased, Lingenfelter Indiana will personally install the system for you, run tests, tunes, and dynos to ensure that it is completely optimized for your vehicle. They will also provide you with a 3 Year/36,000 mile warranty, which is great, but probably unnecessary (as Lingenfelter are both well known and well respected for their build quality).
From their press pack, a break-down of the system and it's many features:
- Edelbrock E-Force TVS2300 intercooled supercharger system
- Black powder coated finish
- Lingenfelter CNC engraved logo
- Based on OEM Eaton supercharger unit
- Lingenfelter CNC ported cylinder heads
- Competition Cams dual valve springs, titanium retainers, 10 degree locks
- Lingenfelter GT9 camshaft by Competition Cams
- Properly sized fuel injectors
- Kenne Bell Boost-a-pump fuel pump voltage booster
- Lingenfelter 160 thermostat
- Professional installation, testing and calibration
- Chassis dyno report before & after installation
- Excellent drivability, highway mileage not adversely affected
- Lingenfelter 3 year/ 36,000 mile warranty
- Lingenfelter fender badges
- Lingenfelter certificate of authenticity
Great Esquire Article: An Adult’s First Driving Experience Takes Place in a ZR1, What Better Way to Get Them Excited About Driving?
The article itself is only slightly about Corvettes, but it was such a fun read and such an interesting thought that it had to be shared. I'll give you a quick synopsis and a link, so that you can read it yourself and enjoy what it has to offer as much as I did. The idea behind it is this: You have a 25 year old adult male, who, because of his growing up in New York City, has never been behind the wheel of a car before. He's been in cars before, that's kind of impossible to avoid, but he's just now learning to drive. After getting his learner's permit from the DMV he's headed to the Corvette performance racing lessons in Phoenix, where GM sends people purchasing a ZR1 to find out just how much potential the vehicle on the track, and it's there, at the race track and under the tutelage of a professional racer, that he will get his first taste of driving. At first, it's a bit painful to read. He goes through the awkwardness that all of us inevitably felt as teenagers, first learning to drive a stick-shift. You know the moment: you've stalled it out 4 or 5 times, you're making awkward jokes to try and diffuse the situation, and what little confidence you had going in has quickly dissipated. Imagine this though: after finally getting over that hump, you now have 638 HP of raw, ZR1 power beneath your feet.
It's a fun thought experience that, in actuality, makes for a great article and a great read. Check it out at Esquire, and try to think of how the experience would've felt for you had it been your first time behind a wheel.
Corvette ZR1 and Porsche 911 Turbo Comparison
MotorTrend, who loves their comparisons, seems to prefer the Corvette and 911 comparison more than any other. Over the years they've pitted these two monsters against one another time and time again. There has always been a theme in these comparisons, too. The first bit of it is that the Corvette is faster in a straight line, and that the Porsche is more fancy, well-built, and ready for a track. But, hold on! This comparison seems to result in a strange role reversal!
In their drag comparison, MotorTrend found the 911 to actually be quicker than the ZR1, a result that I'm sure very few people expected. The Corvette ZR1 was no slouch, either. But, the 911 Turbo's quickness is absolutely impressive. The 911 was able to post a 11.2 second quarter mile, a time that's impressive, but it is in the 0-60 and 0-30 MPH ratings that the 911 Turbo really tore it up. The 911 went from a stand-still to 30MPH in just one second! In less time than it took you to read that sentence, the 911 Turbo could have been going 30MPH, and that's not something to scoff at! The 911 then hit 60MPH in 3 seconds time. Again, wow. The Corvette ZR1's 11.6 1/4mile and 3.5 second 0-60 rating are fantastic, but seem almost tame in comparison to the Porsche. Now, having run that test first, I'm sure most people were expecting an all-out win for the Porsche, especially considering that while the ZR1's numbers are impressive, those Porsche ones are insane.
Of course, when MotorTrend put a professional driver behind the wheel of these two vehicles and put him on a difficult, complicated, racetrack, something interesting happened. The driver himself, after running the 1/4 mile in each vehicle, anticipated the 911 to take a decisive victory on the track. Watching him drive the vehicles though, one can quickly see how surprised he is. Making multiple comments about both the fun factor and the pure performance feel of the ZR1 while driving it, it's hard not to be impressed. The driver is able to keep his lines with relative ease, and he rockets across tight turns and through sweeping straight-aways. Using both the Traction Assist functions, and with them turned off, he's able to best the Porsche 911 Turbo. He even talks about how, at the high-speeds and through the course, the 911 feels scary by comparison to the way the ZR1 handled the course. His final numbers, through multiple laps, are a telling sign also. The best lap time that the Porsche could post was more than 3 seconds behind that of the Corvette. 3 seconds a lap is the difference between first and last in most professional races, too! He posits a lot of the performance difference comes from the ZR1's handling (a surprise when going against the TT, AWD 911) and it's big, strong, and responsive carbon brakes.
Perhaps the most telling of the entire comparison came in their standing mile times. Across the Mojave Flats, the Vette was able to post an impressive 177MPH standing mile, and even go as high as 195MPH in a straight-away. The Porsche, on the other hand, didn't fair so well. The test 911 that they had for the comparison broke! That's right, the Corvette ZR1 went to the very edges of its capabilities in the dry and hot Mojave, without so much as a mechincal hiccup, but the Porsche 911 Turbo couldn't even finish it's standing mile! In years past, this would've been the biggest shocker of all, but Chevy has definitely fixed their build-quality reputation over the last few years, and the reviewers didn't even seem surprised by this result.
So, there you have it, a quick recap of the MotorTrend comparison which put two long-time arch-enemies against one another and saw a strange and surprising reversal of roles. With the Corvette officially winning 2 of the 3 comparison tests it was put in to, also, I think a very clear cut winner has been found. Of course, MotorTrend will never say one way or another that one vehicle's vastly superior, but I think the video and the results speak for themselves. What do you think? Would you rather drive the Porsche 911 Turbo or the Corvette ZR1?
Road and Track’s Road vs Track ZR1 and C6.R Showdown
Road & Track lived up to their name this time when they pitted the ultimate American Road machine, the Corvette ZR1, against the ultimate American track machine, Corvette Racing's C6.R. The ZR1 is a nasty, aggressive, mean, cruel, powerful, and all around monster of a production vehicle that uses its 6.2L Supercharged V8 to tear up stretches of asphalt and spit them out. The C6.R has been dominating in its class all year long, and if a beautiful and incredible piece of machinery that highlights the dance-like capabilities of the Corvette body on the track. Radical vs Refined. Beast vs Beauty. Road vs Track.
The C6.R, as the comparison shows, is still a powerful and capable machine. The regulations of the ACO prohibit the C6.R from utilizing the bigger, more powerful engine of the ZR1. They also limit the brakes, and other aspects, of the C6.R, so that it must shave weight wherever it can to maximize performance. Because of its weight-saving designs, and its race tuned body, the C6.R does more with less, and posts track times that are the envy of most other vehicles on Earth. Of course, in doing all of this, it loses a lot of the explosive tail-end focused power of the ZR1. The ZR1 provides this power thanks to its TVS Supercharged LS9 which delivers 638 and 604 Torque to its wide wide wheels. The vehicle is still designed for road driving though, and because of that comes with the niceties and amenities (A/C, Stereo, Power Accessories) that are expected of such. These things give it a much heavier build than the C6.R, and as result, a tail-end that, while powerful, is infamous for losing itself around sharp corners quickly. Who can blame it though? With that much power, it can't be an easy job to hold the asphalt. I've also never read or seen any review of the ZR1 that doesn't call it an absolute blast to drive, many of which even highlight its wild and aggressive nature (and fish-tailing rear-end) as reasons why it is, possibly, the ultimate driver's vehicle.
Based on these two things, this is definitely a fun and interesting comparison, the results of which aren't wholly surprising, but which are cool to see. Here's a little teaser video for the upcoming Road & Track magazine that's worth a watch, and be sure to check out the actual written comparison when it's released, as it looks like it will be a great article, from start to finish.
GM Files for “Stingray” Trademark; Convertible Tops Service Bulletin
A couple news stories for today:
The first comes from a watchful eye at a Trademark office who found a filing by GM to Trademark the Stingray moniker. They apparently filed the trademark as being for “Land based vehicles, namely automobiles.” This news would almost ultimately lead one to believe that they're looking to release a Stingray version of, most likely, the C7. Just as the filed for the ZR1 Trademark in 2007, a few years before the ZR1 hit the market, this is most likely indicative of the future release of a Stingray Corvette. Of course, this isn't exactly amazing news, as Chevy has made a Stingray Sideswipe prototype for Transformers 3 and not been shy at all about that vehicle. Hopefully though, we'll get to see the C7 and all of its Stingray glory some time soon.
The Second story is a much less happy one:
Here's a note for all 2008-09 Convertible Corvette drivers: Don't speed. At least, not too much. There have been some complaints about Convertible tops ripping, and even dislodging, at speeds of over 100MPH. This will, of course, mess with your shit if it happens to you. The best way to avoid this is simply don't go over 100MPH, but where's the fun in that? Acknowledging their mistake, GM has released an official service bulletin for all potentially endangered Corvettes. The Service Recall will be active through May 31st, 2011, so now's a good time to go have your Corvette top replaced. There's an excerpt from the official service bulletin below:
GENERAL MOTORS Owners of 2008-9 Chevrolet Corvette convertibles may have trouble keeping a roof over their heads. In T.S.B. 08312A issued on July 1, G.M. said that the top fabric might begin to separate from its retainer bracket near the windshield. At speeds over 100 m.p.h., the roof material could tear from the front all the way to the rear window. A new retainer bracket should keep things together. This repair program runs through May 31, 2011.