Z28 To SS Conversion

Engine Only....I Just Want An SS Engine...How Much Would It Quench My Budget And Also How Long Would It Take To Have It Back ON The Road....I Have A 98 Z28 A4.....I LOVE MY CAR THE WAY IT IS....But I Want To Go Faster So I Want A SS Engine But I Still Wanna Keep My Z28 Emblems And All Dat Other Z28 Brand Stuff...Thanks Alot To Anyone Who Can REALLY Help Me OUt

They have the same engine. No difference at all.

The differences in hp ratings are due to catback on the early models and catback + lid on later ones.
So get a good catback and a lid and you're there.

but the SS badges add so much power....why leave that on the table??

:lol:

as stated....you already have the "SS engine"....for that matter you even have the corvette engine.

Yup- same head, same cam, same intake- You could get the LS6 intake without EGR, but not a super big deal. The SS probably had the SLP exhaust and Cold Air Intake- but you would do those mods to almost any F-body anyway-

The only difference between your '98 Z28 and the latest ('02) SS is that you have the original "LS1" intake manifold, and the first "LS1" camshaft. Those couple items, as well as the exhaust manifolds were updated by '01 (which used the LS6 intake, a different profile camshaft, and new, better flowing manifolds).

You could do those upgrades if you want. You could also bolt on a set of LT headers and get upwards of ~25 - 30 HP more :D (close to ~20 at the rear wheels).

There are dozens of different head/cam combos available as well. The sky is the limit in terms of power, and will leave any stock "SS" eating dust ;).

There is NO difference in between the engine in your 98 Z28 and the engine in a 98 SS Camaro. The higher rating in the SS came from a cat back exhaust SLP installed.

Start moding your car, you'll get more power.

Re'

I agree.

There's no difference between the SS and Z28 motor -- 346ci LS1.

:shrug:

Wake your car up with some bolt-ons... Longtube headers, Y-pipe, LID, catback, etc.

yup...what i heard...LS6 manifolds on the new maro's and functional hoods make it go 15 HP up, which would be easily capable with full exhaust..probably more actually.

yup...what i heard...LS6 manifolds on the new maro's and functional hoods make it go 15 HP up, which would be easily capable with full exhaust..probably more actually.

The SS and Z28 had the same intake manifold when comparing the same year Z28 to the same year SS. Also, if you've ever looked at an LS1 lid then looked at the path the SS hood makes to the lid, I would hardly call it "Ram Air".

The SS's 15 horsepower was always a number that was on paper. It was used to make the SS guys fell like they were getting more power for their money, the same way the F-Body LS1 was underrated to make the C5 guys think they were getting more power for their money. At best, I would guess a non-SLP SS made 5 more horspower than a similar year Z28.

yea it's most likely mostly looks on the SS's, yet people make them out to be so much faster, in actuality, almost 90 percent of the people i've talked to think that a z28 has a ls1 and a SS has a LS2 :sigh:
oh well...
I have heard MANY times that they under rated the Z28's on paper so that the corvette guys would think they were way faster.ha..bust their bubble..

On an A4 the gearing can be different. On Z's the 3.23's were an option where they were standard issue on SS's. If you have 2.73's start with that swap and a loose converter. You'll be very pleased with that alone. I'll warn you though, it won't stop there.....

On the badges, get some old school Z/28 badges. IMO that small mod makes a nice difference on the Z's.

On an A4 the gearing can be different. On Z's the 3.23's were an option where they were standard issue on SS's. If you have 2.73's start with that swap and a loose converter. You'll be very pleased with that alone. I'll warn you though, it won't stop there.....

.

That's what I did.

Woke the car up didn't it? :D

I would guess a non-SLP SS made 5 more horspower than a similar year Z28.

SLP built ALL the SS and Firehawk F bodies

The HP bump in those cars was due to the cat back system installed by SLP. The SS Ram Air hood did little to nothing for power.

Re'

Woke the car up didn't it? :D

:D You know it. I couldn't stop grinning for days.:D:D

SLP built ALL the SS and Firehawk F bodies

The HP bump in those cars was due to the cat back system installed by SLP. The SS Ram Air hood did little to nothing for power.

Re'

Sorry but you are wrong. SLP personally put all the mods on 96 thru 98 or 99 SSes. After that the base SS equipment (shocks, swaybar, tires/wheels, and catback) was installed at the GM plant. The car was then shipped to SLP for the hood and spoiler only. Any ungrades to the base SS package wer done at SLP.
GM and SLP jointly decided that it was silly to install stock components at the factory only to ship them to SLP and take them back off.

SLP built ALL the SS and Firehawk F bodies

The HP bump in those cars was due to the cat back system installed by SLP. The SS Ram Air hood did little to nothing for power.

Re'

I know that SLP had a hand in the SS cars. What I meant to say was there wouldn't be enough of a difference to mater when comparing a Z28 to the same year SS; Assuming that the SS hadn't been fully optioned by SLP.

I don't recall the exact details of the parts that made the package (CME? etc?), but there were SSes that were being sold rated with 20 more horsepower than the rating that GM was placing on the regular SSes. I would guess that the extra parts going into these cars to raise the rating 20 horsepower would constitute some amount of an advantage.

:think:

A blackwing lid and the dual/dual were the only 2 power adding mods that I can remember from the SLP optioned models.

The rest were suspension, tires, and appearance. The extra 20 hp was more of a marketing gimick like the SS being rated higher than the Z28 and the C5 being rated higher than any run of the mill f-body.

A blackwing lid and the dual/dual were the only 2 power adding mods that I can remember from the SLP optioned models.

The rest were suspension, tires, and appearance. The extra 20 hp was more of a marketing gimick like the SS being rated higher than the Z28 and the C5 being rated higher than any run of the mill f-body.

A real pet peeve of mine :mad:

Not a single person who has been around LS1s would disagree with the statement that a lid and catback swap would easily be worth 20HP as rated at the engine. But the Z28 vs SS arguement comes up all the time... The SS/WS6, while having the same base V8 engine, DOES MAKE MORE POWER because of these additions.

A real pet peeve of mine :mad:

Not a single person who has been around LS1s would disagree with the statement that a lid and catback swap would easily be worth 20HP as rated at the engine. But the Z28 vs SS arguement comes up all the time... The SS/WS6, while having the same base V8 engine, DOES MAKE MORE POWER because of these additions.

That would be true, but most SS's and no WS6's (that I know of) came with these OPTIONS. The stock LS1 SS/WS6 had a different muffler with the same 2.75" piping and crappy air lid that Z's and Formy's had.

who cares..almost every camaro/transam on the road today has cut off their stock exhaust, haha

A real pet peeve of mine :mad:

Not a single person who has been around LS1s would disagree with the statement that a lid and catback swap would easily be worth 20HP as rated at the engine. But the Z28 vs SS arguement comes up all the time... The SS/WS6, while having the same base V8 engine, DOES MAKE MORE POWER because of these additions.

I won't argue that IF the SS/WS6 is optioned with the lid and exhaust, it will make more power/be slightly faster. I have an issue with the asshats that delude people (like the OP) into thinking that the SS/WS6 is different, or somehow more powerful than a Z28/Formy with the same options.

I won't argue that IF the SS/WS6 is optioned with the lid and exhaust, it will make more power/be slightly faster. I have an issue with the asshats that delude people (like the OP) into thinking that the SS/WS6 is different, or somehow more powerful than a Z28/Formy with the same options.

:yes:

I totally agree. The greater advertised Hp ratings was a marketing ploy. It apparently is still working.

I recently watched a show on Spike where they were showing exactly what SLP added to the SS and bigger brakes was one of the upgrades.

Obviously that doesn't add power, but I found it interesting that the SS came with bigger brakes than the Z.

I've never been impressed with my Z's stopping power. Maybe I need bigger brakes (I still have stock rotors on my 2000).

lol!

I recently watched a show on Spike where they were showing exactly what SLP added to the SS and bigger brakes was one of the upgrades.

Obviously that doesn't add power, but I found it interesting that the SS came with bigger brakes than the Z.


:rolleyes:

Spike TV is incorrect...

The SS and Z28 had the same brakes. Any stopping advantage an SS would have over a Z28 would be in the tires. The SS's tires were wider, hence more grip when stopping.

I recently watched a show on Spike where they were showing exactly what SLP added to the SS and bigger brakes was one of the upgrades.

Obviously that doesn't add power, but I found it interesting that the SS came with bigger brakes than the Z.

I've never been impressed with my Z's stopping power. Maybe I need bigger brakes (I still have stock rotors on my 2000).

Compltely bogus info. Brakes are the same throughout all LS1 F-bodys.

I recently watched a show on Spike where they were showing exactly what SLP added to the SS and bigger brakes was one of the upgrades.
:lol:

Is anyone else about tired of the info Spike's Powerblock puts out there?

I only wish they came with larger rotors.

I only wish they came with larger rotors.

That would be nice. Or even if they had drilled and slotted

Drilled and slotted is an appearance thing. I'd rather have larger solid rotors.

Drilled and slotted is an appearance thing. I'd rather have larger solid rotors.

they do look good,but they have a function.. it cuts down on hot gases ..

Drilling can cause cracking if the rotor is not oversized..oversized rotors also make up for the reduced surface area...somwhere between 5%-10%

Do you work for Spike TV?

Drilled and slotted is an appearance thing. I'd rather have larger solid rotors.

Well IIRC, the slots are to dispel the gasses that build up, and the holes are for cooling. Ive found the slots are plenty useful on a daily driver, but I got them drilled too because I wanted the look.

That would be nice. Or even if they had drilled and slotted

They look pretty sick when you have some nice chrome rims to go along with it. :D

they do look good,but they have a function.. it cuts down on hot gases.

Drilling can cause cracking if the rotor is not oversized..oversized rotors also make up for the reduced surface area...somwhere between 5%-10%

Do you work for Spike TV?

It is called "OUT GASSING" and it is a gimick to get people to spend extra cash on cut up rotors that they don't need. With modern pad compounds, outgassing is not a factor. You need to see what the pad manufacturers who aren't selling x-drilled rotors have to say about this.

Drilling can cause cracking on "oversized" rotors also. Why? If you run agressive enough pads and brake hard enough to heat oversized rotors up to the same extent as stock rotors then they are just as prone to cracking. Actually, I have also seen slotted rotors crack from the end of the slot the edge of the rotor.

Most people complain about fade and attribute this to "out gassing." Basicly what you are experiencing is either your fluid boiling or the pads getting hotter than their working temp. You can cure this by changing to a better fluid (if that is the prob) or pads that can take more heat, or rotors with more mass. A rotor is basicly a heat sink. More mass = more energey/friction it takes to heat them up to a given temp. So in short you can brake harder, longer or more often before they heat to the point where the pads will fail.

X-drilling/slotted doesn't help with cooling either. Only directional veined rotors create airflow through them and our and most other production rotors aren't. There are only 3 way to cool a rotor. That is by more mass (remember heat sink), directional veins and airducts.

Now that we have the heat sink principle, and the fact that outgassing isn't an issue, and the knowlege of methods that really cool rotors in place how does making holes in your rotors beneficial to performance when you are not only decreasing the surface area but decreasing the mass?

No, I don't work for Spike, but I do know plenty of people who road race and have learned enough from them not to buy into the x-drilled/slotted propaganda. Your pad choice and some good fresh fluid will do more for your braking than putting some holes or grooves in a set of otherwise perfectly good rotors.

I have slotted for looks on my DD, but the braking isn't any better because of them. It is due to the more agressive pad compound that I chose and the new fluid I put in. Plus we shouldn't ignore the role tires play in better braking too.

I was wondering if someone could write out a whole list of what it would take to get to the "SS". Everything from engine to SS badges. I am hopefully soon to be a proud owner of a 00 Z28, and I want to covert it to an SS. Thanks a ton!

I was wondering if someone could write out a whole list of what it would take to get to the "SS". Everything from engine to SS badges. I am hopefully soon to be a proud owner of a 00 Z28, and I want to covert it to an SS. Thanks a ton!

Badges, wheels, hood, wing, exhaust tips. But it will still be a Z28, and like we have discussed in here, its mostly a looks thing, hardly any performance difference, track times are the same.

Ok, yeah I really like the looks of the SS.

Isn't there exhaust, suspension and a different intake?

The catback made the 5-10 or whatever horsepower difference, and your right, the Ram Air did nothing at lower speeds, but it is supposed to start helping at 80 mph. It will help with gas mileage on the highway. I dont know how a hp increase could be measeured since on a dyno there is no wind flowing...

The opening on the SS hood sets too far back, in an low pressure area. It works well as a CAI, but not so much as "ram air".

In your opinion what do you think is better for LS1's, Ram Air or Cold Air Intake?

IMO, ram air was a marketing ploy. Cars in general don't go fast enough (especially in drag races) to create the positive manifold pressure that ram air implies so all the "ram air" set ups are truly CAI's.

80mph isn't fast enough to create true ram air.

IMO, ram air was a marketing ploy. Cars in general don't go fast enough (especially in drag races) to create the positive manifold pressure that ram air implies so all the "ram air" set ups are truly CAI's.

80mph isn't fast enough to create true ram air.

I know for a fact that the SSRA can improve 1/4 mile performance by 0.100 sec. and 1 mph.
And what LS1 only goes 80mph in the 1/4?

It improves performance from cold air not because of ram air.

80mph came from someone saying that is where "ram air" becomes effective. I doubt many cars see the speeds needed for true ram air to occur.

It improves performance from cold air not because of ram air.

80mph came from someone saying that is where "ram air" becomes effective. I doubt many cars see the speeds needed for true ram air to occur.

I dont think any cars see the speed needed. I was told that the air in the intake of an engine spinning 6k RPM, is moving at very close to he speed of sound, :eek: like 100mph shy of it or so.

I was wondering if someone could write out a whole list of what it would take to get to the "SS". Everything from engine to SS badges. I am hopefully soon to be a proud owner of a 00 Z28, and I want to covert it to an SS. Thanks a ton!

Please don't put SS badges on a Z28. If you like the looks of the hood and wing, cool...just don't make it something bogus. The Z28s are plenty bad-ass, so leave the badges on there or get the cool "retro" Z28 badges.