Tonight I was driving an '04 Impala SS around for awhile. The SC 3800 can easily spin the front wheels at low speeds...even at part throttle, with the traction control on. Turn off the TC, and it's not only wheelspin but also torque steer.

I couldn't help but wonder what the 5.3 LS4 would feel like going through the front wheels. 63 more horsepower and 38 more ft/lbs torque.

If it's overly torque managed, then what's the point? If it's not, I fear uncontrolled wheelspin and torque steer.

Any thoughts?

 

I feel like that much torque is useless in a fwd car.

 

Probably a better question asked on a forum like ClubGP.com . Theres quiet a mix of low 13 sec cars all the way to 11 sec cars , from both gens of 3.8 SC'ed Grand prix to the regals , monte SS's and Impala's . Who better to ask than people making MUCH more power than stock and driving their cars everyday .

I can only chime in about 1 car Ive driven . A friend of mine has a 97 GTP that pretty consistently runs low 13's . It is a blast to drive around in . Torque steer is there , but isnt dramatic .

 

A couple of years ago at one of the SLP Customer Appreciation days we were in the entrance line up beside an SC Bonneville. Car full of people out to enjoy a day at the races, right?

They proceded to unload the trunk, bolt slicks up front, skinnies in the rear, open up the exhaust and raise the rear. It was the weirdest looking, most awful sounding car on the track that day. It also humiliated most of the f-bodies on the track that day.

So sure, it works, performance, comfort, room for your friends and their gear ...but to me "FWD performance car" is still an oxymoron.

.

 

Hard to imagine GM would bother fitting a fwd sbc in a W-body and torque limit it so bad that it isn't faster then the 3800 S/C.

I'll bodly predict 14.3

 

Although I imagine the torquesteer would be noticeable.........I still think it would be a fun car to drive.

 

Yeah, my friend took me for a ride in his low 13 sec GTP, and it was pretty impressive.

I just can't help thinking what a great package this motor would be in a RWD car.

 

It shouldn't be any worse than a 300hp Caddy ETC, which drive wonderfully for a powerful FWD car. Since the ETC was from the 90s the new Impala should drive better than the ETC. I was hoping to get my first look at the '06 Impala and Monte Carlo this weekend at the Louisville Auto Show but they were a no show, in fact most of GM was a no show.

 

Yeah, me too. H3LL, I'd LOVE to see a Turbocharged Solstice or eqiv, for that matter. These things are stupid-easy to mod, and can get really fast, really easily. I'm ordering a Supercharger Pulley for my wife''s 95 Park, should add 25+HP easily, more with a re-flash.(Let's see: light weight, blown, good milage, plenty of power on tap, easy / cheap to mod....NAH...they never do it!....)

BTW, I raced a nearly new Monte SS today, it was black with red-SS badging, I was in my wifes car. We took off pretty even but I started pulling away and by 60mph had a car length between us. I didn't see any "supercharged" badge on it, so I'm assuming it was NA. Still, not bad for a big heavy Park Ave, don't you think?

 

The '06 is actually pretty nice. Very nice interior. I'm looking forward to driving it.

 

My GP has the TQ managment, and it makes for a very odd car. I can floor it from a stop, spin first, and catch second in pretty dramatic fashion...however floor it from a roll, and it is like someone stole a 100 HP. The acceration is very . Same thing on the highway. Stomp it to pass someone, and rather than downshifting, the car just gradually accerlerates in it's current gear. There is also something called "abuse mode" on the 04. I took it to the track one day and made two runs in the 15.xx range. Next two, the computer decided I was abousing it, and while the 60 foot times were similar, the car was high 15's to low 16's, and would not go any faster. All these issues are why the new GP is slower than the old one despite 20 more HP.

Also, some guys on ClubGP have reported that the car's computer learns away mods. One guy installed a shift kit, and it worked fine for a while...then the computer just changed the shift program to cancel it out. It is very hard to mod a new GP without changing the PCM to eliminate the TQ managment. Problem is, the TQ managment is there to save the glass trans...so you open up a whole new box of worms.

The Series II in the Impala and MC have the old computer that is much more mod friendly.

 

The Series II might be more mod friendly, but it acts exactly as you describe with the torque management. Taking off from a stop is decent, but from a roll unless you are going slow enough to get it to kick down a gear it isn't that fast. When it does kick down to first and you are flooring it though, it will just barely haze the tires about 80% of ther time when it is accelerating, so if it had too much more power it wouldn't really go any faster unless I put some Nittos or some better tires on it. I can see why they are going with the wider tires on the future LS4s. It'll still be a tire burner though.

I'm surprised you haven't had your computer reprogramed yet. I probably will do mine. Firm up the shifts a touch and give the car a little more aggreassive personality. Getting rid of the top speed limiter is ok too.


Also FWIW, my Impala has zero torque steer unless the road is deeply grooved, I don't know what the OP is talking about in that respect.

 

My first mod on one of these cars would be trans and then have ALL the safeguards programmed out of the PCM . There would be no way to enjoy it otherwise .

There is ALOT more in the in stock form thats zapped away by the PCM .

 

Will the 2006 Impala, Monte, and GP with the LS2 be using a different/upgraded/beefed up trans than from earlier years? I hope they put a tranny in there that can put up with the abuse and not resort to neutering the cars with the PCM. BTW, the automotive press could have a potential field day if these cars aren't as fast as a 300hp car should be.(should be faster than any FWD car out there by at least half a second).

 

My friend did just that. ALL torque management and safeguards have been programmed out.

His GTP runs 13.10's, and has over 65,000 miles on the original transaxle.

He posts here sometimes, maybe if he sees this thread, he can give us some insight.