I'll be starting life anew with a 99 TA at the end of the week, and I'll have some bucks to play around.

The last LS1 I owned already had Lid/MAF/Flowmaster, the only thing I did was the Free Ram Air. I'm starting from bone stock now though, and I'd like to do as much as I can to it before summer begins to end. Back when I had my V6 i did a bunch of useful but crazy stuff...anyhow, had a few questions as to the worth/triviality of a few small/quick mods.

in terms of gains/fuel mileage issues...

the TB coolant bypass...anything proven? I know it should cause the intake charge to be a bit cooler since the coolant doesn't pass through the TB. Worth the 5-6 bucks in parts?

the fan switch mod - in the past, on the V6, I did it the quicker/easier yet tackier way...I ran the wires right off the relays, up the fender, in through the door and up under the kick panel. Is the extra time to go off the PCM connection on the passenger side, in through the firewall and underneath the passenger kick worth it? It's a little stealthier and cleaner...but worth it?

160* thermo - i had a 180* on the V6 because it was a year round car. Is there a significant gain with the LS1's keeping the temp a little cooler? I could keep the temps in the high 160's with the fan switch and thermo before. definitely helped at the strip...but how much with the Ellis?

finally, and I'll stop taking up precious time - removing the AIR and EGR systems - after inspection of course. Is this at all worth it? If nothing other than dropping a few pounds and making the engine bay a little less cluttered, does it show for any gains? I know it'll kick an idiot light, but that's immaterial.

Just a few questions is all...i'm definitely doing the !CAGS as well. If there's any other little mods anyone can think up, it'd be great...thanks!

 

While the free mods and the minor mods (smooth bellows etc) won't give a huge SOTP and ET difference, every little bit does help. They are all definetley worth doing, just don't focus your major mod money there. You should do all the free mods you possibly can before anything else IMO

 

TB bypass- not worth it unless you get the parts for free.
Thermostat- some people swear by the 160. I did mine with a bunch of other mods, so couldn't tell you if it made a difference.
Fans- a fan switch would be great for the drags, but for a daily-driver...eh.
AIR EGR- if for no other reason than to free up room to work... I'd wait until you get headers, so you don't have to make/buy block-off plates. You can get a pipe plug for your intake for like $3 until you get a LS6 intake.

 

TB bypass - I have done it, I think it is more of a piece of mind thing. Just knowing cooler air is being let into the engine.

Thermostat - I just bought the 160* last week and have not had time to install it. This is a subject that can go on forever, 160* or 180*. I live in Houston, Texas so I opted for the 160* since it gets pretty damn hot.

Fans - My tuner is going to set my fans. I have not thought about the switch as my car has never seen the track.

AIR / EGR - When I bought my headers, I left the AIR there. Houston has the emission testing and sometimes they like to pop the hood for inspection. Being I have an 2002, I have no EGR.

 

Sometimes, it's cheaper to get 1 hp in 10 different places than 10 hp in one place.

 

My Z28 went 12.98 with lid/exhaust

Just never got to run it after the shakedown runs :\ ran 4 13.0's and a 12.98.

But, this one's my baby, I get a fresh start with it.

 

What technique did you use to get that time?

Your car basically had the same mods as mine, but mine's a littler slower.