Hello guys. I just bought my first LS1 f-body, a 1998 Trans Am. I am loving it! Anyways....just wondering what you guys think my car would run, approx. in the 1/4 mile. It is an A4 with 2.73 gears, totally stock, except for a Borla catback system. Are 3.23 gears really worth it, would I notice a big difference?

 

Well if your racing from a roll you'll whoop some butt from 35. I've got a 93 lt1 with 3.23's and I raced my ls1 formula buddy who has 2.73's. We went from 25 mph which is my strong point and I got a good jump on him and he didn't start slowly walking me til about 85-90 mph

 

I would estimate you'd run a solid 13 in the 1/4. If you got a good launch low 13's. My dad's friend has an LS1 SS that runs 12.20's with minor suspension mods, a 28lb flywheel and a aftermarket airbox. valve covers have never been off. since its a manual it has 3.42's. He was runnin his low 12's in some awesome air though, it was in the low 40's F.

 

Well as much as ls1's pick up when they are going...getting them going with 2.73s seems pretty tough to me. I dunno i dont have an ls1 but my friend has an a4 ls1 2.73s. And he never really beats me by too much. So i'd assume you should have no problem hitting a 14 flat in average conditions. That will probably be your consistent time til you get better at launching. Then i'd say you could go all the way to 13.5 probably. Unless you have a ws6 then I'd think high 13s is a standard for everyday z28s and t/a's with ls1s.

 

depending on air, track conditions, altitude, driver ability, cosmic alignment and the instantanious tangent of the arch of uranus...

14.00 to 13.00

how is that for a estimate. there really isn't any way to get it exact. i've seen cars that should run 13 flat that could barely pull a 13.9....and vise-versa

as for the benefit of 3.23s...yeh theyhelp. but if you are thinking of swapping to better gears, there are MUCH better choices to go with. for and auto 3.73s seem to be the best choice. maybe if gas milage is a bit more of a concern you could do a 3.42 swap. but i read that most guys going to 3.73s only lose about 2-3mpg on the highway.

now around town...you gotta keep your foot out of it...so that's hard to judge

 

So in your guys' opinion what all would I have to do to get into the high 12's with the 2.73 gears??

 

12.20s?? without bolt ons? just a flywheel, and a airbox aka lid? minor suspesion? nah.....he has to have mods.

 

You could get into the 12's fairly easy. I would highly recommend getting different gears though. Speed costs money...

1 - Get some subframe connectors. If you're concerned about weight, get the tubular kind. If not, I love my BMR boxed sfc's.

2 - Sticky tires. BFG and Nitto drag radials are a common choice.

3 - Get a stall and some gears. Combined with the sticky tires, this will put you into the 12's for sure. I'd say a 3000~3500 stall with a 2.0~2.4 STR would be ideal when matched up against either 3.42's or 3.73's in our cars. It's all personal preference really.

That's all you need to get 12's. No lids, no catbacks, no nitrous. They're all fun and do add power, but you can get there with the power you've got already. The best piece of advice I can give you is to keep an eye on the for sale sections here and LS1Tech. Yes, there are securities in buying new parts. But, I just got a 3000 stall Midwest converter for $250 to my door. Worst case scenario, it'll cost me $150 for someone to refresh it if need be. That's still $300 less than new... Good luck!

 

I hate to break it to you, but you got the slowest LS1 F-body made (generally speaking). First your an auto so you get the higher HP loss through the drivetrain. Second you got a pre 01 model year which means you have LS1 intake manifold (01's and 02's got the LS6). Third you got a pre 00 model year so the stock exhaust manifold is the most air restrictive. And finally you got 2.73 gears instead of the 3.23 performance gears.

What does all that mean? That means you probably will run 13.8 @ 102 vs a 2002 M6 that might run a 12.9 @ 107. But fear not young Jedi for you have one thing that 2002 M6 does not have. The ability to add a 3500 stall, sticky tires and still not break the 10 bolt

You definately need to get some bolt-ons. Lid, catback, 3500 stall and headers will do wonders for your car. As far as gears go, I wouldn't even consider upgrading unless your going to get at least 3.42's. But I think 3.73's are a much wiser choice. I'm keeping my stock 3.23's but only until I break my 10 bolt. Then I'm ordering a 12 bolt with 3.73's and I'll be GTG from that day on.

 

your wrong, some 98s, like mine, came stock with 323s. and 98s did have bigger injectors.

anyways...my 98 camaro ran a 13.4@104 on nittos lid and cutout....

NOT all 98 99, or 00 are SLOW, so i woud do more research before you make this guys heart stop with that kind of info.

 

I know the gears are not the gear of choice, but I don't think they're as bad as everyone says they are. Don't take me wrong, I know a 3.23 car for example, stock for stock, would take me, but 2.73 are not *slow*. I can tell you one thing, it runs quite a bit better than my 96 Z28 did with A4, 2.73's, K&N filter, ploy mount, hypertech power tuning, and 160 stat. I got a deal on the TA I couldn't refuse, ragardless of what the gears were.

darrens99formula: I do have a Borla catback, just so you know. I figure that has to help quite a bit.

 

i read that the catback will add simlar to 10rwhp

 

I never said 98's couldn't come with 3.23's. But his didn't because he said he had 2.73's so I have no idea what point you were trying to make. 13.4 @ 104 on Nittos, lid and cutout is about a 13.8 @ 102-103 without nittos, lid and cutout. I never said upper 13's was slow either. People come here sometimes and read about how stock LS1's have hit high 12's and expect they will run that well or close to it. If you have a 2002 M6 and can drive good you may indeed. If you have a 98-00 A4 with 2.73's then your more likely to be closer to 14's then you are 12's. It's not an insult, it's just a fact.

The problem here is not my lack of research. I know what LS1's run at the track because I race one and watch others. I have also been a member here as well as other F-body sights for over 2 years. I wish we all ran 12.8 @ 108 stock but that's just not realistic. I wish all A4's had ls6 intake, 3.23's and ran 13.0 @ 105 but that's also not realistic. I'm one of the few people in this thread telling it like it is.

Why?

So he doesn't go to the track, run a 13.8 @ 102 and then come here with a thread titled "What's wrong with my car?" or "Why am I so slow?" or "I thought LS1's were low 13 second cars????"

If he runs in 50 degree weather, at a sea level track and hits solid 2.0 60' times then maybe he will have a low 13 second stock car. But if he runs in 80 degree weather, 1000 above sea level and hits 2.1 60' times then he may find upper 13's are the best he can get in stock form.

But does this really matter? Used LS6 intakes are cheap enough. 3.73's are an upgrade most auto guys get eventually regardless of which we start with. 3500 stalls more then make up for the lack of trap speed. LT headers more then make up for the choking of stock exhaust manifolds.

 

BTW, when I was a newb both here and to my car I read all the upper 12's to low 13's stock claims (which in many cases is true enough). Then I ran 13.7 @ 102 bone a$$ stock and that was after several runs at 14.0-14.5 due to bad launches (2.2-2.4). I was like WTF is wrong with my car? I was expecting 13.1-13.3 and couldn't tell you how disappointed I was. I thought for sure that my car was a dud and or needed a tuneup. But as it turned out my car was normal, it was my expectations that were a bit off.

But this is why I modded and personally I am very satisfied with the results I have now. But by April I'm sure I'll want more

 

2.73's rule on the highway. You could do a WoT run and bury the speedo while still in third gear I'd get a torque converter way before I would get gears. Aftermarket converters will make up for the low loss of 2.73's and yet you still maintain the high end pulling power.

Borla Catback should be worth anywhere from 7-10 rwhp. A 13.5 is definately doable if you get a good launch. The biggest problem with stock cars running at the track is street tires. I would constantly hit 2.2 60' times with a 2.1 being a good run. I only once hit a 2.0 and I think that was a fluke (LOL). I was running BFG KDWS which are great in snow but bad at the track

Alot depends on weather, track elevation and most importantly your ability to get a decent 60'. If you get all three in your favor then a low to mid 13 is definately possible. If any or all is against you then don't be too shocked or disappointed with a high 13. Just use it as motivation to mod up and get better times.

Good luck