I have dealt with Vinci's and Mike Norris. Hands down I would recommend Mike Norris in a heartbeat. I first dealt with Roger Vinci and few years back and got screwed, he knew there was nothing he could do you improve the performance of my supercharged T/A but he still lead me to believe he could work on a couple of things that would help. He couldn't do a thing except make 8 dyno runs and charge me for them without even being able to show me a printout for each run (if he really did 8 runs). My fault for believing him but he was pretty convincing at the time.

Now - Vinci's can get bent ... I wouldn't let them change the air in my tires. They do seem to do some decent high priced work but ethics and trust is worth something to me and I do not trust Roger Vinci.

Later ... Larry S.

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'95 Trans Am - Powerdyne
11.874 @ 118.92 MPH

 

if vinci is such a bad place, then why do they do R&D work for Crane, Yank Converters, Holley, and Corsa just off the top of my head? two months ago Crane had a mitsubishi eclipse in for baselining to get their ignition system developed. back in '97 when holley developed their supercharger system for 5.0 mustangs, vinci was the place that did the R&D also.

do you guys know of the pontiac grand prix GTX? you know the one SLP made, ram air hood, supercharged. vinci was an assembly point for that car. now for SLP to let someone else put the car together for them would indicate that the integrity is pretty good.

now they also make some of their own products. which were featured in corvette fever magazine 3 times. 2 back to back.

Yank converters - did all the testing for them on converters. www.converter.cc then click the dyno shop. guess what? you see vinci's shop in the picture.

i was also ther the day they were testing the latest catback exhaust for c5 corvettes from Corsa. that was about 3 months ago.

now here's the kicker. i haven't ever had them work on my car. but i've known them for at least 7 years. i've used their dyno and tuned my current car. now, yes they may cost more. but over 35 years of doing this means they have a pretty good knowledge of what they're doing.

oh yeah, that reminds me. ken griffey jr had his cadillac escalade in their. they put a supercharger on it. that must mean something there too.

but anyways, there will always be good and bad experiences with all shops. you don't get the reputation they have by doing crappy work. i don't know anything about mike norris or lamotta. but i'm sure they do good work. i see alot of mustang owners using lamotta. also, i do know lugo performance. known dennis for about 7 years also. he's a real good person to deal with also. have used his mustang dyno once.

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fl-thirdgen.org#0004
moderator @ www.fl-thirdgen.org '86 t/a, 3.27, auto, homemade CAI, hypertech AFPR, comp cams 1.52 roller tip rockers, holley prostrip annililator ignition system, shift kit,
OEM corvette 2100 rpm convertor, lakewood adjustable panhard rod and trailing arms, edelbrock 6872 headers, catco 6007 3" cat, flowmaster 17151 3" single outlet catback. 14.91 @ 90.57 177.7rwhp 356.4rwtq

 

larry i saw your dyno graph the last time we talked about this over at CFFB. there was 8 runs on it. i saw where you were getting the detonation on the upper rpms. if you want i can get you a copy of it. i talk with joe vinci alot. or just call joe and ask him for a copy. they keep them on file.

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fl-thirdgen.org#0004
moderator @ www.fl-thirdgen.org '86 t/a, 3.27, auto, homemade CAI, hypertech AFPR, comp cams 1.52 roller tip rockers, holley prostrip annililator ignition system, shift kit,
OEM corvette 2100 rpm convertor, lakewood adjustable panhard rod and trailing arms, edelbrock 6872 headers, catco 6007 3" cat, flowmaster 17151 3" single outlet catback. 14.91 @ 90.57 177.7rwhp 356.4rwtq

[This message has been edited by mrr23 (edited August 28, 2002).]

 

None, nor would I even consider asking for it. The Corsa F body catback was prototyped on my car. Crane also used my 98 for a testbed. Roger & Joe are used extensively by the industry because of the quality of there work, there years of experience, and their automotive knowledge particularly when it comes to fuel injected engines.
I don't trust many people to work on my cars. I trust Roger and Joe. I don't have the time or patience to work on my cars any more. I guess I'll just have to keep "spending" my money at VHP.



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2002 SOM SS
1969 Z28 HUGGER ORANGE
2000 E55 (for sale)
1998 Z28 convertible (sold)
2002 Lexus LX470

 

Looks like there is a conclusion here. If you have the $$$ to spend (like Yank, Crane, ...) then they'll bend over backward for you. But it sounds like the average enthusiast might be out of place there. Look in your wallet and decide.

But I've never heard any negative comments about Norris. And when a bunch of **** car freeks like us congregate on a board like this, you'd think one would have had a bad experience at any given shop around town. When I need work done and can't do it myself, I'll be calling Norris.

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2002 SS Vert:
SOM - Hurst - black leather - 12 disk changer - SLP dual center exhaust & grill insert
--- Mods - K&N, Yokohama AVS Intermediates on 16" Z28 5 spokes (autocrossing tires)

88 Camaro - FOR SALE
License plate - STRKIN (STROKIN was taken of course)
383 stroker
T350 trans (just rebuilt - 4/1/02) - shifts very hard.
373 rear.
Eibach(type) springs
Stiff sway bars Front & Rear
Air shocks in rear
Edelbrock Torker II Manifold
Edelbrock Performer 600CFM carb (w/tune kit)
Mallory 4309 Fuel pressure regulator.
shorty headers into true duals into two big flowmasters under the bumper into your face

When I start my car in the morning, my neighbors DO think the world is coming to an end!

 

I've never met the folks at Norris but I can tell by the postings that they do good quality work. I am comfortable with VHP so I use them. They were originally recommended for an install from a manufacturer out of state. Our cars are more than transportation, they are a passion! Doing mods and seeing improved times at the track and performance on the street is what it is all about. We should all use whomever we trust whether that be ourselves, friends or a shop.

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2002 SOM SS
1969 Z28 HUGGER ORANGE
2000 E55 (for sale)
1998 Z28 convertible (sold)
2002 Lexus LX470

 

Norris Motorsports.... nuf said!

 

I have heard good things about Norris, but have never had any work done. I do know first hand that Lamotta does good work as well. The number for them is 407-695-4549, ask for Bill.

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#3 R.I.P.
CFFB #06
1996 Z28 M6
13.48 @ 104.6

 

You pay your money and you take your chances. All places noted above do good and reliable work. I just prefer the atmosphere and working relationship I get from Mike Norris.

mrr23 - I don't know how you got to see my dyno runs since when I picked up my car Roger told me they didn't save but one or two of them since the detonation was so bad. The detonation happened fairly low in the RPM range and my runs at Vinci's were done sometime in about 1996. I feel Vinci's does good work, I just don't care to work with them after my first experience. And thanks for the offer of a copy of the dyno runs but I have no interest or need in them. I simply took my car to Vinci's to have them fix my detonation problem and they could do nothing to help it.

Later ... Larry S.

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'95 Trans Am - Powerdyne
11.874 @ 118.92 MPH

 

Not familiar with the others, other than hear say. But, I spend my money at Norris Motorsports.

Great communication, straight forward answers, issues are brought to my attention for discussion or future concerns that needed to be address now. Discuss the best combinations for what "I" want to accomplish with my car. Keeps you updated on progress.

Knows how to dyno tune our modern fuel injected cars along with Ed Wright programming, and get the best horsepower and torque numbers and still be reliable, fuel efficient and streetable. Or go all out ***** to the wall trailer queen!
I was impressed to see a Corvette owner (fussiest car enthusiast on the planet) check over his car after a heads and cam job, and ask before starting and driving the car if it had been worked on! Because the car had been put back together in stock form (note: stock form, is putting it back together, exactly like it came in), to where he couldn't tell they had worked on it.
On the corvette forum they use those huge signatures when they post (pity dial up folks), past customers list and link Norris Motorsports!!
Shop is always full, must be a "Good" reason for that, mostly Corvettes too!

Enough Said, my $2.00, Hi Performance is not cheap, so spend your dollars wisely.
In the sig.
Ray


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97SS ANNIVERSARY SS #1618
ANNIVERSARY #0526
CFFB #21 A4
Norris Motorsports 383 LT4
97 ANNIVERSARY Z28
CFFB #22 A4

 

If it were my money I would spend it at Norris Motorsports. The owner Mike is an experienced former GM technician with attention to detail and knows how to make our cars run. His shop is well equipped and he has just brought on a new mechanic named Larry Macedo to assist him. The Corvettes and Camaros he has done work on run very well at Desoto Speedway when their owners have run their. I would advise you to visit the shop and also attend a corvette/viper/f-body shootout at Desoto and talk to the owners to see what they think. I personally would trust Jim Muellers opinion as a fellow car enthusiast that has had his share of trials and tribulations getting his ride sorted out. 97SSC-YA I believe I saw your car on the dyno at Norris Motorsports last friday when I went to ask Mike a question and it sure sounded sweet. There was also a Viper there that was having some work done. All in all a down to earth guy that is meticulous and has won the trust of many. Raul

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2002 Camaro SS,2001 Corvette,1996 Impala SS

[This message has been edited by muscle cars (edited August 29, 2002).]