Snail Paced?
Greg Telfer’s turbocharged LS1 Commodore isn’t.
Car enthusiasts are a strange lot. For years they’ll subscribe to the same mantra or beliefs. Many build tough V8s of any era, and others will tinker with modern Japanese and European track weapons. But rarely do the paths cross.
However, more and more, that line is getting blurred, and Greg is just one example of a V8-enthusiast marching to the beat of a new forced-induction drum. The Tiger Mica VT II you see here started its relationship with Greg in 2009 as a lightly-tuned N/A V8, running a Comp 222/224 cam, 2.5” exhaust and making a solid 351rwhp (262rwkw). Back then, Greg’s intention was to keep it N/A, run a more aggressive cam and leave it at that.
But something changed; the landscape was different. Over the last few years, the street scene has evolved a lot, thanks largely to a certain Australian manufacturer releasing a certain family sedan with a force-fed 4.0L six. Suddenly the V8 boys were being sprayed with the smell of defeat, and they wanted to be at the top again. Turbocharging V8s is nothing new, but in Australia it really was left to the hardcore drag racer and horsepower hero, not the regular punter.
Fast forward to 2011 and every tuner shop worth its salt offers bolt-on turbo kits for myriad of V8s. With so many options available to make big power, Greg did what seemed the most reasonable. Big turbo, shoving a couple of atmospheres into big motor. “I couldn’t decide between a turbo and a V8, so I built the perfect world.” When this writer first met Greg, the car was a VB, and the stereo made more power than the motor. How times have changed now he’s driving a VT. And, with 346 very tuneable cubic inches in the VT, a turbo up to the task had to be sourced.
Greg, along with the boys at East Coast Customs, settled on a Garrett 4094R. This is a big turbo. Consider that it’s accepted practice to see 800+hp from an engine setup using this turbo, and you can appreciate why Greg went with it. Ancillary items to help it on the way include a Turbosmart 48mm Pro wastegate, ASE air-to-air FMIC, an LS2 intake manifold to fit the bigger 92mm throttle body (by Throttle Bodies Australia) and Blitz EBC. Greg chose to stay with the cam that came with the car, but used the Comp catalogue to upgrade the valvetrain. Considering how much bouncing off the limiter the car is capable of, it was a sensible idea.
All this forced-induction goodness needs a lot of fuel, so Greg installed Siemens 60lbs injectors attached to an ASE custom fuel rail, a Turbosmart 1200 FPR, and out the back with an ASE surge tank is a Bosch 044 external fuel pump, and the feed pump has been upgraded to a Walbro 500HP item. Pretty comprehensive.
Exhaust work started with modifying the standard headers for a crossover to fit the ASE turbo manifold. A 3” dump pipe hangs off the back of the turbo, going into a 3.5” system behind the high-flow cat, before splitting into twin 3.5” pipes out the rear.
End result? On a lazy 8psi and a VCM Suite tune on the standard computer, 470rwhp, or 350rwkw. And that was with some pretty serious ignition problems. After rectifying that, and popping a few brave pills, Greg hopes to wind the wick up to 12 or 14psi (a touch either side of 1bar) and get closer to 550rwhp (410rwkw).
Greg’s already toughened up the drivetrain in anticipation of more power; a Direct Clutch billet flywheel and a slightly insane Direct Clutch twin-plate, 8puk solid-centre clutch transfer twist through to the standard T56 6sp box (does one need to mess with one of the strongest gearboxes going around?), while out the back an HSV 3.73:1 diff deals the punishment to the rears.
Greg was honest when this writer asked why he built the car. “Skids; I do big burnouts.” It’s no lie, because as the plates suggest, this car absolutely bakes. And the noise when it does bake! Truly amazing, make-the-baby-Jesus-cry sort of noise. When the engine is on full boost, it really does sound like the apocalypse is coming. Glorious.
470hp makes short work of the Federal 595 Evos on the rear. 225/35 ZR20 tyres wrap the front and rear 20×8.5” Koya Kahn wheels, and sure, they aren’t the hardest tyres to turn being so skinny, but the ease with which the Commodore does it is truly mind-blowing. 1st, 2nd, 3rd gears are all deemed useless when Greg is liberal with the loud pedal, and canvassing a pair of rears takes next to no time at all.
The stance of this car is helped by way of King springs all-round (super low in the front, ultra low in the rear) and along with Pedders shocks, thicker Pedders sway bars and bigger tie rod ends, handling isn’t half bad. It’s no circuit car, but it was never built with that intention. “Tough streeter” comes to mind, and this car really does epitomise that tough streeter philosophy. It makes enough twist down low to potter about in 4th around the city, but when provoked, it has enough top-end stonk to send the rear tyres into a frenzy and generally wreak havoc everywhere. Because really, what more do you want out of a car? “I don’t know. Maybe a forged 402ci stroker to go with the turbo setup.” Well, if you’re onto a good thing…
Story – Alex Burchell
Photos – Jamie Woods
Build-up Thread - http://www.cruisingbrisbane.com/forum/topic/54368-cammed-vt-ss-262-rwkw/
