Post by jaberwaki on Sept 5, 2005 21:18:15 GMT -5
So You Wanna Be Fast....
by Jaberwaki
(a guide for newbies to what it takes to build a fast F-body)
Being fast is much, much more then just making a lot of power. There are SEVERAL topics that make up the ability to be fast at the track. We will discuss the things that you can directly affect.
We will split the topics up one at a time, and even get part-specific, defining what a part is and what it does.
Part I: Power
A. Nitrous Oxide
B. Heads/Cam
C. Bolt-Ons
D. Short Blocks
E. Fuel Systems
F. Forced Induction
Part II: Drivetrain
A. Manual 6-Speed (M6)
B. Automatic 4-Speed (A4)
Part III: Chassis/Suspension
A. Chassis
B. Suspension
Part I: Power
Power is the newbie's wet dream. It is what Vin Diesel said he needed to twist the chassis off the line, and you want a twisted chassis don't you?
In its simplest form, the motor is nothing more then a power-making air pump. The more air in, the more air out, the more power you make. That is not everything by a long shot, but it will help you figure out if a mod will help or hurt.
There are A LOT of ways to make power -- more importantly, increase power output from your motor. Here are some of them.
A. Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous Oxide (or N2O) is a chemical oxidizer; it is two parts nitrogen and one part oxygen. The oxygen is the part that makes power. Gasoline combines with oxygen in a combustible mixture. The more of both gasoline and oxygen you have, in the proper amounts, the more power you make. So why not inject pure oxygen? Simple: pure oxygen is much, much more intense of an oxidizer. Having about five times the intensity that N2O provides, pure oxygen would melt your motor.
Bang for buck, N2O is the fastest way to make power. That being said, N2O has a bad reputation for giving more BANG then people expected. Let me go on record as saying, this is not the N2O's fault. The fault is on the person trying to get away with spraying nitrous and only having $500 total to put into it. Nitrous is a SAFE power adder, if it is both set up correctly and used properly.
Setup Types
There are 3 major types of nitrous setups.
1. Dry
2. Wet
3. Direct port
As with most choices, there are pluses and minuses to all of them.
Dry:
A dry shot relies on the car's MAF, PCM, and fuel system to add the proper amount of fuel to balance the nitrous out. That is, the nitrous is sprayed in front of the MAF, which recognizes a sudden spike in O2 and signals the PCM, which decides the proper amount of fuel needed to balance the mixture. It is the cheapest of the setups to purchase. It also leaves no chance of fuel "puddling" in the intake. The weak point in this system is the car's fuel system. The dry shot is limited to the car's ability to increase fuel. Often a shot will find the weak spot in the fuel system, be it the injectors, the fuel pump, etc. Spraying N2O without the fuel to support it equals the kiss of death for your car.
Wet:
A wet shot does not rely on the car's MAF, PCM, or injectors to provide the proper amount of fuel to balance the mixture. It has a separate fuel line with its own jetting that is set up to spray the exact amount of fuel needed to go with the size nitrous shot you are using. In some cases, this may require you to step up your fuel pump, but you need not worry about your injectors. Some drawbacks are that with a separate fuel line and the fact that the spray is happening AFTER the MAF, any trouble with the system will go unnoticed by your PCM until it's too late. If your nitrous stops spraying but the fuel does not, then it will puddle and possibly introduce you to your hood-- the hard way... If the fuel side cuts out but the nitrous side does not, then you will go drastically lean and blow your motor. Threat of these things can be minimized. Buy GOOD parts, not the cheapest you can get away with.
Direct Port:
A direct port setup mixes the N2O and fuel, and directly injects the mixture into each individual cylinder. It is by far and away the safest and best way to use N2O. It does have one major drawback... PRICE. The direct port system by itself, can cost north of $1500. That does not include any of the supporting parts, that really are must-haves with ANY nitrous setup.
Accessories
Not just the base kit. If you plan on running N2O and would like your car to last more then just one or two runs down the 1/4, then you should compliment your base kit with the proper accessories. These include:
- RPM Window Switch: It will turn your nitrous kit off and on at preset RPMs, 1. so you don't spray under low RPMs, which can blow your motor; and 2. so you don't spray right into your rev limiter, same reason.
- Fuel Pressure Safety Switch: If your fuel pressure drops below a safe range while spraying nitrous, the safety switch will shut the nitrous off to keep from running the engine too lean.
- Bottle Pressure Gauge: It allows you to safely monitor your nitrous pressure from the passenger compartment.
- Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) Switch: Also called a WOT switch, it only allows your kit to turn on when you are at Wide Open Throttle.
- Automatic Bottle Heater: It will keep your bottle at the correct temperature and pressure to ensure that you are spraying the correct size shot. This is especially important in a wet shot setup, as the shot of fuel will not adjust to the lack of nitrous from a cold bottle.
- Purge Kit: This vents old nitrous left in the lines from the last time you sprayed, and keeps it out of your motor.
This is not everything there is to know about nitrous. It is only a quick, down and dirty introduction to entry-level knowledge that you should have before you go the N2O route.
(As a side note, it should be said that referring to nitrous as NAWS or NOS is a good way to get made fun of at the track, and could even get youra$$kicked.)
B. Heads/Cam
Heads and cams are like peas and carrots. They belong together, should be bought together, they rely on each other; so we will discuss them together.
In the beginning of this thread, we said the motor is a power-making air pump. Well, your heads and cam decide just how much air gets in, and how much gets out. Most often referred to as the heart of any race car, the head and cam selection is a huge factor in just how much power your pile is capable of making.
Just because you buy the biggest cam on the market, and the biggest-port highest-flowing heads on the market, does not mean that you will make a ton of power. It does not work like that. When purchasing a H/C package, you want a setup that is:
1. Matched to each other's strong points
2. Compensates for the weak points
3. Best suited for the displacement of your motor
1. Matched to each other's strong points:
Every head has its strong points and weak points. If you have a set of heads that flows particularly well on the intake side, then your cam selection should take that into account. If it has excellent port velocity, then your cam should again be geared to exploit that. For example, if your heads make the best flow at higher lift, then your cam should have the lift numbers to get it there.
2. Compensates for the weak points:
Like the strong points, every set of heads have its weak points. It is my belief that the cam should compensate for the shortcomings in your heads (since cams cost less). For instance, if your heads do not flow as well on the exhaust side, you may want to consider a cam that has a longer exhaust duration, to allow more time for the waste gasses to escape.
3. is Best suited for the displacement of your motor:
If you go out and purchase the biggest-port highest-flowing heads, and the most monstrous cam you can find, and slap it on your stock 346, what will you have? The baddest, fastest 346 this side of the Pecos, right, buddy? WRONG... you will have a over-priced, under-thought pile, that won't hold an idle, falls on its face, and never makes power in any usable power band. Good luck with that... What you want, is the highest-flowing smallest-port heads suited for your cubes, and a cam that makes the very most out of them.
I will not get vendor-specific. The choice, in the end, is still yours. I would advise that you ask a ton of questions, to a ton of sponsors, and go with the one that has the best results on hand, is willing to be up front and answer your questions, and puts technical information in words you can understand and will help you match a cam for your needs.
The subject of cams alone could fill this website to its brink. This is not a tell-all guide to buying a heads/cam setup; just some basic knowledge and tips that you should know before you drop $3000 on a H/C setup.
C. Bolt-Ons
Bolt ons are any part that assists in the making of power, that does not touch oil. It is common knowledge that they are the starting point in modding your car, so the fact that you should complete your bolt-ons should go without saying. Let's look at some of them and what they do.
Lid:
A lid replaces your stock lid, which was designed with comfort, not power, in mind. Simply put, an aftermarket lid does not have the restrictive air silencing fins and baffle found on the stocker. It allows more air in, and is a "must do first or second" mod. A lid is a lid, don't ask which one is best.
Cold Air (Ram Air):
The factory placement of the lid is poor for two reasons: the amount of space that air has to get into the lid is minimal; and placing it right on top of the radiator all but insures that you will have hot air entering your motor. A cold air (or ram air) kit fixes both of these problems. Either drawing cool air from under the car, or sealing your factory ram air to the cool outside air. Both methods ensure that enough air is getting in, and that the air that gets in is not hot.
Headers:
Headers replace your stock exhaust manifolds. They assist in the evacuation of spent gasses from your heads. They do this two ways: 1. first, they are free-flowing, which is to say they do not restrict exhaust flow in the slightest. 2. being free-flowing is not enough - GOOD header designs take it one step further by creating something know as the "scavenging effect"; that is, the flow of one header primary as it travels to the collector, creates a void or vacuum in the other primaries, effectively sucking out the exhaust as it is released from the head. I have always preferred "stepped" headers, for this very reason. Steeped header primaries get larger as you move away from the head's exhaust port. This greatly increases the scavenging effect, and increases your power potential.
Underdrive Pulleys:
Most commonly the crank pulley; it is simply a smaller pulley. 1. The rotational mass of the pulley is less, and therefore lighter and easier for your motor to turn. 2. It effectively reduces the amount of power required to turn the rest of the accessories, much like shifting to a lower gear.
Electric Water Pump:
Following hand in hand with the underdrive pulley, the electric waterpump gives the motor one less accessory it has to turn, thereby freeing up a few more HP. Although there is debate as to how much, no-one (who isn't a moron) disputes that it does free up at least SOME amount of HP.
Manual Rack-And-Pinion Steering:
Along the same lines, the MRAPS gets rid of yet another accessory, thereby freeing up power. It also weighs considerably less then the stock power steering system.
Exhaust Systems:
While there is A LOT of bull$hit that flies around the Internet about "this exhaust sounds better then that one", this post is not for posers who want to whine about rasp. The very best-flowing exhaust there is, is a true dual X-pipe or H-pipe setup, with or without bullet mufflers. The next best thing is a cutout in the I-pipe. No cat-back out-flows a cutout; no Y-pipe setup out-flows true duals. Period.
Intake and Throttle Body:
I put these together because much like heads and cam, they should be matched. Again all bull$hit aside, the best is the LSX 90mm intake and a 90mm throttle body. They are very expensive. A cost-effective second place is the LS6 intake and a ported stock TB. Either of these two choices are worth it, and have been dyno-proven time and again.
D. Short Blocks
When you're ready to play with the big dogs, it is time to refer to older wisdom: "There's no replacement for displacement."
I will not speak to which vendor, or even which short block, is best. But there are a few staples that any good short block should have:
1. be completely balanced and blueprinted
2. forged internals
3. warranty on craftsmanship
1. it should be Completely Balanced and Blueprinted
This means that every part of the rotating assembly has been weighed and made to be in perfect balance with like parts; for example, all pistons weigh exactly the same within a tolerance of +/- 1 gram. This ensures that the motor is not vibrating itself to death. A perfectly balanced motor will always make more power, all else being the same. Blueprinting means that every clearance and tolerance has been checked, rechecked, and documented for you on a build sheet.
2. it should have Forged Internals
Getting a new short block is something you do not want to have to do twice. Forged internals will last longer, withstand more abuse, and support more power. Do it once, do it right.
3. it should have a Warranty on Craftsmanship
This should not be a hard one to understand. If a company will not stand behind its product, then why would you?Do not be fooled by a vendor who says no-one gives a warranty on short blocks. Yes they do, and if that vendor will not, then find one who will. It should be noted on the side, that this does not, nor should it, apply to power-adder cars (nitrous, forced induction). Too many things can go wronge in a power-adder setup, to ever hold the motor totally responsible.
Having a potent short block will most definitely make you the guy on your block to beat.
Ensure that you have the short block built for your specific application. Most builders do not have cookie-cutter short blocks. They build yours for your goals. Are you looking to be a naturally-aspirated (N/A) monster? Then a 427 mill with high compression may be your best bet. Or are you looking to be king of boost? In that case, perhaps a bulletproof low-compression iron 408 would suit you best. Tell your builder what you want to do with the short block, and they can help guide you to the one best suited for you
E. Fuel Systems
We have talked a lot so far about air, so now let's turn our attention to the other half of combustion: FUEL.
Having a fuel system that will support the motor that you are building is paramount. What good is having a motor capable of making 700 hp, but being limited to 500 because your fuel system will not support any more then that? It is very hard to go overboard when planning your fuel system. Because it is adjustable and PCM-controlled, having more then you need is not a bad thing. Once you know how much HP it will take to run the timeslip you want, then that day start putting together a fuel system that will support that amount of HP.
As a general rule, you do not want your injector duty cycle to be over 80%. By the same rule, it is best that your fuel pump be able to handle 120% of the RWHP your motor is making. Add to that an adjustable fuel regulator, a fuel pressure gauge, and tuning to dial it all in, and your fueling department should be covered.
F. Forced Induction
Apology (no boost)
I will go ahead and extend my apologies; I am not including Forced Induction in this write-up. I am not one to write about things I don't have clue one about. I do not know enough about boost to make an informed write-up on it. However, plans next year have me building a boost car for a friend. Perhaps after that I will add to this.
So for now, that is all I am going to write on the subject of making more power in the LS1.
by Jaberwaki
(a guide for newbies to what it takes to build a fast F-body)
Being fast is much, much more then just making a lot of power. There are SEVERAL topics that make up the ability to be fast at the track. We will discuss the things that you can directly affect.
We will split the topics up one at a time, and even get part-specific, defining what a part is and what it does.
Part I: Power
A. Nitrous Oxide
B. Heads/Cam
C. Bolt-Ons
D. Short Blocks
E. Fuel Systems
F. Forced Induction
Part II: Drivetrain
A. Manual 6-Speed (M6)
B. Automatic 4-Speed (A4)
Part III: Chassis/Suspension
A. Chassis
B. Suspension
Part I: Power
Power is the newbie's wet dream. It is what Vin Diesel said he needed to twist the chassis off the line, and you want a twisted chassis don't you?
In its simplest form, the motor is nothing more then a power-making air pump. The more air in, the more air out, the more power you make. That is not everything by a long shot, but it will help you figure out if a mod will help or hurt.
There are A LOT of ways to make power -- more importantly, increase power output from your motor. Here are some of them.
A. Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous Oxide (or N2O) is a chemical oxidizer; it is two parts nitrogen and one part oxygen. The oxygen is the part that makes power. Gasoline combines with oxygen in a combustible mixture. The more of both gasoline and oxygen you have, in the proper amounts, the more power you make. So why not inject pure oxygen? Simple: pure oxygen is much, much more intense of an oxidizer. Having about five times the intensity that N2O provides, pure oxygen would melt your motor.
Bang for buck, N2O is the fastest way to make power. That being said, N2O has a bad reputation for giving more BANG then people expected. Let me go on record as saying, this is not the N2O's fault. The fault is on the person trying to get away with spraying nitrous and only having $500 total to put into it. Nitrous is a SAFE power adder, if it is both set up correctly and used properly.
Setup Types
There are 3 major types of nitrous setups.
1. Dry
2. Wet
3. Direct port
As with most choices, there are pluses and minuses to all of them.
Dry:
A dry shot relies on the car's MAF, PCM, and fuel system to add the proper amount of fuel to balance the nitrous out. That is, the nitrous is sprayed in front of the MAF, which recognizes a sudden spike in O2 and signals the PCM, which decides the proper amount of fuel needed to balance the mixture. It is the cheapest of the setups to purchase. It also leaves no chance of fuel "puddling" in the intake. The weak point in this system is the car's fuel system. The dry shot is limited to the car's ability to increase fuel. Often a shot will find the weak spot in the fuel system, be it the injectors, the fuel pump, etc. Spraying N2O without the fuel to support it equals the kiss of death for your car.
Wet:
A wet shot does not rely on the car's MAF, PCM, or injectors to provide the proper amount of fuel to balance the mixture. It has a separate fuel line with its own jetting that is set up to spray the exact amount of fuel needed to go with the size nitrous shot you are using. In some cases, this may require you to step up your fuel pump, but you need not worry about your injectors. Some drawbacks are that with a separate fuel line and the fact that the spray is happening AFTER the MAF, any trouble with the system will go unnoticed by your PCM until it's too late. If your nitrous stops spraying but the fuel does not, then it will puddle and possibly introduce you to your hood-- the hard way... If the fuel side cuts out but the nitrous side does not, then you will go drastically lean and blow your motor. Threat of these things can be minimized. Buy GOOD parts, not the cheapest you can get away with.
Direct Port:
A direct port setup mixes the N2O and fuel, and directly injects the mixture into each individual cylinder. It is by far and away the safest and best way to use N2O. It does have one major drawback... PRICE. The direct port system by itself, can cost north of $1500. That does not include any of the supporting parts, that really are must-haves with ANY nitrous setup.
Accessories
Not just the base kit. If you plan on running N2O and would like your car to last more then just one or two runs down the 1/4, then you should compliment your base kit with the proper accessories. These include:
- RPM Window Switch: It will turn your nitrous kit off and on at preset RPMs, 1. so you don't spray under low RPMs, which can blow your motor; and 2. so you don't spray right into your rev limiter, same reason.
- Fuel Pressure Safety Switch: If your fuel pressure drops below a safe range while spraying nitrous, the safety switch will shut the nitrous off to keep from running the engine too lean.
- Bottle Pressure Gauge: It allows you to safely monitor your nitrous pressure from the passenger compartment.
- Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) Switch: Also called a WOT switch, it only allows your kit to turn on when you are at Wide Open Throttle.
- Automatic Bottle Heater: It will keep your bottle at the correct temperature and pressure to ensure that you are spraying the correct size shot. This is especially important in a wet shot setup, as the shot of fuel will not adjust to the lack of nitrous from a cold bottle.
- Purge Kit: This vents old nitrous left in the lines from the last time you sprayed, and keeps it out of your motor.
This is not everything there is to know about nitrous. It is only a quick, down and dirty introduction to entry-level knowledge that you should have before you go the N2O route.
(As a side note, it should be said that referring to nitrous as NAWS or NOS is a good way to get made fun of at the track, and could even get youra$$kicked.)
B. Heads/Cam
Heads and cams are like peas and carrots. They belong together, should be bought together, they rely on each other; so we will discuss them together.
In the beginning of this thread, we said the motor is a power-making air pump. Well, your heads and cam decide just how much air gets in, and how much gets out. Most often referred to as the heart of any race car, the head and cam selection is a huge factor in just how much power your pile is capable of making.
Just because you buy the biggest cam on the market, and the biggest-port highest-flowing heads on the market, does not mean that you will make a ton of power. It does not work like that. When purchasing a H/C package, you want a setup that is:
1. Matched to each other's strong points
2. Compensates for the weak points
3. Best suited for the displacement of your motor
1. Matched to each other's strong points:
Every head has its strong points and weak points. If you have a set of heads that flows particularly well on the intake side, then your cam selection should take that into account. If it has excellent port velocity, then your cam should again be geared to exploit that. For example, if your heads make the best flow at higher lift, then your cam should have the lift numbers to get it there.
2. Compensates for the weak points:
Like the strong points, every set of heads have its weak points. It is my belief that the cam should compensate for the shortcomings in your heads (since cams cost less). For instance, if your heads do not flow as well on the exhaust side, you may want to consider a cam that has a longer exhaust duration, to allow more time for the waste gasses to escape.
3. is Best suited for the displacement of your motor:
If you go out and purchase the biggest-port highest-flowing heads, and the most monstrous cam you can find, and slap it on your stock 346, what will you have? The baddest, fastest 346 this side of the Pecos, right, buddy? WRONG... you will have a over-priced, under-thought pile, that won't hold an idle, falls on its face, and never makes power in any usable power band. Good luck with that... What you want, is the highest-flowing smallest-port heads suited for your cubes, and a cam that makes the very most out of them.
I will not get vendor-specific. The choice, in the end, is still yours. I would advise that you ask a ton of questions, to a ton of sponsors, and go with the one that has the best results on hand, is willing to be up front and answer your questions, and puts technical information in words you can understand and will help you match a cam for your needs.
The subject of cams alone could fill this website to its brink. This is not a tell-all guide to buying a heads/cam setup; just some basic knowledge and tips that you should know before you drop $3000 on a H/C setup.
C. Bolt-Ons
Bolt ons are any part that assists in the making of power, that does not touch oil. It is common knowledge that they are the starting point in modding your car, so the fact that you should complete your bolt-ons should go without saying. Let's look at some of them and what they do.
Lid:
A lid replaces your stock lid, which was designed with comfort, not power, in mind. Simply put, an aftermarket lid does not have the restrictive air silencing fins and baffle found on the stocker. It allows more air in, and is a "must do first or second" mod. A lid is a lid, don't ask which one is best.
Cold Air (Ram Air):
The factory placement of the lid is poor for two reasons: the amount of space that air has to get into the lid is minimal; and placing it right on top of the radiator all but insures that you will have hot air entering your motor. A cold air (or ram air) kit fixes both of these problems. Either drawing cool air from under the car, or sealing your factory ram air to the cool outside air. Both methods ensure that enough air is getting in, and that the air that gets in is not hot.
Headers:
Headers replace your stock exhaust manifolds. They assist in the evacuation of spent gasses from your heads. They do this two ways: 1. first, they are free-flowing, which is to say they do not restrict exhaust flow in the slightest. 2. being free-flowing is not enough - GOOD header designs take it one step further by creating something know as the "scavenging effect"; that is, the flow of one header primary as it travels to the collector, creates a void or vacuum in the other primaries, effectively sucking out the exhaust as it is released from the head. I have always preferred "stepped" headers, for this very reason. Steeped header primaries get larger as you move away from the head's exhaust port. This greatly increases the scavenging effect, and increases your power potential.
Underdrive Pulleys:
Most commonly the crank pulley; it is simply a smaller pulley. 1. The rotational mass of the pulley is less, and therefore lighter and easier for your motor to turn. 2. It effectively reduces the amount of power required to turn the rest of the accessories, much like shifting to a lower gear.
Electric Water Pump:
Following hand in hand with the underdrive pulley, the electric waterpump gives the motor one less accessory it has to turn, thereby freeing up a few more HP. Although there is debate as to how much, no-one (who isn't a moron) disputes that it does free up at least SOME amount of HP.
Manual Rack-And-Pinion Steering:
Along the same lines, the MRAPS gets rid of yet another accessory, thereby freeing up power. It also weighs considerably less then the stock power steering system.
Exhaust Systems:
While there is A LOT of bull$hit that flies around the Internet about "this exhaust sounds better then that one", this post is not for posers who want to whine about rasp. The very best-flowing exhaust there is, is a true dual X-pipe or H-pipe setup, with or without bullet mufflers. The next best thing is a cutout in the I-pipe. No cat-back out-flows a cutout; no Y-pipe setup out-flows true duals. Period.
Intake and Throttle Body:
I put these together because much like heads and cam, they should be matched. Again all bull$hit aside, the best is the LSX 90mm intake and a 90mm throttle body. They are very expensive. A cost-effective second place is the LS6 intake and a ported stock TB. Either of these two choices are worth it, and have been dyno-proven time and again.
D. Short Blocks
When you're ready to play with the big dogs, it is time to refer to older wisdom: "There's no replacement for displacement."
I will not speak to which vendor, or even which short block, is best. But there are a few staples that any good short block should have:
1. be completely balanced and blueprinted
2. forged internals
3. warranty on craftsmanship
1. it should be Completely Balanced and Blueprinted
This means that every part of the rotating assembly has been weighed and made to be in perfect balance with like parts; for example, all pistons weigh exactly the same within a tolerance of +/- 1 gram. This ensures that the motor is not vibrating itself to death. A perfectly balanced motor will always make more power, all else being the same. Blueprinting means that every clearance and tolerance has been checked, rechecked, and documented for you on a build sheet.
2. it should have Forged Internals
Getting a new short block is something you do not want to have to do twice. Forged internals will last longer, withstand more abuse, and support more power. Do it once, do it right.
3. it should have a Warranty on Craftsmanship
This should not be a hard one to understand. If a company will not stand behind its product, then why would you?Do not be fooled by a vendor who says no-one gives a warranty on short blocks. Yes they do, and if that vendor will not, then find one who will. It should be noted on the side, that this does not, nor should it, apply to power-adder cars (nitrous, forced induction). Too many things can go wronge in a power-adder setup, to ever hold the motor totally responsible.
Having a potent short block will most definitely make you the guy on your block to beat.
Ensure that you have the short block built for your specific application. Most builders do not have cookie-cutter short blocks. They build yours for your goals. Are you looking to be a naturally-aspirated (N/A) monster? Then a 427 mill with high compression may be your best bet. Or are you looking to be king of boost? In that case, perhaps a bulletproof low-compression iron 408 would suit you best. Tell your builder what you want to do with the short block, and they can help guide you to the one best suited for you
E. Fuel Systems
We have talked a lot so far about air, so now let's turn our attention to the other half of combustion: FUEL.
Having a fuel system that will support the motor that you are building is paramount. What good is having a motor capable of making 700 hp, but being limited to 500 because your fuel system will not support any more then that? It is very hard to go overboard when planning your fuel system. Because it is adjustable and PCM-controlled, having more then you need is not a bad thing. Once you know how much HP it will take to run the timeslip you want, then that day start putting together a fuel system that will support that amount of HP.
As a general rule, you do not want your injector duty cycle to be over 80%. By the same rule, it is best that your fuel pump be able to handle 120% of the RWHP your motor is making. Add to that an adjustable fuel regulator, a fuel pressure gauge, and tuning to dial it all in, and your fueling department should be covered.
F. Forced Induction
Apology (no boost)
I will go ahead and extend my apologies; I am not including Forced Induction in this write-up. I am not one to write about things I don't have clue one about. I do not know enough about boost to make an informed write-up on it. However, plans next year have me building a boost car for a friend. Perhaps after that I will add to this.
So for now, that is all I am going to write on the subject of making more power in the LS1.
k. 
