Check out this idiot's "well researched" article....already been posted on LS1 and the turbobuick sites...

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/33...s_reign+.shtml

 

What a knucklehead...he wouldn't know 50 hp if it kicked him in the @ss!

 

He does have one point
OR, restore one yourself.
Maybe, just maybe they actually make a "chip" for the camaro/firebird..........

 

I e-mailed Royal Ford about the article. If you don't like the article you should do the same. It made me mad about how little they know about American muscle and basic performance upgrades.

 

I read that article as describing exactly what we do to our trucks... BUt since I am not up with the LS1 crowd maybe I missed something...

Doug

 

I'd have to say i almost agree with the article... As evidence,,, look what happened to the Mercury Cougar in its new version. There will always be a market for muscle cars, but that market has changed over the years. Almost everyone on this forum has a chipped out Lightning. I beleive what i see is the tuner car market more and more merging with the muscle car. And i think that is a good thing. It will be very interesting to see in which direction cars like the new T-bird end up taking everyone. It'll be intersting to see just what they put in the next redesigned Lightning. I might be just blowing smoke, but i think one of the very few cars left with a pushrod engine is the corvette after this year. I might be dead wrong but its just my 5 cents.

~Toast

 

Stage one is the chip upgrade. New software, written by an aftermarket company, is loaded into the existing system, replacing those stock, electronic engine controls.

Stage two is upgrading the exhaust to boost horsepower.

Stage three, well, Katy-bar-the-door, because here you get all of the above - often in stronger doses - along with a turbocharger. Other options here include intercoolers, nitrous systems, and other performance gear.

All of these things can be done to Camaros and Firebirds. Plus, they start out with over 300 HP.

What about the Vette? Same basic motor as the F cars. Z06 has 405 HP out of naturally aspirated pushrod V8 What a dumbass

 

This guy's an idiot......Tell him to get back in his VTEC honda and get the hell out of here.

 

well im not so sure this guy is an idiot. it seems to me that he makes some valid points. even the movies are catering to the crowd that likes foreign cars set up. what was that movie called again that was on a few months ago? all it basically had was ricer cars as they are called. i think this guy just didnt want to say that, so he threw in the audi. but the lack of sales of the camaros and firebirds really does say that they dont have the appeal that they used to have. why when they have so much horsepower are they not lusted after, like we lust after our lightnings or the forein cars that lots of kids are setting up now? general motors is not stupid, if they were still selling lots they would still produce.

 

He's an idiot because he either didn't do his research(camaros and t/as have to have extensive engine work to get the same HP as an inport does with a chip ) or he's lying!Even stock LS1s and Trans Ams will 'kill' most imports--modded or not. No one is arguring about the lack of sales--just his stupid, uninformed(or lying) comments about the 'fast-n-furious' rice cans being superior/quicker than the GM cars.

Dan

 

I think you may have missed the point where they said you can chip a Honda and get 50hp....but u need to tear apart a fbody engine to get any power out of it. No one is denying that SOME kids like the ricers....but I for one am not one of those (and I am 22). There are LOTS of us that appreciate muscle. Look around...Cobra, Lightning, Z06....detroit muscle is here to stay. The problem with the fbodies was in their excuction and styling. Over the top styling mixed with poor quality and cheesy interiors were what led to their demise.

But anyway....back to the pt....the reason I think most of us laughed at this article is because they said that the computer chip was the demise of the fbody..as if you could not chip a LS1.

ugh

 

i think saleen has hit on it. the over the top styling and poor quality and cheesy interiors have definately played a major role. i look at those cars and the exteriors look like they are too much over done,, yes yes i know that the ricers really do a lot of crazy stuff to theirs. but the interiors really do look to plastic and squirrly. the poor quality is legendary also. i think people dont see value in these cars anymore.

 

I really like this line:
I would love to see a chip and a chip only add that much power to Focus or VW GTi or Honda Civic or even the S2000, and keep the engine reasonably reliable. Chips give what 10-15% power increase, 15% of 200hp is only 30hp, not exactly close to 50.

 

Reply moved to seperate thread. I got a little off topic.

 

The point of his article was to say that the import craze has led to the demise of the F-bodies..............Anyone who doesn't agree with or doesn't believe this needs to do a little more research on sales #'s and realize it's true.....

However, his statements about chips and turbos, intercoolers, etc. on the imports did make it seem like you can' t do this on an American V8.........that was idiotic on the author's part!!! I mean, look at us here.......we talk more about chips and programs, etc than anything else...

One other thing the author failed to touch upon, was COST!!! Having owned an Accord V6 before the L, I can tell you that just to get her to run mid 15's, you gotta spend $1300 on headers, $600 - $900 on an exhaust, $250 on a cold air intake, $80 on plugs, and $1100 on a chip. Do the math, and what's more economical, modding a domestic or an import?? DUH!!!

How much do you think these guys are spending on throwing turbos or SC's on a Integra, Civic, etc.???? It's insane how much money they dump into these things...........with that amount of money you can mod a Lightning, a Camaro, a Vette, and still have money left over to take someone out to eat a few times...

So to sum it up, he has a point, but missed on a few, and forgot a few others

JC