Help - Trick Flow LS1 Top End Kit Dyno Reults

[c5z28]

Anyway to post that dyno graph? What rocker arms do you have? Since the TF's need aftermarket ones some people cheap out and I have heard some of the rocker arms kill the top end.

[98SSCamaro]

I would love to post the dyno but I don't have a place to host the picture. If you like send me an e-mail and I will e-mail the dyno back to you this evening.

The lines are very smooth, no sudden drop offs. Torque is about as flat as it can get starting around 315 - 320 and going up to 375 around 3800 staying there until about 5300 or 5400 RPM then drops off gradually into the 315 range or so at 6200 rpm. HP climbs steady and smooth increasing through the RPM band until hitting 378 - 383 HP in the 5200 range and stays there flat until after 6000 where it drops to around 350 HP. Tried to describe it if that helps.

I bought the complete TF Top End Kit which included Harland Sharp full roller rockers, stock 1.7 ratio.

The entire top end is brand new, bottom end is stock with 19k miles. Kit came with proper push rods, rockers, double valve springs, literally every top end part short of the intake. I checked and rechecked the valve train geo was correct, verified pre-load on the lifter / spring, and had a friend of mine who is a professional mechanic verify for me, all seemed right with the valve train.

[98SSCamaro]

Hope this works, attached picture of my car in signature.

[allbaugh_04]

Those numbers don't sound that bad for as mild as the cam is.

I'd get in touch with the manufacturer that makes that set up and ask them what they would recommend for a more "extreme" cam.

The more extreme the cam is, (depending on the specs), it'll make more power under the curver and it might buck a bit too. Depends on how much you want to put up with and you are just talking peak HP numbers.

You really shouldn't get so caught up in numbers.

No doubt about it, you can make more power with a bigger cam in that setup, just make sure it works well with your heads.

The numbers sound right to me.

Unless you have thousands just burning a hole in your pocket, I wouldn't worry about the intake/tb just yet.

But that's just me.

[98SSCamaro]

Think I was just a bit neurotic after the self build is all. Was trying to use the dyno numbers as an indicator if all was well with the engine and ignoring common sense.

I guess if it made it through a series of dyno pulls to red line and the 2 + hour drive home and still made 383 RWHP can't be anything that wrong with it right?

No reason what so ever to suspect a problem other than dyno numbers, the fine folks here have helped me see the light on that. For some reason I ignored the smooth idle, clean plugs, no tapping, just had no reason to suspect a problem other than I did the work and the dyno was lower than what I thought it would be.

Thanks again everyone. Working on a way to possibly post the dyno sheets just for those curious what a TF 485HP top end kit will do.

[c5z28]

Man i'm awesome

[98SSCamaro]

Awsome! Thank you!

[LSXZ28]

Maybe I missed it somewhere, is this an automatic or 6 speed?

Numbers are a bit low, but for that type of dyno, I wouldn't expect much more. Post up numbers if you go to another dyno...

Only thing I would question would be the pushrod length - was the preload checked to make sure they are not too short or too long?

[shady milkman]

Maybe I missed it somewhere, is this an automatic or 6 speed?

Numbers are a bit low, but for that type of dyno, I wouldn't expect much more. Post up numbers if you go to another dyno...

Only thing I would question would be the pushrod length - was the preload checked to make sure they are not too short or too long?

I am pretty sure they came with the kit..it would be odd for them not to be correct lengthed

[Frost]

This top end kit has not impressed me on the 3-4 that have come through here...

I had an RX7 swap yesterday with a forged 383 M6 and the TFS 515hp top end kit and a Fast 92/92. With the elbow in front of the TB that swap guys use it would only make 406/378. With the elbow (and MAF ) off and in SD it only did 417/384. The car has the mid-length stainless headers that are popular with this swap. I was expecting at least 450/410-ish out of the setup. No tuning on earth was going to get it there though.

With the same top-end kit on an LS1 M6 F-body with an LS6 intake, it was a struggle to get 390rwhp.

[c5z28]

This top end kit has not impressed me on the 3-4 that have come through here...

I had an RX7 swap yesterday with a forged 383 M6 and the TFS 515hp top end kit and a Fast 92/92. With the elbow in front of the TB that swap guys use it would only make 406/378. With the elbow (and MAF ) off and in SD it only did 417/384. The car has the mid-length stainless headers that are popular with this swap. I was expecting at least 450/410-ish out of the setup. No tuning on earth was going to get it there though.

With the same top-end kit on an LS1 M6 F-body with an LS6 intake, it was a struggle to get 390rwhp.

So it sounds like badass2000ss experience with 440ishrwhp on shorties is a rare occurrence then? Is it the cams or are the heads not as great as the afr's? I know someone with a 408, some "giant cam", trickflows and the guy isn't even in the 500rwhp range. Claims he can't rev it past 5600rpm's also. He has a tune.

[Frost]

I don't know, but on my dyno, a full weight F-body that makes 440rwhp will trap 124-125.

I recently had a 427 LSX (6-bolt with 6-bolt CNC trick Flows) that is only 9.2:1 SCR (no blower yet, N/A tune)... with heavy truck wheels and an M6 trans it made 419rwhp through shorties and stock Y-pipe. It got long tubes and real Y pipe and it jumped to 522rwhp.

I have NEVER had a stock cube LS1 with shorties make over 400rwhp here. This isn't a happy-dyno though.

[98SSCamaro]

It's an M6
Correct push rods were shipped with the complete kit, the HS roller rockers that come with the kit are torque to yeild and not adjustable but I did check preload etc anyway and all looked good.

Did alot of research on these heads and a lot of guys are getting high numbers and good ET's using them. Not into flow numbers all that much but I guess they do well there. From what folks are saying the TF cams in these kits are very conservative. They put out great torque but seem to run out of steam on the high end HP. These heads with a custom or at least more aggressive cam apparently make great power. For me the mild cam works, exceptionally nice to drive on the street, no bad manners what so ever.

Supposed to have a few Dyno Jet runs Friday if it doesn't rain, will post results for sure.

From what I am hearing I should be pretty happy with what I got from the Dyno Pack and most likely I do not have a problem. I am running the "485 HP" kit with the 216/220 .560 / .560 114 LSA cam.

[LSXZ28]

Yeah, that's a baby cam! At least when you get bored with it and want more power, a cam swap is easy

[98SSCamaro]

Agreed, speaking as a mechanical savvy person touching an LS / Gen III for the first time the whole project was straight forward and not that diffucult. Having done it once and really taking my time the cam swap alone would not take more than a Saturday for sure.

Thanks again. Happy for now and feel better that all is well. Maybe one day I'll get the itch for a bigger cam I hear that happens. Sounds like the way to go in the furture is a bigger cam with a FAST intake / TB. Have to see how the factory 10 bolt holds up with what I have now but again I put so few miles on it may last a lifetime.

[john j oliver]

Ok I know this post is old and I'm reviving it from the dead. But I stumbled across this and just want to comment with my experience. I have a 95 Camaro that I swapped a 2000 LS1/4l60E with the Trick Flow 500HP top end kit also. Also tuned by Mr. Steve Frost. I did this all between Thanks Giving and Christmas back in 2012. (A lot of planning involved) The LS1 has 42 pound Bosch injectors, long tube headers, LS6 intake, 90 mm throttle body, and the for mention Trick Flow top end kit. specifics about the kit can be found here. https://www.trickflow.com/parts/tfs-k306-500-460 . The cam spec are identified it the link but run 575/575 at 220/224 respectively. I installed the cam at 1 degree advance and drove it gingerly over to Steve's for tuning. We did some slight tweaks to the throttle body (small hole drilled into the TB butterfly plate) and removed the screen to the stock MAF sensor, the best radius elbow i could fine. Fuel pressure is at 60 psi and steady. Steve worked his magic with seemed like 15+ dyno pulls. (good thing i didn't nail it before the tune because it was so far off) but the max hp and torque came in at 375 RWHP and 375 ft lbs. So with my modified automatic (shift kit and 3500 stall converter) my guess is that I am right in line with 98sscamaro's numbers.

[ougman]

I will also add my experience with the GenX kit installed in my 2001 Trans Am WS6 as this was one of the few posts that I could find when I was considering the upgrade. I installed the LS1 485hp kit along with TSP long tubes, a Racetronix 340LPH fuel pump, Ford 9 in rear end with 4:10 gears and a Monster stage 2 clutch. Injectors are stock with ported throttle body. My final numbers were 383 hp/385 tq. Through open headers it was 412 hp/399 tq. I am running cats to a Magnaflow exhaust along with an LS6 intake. Car is a blast to drive!

[JoshFerguson]

x2 ...a 102 mm opening is about pointless with a 85mm tb...you should be running at least a 90mm anyways ..so personally i would dish out the coin and get a fast 102mm combo