AWD Jap Turbos vs LS1s?

Yo, I've been checking out these forums for a while thinking I'd buy an LS1. (I currently own an 85 Z28). I've finnaly got into a better financial situation and was looking into buying a 2001 WS6.

I was just wondering how it 'feels' in the driver's seat of an LS1. I've test drove one or two, but with respect to the dealer sitting next to me as I drove it, I didn't really hammer on it. I have a few younger friends that swear up and down that getting such a car as a WS6 is a waste. They're all fans of those 'rice' cars. Now my loyalty has always been to american muscle....but my friends have constantly tried to convice me that getting an AWD Turbo car (eclipse, vr4, wrx, ect) would be cooler and faster. I realise that 'cool' is a point of view and matter of opinion, but Faster is not. The idea being that the AWD allows these cars an advantage in the "DIG" and getting outa the hole faster, and the turbos and OHC setups allow for that "roll" power.


Just thought I'd ask the experts...what's ya'lls thoughts on all of this. Thanks alot.

Its like sitting in a "cock pit" with a monster engine if front of you, with access to more power than most AWD cars.

when i was in search for a fast car it had crossed my mind getting a ricer, but only for a split second, im a die hard Chevy guy and i had to have a V8.

I would say LS1. You wont be disappointed. Trust Me.

Good luck!

Dude don't listen to your immature ricer friends. They don't have a clue. They are the same people that think LS1's are no different than 305 Camaro's from the 80's. They are ricers, obviously they don't like American cars nor have any idea how fast they are.

Do yourself a favor and stay away from anything Japanese. They look like crap (IMO), are slow in stock form, espensive to mod, break when you mod them, and sound like complete garbage. To me thats pointless.

It wasn't even a consideration for me when I bought my car. Lets see - V8 RWD American Muscle car, or rice burning Nippon economy car with 4 cylinders and a fart can?? Only a true ricer would choose the latter.

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Originally Posted by Wesman

Dude don't listen to your immature ricer friends. They don't have a clue. They are the same people that think LS1's are no different than 305 Camaro's from the 80's. They are ricers, obviously they don't like American cars nor have any idea how fast they are.

Do yourself a favor and stay away from anything Japanese. They look like crap (IMO), are slow in stock form, espensive to mod, break when you mod them, and sound like complete garbage. To me thats pointless.

It wasn't even a consideration for me when I bought my car. Lets see - V8 RWD American Muscle car, or rice burning Nippon economy car with 4 cylinders and a fart can?? Only a true ricer would choose the latter.

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+1:drivin:

Well thanks for all the imput. I guess that answered most of my questions. Heh "think ls1's are no dif than 305 camaros from the 80", I think I've just been insulted?:blowme: It's ok tho, my Z28 doesn't run half the time and I have to use my wife's Galant:dodge:

Anyways my final question is whether or not the AWD makes any difference at all vs a RWD?

yeah man i would go ls1 all the way. Alot cheaper than alot of the import cars, and best bang for your buck. Most of those cars stated earlier have problems, vr4's are biyyacchhh to take care of but they are nice. WRX's are not that bad ass easy to blow off even heavily modded ones, when it comes to the subies all you have to worry about are the 06 sti's............besides that they are owned. Now as for the eclipse gsx that is a pretty stout car and the 4g63 has been around for a ages, that would not be a bad buy at all but to find a gsx in good shape is hard as hell even a gst is pretty hard to find in good shape. All in all i would go with the ls1. Stock 13's if you know how to drive, i can drive my ss pretty good and have beat many awds , shit i even beat them on the launch, you just gotta know your car.
Shit buy you a nice ws6 for 13,000 and then buy a nice nitrous setup for about 700-800 and spray a 100 shot all day no problem, there you have yourself a 12 sec car. Or get a head and cam right of the bat, like the patriot performance ls6 stage 2 head and 224/226 112 lsa cam for a bout 1700 and then an intake unless you get one with an ls6 already on it. You'll be blowing those awd drive cars out of the water. Also go M-6, just my preference. With 4 more grand you can have a 450+whp 410wtq+ls1....throw a 100 shot on top of that and still be in the safe zone and be over 500 rwhp and 500rwtq............or just 50 to be on the safe side:firedevil:

DRs eliminate our dig problem against AWDs

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Originally Posted by Lostandinneedofhelp

Well thanks for all the imput. I guess that answered most of my questions. Heh "think ls1's are no dif than 305 camaros from the 80", I think I've just been insulted?:blowme: It's ok tho, my Z28 doesn't run half the time and I have to use my wife's Galant:dodge:

Anyways my final question is whether or not the AWD makes any difference at all vs a RWD?

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you can feel the difference between an awd drive and a rwd in the turns, now this whole deal about f-bods not being able to handle............bull
Some good shocks springs and sfc's mated with some sticky rubber that car will handle like no other. From a launch no matter what it is always a drivers race, know how to drive your car. For christ sakes i've beaten autos off the line with more power than me. Nothing to me beats the feeling of a rwd v8. When i drive a awd it is nice and fun a little edgy because it eats turns, but so can the rwd's just has a different feel........plus nothing beats doing donuts and being able to slide around a corner with ease. If your into subtle want to spend more money and don't care about much power then go import if not go ls1.
I love evo's man and they are awesome cars just way more exspensive than an ls1. I mean for me it was not even a question, i got 2 camaros!!!!:firedevil:

Ya but it's not like I'm doing a road race in these cars heh, I know it's a bit immature but I've been known to hang out in parking lots with other car guys and pick up some quick races with whoever wants to 'run em'. And as far as the 'dig'...even with Drags I hear the FBody rearends are hella weak. =(

just dont constantly abuse it and u will be fine

i used to be in the same situation as u dude. i was in the market for a fast car and i drove a couple WRX's and GSX's. then i got a job as a student tech at a chevy dealer. i am the apprentice to the corvette specialist. he does F-bodies too. the first time i drove an F-body it was awesome. nothing like it. imports can be fun, but they lack a little thing called Torque. torque is addiciting.

I may be a little biased but I chose ls1's twice. LOL. I have had a wrx sti race me, don't know what year, but he got destroyed. He wanted to go from rolls, so that is what we did, and it was nowhere close. Keep in mind this was with my WS-6. I have owned and raced my firehawk for around 3 years and it still has the stock 10-bolt. I have put around 30,000 miles on it and the only things I have had to change for mechanical failure reasons are a throttle position switch, the computer, and a cat (under manufacturer warranty). The firehawk puts 388 to the ground and has the m6 most people say that it should have already broken a long time ago, but like it was said it is how you treat it. If you try 5000 rpm launches with dr's on it you are going to break it but you are kinda trying to at that point. Anyway that is my $0.02.

BTW, I had a buddy when I was in the military that had a GSX eclipse that he had done a few mods to and he couldn't keep a clutch in the car. He probably rode to work with me as much as he drove his own car.

get a ls1...there are some imports out there that deserve respect....but nothin can be built up for a better price than f-bods...plus you get the looks too

my best friend has a 06 STI with a turbo back exhaust and he swears he will beat a stock WS-6 all day from a roll or dig, car is fast and fun to drive but ask yourself this..
What is a sports car to you? 4 door sedan with a wing, suspension, and a turbo'ed engine? Or is it a 2 door, t-tops, aggressive body design that looks likes its coming to kick some ass and can back up its looks? What sound do you like the low pitched sound of a 3-inch exhaust or a smooth V8 rumble. Do you want your car to be noticed? If you ask me when I see a WRX or STI I don't know which it is until I see the logo's, the Trans Am however you know immediately what it is upon glancing at it. Get some pictures of the cars and compare them side by side and decided which looks better to you.

there are practically no words to describe what it feels like even feathering the throttle in an ls1. its fucking madness!!!! Not to mention when you hammer it you may pee alittle. i had a 90 awd eclipse and yes it handled bc of the awd but ls1 cars handle too. get alittle suspension and you'll be good. there is no bullshit delay waiting for the little peeshooter turbo to come into boost to try to make the little four banger engine move. its worthless, and i said its worthless bc i had both and damnit they suck. some will argue that evos and sti's are the shit but i beg to differ. i respect both and their technology but i have driven both also. 2.0 liter, 2.5 liter. even with evo's big turbo. it's a 2.0 liter. it may rocket out of the hole but after the hole shot it will most definetely bog because a big turbo is top end and the torque they make is not much. i have owned alot of cars and driven alot of cars and i have NEVER experienced such a well rounded motor like the ls1. it screams off the line even when it doesnt hook up, the mid rpm power still pulls you back hard and top end. you can wake this mother fucker up in 6th gear at 80doing 1800 rpms! Madness! Dont get me wrong, i totally respect the evos and sti's we have in the forums. This is simply a difference of opinion.

LS1 LS1 LS1 LS1 :happy:

Drive both, see what you like. I wouldnt buy a car because my friends say its cool. Also, unless its an STi or EVO, I wouldnt waste time with GSXs, WRXs and stuff like that. They will break and are expensive to mod. Id rather have an LS1 over them anyday.

Also, what type of response did you think you were going to get from an LS1 sight asking about getting a 4cylinder or the LS1? LOL

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Originally Posted by EE1983

Drive both, see what you like. I wouldnt buy a car because my friends say its cool. Also, unless its an STi or EVO, I wouldnt waste time with GSXs, WRXs and stuff like that. They will break and are expensive to mod. Id rather have an LS1 over them anyday.

Also, what type of response did you think you were going to get from an LS1 sight asking about getting a 4cylinder or the LS1? LOL

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I know right, go into the Evo forums and ask which to own lol. Like EE said, STi and Evo's are the way to go for imports, hell he has cams in his Evo and runs 11.9 (if I remember your other post) thats crazy fast. Its just preference man honestly, Muscle car, tuner car.

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Originally Posted by JHayesLS1

my best friend has a 06 STI with a turbo back exhaust and he swears he will beat a stock WS-6 all day from a roll or dig, car is fast and fun to drive but ask yourself this..
What is a sports car to you? 4 door sedan with a wing, suspension, and a turbo'ed engine? Or is it a 2 door, t-tops, aggressive body design that looks likes its coming to kick some ass and can back up its looks? What sound do you like the low pitched sound of a 3-inch exhaust or a smooth V8 rumble. Do you want your car to be noticed? If you ask me when I see a WRX or STI I don't know which it is until I see the logo's, the Trans Am however you know immediately what it is upon glancing at it. Get some pictures of the cars and compare them side by side and decided which looks better to you.

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convincing.

your friends awd dsm weights aprox 3300lbs ..ls1 fbody runs about 3400.......STOCK were at around 340-350 flywheel hp..that dsm is at 210 stock....hum...which one would u want to start modding??? ...for 150 a tire ( drag rads) your traction probs are solved..and from a roll forget about it........youll eat awd cars up as they lose 22 percent power to the rear wheels compared to 15 at the most for a rwd 6 speed car

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Originally Posted by Lostandinneedofhelp

Ya but it's not like I'm doing a road race in these cars heh, I know it's a bit immature but I've been known to hang out in parking lots with other car guys and pick up some quick races with whoever wants to 'run em'. And as far as the 'dig'...even with Drags I hear the FBody rearends are hella weak. =(

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Well, a head/cam package is gonna make short work of your stock rear end, and if you buy an auto its gonna make short work of your stock tranny too.

You mention roll power. Dude, I have always been able to just roll the throttle in first and smoke 'em off. When I got the head/cam package, I could roll in second and set 'em on fire up to about 70 mph. Dancing on the rev limiter. Mind you, these are top of the line Toyo Proxes 295/35/18's, not 245/45/16's, which came on my Z. If I had those stock tires and rims, I could prolly boil 'em off past 100 mph, well into third gear. Try THAT in an AWD car.