VF-VF Commodore Performance Information. Including HSV
The recommended changes depend on what the customer wants from the car. They also depend on the car’s model and the budget for the project. This article is about VF Performance upgrades and VE Performance upgrades.
VE V8 Tuning – VF V8 Tuning
In most models, tuning the ECU will have the biggest impact on performance. This is true no matter what modifications have already been made. Some cars only change the tune and perform far better than the stock tune. A stock standard VE-VF with no mods will usually gain 15-20 kw at the wheels from just a tune. The HSV gain, similarly, our HSV Grange LS3 gained 30 rear wheel kw solely from a tune and over radiator intake (OTR).
We offer several tuning options for your vehicle. A regular tune costs $650. A Dyno Tune is available from $950. We also offer a remote custom tune for your VE-VF for $990. This price includes postage.
Cold Air Intake – OTR
There are numerous brands of over-radiator intakes (OTR) on the market. All of them provide gains in performance. This is due to them posing less restriction to the intake system and providing volumes of cold air via a more direct route. Well-designed systems should not create heat in the engine bay. This is important because every degree of air temperature change can affect power. Specifically, it can lead to about one rear wheel kilowatt gain or loss in power. Some intake systems can let hot air from the engine bay enter the intake manifold. This can cancel out the benefits of bringing in more air.
We recommend using an OTR combined with a tune for VE-VF Commodore and HSV. The prices are from $1250 at our store or $1600 posted with a remote tuning device/ with remote tuning. See this here at Remote Tuning with VCM OTR
Performance Exhaust system
For many owners, the first step is to get the car to sound more like a V8. Any catback exhaust system that sounds the way you want will provide gains in performance. There are many exhaust systems available today. With our extensive experience, we have tuned many cars with various setups. We can provide the best advice on which system to buy.
We are Platinum Dealers of Manta Exhaust MPI, and they now own DPE Di Filippo. We can offer the DPE Exhaust for great prices. We have the OZ340 DPE exhaust Package for 6.0L and the OZ380 DPE Exhaust Package for LS3 6.2L. We also provide postal OZ340 and postal OZ380 packages.
Extractors and Catalytic Converters
We favour the sound from 1″3/4 or 1″7/8 primary pipe four into 1s with long tubes and a large collector. The large long tube four into 1s often has a “Beattie” sound like an old school V8, which is evidence of good flow scavenging. We usually recommend using a 200-cell metal catalytic converter (or Cat). These converters offer good flow and sound. They also filter out more pollutants than a 100-cell cat. Standard ceramic catalytic converters can wear out quickly. They may get damaged from a small bump in the road. Additionally, they do not provide good flow dynamics or sound quality. Metal cats are also more resilient and last longer than ceramic cats.
Camshaft Upgrades
Many aftermarket cams can change the engine’s power spread and the car’s personality.
Some small cams can greatly improve low RPM power. They also enhance fuel economy compared to the stock cam. Best of all, they do this without affecting idle quality. On the other hand, some camshafts significantly boost power at 6000 RPM and above. However, they create a rough, race car-like lumpy idle and can reduce fuel economy. We can help you choose the correct cam for you. We have a variety of cams we have designed in-house to suit any application. Our FE, LSV, HP1, HP3, HP9 and HPS cams have all excelled in their applications. Our new HP1 cam is stronger right through the rpm range than the stock cam. We recently tuned an Oztrack HP1 to produce 340 rwkw in an LS3 automatic. Compared to larger cams, its superior torque made this car feel fantastic. Oztrack Cam Upgrade is here.
Oztrack’s cams are planned taking into account Dynamic Compression Ratio. Also our performance engine combination are built with high compression taking DCR into account.
Typically, people choose to install a 25% underdriven balancer simultaneously. This is because the stock balancer must be removed to fit the camshaft. These also gain a little more power, maybe near 5rwkw.
We often use a special bearing replacement kit on the factory rockers. This kit improves their stability and makes the valve train more reliable.
We post cam kits across Australia.
Cylinder Heads and Cam
Improved heads can provide gains in torque right through the range and even an increase in fuel economy. We can assist you in choosing the right heads to suit your application and have competitive pricing. Our best heads are built in the USA. Substantial gains are proven and well worth the money. We do not recommend heads we know don’t provide solid gains for the money. A 6.2L LS3 VF with Air Flow Research AFR260 heads, a full DPE exhaust, and a Rocker Bush kit can achieve impressive power. With a 25% underdrive and a VCM OTR intake, this setup could produce around 400 rwkw. This is about 40 rear wheels kw above what we expected with stock heads and the biggest camshaft that would fit.
We also offer CNC-ported factory heads on an exchange basis for an economical price.
Engine Rebuilds
When engines wear their bearings, they must be removed, disassembled, and rebuilt. This is often the case with engines that have 200,000 km on them or sometimes earlier. This is a good opportunity to get new oversized pistons with new rings. The engine is machined and can have a better ring seal than when it was new. Upgrading the camshaft can significantly increase torque and power. This combination will outperform any used engine with similar specifications. We offer engine builds with factory camshafts at Oztrack, and we also do Cam Upgrade Engine Rebuilds.
Stroker Engines
We build 404ci, 415ci, and 427ci stroker engines out of 6.0L and 6.2L LS3 Blocks. We can make them high-compression engines with forged rotating assemblies. We can upgrade the valve train to shaft rockers, high-rpm lifters, and springs to rev them to 7500rpm and beyond. Our best 427 ci engine so far made 452 rwkw NA.
Forced Induction
There are many options for forced induction setups. Unfortunately, many of these aren’t worth the money. A mild cam and head upgrade can outperform many cheaper kits. We have extensive experience with Harrop Superchargers. We provide the best kits at competitive drive-in and drive-out prices. Call us to discuss the best option for your application and a free quote. Many FDFI2300 Harrop kits combined with a camshaft upgrade make 500 rwkw from 8-9 psi. These superchargers supply barely heated forced air, and because of that, the engines take efficient spark advance. This makes them well-tolerated on stock engines with cam upgrades.
We supply and custom install 1000hp fuel pumps into the VE-VF V8 models. These pumps provide the extra fuel needed for the additional power from the superchargers.
We also can sleeve the factory engine blocks and assemble engines with forged low-compression pistons. This, combined with upgraded conrods and crankshaft, can make the engine more tolerant of higher boost levels.
We can also supply new LS3 Crate Engines for a good price.
Click this link for more information about what makes and models we tune.
