The other night I ran a monaro. Bit disappointed though.

We were both on 80km/h, I was in 3rd (have no idea which gear he was in) and we both floored it. Wound out 3rd to 6600rpm and still was neck and neck, shifted to 4th and game over he slowly started to pull away.

Keep in mind though that this was up a hill also.

Most of the guys I have spoken to though believe that a standing start the Z will win but that is not the point. It should win all the time

I miss the power ....

Oh mighty god of performance.. hurry the f#ck up so we can own a true sports car.

So moral of the story is. Only run a monaro from a standing start.

 

Interesting. The Motor times, IIRC, showed the Monaro quicker to 100 but the Z then overtook it and pulled away up to 160.

Are you sure he was stock? Very hard to say unless you know him.

 

I heard your pain

The Z should have the edge at the higher speeds, the Monaro is heavier & has a higher CD number. I think you'll find it was modified, maybe headers & exhaust which is the first mod most LS1 owners of non HSV modified cars do, that would give him around 250Kw.

You could aways import the new ATI Procharge S/C Kit which is now available in the states, this will give an extra 100Kw or around 260Kw's at the wheels just bolt on, no mods required.

David

 

To be honest it sounded stock but that does not mean it was.

At US$5500 for the Procharge S/C Kit I think I will wait till all these kits become main stream. I must admit though that this kit looks quite neat.

 

For that sort of money you're well on your way to a custom TT setup. Having had both aftermarket SC and turbo setups I know which I'd prefer.

 

Don't worry Mr Rizk, it was just his day. You never know, that car may have had lightening or some mods done that you may not be aware of.

I would still rather have my Z and wouldn't let this get me down.

This car is HOT, HOT I tell ya!!!!!!!

 

I'm not too suprised by this. From what I've heard, the Monaro is no slouch. Been interested because it is supposed to be imported to the US as the new GTO next year.

If they're that quick, I have a friend who's going to be very happy. He's been waiting anxiously on any news about the car's arrival in the US.

 

Aps i wouldnt harp on the figures in the Motor comparo of Z and Monaro. The journos have run 1/4 times on manual equiped Holdens/HSVs thousands of times by now and are cluey as to how to drive around the annoying quibbles of the low tech 'box to post fast times.

A manual Monaro in the hands of Joe Blow would not be able to get near the times posted in Motor......with zero mechanical sympathy and multiple runs. The Z will comfortably walk away from a manual Monaro from a standstill, after all the guy still has change gears. The race mentioned where the Monaro pulled away, i suspect he didnt change gears. Alot of my mates now have modified manual GenIII equiped Commo's and when theyre on it theres always that long pause when changing gears.

 

MR RIZK

I think for around A$7000 the Procharge S/C Kit has a lot going for it, like easy install 8hrs, no major mods to exhaust setup, has adjustable boost control, intercooler, does'nt require new injectors,will most probally meet Aus EPA emissions rules and you could return the car back to standard quite easily.

Why is the preferred option Turbo, AMG seems to like the S/C option on most of there cars.

David

 

I used to own an LS1 SS commodore and there is a way to launch the car and get good times.

I used to beat WRXs all the time due to their lack of skill in gear shifting. The SS was Auto!

The LS1 needs mid range rpm to move... thats the secret really. Under 4000rpm it's still sleeping.

I'm still so glad to be driving a Z instead. WOO HOO!

BTW what rpm did it go to at 80km/h when u dropped down... 4500? That would have been optimal for a good run. Wonder what happened?!?

 

Actually that came from me.

If the price is US$5500 that's about AUD$8300 at current exchange rates. Assuming shipping, GST etc isn't included your looking at closer to AUD$10,000.

I haven't seen this kit so can't comment on how easy it is to install etc. Also bear in mind that if we do have different ECU mappings than the US we may have problems that they don't depending on close to the edge it's been setup to run.

You can't compare an aftermarket SC like this one to a factory one like AMG. The AMG will be far more refined and integrated IMO. Also consider that a belt driven SC, in my experience, is louder than a turbo and that's partly where my preference comes from. As I've said I've had both in aftermarket forms. Nothing was wrong with the SC but the turbo was just all around nicer.

Sorry if this is a bit messy, I've written it in about 4 different sittings as I kept being interrupted with work.

 

For 10 grand i'd rather rebuild the engine for 300kw NA!

IN fact the more i think about it the more i want to stay NA and forget the whole FI thing.

For one, a race built engine will be almost indestructable.

 

Zuffy - I can't see how you could get 300kW NA out of the VQ?????
Mr Rizk - the fact you were dragging up hill is a big disadvantage to you. The Monaro's massive torque should pull it away from the Z every time. However, if you were running downhill, I reckon you could turn the tables on him. Why do I say this??? Well, consider this:
I know a guy who has a Lancer, with just an exhaust mod. He runs his brother's V6 Commodore and loses by about 1 car length when running uphill. But when they run downhill, the lancer wins everytime by several car lenghts.
So I assume that the lighter Z would also beat the Munro downhill. Finally, you may have gotten a small jump on the Monaro if you took off from 2nd gear, which would probably be about 5000+ revs, near peak torque and power.
Ultimately though, as you said, the Z could do with more power.

Has anyone in Oz actually ran an unmodified Rex from either a standing or rolling start and what was the result?

 

I think you could do 300rwkw NA but it'd cost about the same as a turbo install and not be all that nice to drive in traffic.

 

The awesome 350Z ------- 3.5L V6 206 kw
The Monaro CV6 ------- 3.8L V6 171 kw (WITH supercharger)
The Monaro CV8 ------- 5.7L V8 225 kw

The engine is 2.2 L larger and has 2 more cylinders, yet down the standing 1/4 the Z still wins.
Turn a corner in a monaro? hahahahaha joking right?
I have test driven several Monaros when first released and didnt buy one then, and wouldn't buy one now.
My friend owns one and I am a frequent passenger so I know its characteristics well.
Best described as a Big Block Cruiser rather than a Drivers Car.
My 2 cents

 

I went for a cruise on Sat through Royal National Park, accompanied with a friend. He invited one of his mates along with a new Monaro (auto tranny and 2 days young).
Now we kept a fair distance from each other during the drive through the park, as I did not want to christen his bright red Monaro with rock chips. However, he admitted that they could not catch me through the twisty bits - this much I knew.
What surprised me was what happened on the straight road heading back home. I let my friend drive and I encouraged him to mash the pedal from second gear as we were coming out of a bend into a very long straight. He did as instructed and the Monaro who was about 70m behind did the same. We wound out until 180km/h before backing off. two things surprised me:
1. How smooth, stable and strong the Z travelled. In the passanger seat, I felt like I was travelling at only 100km/h, when we were doing 180km/h. And the driver was surprised that he was doing that speed as the Z just kept pulling.
2. I was also surprised that the Monaro did not make up any ground what so ever on us. I thought that the massive torque of the V8 would begin to real us in, but the opposite happened. We pulled marginally away from the Monaro.
I thought that the V8 would have more ***** but it appears that the Z will at the least match or better a Monaro in every performance aspect.
I love my Z!

PS: Out of personal frustration, I through the Z around several corners tonight at ridiculous speeds. It stuck everytime. This car is amazing. It seems that the harder you drive it, the better it performs for you.

 

I to have had the opportunity to travel in a Z at 180kph. It's so incredibly smooth at that speed that it's hard to believe you're not doing 100kph. The car seems to hunker down and get into 'you really mean it' mode. The aerodynamics are nothing short of sensational.

Jim

 

Great write-ups guys. A Commodore with two doors to me looks like a sports taxi.

I wouldn't trade the style and feeling that the Z offers for that. Doesn't do it for me, but each to his own.

KY - you're a better man the me mate. There would be minimal chance that I would get in the passenger seat while my mate hammered my car at 180 km/h around the windy national park roads. Good stuff.

 

I do the same in his 200SX, so all's fair.
Oh, and I didn't realise he was going that fast untill he told me - I was too busy watching the Monaro disappear in my mirror