Top end

[Ender2664]

Okay this is a kind of stupid question but i feel like asking it anyways. I came out of a honda into this car and i was and kind of still am used to having vtec and a very strong top end. When i first started to break in my Camaro i felt the low end torque and was super excited, i said to myself if this car has this much low end imagine what the top end is going to be like. Well as most of you know, we really don't have the top end to match our low end. So anyways i threw a intake on and noticed a good difference in the engine not choking itself as much as it was, but it still didn't really have good top end. You see the thing is that i am a good enough driver to use the low end torque and RWD to beat most other cars off the line, however the all catch me at aroudn 30-40. So i want to know, what can i do besides Nitrous and or a FI system to get some topend and not sacrifice my low end, cause i love shifting my car at 2200rpm and not having it feel like there is nothing down there.

[yellowfbod]

the top end sucks in the 3.4 to but you really don't notice it till like 60-75 mph, maybe you should try reving it a little higher than 2200 before shifting, that seem kinda low. I usually shift at like 4500 to 5000 when I run it hard.

[Nachius]

Exhaust will give you more top end without sacrificing much bottom if any.

[hawgs]

haha... yeah, if only our cars had vtec.

come on dude... your car stock will rape a civic with vtec all day.

perhaps learning to drive your car is the first step. no one loves shifting at 2200 rpms... thats just silly.

[Timbo1969]

Originally posted by yellowfbod:
the top end sucks in the 3.4 to but you really don't notice it till like 60-75 mph, maybe you should try reving it a little higher than 2200 before shifting, that seem kinda low. I usually shift at like 4500 to 5000 when I run it hard.

What does that have with helping Ender get more top end out of his 3.8?


Headers and full exhaust, will give you a few more HP up top. You already have an intake, so maybe a tune. That's about it without getting a cam and some other goodies to move the powerband up a little.

[camaroincal]

The Vtec just fools you into thinking those Hondas have loads of top end, because look how much slower they accelerate until they get to the Vtec compared to a 3.8 which zooms nicely at the mid/bottom end (about 3000) until about 5500. I always say our cars strength is mid-range power...not really low or high.

[1998silverbird]

Gears.. Lighten up your whip!! ignition Like MSD coil packs and Dis box.. aluminum driveshaft..

[BLUE]

Why upgrade your ignition system if you're not running nitrous or any forced induction. Stock ignition in our car is fine with just bolt on mods. Stick with full exhaust (prefer 3" system), cut-out and less restrictive induction. Gears (3.73s/4.10s) will help but if your car is a daily driver, I'd leave it stock.

[Timbo1969]

Originally posted by BLUE:
Gears (3.73s/4.10s) will help but if your car is a daily driver, I'd leave it stock.

3.73's or 4.10's will kill his top end in a stock 3800..

[SD6]

I think what he means is he shifts @ 2k when just putting around town. I do the same. But as for winding it out, yes, it seems a little gutless when getting up there on the tach. One sure fire way to put some kick in your top end is a properly designed cam and intake/exhaust to help it breath.

[1998silverbird]

Originally posted by BLUE:
Why upgrade your ignition system if you're not running nitrous or any forced induction. Stock ignition in our car is fine with just bolt on mods. Stick with full exhaust (prefer 3" system), cut-out and less restrictive induction. Gears (3.73s/4.10s) will help but if your car is a daily driver, I'd leave it stock.

I am just telling him what I have.. My dyno tq curve on motor starts at 2400rpms with 210 and goes all the way to 5600 peaking at 214 at 2800rpms and holding 210tq all the way..

[yellowfbod]

Originally posted by Timbo1969:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by yellowfbod:
the top end sucks in the 3.4 to but you really don't notice it till like 60-75 mph, maybe you should try reving it a little higher than 2200 before shifting, that seem kinda low. I usually shift at like 4500 to 5000 when I run it hard.

What does that have with helping Ender get more top end out of his 3.8?


Headers and full exhaust, will give you a few more HP up top. You already have an intake, so maybe a tune. That's about it without getting a cam and some other goodies to move the powerband up a little. </font>[/QUOTE]well if you just read the whole post then maybe you would understand that I was saying he sould try running the rpms up to 4500 to 5000 instead of dogging it out by shifting at 2200, what the hell does it matter if I was refering to my 3.4, both engine act the same if you shift at 2200

[L32Projekt]

Want better top-end? Cam, head work, intake/exhaust.

[Ender2664]

Okay, i am saying that i like shifting down low around town...like I love to have low end power that alows me to shift there. And i am a good driver, if you look at my posts when i was stock my first time at the track i ran a 9.9 in the 1/8th which i am told is very respectable for my first time on a stock car.
And as for the coments about civics with Vtec you are wrong. Vtec tricks nothing, hondas have no low end, but loads of top, this is because the engine is set up for daily driving when you are below 5k rpm and when you hit 5k oil presure moves your cam shafts so that they act like they have a more aggresive grind on them, hense the really good top end. I know how fast hondas are cause i used to drive one, and that honda beat my camaro several times and all it was was a CRX with a b16 and a intake, and the thing is that i will have a good 2 cars on it from the launch due to low end and RWD, but the Vtec gives the car such good topend that the car pulls by me at about 50-55. I love my camaro i just want it to have more top end without sacrificing the low end that i love so much. I know that a aggresive cam will switch my power band way up high compared to where it is now, but what about just changing to a 1.7-1.8 rocker ratio will that make me lose lots of lowend...and i heard that 3 inch will make me lose some lowend and give lots of top, so i would rather go with a 2.5inch and keep my low and get some top.

[ June 22, 2004, 11:24 PM: Message edited by: Ender2664 ]

[Arctc Wolf]

here's some tips:

intake mods help everywhere in the powerband. they will give u more low-end, as well as top-end. usually do these along w/ exhuast since they compliment each other. exhaust, if u were only to upgrade the cat-back, u'd gain power almost everywhere and maybe lose some power below 2000 rpm. our headers and cat's are restrictive and keep a decent amount of backpressure on our motors. 3" cat-back won't hurt ur low-end much if u have some intake mods already done. if all ur doing is a filter, lid, and exhaust aslong as u have ur car, then 2.5" would be better. doing higher ratio lifters will get you midrange and top-end both.

There is no need to do major ignition work till later on. spark plugs and wires will do u nicely for now. I probly did my major ignition work a bit early, but I have my reasons.

lightening up the car will help a bit, but cost a lot more.

VTEC in ur old honda was a good thing. it gave u the best low-end and top-end u could get stock at the same time. considering that u made decent power all over ur 8000 rpm powerband is good. Problem is, it would have been beat by our torqier motors in a race. Too bad honda doesn't make motors our size, cuz if they did, they'd rock.