F1A Procharged 2014 Camaro SS

Weapon-X Motorsports 

Background

David B brought us one clean, and I do mean clean, 2014 Camaro SS.  With less than 1500 miles on the clock, it looked as if it had just left the dealership.  Complete with a manual transmission, LS3 engine, and a sharp set of wheels, all that was missing from this Camaro's resume was a healthy cam chop and an open bypass valve at idle.  Consider this a hint as to what was planned for this Camaro.

The LS3 platform responses well to all forms of power adders, but for the ultimate in sleek design, near factory appearance, and low maintenance, you simply cannot beat a Procharger set up.  Capable of +700rwhp, the sky (and bottom end) is the limit with the F1A head-unit.  Power delivery is fairly linear and predictable, as boost is dependent on rpm.  Once a Procharger starts moving a lot of air in its efficiency range, be prepared to hold on and feel the seat being pushed through your back.  The sensation of hearing the bypass valve close as boost is directed into the engine is quite the experience.  I have adopted the term “impending doom” to describe it, and it's truly one of my favorite aspects of a big Procharger setup.

Before diving into a build headfirst, we like to measure stock horsepower and torque figures in order to see the gains from modifications, especially when they are this extensive.  In true GM underrated fashion, the 2014 LS3 made two no-nonsense back to back dyno pulls, putting down a solid 425rwhp and 399lbft of torque.  Now let's see what happens when an LS3 is given some better lungs and they are properly force-fed. 

Modifications Installed

You could install only the supercharger unit and make a lot more power, or you could pair the supercharger unit with a heads and cam combo and make a LOT more power.  Combinations are what really make power, and that philosophy is what WXM lives by.  A properly spec'd out combo will always perform better than randomly choosing off-the-shelf parts and hoping for the best. 

When adding this kind of power to a platform that was originally naturally aspirated, a lot more items need to be addressed.  It is never as simple as slapping on a blower and making 700 to the tires.  In this case, bigger fuel injectors (in this case, Injector Dynamics 1000cc) are needed as well as a voltage booster (JMS Boost-a-Pump) on the stock fuel pump.  Airflow is nothing (except dangerous) without the ability to properly provide enough fuel to feed the engine, and the F1A unit makes for a very thirsty engine indeed.

Once all supporting modifications are in place, the floodgates of air going into and out of the LS3 can be opened!  We installed a set of WXM ported LS3 heads paired with a WXM custom grind camshaft.  As you will here in the video, the heads and cam combo makes for an impressive idle.  However, the heart of this setup is the F1A Procharger unit equipped with an air-to-air intercooler to keep intake air temperatures down.  While the F1A is capable of over 1000rwhp, the owner wished to pulley to F1A to make a conservative 10psi at 6400rpm.  A full list of modifications can be seen below.

F1A Procharger Kit

LS3 ported heads with BTR 660 spring kit

JMS Boost A Pump

ID1000 injectors w rail spacers

Blower Cam kit with DOD delete

SW 2" headers

Center Force clutch

Results and Final Thoughts

When tuning a large Procharger build, the stock MAF is usually ditched in favor of a full speed density (SD) tune.  This gives the tuner more control over fueling in the various rpm and manifold pressure regions.  We decided to update the 2014 Camaro with a HP Tuners 2-bar Speed Density operating system (OS).  The major benefit of this OS over the stock PCM OS is that WOT enrichment is now dependent on manifold pressure instead of rpm. 

After start-up and drivability were ironed out with the new parts and injectors, WOT tuning could commence.  After a few pulls to dial in fueling and optimize spark advance, the Procharged LS3 laid down an impressive 677rwhp and 563lbft of torque on our MD AWD-1100 dyno.  This is a difference of over 252rwhp and 164lbft of torque over stock!  Dynojet numbers would comparably be in the mid 700s (we have verified this relation with various shop cars).  When viewing the before-and-after charts together, you can clearly see how the F1A pulls harder and harder as the rpm needle climbs and generates more and more boost.  Peak torque went from ~4600rpm to ~5700rpm, and the F1A LS3 torque is greater than the maximum stock LS3 torque (399lbft) after 3200rpm.  It is difficult to describe how this feels on the street, but it should suffice to say that it is like riding a wave of torque all the way to redline.  David B can be confident that he can blow the doors off just about anything he will run into at a stop light.  A new set of meats for the rear rims should definitely be next on his list of modifications.  However, that is usually the story for most cars leaving the WXM facility, because making power is what we do best.