Our Aussie 5.0 litre V8 has become somewhat of a pussy motor in contrast to the new 5.7 Gen 3 Chev. After all, it was Holden themselves who opted for the Chev engine instead of their own faithful 304 - so that's gotta tell you something. And, for the aftermarket tuner, the bigger capacity of the US mill also makes it a lot easier to achieve ball-breaking performance. Here's hard-hitting evidence of that!
Glen Parker (of the Gold Coast's Parker Performance) is on the leading edge of Australian LS1 Chev enhancement, and he says the motor readily adapts to mods and livens up very well. His test-bed Y2K Commodore is a mobile showcase of what can be done. Bought new in 9C1 spec (LSD, ABS, 4 airbags and optional 6-speed) the factory's hugely variable 140 to 170-odd rear wheel kilowatt power output has now been bolstered to a claimed consistent 202kW at the rear wheels. And that's achieved only "as is" and without pulling the motor apart or destroying any reliability.
Alongside the black bruiser is customer Luke's sexy R8 Clubsport. A true glamour car. Although it's not quite as highly tuned as the Parker company car, it is a good representation of the sort of mods that are required to satisfy most people's urges.
AutoSpeed readers will be familiar with the dual 2½ inch exhaust fitted to both of these cars - specially made 4>2>1 Pacemaker headers (1 5/8 inch primaries, 2¼ inch secondaries and 2½ inch collector), twin hi-flow cats, custom cross-over chamber, in-house stainless mufflers and resonators. Incidentally, Glen says the unique "mirrored" equal length Pacemaker headers proved to be worth 5kW at the wheels more than conventional Pacemekers! It's a proven exhaust combination that Glen would confidently recommend for any LS1-powered Holden - no matter what its power output.
At the time of our photography, the black Signature car was yet to score the Parker intake system as fitted to Luke's R8. This set-up uses a fibreglass scoop (complete with its own air deflector plate), King Dragon washable filter and a modified snorkel at the base of the factory airbox. Glen tells us this mod gives a minimum of 10kW.
Also on the topic of intake flow, the stock Holden throttle body was identified as a major restriction, so the unit on both cars was accordingly enlarged, radiused and flow tested to 1100cfm (up from about 980 cfm ex-factory).
Both vehicles also feature a custom mass airflow meter to maximise power, which Glen says is otherwise lost using the stock Holden meter.
For his own Signature promo car, Glen managed to track down a Nology capacitive ignition system, which he says was good for an additional 6 horses at the wheels. This arrangement incorporates insulated leads (containing the capacitors) and specially gapped Beru Silverstone high-energy plugs to replace the factory's "long life" plugs. Standard coils are in use.
Other power pick-ups along the way for both cars include filling the sump with 10W/40 grade ULX110 engine oil and slotting in a 81 degree C thermostat (to maintain optimum operating temperature).
Glen's black 2000 was also the guinea pig for a set of truly monstrous brakes - the biggest we've ever seen on a Commodore road car. No less than 370mm DBA custom slotted rotors with Ferrari F50 4-piston calipers are found up front. Glen says these 2-piece pizza dish sized DBA fronts aren't of the drilled variety, due to the possibility of cracking. The rears use equally as serious 345mm DBA 2 piece slotted rotors with Lotus/Brembo 2-pot calipers. So, yeah, the brakes are pretty wild!
After a little more work on the engine side of things is completed, Glen's will turn his hand to the Holden's suspension set-up. For now, he predicts that he'll employ custom coil-overs with Bilstein inserts, and he'll have a play with ride height. The blue car rides on 30mm lowered King springs and adjustable Konis, while adjustable Selby bars help to limit body roll.
Without a shadow of a doubt, it's the look of Luke's blue R8 that gets most people's juices flowing. The combination of the standard HVS body kit, darkened windows and spoked HSV rims are tough to beat. However, Glen does intend to drop a full custom kit onto his Signature car, which should really give it a unique personality. The only external change for now are those silver 18 x 8 Vipers surrounded by non-directional Falken 326 tyres. These measure 235/40 at each corner, and Glen says that their non-directional tread pattern makes full rotation possible.
On-board the Parker car, there are grand plans on the horizon. Expect to see a leather cabin decked out with a custom 280 km/h speedo, satellite navigation system and a television complete with an 11-inch screen. The CD technology which is all part-and-parcel suddenly looks a bit old doesn't it?!
Obviously - as you've no doubt picked - there is still some work to be done to complete the Parker Signature package, but it's anticipated that it'll be an unbeatable all-round package with top-notch brakes and suspension. On top of this, it will also carry a three year warranty that runs in addition to the official Holden warranty. After the initial release, there'll also be the option of a highly developed cam and head package together with a computer upgrade. This will kick a hefty 400kW - conservatively estimated! And true daredevils will really love the planned 6.3 litre stoker kit with grunt aplenty!
I just
need one!
Contact:
Parker Performance
+61 7 5564 7066
Parker Performance
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