It's common knowledge that the LS1 motors are probably the most powerful, naturally aspirated, small-block V-8's ever mass-produced.  That fact was more than enough to lure me from the Ford camp to the Dark Side.  I purchased the 1999 Pontiac Firebird Formula that you see on these pages.  It has a hardtop (no t tops) and a 6 speed manual transmission; no other options were selected.

     With 4800 miles on the odometer, I felt it was time to see if the claims of 12 second timeslips were true.  I swapped the rear Goodyear GS-C's for BFG Drag Radials and headed for E-town. My sixth pass was my best: 12.93 at 107.7 mph!!!

          I learned a few lessons about my car that night.  The stock clutch does not liked to be slipped; it's just not strong enough to handle the traction afforded by the drag radials when driven that way. Best 60 foot times were accomplished with a launch RPM of between 3000-3500 and popping the clutch.  I also found that the tachometer is very slow to catch up to the actual RPM's, especially in the first two gears. The fuel cut-off would interrupt the fun at an indicated 5800-RPM in first gear.  Therefore, it is imperative to anticipate the first-to-second shift; or one can simply install a shift-light.

     Shortly thereafter, LaRocca's Performance strapped the Formula to their Dyno-Jet Chassis Dyno.  The car made 290 hp and 310.6 ft/lbs of torque. That is exactly what we expected the car to make.
     Our fact-finding mission was only just beginning.  We planned a full dyno test of two popular aftermarket modifications for the LS1: a new airbox lid and a cat-back exhaust system.

     The Direct-Flo Lid is a relatively new product, and it is manufactured by LS1 Motorsports.  It replaces the factory airbox lid in an effort to reduce the turbulence found before the air enters the motor.  It's hard to believe that this plastic piece (which costs approx $150) increased rear-wheel power by 7.4 hp and 4.4 ft/lbs of torque.  The car was now making 297.4 hp and 315 ft/lbs of torque.

     Our next product to evaluate was a Random Technology Cat-back exhaust system.  This product consists of 3-inch tailpipes, a straight-thru muffler, and 3 inch tubing from the cat to the muffler.  Super-tech Jimmy Chahalis installed this system within two hours, and the muffler clamps were welded to ensure a tight, leak-free fit. We've read claims of 20 rear-wheel hp gains from this mod alone, and we were anxious to verify them.
     Unfortunately, our numbers improved by 5.5 hp and 2.6 ft/lbs.  Please keep in mind that the car did not have a chance to relearn the improved flow characteristics of this mod, so we think more power would have resulted from driving the car for a few miles.  We disconnected the battery in hopes of erasing some of the computers memory, and the next run improved slightly to 303.7 hp and 319.8 ft/lbs.  The net result of the exhaust at this point was a gain of 6.3 hp and 4.8 ft/lbs.

incoming air.  We decreased the length of the EGR so that it no longer impedes airflow into the motor.  This easy mod took less than five minutes to accomplish.  We noticed a gain of 3 hp and 1.5 ft/lbs, which brought the total horsepower to 307 and torque was now at 321.
     All in all, we saw an improvement of 17 hp and 10 ft/lbs from these mods.

This timeslip is what it is all about. Any car that can run a 12 second 1/4 mile is worthy of respect. We shall retest this car as soon as E-town re-opens for the 2000 racing season. With some good conditions, we're hoping for some 12.7's (Nevermind that "Riceboy" comment).

This dyno graph shows how much power was gained by a few simple mods. I think more power would have been possible if the motor were warmed to operating temperature and if the computer was given time to relearn the characteristics of the new parts.