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THR R8 Development - VE R8
HSV
For some time now Jim Ghelis at
Tunehouse
has been a firm believer that
the LS2 and LS3 commodores, with
relatively simple modifications
can deliver tremendous
performance.
The first step was to decide
which car particular car to buy,
at which point the inevitable
back and forth began, Ute, SS,
an HSV etc with the relative
strengths and weaknesses of each
thoroughly examined.
Finally after some rumination
Jim decided on a Clubsport R8,
built to his specifications of
course!
And so with a firm picture in
mind of what he would like to
see in the driveway, Jim placed
his order with Suttons at
Rosebery.
A week into the waiting period
our salesman, young Alex Fenech
– surely the friendliest giant
to ever wear a Holden jacket,
advised us that sure, he
could sell us a car straight
away or we could wait just a
little longer and get a new 6.2
litre 317 KW powered car, which
we were assured would be well
worth the wait.
Three months later Jim took
delivery of a Heron white
Clubsport R8 manual, complete
with Black GTS wheels, and with
the
Tunehouse
racing logo emblazoned on the
seats and door trims.
With the gleaming new R8 sitting
proudly out front of the
Tunehouse
shop, the team were keen to find
out just how strong the new
Chevrolet engine is, as
delivered.
Set-up on the Dynapack dyno and
with the alloy Chevy emitting a
somewhat subdued roar the
baseline power from the R8 in
stock standard trim from the
factory was a consistent
251rwkw.
After clocking up 1500km the
engine loosened up considerably
and made 261rwkw consistently
Step 2 was to optimize the
factory tune using the HP Tuners
program. This modification
resulted in an impressive and
consistent 291rwkw figure.
The
addition of a
Tunehouse
cat-back system and intake and
air box yielded a not
insubstantial and repeatable
300-plus rwkw, an
increase of 15% in power and
torque with 100 Ron shell V
power racing fuel.
Arguably the most impressive
aspect of the
Tunehouse
package is in drivability,
thanks in no small part to a
flat and broad torque curve
which ensures that the R8 has
even more impressive street
manners than before. Gear
changing is almost redundant.
This is impressive power for
what is after all a very mildly
enhanced LS3.
An added bonus is that in
addition to the power and torque
gains the fuel economy has
actually improved, indicating
that the engine is operating
more efficiently.
Never under-estimate a good
tune!!!
We have tried many different
types of exhaust on the R8
during the course of our
research and development
program, in our quest for power
and torque gains.
In addition to performance
enhancements we have invested
considerable time in the area of
sound volume and quality.
To that end, after exhaustive
testing we are satisfied that
the
Tunehouse
exhaust system which we have
developed combines not only
impressive power improvements
right cross the rpm spectrum but
also a wonderful non-intrusive
rumble, and a rich deep baritone
when the pedal is pressed.
The sound we feel is classy, yet
purposeful-dare I say
reminiscent of a several hundred
thousand dollar German sport
sedan?
Overall it has to be said that
the R8 as delivered, is an
impressive car, a major leap
forward in refinement for a
locally produced product.
It is in fact a truly world
class performance car for which
no excuses need to be made in
any company,
Tunehouse
have just added the icing to
what is already one sweet cake.
Stay tuned as we continue our R
and D, with an appointment with
the quarter mile just around the
corner.
Special thanks must go out to
the guys at Suttons Rosebery,
and Alex Fenech especially.
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