[jcsganga34]

My bros Impala SS vs My 300C?

Alright guys, my brother has a 1996 Impala SS that has been mod'ed out. He has K&N filter charger, new headers, borla exhaust, and new tranny with better gear ratios. Well, we've been jawing back and forth about whose car is faster from a street light standpoint race. We would not be going too far, probably not even up to a 1/4 mile. I've been in both cars and my C feels faster (pulls harder) because of the torque, but that does not always equate to a victory. He has never been in my C while I've gotten on it so I don't think he knows how fast the C really is. Before the C I had a completely stock 96 STS and he took me down quite easily. I'm wondering if any of you have any comments before we have the showdown and whether or not I should expect to win. My C is completely stock so I'm wondering if that will be enough to take him down. What do you guys think? Have any of you guys tangled with an SS at all? I would really like to put him in his place.

 

[II kings 9:20]

A tricked SS might take you, The headers are worth 30hp and the Borla another 15 and the intake another 10. If he is running a 411 rear or close the only way you will win is reaction time. With those mods, he will smoke you (I also predicted a win for Kerry which in no way indicates whether I did or did not vote for him, only a prediction which shows I can be wrong.) Try stock and report back, I am curious. The first test in C&D was 5.3 0-60, every subsequent test has been around 5.8-6.1. I think a stock SS ran 6.7 and his mods are good for at least 1/2 sec, figure 6.0-6.2 it will be close. You will get him in the 1/4 mile and top speed (gov. limited 126) if he has 411 rear.

 

[5point7]

I have to disagree with the hp #'s gained on each mod. If I'm reading right, it's a stock block with stock heads and intake, a K&N filter is not really worth but 1-2hp, and the headers/exhaust maybe 10-15 at most (on a STOCK motor).

Shift kit and gears are the biggest "seat of the pants" mod you can do, but they don't make more hp - they put the hp that's already there down better. The 1/4 times with those mods may not be much better than stock.
Just my opinion....With gears, he'll get you out of the hole, but you'll run him down pretty quickly. (assuming of course you are equal driver's - there's more to driving fast just than mashing the gas!)
Be safe!

 

[pd171]

Don't race him! All it's going to do is make him go out and buy a SRT-8 and then you won't have the quicker car any more.

 

[jcsganga34]

I went over to my brothers Imapla group and got his signature with a list of his mods. I've included it here. I know some of the mods are not performance based, but I figured I would post the whole signature out.

96 SS DCCM, Mods: Borla Cat Back, K&N Gen II intake, SLP 2500 Torque Converter, Trans-go Stage III Shift kit, TB Airfoil, 160 T-Stat, Bryan Herter PP, 3.73 gears, Eaton Posi, Empire Driveshaft, CIA Stubbies, Stealth Bolt,4 Stiff Bilsteins. Best time 14.564 @ 94.90 with a 2.287 60' <--Before addition of gears/posi/Driveshaft/Stubbies/Bilsteins.

I'm not exactly sure on the headers, but they were added to the stock motor.

 

[Redman]

Best time 14.564 @ 94.90 with a 2.287 60' .

That would have made it very close.

<--Before addition of gears/posi/Driveshaft/Stubbies/
Bilsteins. I'm not exactly sure on the headers, but they were added to the stock motor

Like the election of 2004 - not so close.

 

[CottyGee]

He'll smoke ya! The torque converter, 3.73s, and posi will make him wicked fast off the line.

 

[5point7]

If you keep it off the street and take it to the 1/4, you'll run him down, if your stop light racing, he will have you out of the hole.
I have a very similiar setup on my 94 Stang - 3.73's, 3000 Art Carr stall, Transgo shift kit etc, Borla, etc. It add's up to getting out of the hole great, but he still has a stock motor. His trap speed is 94 - what's the trap on the C? 102ish? It's about the driver's more than the cars IMO in this case.

 

[II kings 9:20]

Don't street race, stupid and dangerous, go to a 1/4 mile track, pay the $10-15, this is the only way to seperate the men from the boys. I think he'll smoke you to 60 and you'll reel him in by the end of the 1/4. If he is runnung 14.5 before the gears his 1/4 will increase after gears. All of these mods to edge you 0-60 and lose in the 1/4 really illustrates how good the C is out of the box. The proof is in the pudding not in the recipie, either of you could smoke the other both to 60 and the 1/4. Go for it and let us know.

 

[jcsganga34]

Point well taken about the street racing, it is something I do not usually do. The track up here in the NE is closed til the spring. I guess we will just have to wait til then. *SIGH* winter is here.

 

[tbyrne]

I've done alot of work with the LT1 cars and think it will be a close race. The stock 300Cs have been running anywhere from 13.9-14.3 in the magazine testing so I'd figure on low 14s at close to 100 MPH. You'll probably chase him down with a higher MPH if he gets you off the line. My shop currently has a customer's SS in pieces. It's getting a 355 motor to go with the supercharger that he's been running. That will be backed up by a built 4L60e transmission with a mild converter. It should be a fun ride when it's done.

 

[silverC]

I would love to see that race. I owned a '96, I waited for that model because it had the center console shifter. Very nice cars. They were slugs off of the line, but once the got over 35 mph they would take off, or from a rolling start they were fairly respectable. I think the rear wheel h.p. was only something like 211-215 if I remember right.

Here's a list of Impalas and their 1/4 mile times. Not sure if they are "confirmed" timeslips or not. But this should give you an idea of what to expect.

http://www.impalasuperstore.com/naisso/times/viewtimes.asp?catID=10

Go to the drag strip, race 'em,.....if you win, you get braggin' rights and he'll go out and spend another $1,000 on another go fast part. If you loose,........ oh wait, you can't loose.....you're the one that owns a brand new fully loaded 300C.

 

[Tha187um]

Damn, I didnt get to see all of them, but I did see the video for the 11.08 1/4 mile... that is insane I hope you're brother doesn't have it that hooked up because he sure will smoke you, literally, you will only see smoke

So, question, not that I care much for those #s or for being that fast, but can any car be modified to get the extra power like those impalas???

 

[mspeasl]

Gang,

Stock V's Stock the 300C will win. I traded our 96 19K mile SS that we purchased new for our new 300C. Take it from me (and I'm an very old Drag Racer) that the 300 will win the drag race in stock form over the stock Impala.

 

[ChromeTailfins]

Man, I wanted an Impala SS soooo badly in High School. My parents wouldn't let me get a used one (this was 1998) because they were concerned about the RWD in the snow (uhh...I had a '61 Buick that seemed to be RWD, so I don't know what they were talking about...it was my money anyway). Oh well. Here it is in 2004 and I finally got my RWD V8 large American sedan. I was a little apprehensive about leaving the GM fold, though. But all those High School dreams came rushing back recently when I was at a dealership that still had a BRAND NEW (with the plastic still on the seats) '96 Impala SS....maaaaan, that's something special.

 

[jjs]

Damn, I didnt get to see all of them, but I did see the video for the 11.08 1/4 mile... that is insane I hope you're brother doesn't have it that hooked up because he sure will smoke you, literally, you will only see smoke

So, question, not that I care much for those #s or for being that fast, but can any car be modified to get the extra power like those impalas???

ANY car can be modded for extra power...it is just a matter of $$$$...i.e. turbos, sc's, engine porting, etc., etc., etc.

For the rest of us in the real world however, the answer is no. Bolt-on mod for mod (i.e. intake, exhaust, etc.) can yield very different gains on different engines...some engines are already at their max 'moddability' from the manufacturer.

 

[jcsganga34]

Man, I wanted an Impala SS soooo badly in High School. My parents wouldn't let me get a used one (this was 1998) because they were concerned about the RWD in the snow (uhh...I had a '61 Buick that seemed to be RWD, so I don't know what they were talking about...it was my money anyway). Oh well. Here it is in 2004 and I finally got my RWD V8 large American sedan. I was a little apprehensive about leaving the GM fold, though. But all those High School dreams came rushing back recently when I was at a dealership that still had a BRAND NEW (with the plastic still on the seats) '96 Impala SS....maaaaan, that's something special.

Curiously, what do they want for the new Imapala at the dealership?

 

[mspeasl]

Curiously, what do they want for the new Imapala at the dealership?

When we traded in our Impala I saw that my dealer put $20,500 on it. Now what he got for it is another story and that story I do not know.

 

[ChromeTailfins]

Curiously, what do they want for the new Imapala at the dealership?

You know what, I didn't even ask. It still had the original window sticker on it though. $26,xxx I believe. With inflation, that'd be over $30,000 by now.

 

[toothdoc]

(Man, I wanted an Impala SS soooo badly in High School. My parents wouldn't let me get a used one (this was 1998) because they were concerned about the RWD in the snow)


They were right I got rid of my impala ss the first winter I had it in Illinois. It would rather go sideways in snow than forward.