I badly want to do a front mount on the Camaro. I want to be able to keep everything functioning like stock (a/c, power steering...). My question is how does your car run out of boost driving to work and back? I would assume that it runs like stock with a little less power. How is gas mileage effected when you drive like a sane person?

I really want to toss a turbo on this thing but i don't want to ruin the car. I love the car to death the way it is i just want to be able to put down 600ish hp to the ground and still drive it on the power tour with the a/c blowing in my face going down the highway and getting 20+ mpg.

Also is everyone having a hard time keeping there car cool in stop and go traffic? I can imagine in the summer with the fmic,condenser,and tranny cooler adding to the 100 degree heat outside it probably has a hard time.

Tell me how your car handles the daily grind and the ups and downs of going turbo on a daily driver.

 

I daily drive my 383 sbc to work and back not every day but probably 2-3 times a weeks dn on the weekends. The fmic defiantly raised my temps I had to put in a bigger radiator and better fan but overall the temp stays about 190. As for mpg that's all in the tuning. Mine right now gets about 10-11 mpg city driving. I also have the a/c still as well. Just make sure if you do do a fmic that you have both plastic air dams underneath because the car pulls air from the bottom to cool the radiator.

 

Daily driving a car with a turbo should be no big deal. Many people do it all the time. If you plan the turbo set up right. Other wise choose the right size turbo you can have a very happy car to drive, On the other hand 600 hp and 20 mpg doesn't really go together. Since you have a LS I think you could be close to 500 hp and your fuel mileage goals. You may have to upgrade your cooling system. A few people have done the LS with turbo in our cars.

 

I've been daily driving my car everyday, rain or shine, for the last 2-3 months. Never over heats, drives like a stock car pretty much. As for fuel mileage, i dont drive it very easy, but i'd say i could get 15mpg if easy on it (combined city and highway driving) Only thing i removed was the a/c on my car. Turbo cars rule for daily drivers. My car is quite, looks stock, drives like stock, but hammer down and your driving a 10 sec car all of a sudden

 

Mine drives awesome with a turbo setup and the swapped inline 6. Actually using a V6 thirdgen radiator that was probably designed for a 120hp 2.8 V6! I get 25mpg highway so far, boost is only available with 50% throttle or more. I am using a twin flex a lite fan setup though.. I have a griffon radiator up front as my heat exchanger for my air/water intercooler. A/C is deleted as IT.s a convertible and I live in Michigan. Under the dash I installed a flex a lite Mojave heater that work very well.

I'd be doing a billet/ball bearing 70mm turbo with a big exhaust housing so it doesnt choke. Also do an air/water intercooler, small heat exchanger that doesnt block frontal airflow and affect the A/C and radiator.. Goodluck! 7-8psi will make street tires melt at most legal speeds!

 

Thanks for all the replies. Im assuming its all going to come down to tuning the car right.

Here is the plan...
Gt45 turbo
ebay cold side piping
ebay intercooler
Tial waist gate
Custom hot side
and Hp Tuners Pro

I have never used hp tuners but i have been playing around with the demo and i have the "Calibrated Success" videos but tuning is by biggest worry on the whole build. It looks like its a pretty steep learning curve. I would go have it tuned but I am a long way from any good known LSX tuners and i want the ability to be able to make changes on my own without driving 8hrs or mailing off my ecu for 2 weeks.

 

make sure you brace that gt45 turbo....thing weighs alot

 

Depends on how wild the setup is my car has big cam and heads, drives fine but drives like a big cam big heads car that has a loose converter. Tad soft on low end but no issues once its moving.

My setup is abit wilder than i would like but it has to be to get the 8 sec power i need lol. A less aggressive motor will have no issues driving around just like any other na car

600 on an ls1 is tough, the compression is pretty high on those cars. 500-550 is as high as i'd ever go. A beat on ls1 came thru my friends shop with a baby paxton blower. Made 450whp thru the automatic with just 7 psi. My friends 02 SS made 505whp on a ls6 cammed ls1, on 8 psi. Ran 10.5 at 130 in a heavy 4th gen on 10-11 psi or so. Car drove everywhere

 

I will be running the stock cam or a ls9 cam so no big cam to have to tune around. Anyone have any front mount turbo pics where people are keeping the a/c?