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I had a problem with the timing belt and got it fixed, soon there after I started hearing a whirring noise. After about a month, it started jerking and showing a check engine light and on the radio screen it would show 'engine power reduced, so I would go to the side of the road, turn the car off then back on, and on my way.
Granatelli builds upon Chevy’s newest platform to the tune of an additional 180+ RWHPWords and Photos By: Cam BentyThe newest Camaro is the best of the breed. A clear refinement from the previous Gen 5 Camaro platform, it sports some cool under the skin upgrades and a better handling suspension that sticks the landing with a 6.2L 455 hp engine, all while kicking to the curb a full 223 pounds of weight over the previous model. New for 2016 upgrades include optional Magnetorheologicial dampers (say that three times fast) and swapping in all-new Chevy-designed suspension system (the previous year was shared with the Cadillac ATS). The result is an amazingly fast and fun to drive Camaro to honor the 50th anniversary of Chevy’s “Pony Car.”So the obvious questions arise — how do we make it faster and cooler?J. (Joe) Granatelli knows. He is the nephew of the famous Indy racer Andy Granatelli, who conceptualized the famous STP turbine race cars in 1967-68, and fielded Indianapolis 500 winning race cars driven by Mario Andretti and Gordon Johncock.
JR’s father, Joe Sr., was an innovator and the engineering horsepower (no pun intended) behind the famous Granatelli brothers. If Andy was the mouth, Joe Sr. Was the heart. In addition to being chief mechanic for most of the Granatelli brothers race teams, Joe Sr. Served as president of Paxton Superchargers, designing systems for legendary performance cars including Shelby’s GT350 and the super rare Studebaker Avanti R2 single-supercharged and R3 dual-supercharged cars.
It was these racing legends that colored J.R. Granatelli’s youth and lit the current operation, Granatelli Motor Sports.Its been said J.R. Is the best of both brothers, a degreed mechanical engineer like his father and holder of a degree in business, following the lead of uncle Andy.
The guy never stops.Today, Granatelli does a wide variety of performance upgrades for late model muscle cars and trucks, while offering individual parts that further enhance an even wider net of engine and vehicle performances. So, when the 2016 Camaros arrived on the scene, it was just another challenge to see how much better Granatelli could work his magic.A big fan of supercharging since his father’s Paxton experience, as luck would have it, J.R.’s Ventura, California, shop is just a boost gauge’s throw away from Magnuson Performance, the creator of the Magnuson supercharger system.
Based on several very successful installs, the decision was made to mate their most recent supercharger package with several of Granatelli’s performance enhancements to deliver the biggest power bump possible. With that gauntlet thrown, it was time to dig in.Magnacharger superchargerAs with several of the Magnuson “kits,” the center of the power enhancement emanates from their TVS2300 supercharger that features Eaton’s 6th Generation supercharger rotor technology, the same design used in the Corvette ZR-1, Cadillac CTS-V, and 2013 Mustang GT500. As noted in the website, “these Twin Vortices Series Superchargers feature a pair of four-lobe, high-helix rotors with 160 degrees of overall twist that are housed in Magnuson’s patented high-flow housing. This highly efficient package requires less power to drive, delivers cooler discharge temperatures, and is much quieter than many of its competitors.” This design is also known as their Heartbeat series. As with most Magnacharger supercharging kits, it is complete from top to bottom.
Key points of the kit are obviously the supercharger, intercooler, pump, hoses, and all hardware.The installation of the supercharger is fairly straightforward and can be completed by a mechanic having some experience with late model engine modifications. Granatelli worked with his team to install the supercharger in about a day’s time. From the photos, you can determine it does require removal of the front fascia in order to install the massive heat exchanger that insures the supercharger discharge air temps won’t go much over ambient, but it’s more intimidating than it looks. The entire nose comes off as one large piece with about 20 small 7mm screws, in about 30 minutes. What is particularly nice is the hood and grillwork do not require any modification, the entire system fits within the factory under hood confines. The Magnuson supercharger starts with an Eaton 6th Generation supercharger rotor technology system that provides state-of-the-art efficiency.
To achieve more than 175 additional rwhp, only 6.5 pounds of boost are required when combined with the Granatelli ignition parts.A key component in making the system so efficient is the twin dual-pass charge-air-coolers that keep inlet temperatures low for improved efficiency. Utilizing the Formula 1 racing thermal-control technology, along with the front-mounted low temp radiator (heat exchanger) discussed earlier, an electric water pump, and small coolant reservoir, Magnuson claims that inlet air temp is generally 20 to 40 degrees over ambient air temp. That is right where you want it.
Neatly tucked under hood, this Granatelli-ized installation includes not only the Magnacharger, but his Malevolent 85 KV coil packs and 0 Ohm spark plug wires.Installing the Magnacharger supercharger involves removal of the factory intake and replacement with the new manifold and supercharger unit. The front fascia of the car must also be removed to install the heat exchanger. The towel covering the internal cooler is there only to protect from possible parts dropping into the supercharger while fastening it down.The supercharger itself is warranted for three years or 36,000 miles, while the electronics are covered by a one-year warranty. To back up the gentle nature of the supercharger power against the Camaro power train, a three-year, 36,000 standard power train warranty is offered with an optional five year, 60,000 mile optional warranty also available. With a CARB emissions certification pending, the system is also very low maintenance.For this application, only 6.5 pounds of boost would be required to provide the significant power increase projected by the Magnuson engineers.
Chassis dyno tests were performed before and after all changes. As a baseline, the Camaro, equipped with the factory rated 455 hp engine, cranked out 400 rwhp and 430 lb-ft of torque. With the reduced weight and better suspension, it’s not surprising the SS is a hot seller.Granatelli TouchesWhile the core upgrade for this Camaro was the installation of the Magnacharger, a couple of changes are pure Granatelli Motor Sports. As we learned in our last issue with the Cadillac CTS-V, adding a set of their Malevolent coil packs and 0 ohm Coil Near Plug wires is a definite power boost. From personal dyno testing with the plug wires, Granatelli has experienced a minimum of 5 hp for normally aspirated LT engines and 12-18 hp for power adder engines.Everything that has black or carbon fiber coloration is a Granatelli improvement. The graphic package is high quality, built for long life and good looks.The key to the boost is the 0 ohm rating that eliminates the power loss commonly found between the coil and the spark plug, with no disruption of audio clarity. The 85 KV package ensures improved engine efficiency, delivering twice the voltage offered by any other aftermarket coil packs.
For ease of installation, they are a direct replacement to the OE packs. The gloss black touches are all Granatelli and include the front splitter, side rocker skirts, and rear valance that wraps around the factory dual mode exhaust.Cosmetically, the 2017 Camaro convertible includes a number of slick touches, including carbon fiber-graphics that dress the wheels, hood, fenders, and light openings. A gloss black spoiler dresses the lower edge of the front valance, helping keep air out from under the body for better traction and improving the looks of the front end. The same can be said for the side skirts that dress the rockers. And, for yet another sneaky visual touch, the A-pillars have been blacked out, giving the car a longer almost chopped top look. In a convertible, the look could not be cooler.So how’d they do?The Magnuson folks claim a 150+ hp increase in power through the installation of their newest supercharger kit. With 6.5 pounds of boost, the drive train is well in range for handling such a power increase with no reduction in overall power train durability.
This low boost/high horsepower delivery shows the efficiency of the Magnacharger airflow design and rotor proficiency.When dyno tested after the installation and including the Granatelli power upgrades, the car kicked up the dyno read out to a peak of 582 hp at 5,459 rpm and 653 lb-ft at 4,278 rpm. That is a full 180+ hp over stock — at the rear wheels. That’s ZL1 Camaro power for a fraction of the cost and something not everyone can purchase at the local dealership.
In fact, a recent test of a stock 2016 CTS-V Cadillac, which shares the new ZL1 engine, produced 574 hp and 580 lb-ft, so yes, we are right there. Granatelli beat on the car while on the dyno and repeatedly made 575 hp with 645 lb-ft, four times in a row before we all agreed he proved his point.Even though Granatelli would be more than happy to build as many of these Camaros as the public will order, he is selective when it comes to in-house work for outside third parties. “Each car becomes a part of the family”, J.R. Said, “As strange as it may sound, we want to know where every car will end up.”No Suspension Mods?We asked J.R. What tricks he had up his sleeve as it related to lowering and chassis stiffening.
“The car is just that good. When you order up the optional Magnetorheologicial dampers, you have married yourself to the car as is. To make any other changes would set the car off balance, and truthfully it does not need it. The car is very well thought out; we tried changing various suspension components, but they did not result in measurable gains, so we saw no reason to charge for parts you just don’t need.”Nice to hear from a guy who knows a lot about cars and racing.
We were impressed with the power and handling of the car in our test drive. With more power than necessary and a suspension made to keep us out of the ditches when we over indulged, this is a highly balanced car that is smarter than the driver — and that’s a good thing!Sources: Granatelli Motorsports, granatellimotorsports.com; Magnuson Products, magnusonproducts.com.