Engine Upgrade to 550 Horsepower!

[Zing]

There's a guy selling a package that supposedly increases the following:

- Horsepower: 550 HP (from 325 HP stock)
- Torque: 530 LB (from 385 LB stock)
- 0-60 mph: 6.5 sec. (vs. 10.7 sec. stock)
- 0-90 mph: 13.0 sec. (vs. 27.1 sec. stock)

Price tag is $24,500. Click here for the website. Any mechanics out there with an opinion on validity?

[Zing]

There's a guy selling a package that supposedly increases the following:

- Horsepower: 550 HP (from 325 HP stock)
- Torque: 530 LB (from 385 LB stock)
- 0-60 mph: 6.5 sec. (vs. 10.7 sec. stock)
- 0-90 mph: 13.0 sec. (vs. 27.1 sec. stock)

Price tag is $24,500. Click here for the website. Any mechanics out there with an opinion on validity?

[Texas Red]

GM is already touting the H2 Upscale Performance model with 450 hp supercharged intercooled engine. Take a look:

http://media.gm.com/events/sema/02se...rformance.html

Jim
Red H2 in Texas

[h2fan]

i was thinking of supercharging myself i like the wipple kit

[Hummie2]

Remember that the transmission is a 4L65E (a beefed up 4L60E). Chevrolet mates a 4L80E with the 6 liter engine rated @ 300hp. and 360lb. torque in their truck line. More torque might load the load the tranny pretty hard.

Don

[SJ]

There is a Terminator Package H2 on eBay.

I'm perfectly satisfied with the H2 as is. The H2 may be a form of excess in and of itself, but some of these modifications and add-ons are purely absurd. The stuff people waste money on never ceases to amaze me.

[MAC]

There is this thing called transmission, if you need more power, your shift gears. 20 years ago, real men, or real women, drive stickshift only, automatic transmission was an optional luxury item. I used to look down on people who drive automatic, until I got my first automatic transmission car. In Hummer, there are so many options for you to swift gears to gain the power needed for whatever the occasions it maybe, with the exception of street racing.

[Texas Red]

Huh?????

[This message was edited by Texas Red on November 13, 2002 at 05:41 PM.]

[Kühl Carbon]

CLICK ME!

Seems as though he has ported and polished the heads, balanced the engine, and added a supercharger ... for $17,600. Not bad.

***BLANK*** at this time

[redrum]

Keep in mind that even low boost superchargers not only stress your engine and drivetrain but also require close attention to air/fuel mixture, octane content, and spark advance management. Detonation is a big issue when supercharging. A high quality engine management system is a must. Mondo horespower is a beautiful thing when managed effectively.

John Lingenfelter's products are top notch. For those of you who don't know, he was critically injured in a race event about a month ago. We all wish him a speedy recovery!

[DelawareH2]

I agree. There is a reason the engine is rated at the current horsepower with the accompanying warranty.

I spent most of my time designing aircraft drive systems and subsequent modifications. The chain of events that occurs from changing one little thing can drive you crazy. Don't you think that if the engineers could give you 550 HP right out of the box they would? Don't beleive the crap about management or oil companies 'not wanting to let us have that 200 Mpg 500 HP engine.'

I have considered supercharging the engine, but only considered it. Once you go down that road, be prepared for all sorts of quirky behaviour, let along component failures.

My favorite was the time I went off-roading in a 1970 Mustang that I had reworked. One of the steering components had to be lowered just a half inch to provide clearance for the exhaust headers. The part used looked like it came off a battleship, so one would think all was well.

However, a thing called metal fatigue visited the attach point for the added part. About three years after the 'fix', the mount point failed and I suddenly had no steering. Lucky for me the car made a right turn, avoiding the oncoming traffic. I can't blame the engineer that designed the car, he had no idea that the part would be subjected to the type of stress applied.

The same is true for the H2. It looks beefy but I would be wary of adding parts that increase loads, especially on the drivetrain. The CATIA system they use for designing this stuff, allows them to simulate loads and shave many pounds off the vehicle. That's great for performance and gas mileage, but bad for adding extras that weren't planned in advance.

If you want to see a spectacular failure of one of my designs, check this out:

http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/pho.../ECN-31808.jpg

[BreathlessPerformance.com]

We have been installing superchargers on the LS1 base engine for over 2 years now and have several H2s with chargers on the streets. In the next 2 weeks we will be testing our 750HP H2 with our 410ci stroked, supercharged engine. The stock H2 engine can handle 6 to 7 lbs of boost all day long with no problems. The 4l60E trans has handled about 700HP without having any problems. The background of our company is racing both NHRA and SCCA road racing. We are constantly pushing the limit on these vehicles to see what they will handle. As for Lingenfelter they do have good products and do good work. Actually they are one of our dealers for some of our products as are we of there’s. If anyone wishes to discuss the supercharger issue or Head & Cam please give us a call.

Thank You, Ernie
BreathlessPerformance.com
954-925-7725

[TonkaH2]

Keep in mind those races are short, and offroading is a loooong haul- and chase vehicles aren't usually around for us civilians. I'd be concerned about all the parts past the engine being able to stand up to the loads for 20 or 30 thousand miles.

I agree with BermudaScott.

So far, there's been a couple of well-documented steering and front-axle failures. Could be the only ones, but I'll be watching. . .

[buddy]

Tonka,

What have you heard concerning the front end failures?

The reason I ask is, I was at the local dealer here in Jacksonville and decided to walk back and check out some work being done on an H2.

It turns out that the right steering knuckle and/or spindle had broken. The mechanic doing the work said the owner was on the road travelling arounf 15 mph when the wheel came off.

The service mgr. happens to be a good friend and also one of my customers. When I approached him and ask, What's with the wheel coming off on the H2, he replied"bad casting in the metal".
He also said the same thing as the mechanic about how it happened, and believe the owners story. Said he knows the customer and that's probably what happened.

This is the only failure they've had concerning the spindle or steering knuckle.

I know these parts are common on the 3/4 C/K's, but the C/K don't weigh as much either.

Just curious to what you might may heard.

Thanx

[MAC]

Buddy, is it similar to the Sacramento Bee yellow Hummer with broken front wheels?

[buddy]

Mac,

The one at Nimnicht Chev/Hummer in Jax. had exactly the same problem, except it was the passenager side. It was in the shop last Fri, torn apart. Monday they were putting it back together.New lower/upper control arm/steering knucklebeing installed.

Seems to be a casting flaw, at least that's what they're saying. Service tech said, SB possible.

Service manager is "good guy type", very knowledgeable, and helpful, but won't say much unless he thinks you already know. He did say this is the first one they've had with a front end failure. I hope it's the last one too. I just completed a 2,000 mi trip, some miles in the Smokey Mtns. a few weeks ago. Glad I didn't see the wounded H2 before we left home.

Let you know if I find out more.

Best to ya,

Buddy

[RAYCOBIKER]

WOW, one on one side of the country and the other in my home town! what if they were doing 60 mph! they should have a recall! We should moniter this situation! THIS IS UNACEPTABLE!!!!!!!!! What do you guys think?

[buddy]

Raycobiker,

Are you from Jax?

I'm no engineer by no means, but I do question why the lower control arm is made from cast iron instead of high grade steel. I also understand the axles are cast iron. I know steel will bend, and cast iron justs snaps when over stressed, or casting are poor.

All the trucks I have ever owned have had steel upper and lower control arms. I'm not sure about the knuckles, they could have been cast iron.

Have you ever seen an accident involving a car where the wheel has been hit and pushed back? Cars have steel lower and upper control arms and they bend. If they had cast iron, they would probably snap off too.

The H2 in Jax., according to the owner,it just broke. Service manager said,"knowing the owner, it probably happened just like he said, travelling about 15 mph and the wheel came off".
ONLY the owner knows for sure.

Maybe one of the engineers will jump in and explain why they would use cast iron instead of steel. I'm sure GM has some answers.


Buddy

[buddy]

Sorry,

Axles are steel

[mambodoc]

Thanks for the input Buddy, I was planning on heading up to Nimnicht this saturday to check out an H2 but now am hesitant in light of this front end problem. Apart from that, hows Nimnicht to deal with? I'll be coming up from Daytona area. Thanks. Ed