I have an 05 SSR auto and would like to make it quicker. From 0 to 15 mph its not much and when it shifts out of passing gear at about 80 mph it falls on its face. I saw a custom tune installed on a car and it picked up about 50 HP on the dyno. What can be done to help this BEAUTIFUL truck faster with out spending a lot of money. I am thinking about a cold air system and a Predator tune. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
My SSR: '06 PB #21661 Born 8/29/05, GHL "Old School" True Duals, ADDCO bars, Eibach rear, Joe's Tune
The 0-15 performance is computer controlled..... The 5000 pound truck provides the ability to overstress the tranny in certain conditions. WOT from a stop is one of them. Full throttle shifts without torque management is another. Removing the torque management software will allow you to do some awesome burnouts and get rubber when it shifts, but it will come with a pretty high cost... when you least expect it.
Your 0-15 may not be able to be changed much, but the falling on the face is not acceptable. Normal shifts at WOT cause the ignition to be retarded for 1/4 to 1/2 second during the shift. If you are more than that, you may have another issue. I must assume that you are running premium fuel and have tried unplugging the PCM fuse (#26, I think) to have the computer re-learn the fuel mapping.
Hopefully someone else will have some suggestions....
Regards,
Mike
__________________ Trust and Generosity are contagious.
Just had 4.10 gears put in my 05 SSR! WOW! This we'll solve your problem from 0-15 mph. Only cost $650 and worth every penny! Incredible acceleration! What the truck should have been. Don't forget to turn off your traction control after installing for the first 20 miles! Good luck!
JimSS: Don't set your expectations too high on what a Predator (or any other off-the-shelf microtuner) tune can do for you. A gain of 15 to 20 rwhp is the most you can realistically get via that route.
A custom tune done on your actual vehicle on an actual dyno can SOMETIMES achieve more, but not always.
There is no "cold air" system avaialble for the SSR. There is a K&N kit (NOT merely the K&N filter, but the whole "aircharger" kit) that costs about $350 to $400 that will give you an honest 7 rwhp or so on an 05/06 SSR and maybe 5 or 5.5 rwhp on an 03/04 SSR. As I explain in my e-book, this is actually a good deal in the rarified world of engine performance gains.
But, if you want to make your SSR accelerate faster, rather than merely adding engine power (NOT entirely the same thing, for reasons explained in my e-book), the two best and most cost effective mods by far are the 4.56 gearing and a high stall torque converter. EITHER of these mods will reduce the 0 to 60 time by 1/2 to 3/4 second or better (in some cases, up to almost a full second). The 4.56 gearing will also make a big difference even at highway speed.
A GOOD (not merely catback) exhaust system will add a LOT of midrange on these engines. See my earlier postings on "Dual Shotgun exhaust".
If you want to see a "menu" of performance mods, ranging from cheap and easy to costly and complex, get a copy of my e-book "The SSR Experience" (see my ad in the "For Sale" section of the forum).
I took my own 04 SSR from a stok 1/4 mile of almost 16 seconds to a projected high 12s (IF I can get the right tires to get the traction ).
Just had 4.10 gears put in my 05 SSR! WOW! This we'll solve your problem from 0-15 mph. Only cost $650 and worth every penny! Incredible acceleration! What the truck should have been. Don't forget to turn off your traction control after installing for the first 20 miles! Good luck!
I've had the 4.10'S in about 1 week. This is not "seat of the pants" feel this is more like "kick-butt feel". Absolutely the best BANG FOR THE BUCK mod for the SSR. Mine is a 6SPD, I can finally use 6th gear and the truck just wants to run hard through the others. Much more fun to drive. JUST DO IT!
My SSR: 05' Smokin Asphalt, 4.10, Class III hitched for towing with 3 pedals & 6spds that make my heartbeat!
Which Gears to choose 4.10 or 4.56?
Hey I'm a newbe here with a 05' 6 spd SSR.
It sounds like the gear change is the first best economical performance change to consider. What kinda rpm's are you turning with the 4.10 vs the 4.56 is the ladder too much for daily driving?
Do you need a new carrier or will the gear set fit in the 14 bolt setup already there?
Where did you order them after market or factory? Last one Does this void your warrenty or do you get dealership to install?
It sounds like the gear change is the first best economical performance change to consider. What kinda rpm's are you turning with the 4.10 vs the 4.56 is the ladder too much for daily driving?
Do you need a new carrier or will the gear set fit in the 14 bolt setup already there?
Where did you order them after market or factory? Last one Does this void your warrenty or do you get dealership to install?
Thanks
The answers to your RPM questions have been posted before, and take a LONG time to type out. Do a search. The rpm are STILL rather modest, with either 4.10 or 4.56. Easy formulas:
With 4.10, your rpm in any specific gear goes up 10% for same MPH
With 4.56, your rpm in any specific gear goes up 22% fro same mph.
Because the SSR tires are so large in diameter, the 4.56 is like running about a 3.8 or 4.0 axle, or even less, on a Corvette, depending on the Corvette tire size.
SSRs with the 10-bolt rear axle do NOT need a new carrier. I do not know about the 6-speed axles.
You can sometimes get the 4.10 from a dealer, but not the 4.56, as 4.56 is no longer offfered as a trailer towing option on Chevy pickups. The aftermarket vendors provide just about any ratio ever offered. Brands to use are a sibject of ongoing debate on this site - similar to Chevy versus Ford! I personally used Motive Gear, and I have posted the part number for the kit for an automatic (multiple times *)). I don't have the pn for the 6-speed.
IF your dealer installs the ring and pinion, you will have factory warranty on the ring and pinion. However, do not assume that you "lose" warranty on anything else EXCEPT ring and pinion if you go aftermarket. Chevy would need to prove that the aftermarket ring and pinion "caused" consequential damage elsewehere to deny coverage on any other parts on the truck.
Jim G
Last edited by JimGnitecki : 09-14-2006 at 02:56 PM.
JimSS: Don't set your expectations too high on what a Predator (or any other off-the-shelf microtuner) tune can do for you. A gain of 15 to 20 rwhp is the most you can realistically get via that route.
A custom tune done on your actual vehicle on an actual dyno can SOMETIMES achieve more, but not always.
There is no "cold air" system avaialble for the SSR. There is a K&N kit (NOT merely the K&N filter, but the whole "aircharger" kit) that costs about $350 to $400 that will give you an honest 7 rwhp or so on an 05/06 SSR and maybe 5 or 5.5 rwhp on an 03/04 SSR. As I explain in my e-book, this is actually a good deal in the rarified world of engine performance gains.
But, if you want to make your SSR accelerate faster, rather than merely adding engine power (NOT entirely the same thing, for reasons explained in my e-book), the two best and most cost effective mods by far are the 4.56 gearing and a high stall torque converter. EITHER of these mods will reduce the 0 to 60 time by 1/2 to 3/4 second or better (in some cases, up to almost a full second). The 4.56 gearing will also make a big difference even at highway speed.
A GOOD (not merely catback) exhaust system will add a LOT of midrange on these engines. See my earlier postings on "Dual Shotgun exhaust".
If you want to see a "menu" of performance mods, ranging from cheap and easy to costly and complex, get a copy of my e-book "The SSR Experience" (see my ad in the "For Sale" section of the forum).
I took my own 04 SSR from a stok 1/4 mile of almost 16 seconds to a projected high 12s (IF I can get the right tires to get the traction ).
Jim G
Jim you don't need the right tires for a high 12 sec. run just come off the line like you are stepping on a egg, The way I do it is 1/4 off the line then go to 1/2 and then full and hope for the best, Slow without stopping, You do it enough you start to get a feel for it, Would make it a hole lot easier if it had drag radials
I installed one of our 3000 stall converters in my truck and the results were dramatic. I also have a K&N kit and a true dual exhaust after the cats. The thing that really ties these improvements together was the dyno tuning by Jim Paschal up in Oklahoma city. Taking out the torque management did wonders for the acceleration and the converter I used is easier on the trans as well. The tuner also raised shift points from first to second gear which helped out a lot too. I have been thinking about a gear swap but I don't want to increase my cruise rpm at 75-80mph any more than it is now. I actually think the stock gear ratio is an advantage on the street as it provides better traction than a deeper gear set would. Just my opinion.
Oversimplifying a lot, this is the rpm to which, when you punch the throttle hard from a dead stop, or shift up into the next gear, the converter "leaps" rather suddenly, before "waiting" for the engine to "catch up to it". The point to which it "leaps" is loosely called the "stall rpm" (because when you hit that rpm, the input and output sides of the converter "stall" to identical rpm).
This behavior (again oversimplifying greatly) is needed because if you apply lots of throttle pedla to an engine at low engine rpm, it is turning too slowly to make decent power, and it tends to "bog". By allowing the engine to spin faster before engaging with the rest of the drivetrain, you enable the vehicle to acclerate rather more quickly () AND it is FAR easier on the engine too.
A "high stall" converter is one that leaps to a rather HIGH rpm before waiting for the engine to catch up. This means it enables quicker acceleration than a "low stall" converter.
The disadvantages of a high stall converter is that it makes the vehicle feel a bit "softer" to SMALL throttle openings (normal driving as opposed to brisk acceleration).
On a factory torque converter, the stall speed is usually in the 1500 to 1700 range. Yes, GM probably calls the stock converter in an SSR "high stall" because it around 1700 rpm stall point versus say 1500. But, a REAL high stall converter is one that goes to 2500 to 3500 rpm before "stalling".
What's the impact? Well, at 1700 rpm, a SSR makes WELL under 100 rwhp at wide open throttle, and that does not accelerate a heavy vehicle like the SSR at all well. At 3000 rpm, it makes somewhere north of 125 to 150 rwhp. Accleration is grealty improved if you allow the engine to spin at 3000 rpm during a launch versus 1700.
It's very similar to slipping the clutch on a manual until you hit 3000 rpm.
A properly designed stall converter set up for street use will exibit some "softness" in light throttle applications as Jim described, but it does not affect low speed driving and in fact smoths out the shifts to some degree. The higher flash point of rpm only comes when you accelerate hard and it comes on quickly and without harshness and allows the engine to move to it's power level much sooner. Many people who have never had a converter of this type have the impression that the car will be stationary until the converter reaches stall rpm then harshly engage like an old mini bike clutch. A modern, well designed converter will provide almost seamless operation and is a very rewarding modification that enhances performance and drivability.
As some of you know, I am actually running a customized high stall converter prepared for me by Greg and his crew, while I watched, during my visit to his facility last Spring.
It works GREAT, and as Greg states above, exhibits no unpleasant behaviors at all. HIGHLY recommended.
And, Greg and his team do a superlative job on their work.
Greg has built a VERY nice team of transmission professionals. I spent a day and a half with him and his crew, and believe me, these guys eat, sleep, and dream about transmissions. Greg himself roolled up his sleeves and washed many of the internal parts of my transmission, while I watched and while he explained what was happening and why.
Greg is also a very dedicated car nut, just like many of us on this forum. He doesn't brag, but he has a number of very interesting vehicles.
You can trust your transmission and your SSR to Greg's team.
Thanks for the confidence in our products Jim. No Sheldon, you don't have to join a secret society but you will be required to know the password and secret handshake. Our company web site is www.phoenixtrans.com
I have an 05 SSR auto and would like to make it faster. From 0 to 15 mph its not much and when it shifts out of passing gear at about 80 mph it falls on its face. I saw a custom tune installed on a car and it picked up about 50 HP on the dyno. What can be done to help this BEAUTIFUL truck faster with out spending a lot of money. I am thinking about a cold air system and a Predator tune. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Jim,
I'm no expert but if you look at the mods I have listed below, you'll see a big performance difference. I actually have to go out of my way Not to light up the tires. And it was all done on the advice of the people from this site.
Thanks again
).
