Impressions of Jim's (Kalstar's) GTM!

[LCD Gauges]

Jim wanted me to link this video to illustrate the potential of the truck engine series. I believe we are the only two with L33 (5.3L)and LQ9 (6.0L)
powerplants?

The acceleration is tough to gauge in this video, but this is the first car that has put me back in the seat throughout the entire range of two gears.
Normally once second gear hits, you get the initial kick and the sense of the car picking up speed.

With the power to weight ratio of his setup, the force continued to press me into the seat until the clutch was pressed. This would indicate a
high RPM peak in the torque curve.

I'm sure many of you can relate having driven your GTM's, but this was the first time experiencing a completed car at higher speeds.

Thanks for the ride, and letting me test drive your G-Machine!

[Kalstar]

The reason for this post is not about showing off speed but as a measuring stick for other builders. This car has a 358Hp/339Tq at the wheel (about 415/385 crank). It is a 5.3L out of a 2005 Silverado with the only upgrade being a baby 212/216 cam and a LS6 OEM intake (every thing else is stock right down to the exhaust manifolds). I have seen 4 GTMs totaled in a very short time frame so I asked Tino to post this to show what a "low Hp" GTM felt like. Many builders build the car around what they feel will be ideal power not really understanding what 400 (let alone 500 or more) hp feels like in a car that is so light and with no drivers aids.

Case and point, I belong to a local exotic car club. We were heading back from a show...... Not to get into too much detail..... the F430, Gallardo, GTC were really no match for the GTM, the only car that was about equal (drivers race) was the Murciélago. My G-Tech puts my 0-60 at 3.2 and my 1/4 at 11.18 @ 123mph. That is pretty quick. Remember I have a baby engine in this car. Of course it is personal preference but there is really no need to spend crazy money or put down huge numbers (JMHO). Putting too much twist "might" make the car less enjoyable to drive and very possibly less safe. I will say that I can not use all the power this car puts out now. All that said....God I love what Factory Five has give us to play with, the GTM is a monster no matter what is under the rear glass. Happy motoring and stay safe my friends!

Jim

[The Stig]

The reason for this post is not about showing off speed but as a measuring stick for other builders. This car has a 358Hp/339Tq at the wheel (about 415/385 crank). It is a 5.3L out of a 2005 Silverado with the only upgrade being a baby 212/216 cam and a LS6 OEM intake (every thing else is stock right down to the exhaust manifolds). I have seen 4 GTMs totaled in a very short time frame so I asked Tino to post this to show what a "low Hp" GTM felt like. Many builders build the car around what they feel will be ideal power not really understanding what 400 (let alone 500 or more) hp feels like in a car that is so light and with no drivers aids.

Case and point, I belong to a local exotic car club. We were heading back from a show...... Not to get into too much detail..... the F430, Gallardo, GTC were really no match for the GTM, the only car that was about equal (drivers race) was the Murciélago. My G-Tech puts my 0-60 at 3.2 and my 1/4 at 11.18 @ 123mph. That is pretty quick. Remember I have a baby engine in this car. Of course it is personal preference but there is really no need to spend crazy money or put down huge numbers (JMHO). Putting too much twist "might" make the car less enjoyable to drive and very possibly less safe. I will say that I can not use all the power this car puts out now. All that said....God I love what Factory Five has give us to play with, the GTM is a monster no matter what is under the rear glass. Happy motoring and stay safe my friends!

Jim

Thank you for this comparison Jim & Tino. You have confirmed, on the street, what I have believed to be true throughout my build. I've always thought that a stock LS engine, no matter which one, (LS1, LS6, LS2, or LS3), would be more than enough hp/tq for this car. My LS2 dyno'ed at 395 at the rear wheels (I think), with about 400 ft/lbs of torque. All I know, is that when I decide to step on it, there is a lot of noise coming from the car; from the exhaust, from the tires, as well as from me screaming like a little girl. No, not really, but you get my point. The car is fast! Really fast! And it makes the right noise. Especially if you're using the Kooks Exhaust system.

I completely understand how people get to a point where they "want" large hp & torque. It's really easy to get sucked into that mindset; especially here on this and other forums. I was tempted a couple of times to switch to the LS7, or the LS376-525. Each time I started going there, I was fortunate enough to have David Borden to talk me down of the ledge. (Of course he later went and stuffed a Coyote monster into his beautiful Mk4 build.) I don't blame him though. I think that engine suits the MK4 well.

Anyway, the GTM forum has been long overdue for an actual "Come to Jesus" comparison between a nice solid usable $3000.00 to $5000.00 engine, and the the $20,000.00 ground shaking race engines that are cool to hear, but may not be so fun to try to control in one of these cars.

Thank you.

Mike

[LCD Gauges]

To put this into more perspective, my previous car (2000 Camaro SS), put down 437HP to the wheels at 6300 RPM, 414 TQ @ 4800 RPM.
The car weighed 3761 lbs. with me (190 lbs at the time). My best 1/4 mile was 12.51 @ 118 MPH on street radials (2.21 sixty foot < yuck).

As you 'll see from the accelerometer, the tires couldn't hold the power through first, or the beginning of second. I had to "pedal" the
car until mid-way through second gear. That's with a T-56 transmission, and 3.42 gears. Highway cruise at 65 MPH was 1200 RPM (pretty
much idle!). 0-60 MPH was 4.8 seconds, and I thought that felt quick until last week!

The G-Tech really helps to analyse the car, and driver. It helped me improve my shift points, shift time, check wheel slip, etc. The variance
on the reading with +/- 1/10th of the track beam times, so your numbers should be fairly good Jim.

Damn, I miss driving a strong engine'd car. My GTM will be ready soon, right?!
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