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What's that? You're a power addict and the 426 horsepower with which Chevrolet endowed the 2010 Camaro SS is weaksauce?
Here's your fix. The orange 2010 Camaro SS you see above has been given the full Texas-style treatment, and I'm not talking about barbeque. Hennessey Performance Engineering, headquartered in Sealy, Texas, coerces more power out of more than just Mopars and Mitsubishis these days, and he's turned his attention to Chevy's latest pony car.
It's called the Hennessey HPE550. The centerpiece of the conversion is the breathing enhancement delivered by a Magnuson Roots-style blower and liquid-to-air intercooler. Supplementing the 6 psi generated by the supercharger is a cold-air intake and free-flow exhaust. Owner John Hennessey tells us that the package swells peak power to 562 hp as measured at the flywheel.
Aftermarket horsepower claims are notoriously optimistic, so we did the obvious thing and strapped it to MD Automotive's Dynojet in Westminster, California. The result was anything but weaksauce.
Click the jump for the dyno chart and video.
First, a caveat. Before we did any dyno runs, we noticed that the insides of our HPE550 test car's tailpipes were curiously free of the typical fine sooty layer that coats every car that runs on pump gas. Instead, they were fairly clean save for a light gray coating.
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Then there was a faintly sweet smell from the exhaust when we put our boot in it on the dyno. A splash of race gas, perhaps? So we asked about what's in the tank. "The car is set up to run 98 octane. Right now the car has 91 octane mixed up to about 98 octane."
That explains the sights and smells. The additional octane will plump up the car's output compared to what it would generate on the best pump gas you can get here in California, which is 91 octane. It's impossible to say how much, but it's something to keep in mind when you view the dyno chart.
And here it is (click the image for a larger version):
Good thing they mounted 315-series meats on the rear wheels.
Torque peaks at 525 lb-ft at 3,900 rpm, and the torque curve itself strikes a smooth arc from off-idle to redline. Peak power of 559 hp arrives right at the 6,500-rpm fuel cut. We're talking power. Serious power.
And once you consider that the drivetrain soaks up a bit of power in the U-joints, transmission and differential, it's generating even more power than Hennessey claims. Octane notwithstanding, of course.
It makes a heck of a noise, too, blasting a pissed-off exhaust roar that nearly overwhelms the lazy whine from that blower. It's a combination that makes parents clutch their children by the chest.
If you want just the power goodies, it'll run you a bit on either side of $10 grand depending on whether you choose a polished supercharger or a black-finished one.
We're thinking of taking this bad boy to the track. What do you think?
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor
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hondacura4 says:
06:39 PM, 06/ 3/09
6.2L's of displacement and 6psi...sure it makes a lot of power but thats not surprising given the specs.
I know its a bit more work but Id rather see a twin turbo version with an intercooler and the necessary tuning electronics as I just dont care for superchargers with the exception of the excellent Kraftwerks system.
05redrex says:
10:19 PM, 06/ 3/09
That power curve looks pretty rough at the end... and it was running on some unknown fuel mix? Admittedly not pump gas... how does this apply to the real world? Who can get 98 octane? E85 would be more practical.
05redrex says:
10:21 PM, 06/ 3/09
I should also bring up John's reputation, which is not great, weather deserved or not. Google his name and decide for yourself before you write a check.
church123 says:
10:28 PM, 06/ 3/09
That's some strong race gas. That's more power than what we'd see with on 2009 CTS-Vs with intake/header/exhaust and tuning (and sometimes even mild boost upgrades up to 11-12 psi). Those same CTS-Vs put down about 475-485 whp dynojet stock.
I'm betting its running some VP MS 109 fuel in there. Not only does the extra octane free up hp by allowing the ability to run 3-5 deg extra ignition advance, but the oxygenate in the fuel boost power another 3-4% minimum. I'm guessing this car would put down about 510 hp (give or take) on 91 octane. Nothing to be critical of, but running the car on race gas is a little sketchy for testing/eval purposes.
eville_stu says:
11:16 PM, 06/ 3/09
Lame... this is so typical of aftermarket claims... its comparing apples to oranges when you compare outputs of engines with much higher octane gas. What kind of power could you get from the Evo or GTR if you started running 98 octane gas and gave it a tune? Not worth $10k+ for this.
eki79 says:
11:54 PM, 06/ 3/09
I'd have this... since we get 98 octane gas from pumps over here in Finland. :)
church123 says:
12:03 AM, 06/ 4/09
Power gains aren't too big if you don't raise the boost. I have a supercharged car that makes about 365 whp on pump gas, 385 whp on 100 octane and over 400 whp on E85 with no boost changes. Not every car behaves the same, but it is a reference point.
belair007 says:
02:25 AM, 06/ 4/09
Planning on bulking up the housepower under the hood of your Camaro SS, say with a blower, or an LSX454 crate motor? You'll need a stronger rearend and axles to go with that. You might be tempted to swap in the rear from the cadillac CTS-V, which has the de-tuned LS9 (556 hp) from the ZL-1 Corvette. Unfortunately, the Camaro's rearend is made by American Axle, not ZF (like the Caddy's), and is not interchangeable. those of you planning on big horsepower upgrades will need to go with custom axles and control arms. Had GM pulled the trigger on the more powerful Z/28, it would simply be a matter of bolting in the extra Z/28 beefcake with factory part numbers.
belair007 says:
02:27 AM, 06/ 4/09
Planning on bulking up the horsepower under the hood of your Camaro SS, say with a blower, or an LSX454 crate motor? You'll need a stronger rearend and axles to go with that. You might be tempted to swap in the rear from the cadillac CTS-V, which has the de-tuned LS9 (556 hp) from the ZL-1 Corvette. Unfortunately, the Camaro's rearend is made by American Axle, not ZF (like the Caddy's), and is not interchangeable. those of you planning on big horsepower upgrades will need to go with custom axles and control arms. Had GM pulled the trigger on the more powerful Z/28, it would simply be a matter of bolting in the extra Z/28 beefcake with factory part numbers.
alexdi says:
04:19 AM, 06/ 4/09
I think John's reputation precludes buying anything from him. It's a standard Corvette motor. Any of a dozen places will sell and install comparable supercharger kits.
hennesseyperf says:
06:59 AM, 06/ 4/09
The HPE550 Camaro is tuned for optimal performance on 93 octane fuel. While the car was being tested in CA we drove it over 500 miles running on 91 octane fuel which is the highest octane fuel available at the pump. Prior to the IL dyno test we decided to add 5 gallons of 110 race fuel to the 2/3's full tank of 91 to get the effective octane rating of the entire tank of fuel to 93 octane. On our chassis dyno the HPE550 Camaro put down 531 rear wheel hp when the car had about 400 miles on it. Now that it has nearly 1000 miles more on the odometer it may have picked up a bit more power from the motor breaking in. The good news is that it now appears that we can tune our Camaro's for 91 octane fuel and still attain our target power rating of 530 hp at the rear wheels. John Hennessey, Hennessey Performance.
iskch says:
08:48 AM, 06/ 4/09
I choose the 09 Caddy CTS-V over the Camaro HPE 550. Better than that get a 2010 Mustang GT-500 and take it to Shelby for some additional "snake magic" The video shows a technical flaw? Can you guess? Is a flaw with all 6.2 liter engines.
TrackDaze says:
09:04 AM, 06/ 4/09
Duh eki79,
You use different octane ratings in Finland (RON). Your 98 is the equivalent of 93 Octane in the US.
dmsdesign says:
09:12 AM, 06/ 4/09
The Hennessey Camaro I think was designed, in at least the format the orange one is, for a kick in the butt street ride, and I can tell you thru first hand experience, she accomplished this goal with flying colors. The attractiveness of the extra hp and torque is that it is not only safe on the power train, but also CARB legal. Sure it is easy to with enough money to get the hp to 650, but it is not legal to do so, in at least California. The Pedders suspension system that is in the Camaro will give the driver all kinds of flexibility in handling, from street cruising comfort, to canyon running, to all out road race settings. The heights that she is at is so aggressive looking, it is scary. She is a beautifully prepared Camaro that is totally civil with an attitude, and makes me hunger to own one.
cruiserhead1 says:
12:05 PM, 06/ 4/09
track it JKav!
desmolicious says:
02:24 PM, 06/ 4/09
Until you can get it out of the hands of it's wranglers, and fill it with regular pump gas, this means nothing.
Who knows, on regular high octane pump gas it may hole a piston etc etc.
eki79 says:
03:02 AM, 06/ 5/09
TrackDaze,
why do they have to use different ratings in different continents... goddammit. :D
well, it always good to learn something new.
dyzio says:
11:40 AM, 06/ 5/09
and here You have your z28 'maro....
..but there's still sth with that stock car(gvien by factory, not by tuner)..
ZL1 Camaro should have supercharged 427 from Vette Z06, and Z28...track ready, should be lighter and dont have to be so powerfull..