photos by: JDP Motorsports
Testing the Results of a VMAX LT1 Throttle Body Upgrade
Aftermarket parts are starting to trickle in for the 2016 Camaros now the cars have been around for a few months. As these parts start to roll in, we want to know what the bottom line is about them, so we can pass that along to you. That’s exactly what we’re doing today with the new VMAX throttle body, thanks to testing done by JDP Motorsports.
The VMAX LT1 throttle bodies were recently added to the JDP Motorsports catalog. These are CNC-ported units that are designed to increase throttle response, as well as lead to horsepower and torque gains throughout the curve. Swapping out the stock throttle body for one of these units is worth 8-15 horses to the wheels. It might not knock you off your feet, but that’s a lot from a simple and inexpensive mod.
In addition, you don’t have to tune for these throttle bodies, so a 15-20 minute investment is all the time you need to spend, and you don’t need to take your car to the tuner to be able to drive it safely afterwards. They’re based on a factory CNC’ed body, so you know quality is top notch.
The VMAX throttle bodies offer:
- Increased response in the throttle
- Improved drivability
- Power gains throughout the power band
JDP Motorsports is offering these throttle bodies on a core exchange basis – just make sure to turn them in clean (come on, they’re not even old enough to be dirty, folks!) or they’ll charge you five bucks to clean it for you. They’re offering free shipping on them right now, so this might be the best logical first mod for 2016 Camaro SS owners.
Now for the fun part, the Camaro. It’s a 2016 Camaro SS with a manual transmission, that JDP has christened, “Evilynn” and will be using as their rolling test bed for new products, as well as competing in various road racing events right along with her older brother, “Frankey.” As they’re testing it, they’re doing it in stock form, part by part. Back in December, we featured the dyno showdown between the JDP Motorsports Camaro and a stock C7 Stingray.
On the dyno, this Camaro hit 421.48 max horsepower and 427.80 max torque. The climb was steady across the RPM range and without many peaks. It did out-power the stock Stingray, if you want to learn about that, you can read more here.
When re-dyno’ed with the stock throttle body for this testing, the Camaro put out 422.50 max horsepower and 420.66 max torque. The power band looked about the same as when it went up against the C7.
JDP Motorsports explained that ahead of the testing, they weren’t expecting to be blown away by the results. What showed up on the dyno sheet probably did blow them away, it caught us off guard for sure!
Check out the results from the addition of the VMAX throttle body:
The final numbers were 430.12 RHWP and 435.1 RWTQ on the bone stock 2016 Camaro SS with the addition of the VMAX throttle body. It picked up 8 peak horsepower and 15 lb-ft of torque to the tires! That’s an impressive gain from nothing more than a throttle body bolt-on modification.
But peak numbers only tell part of the story, as the throttle body picked up a good amount of low to midrange power. The biggest gains were seen from the 2,220 RPM to 5,200 RPM range. Basically, these gains were extremely consistent across the power band and gives the car power where you need it – since you’re typically not driving around in the redline all of the time (or maybe you are, you wild one you). That torque increase is no small prize either, you’re definitely going to feel the increased punchiness.
Equally as important as its performance on the dyno is how it feels driving around, so JDP Motorsports hit the road after the modification. When they put it on the streets, they reported a noticeable increase in throttle response. Once they got it on the freeway, the Camaro pulled harder during acceleration and in the higher gears.
Based on this testing, it seems like 6th-gen Camaro owners would be extremely happy with the modification. It’s a lot of horsepower for not a lot of cash. It opens up the powerband in the low to mid/upper range where you’re going to be spending most of your time driving.
Really, it takes minutes to change out a throttle body, and the cost makes them value power adders for sure. Oh, did we forget to mention that it’s currently on sale through JDP Motorsports for $150? Can you see the value in this throttle body now?
JDP Motorsports is wasting no time testing aftermarket goodies on their 2016 Camaro SS. They’ve also recently tested the MSD Atomic AirForce intake and found an extra 20 RWHP there. Next up are some exhaust goodies, so stay tuned!
Elizabeth is a hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
