After some VZ Calais advice....

[JET-33]

i was hoping to get some advice on the vz calais....on 2 areas actually.

1. Car audio: does anyone know the exact setup of the standard car audio equipment in the vz calais? im pretty sure it has splits in the front, mids in the rear doors, 8 inch three-ways in the parcel shelf which are apparently powered by an amp (but is this a stand alone amp or built into the HU?)

2. Performance: its clearly no head turner but is there small things that can be done for some decent improvements? a little bit more power? one thing i havent liked is the throttle response with the fly by wire (its so laggy its not funny). can this be rectified so that car actually accelerates when you tap the throttle and not 1-2sec later?

thanks in advance

[Haze]

Umm... what engine is in your Calias? 6 or 8?

Is it stock?

How much money do you want to spend?

:xmas:

[JET-33]

yeah that info might help hey. its a 6 and stock. i dont want to spend all that much...not worth it on a 6. but i would like to have it a little better performing...especially the lag factor. a nice sound to it would be good too

[kice]

i have same car, looking for same advice

let me know what u end up doing

[Caprice270]

The fly-by-wire system was fitted to avoid the problems associated with the old throttle cables which would stretch and introduce some lag. The lag which you describe as being 1-2 secs is more likely to be associated with the engine's power delivery. The only way to get an improvement is to start doing mods. I did an edit to my VZ SS at F1 performance and got 16 rwkw to 221rwkw for $900. There was noticeable improvement in throttle response and outright power and the car stayed quiet and continued to run smooth. Best BFYB mod if you're on a budget.

[calaisrat]

Sound system is as you describes except the 8 inch in the back are subs that are powered bu a stand alone amp in the boot on the left hand side behind the carpet (its pretty small and the adjustment basically gives you the option of distort and mega distort lol)
I have upgraded the head unit and put subs in the back and that boosts the sound very will.
If you want to keep the head unit there is a mod that can be done to the head unit to give it 4 pre outs to run an external amp but besides that there is not much that can be done to give them more power.
If you want some info on someone who sells the kits and does the mod you can PM me.

Im assuming your talking about the 6 if so this advise is for it.
In relation The throttle unfortunately the alloytec does have an issue with quick low down power although I have had a tune which did improve it a bit and a CAI and good air filter will improve it a bit, i just have an air filter and
after the tune seemed to give it a bit more of a touchy acceleration.
Im in sydney so if your around this area again PM and I can advise you where to get the tune done and the price.

[mitchtj]

yeah that info might help hey. its a 6 and stock. i dont want to spend all that much...not worth it on a 6. but i would like to have it a little better performing...especially the lag factor. a nice sound to it would be good too

they calais have the high output engine as per the sv6.

I/H/E and a tune is a basic option, but ultimately it doesn't net a great deal more power. I think in the end you are better to save your money.

[kice]

I am having a big debarcle of what I should do.

What would you recommend as a sound system to go into the VZ Calais.

As a deck I was thinking the JVC KW-AVX800.

I dont want to go extreme. I want good quility sound, and quite a bit of base.

I dont mind dynamatting everything eithier.

Would you consider 2x 1000w RMS Subs @ 4 ohm on 2x 1000w rms amps be extreme bass wise?

Then again, what if I get aftermarket 8 " woofers and replace the stock ones, replace the amp which runs the subs and the head unit, would that be a resonable option?

[Bravotwozero]

I am having a big debarcle of what I should do.

What would you recommend as a sound system to go into the VZ Calais.

As a deck I was thinking the JVC KW-AVX800.

I dont want to go extreme. I want good quility sound, and quite a bit of base.

I dont mind dynamatting everything eithier.

Would you consider 2x 1000w RMS Subs @ 4 ohm on 2x 1000w rms amps be extreme bass wise?

Then again, what if I get aftermarket 8 " woofers and replace the stock ones, replace the amp which runs the subs and the head unit, would that be a resonable option?

If you want to improve sound then start with your speakers. Changing the head unit won't achieve much. Also don't get too caught up in speaker power ratings. We all know that they don't make power and it is just a guide to what kind of power they can actually handle. Speakers will distort long before they die.

If you don't want anything extreme, I reckon 1000watts into your subs is umm.. well extreme! :) I've got a measly 100watts RMS going into each of my 12" JBL subs and believe me, it will still shake your fillings loose.

If I were you, I'd be doing speakers, subs, amp(s) then head unit! :)
If you do go for the extreme subs, get a cap. 1 Farad should do it. Some people will say you won't need one but they're pretty cheap.

[kice]

What about replacing the back two 8" subs with after market ones and replacing the amp which runs them..

I can get 2 500W RMS 8" Subs to replace the ones in the back shelf. That way I wont even have to run subs to the boot.

Would that be a better option if exterme sub is and not realistic

[JET-33]

what kind of gains could be expected on a vz calais (6cylinder) if the following were done....

- edit
- cai
- full exhaust

thanks

[DaveHAT]

what kind of gains could be expected on a vz calais (6cylinder) if the following were done....

- edit
- cai
- full exhaust

thanks

Australian LS1 and Holden Forums (http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=76644) <-- CLICK :D


I don't know of too many places doing the power upgrades for alloytechs but that doesn't mean they're not around.

Good luck in your pursuit.

:)

[zaim]

just came across this thread...

i'm in the same boat as you with my audio setup on my calais..

Australian LS1 and Holden Forums (http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=90603)

that's my thread have a read at the ideas

[Nervous]

i was hoping to get some advice on the vz calais....on 2 areas actually.

1. Car audio: does anyone know the exact setup of the standard car audio equipment in the vz calais? im pretty sure it has splits in the front, mids in the rear doors, 8 inch three-ways in the parcel shelf which are apparently powered by an amp (but is this a stand alone amp or built into the HU?)

2. Performance: its clearly no head turner but is there small things that can be done for some decent improvements? a little bit more power? one thing i havent liked is the throttle response with the fly by wire (its so laggy its not funny). can this be rectified so that car actually accelerates when you tap the throttle and not 1-2sec later?

thanks in advance


Jet-33

I have the same car, rather than spend huge amounts of money on mods I run 98 octane fuel which has imroved the performance accross the whole rev range. The higher octane has improved take off, better towing capability (sometimes I forget I am towing the trailor because its not noticable on the engine), much smoother and very quiet. I cannot say economy has improved but driveability is great. I know its not much but I believe these engines a better suited to premiumunleaded 95+ octane.

[kpop]

hi guys , just a quick question. does the 2005 vz calais come with xenon headlights, or projector headlights ? thanks.

[calaisrat]

They only have projectors

[kpop]

They only have projectors

ok thanks for that mate. just some more questions (im picking up a vz calais from a caryard today...)

do they come with one or two sets of keys

is the spare tyre exactly the same as the ones that come with the car, or a basic 'intercepter' type tyre

the trip computer shows around 11L / 100km (560 to a tank) - is that roughly correct

thanks for any help guys cheers

[pmac]

the vz calais come wth 2 sets of keys + a little glovebox key

the spare tyre is actually a 15" not another standard car tyre, probably a good first investment is to get a spare wth the same rim size as the car.

and wth the fuel consumption if its hanging around 11L/100k its being driven very lightley, my 6er on 98 averages 14-15L/100k but can get as low as 10 if u treat it well

[XR8KLR]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I am looking to replace the 8" Subs in my VY II Calais. Can anyone confirm that they are 2ohm and not 4 ohm? Anyone got any idea on where to get some? I have looked around and the only place I have found any 8" subs are on the net (ryda.com.au), and they are 4ohm.

Thanks for the help, Ian.

[pmac]

the spare one in my garage has 2 ohm printed on it