Thank you for posting this Sam, both Peter and I had an absolute riot that day. Great to see our cars match up so closely (other than the race where I fell asleep?!) For two buddies that don't see each other nearly enough, I cannot stress how much this meant to both of us! We're thrilled to be a part of your channel and I hope your subscribers get the sense of joy we had racing that day. Oh and man the opening footage....our cars look so so good. Races are secondary to the sheer beauty of these two cars.
Wow really? Interesting I never knew that. People here are hooked on Aussie performance and nowadays guys are even trying their hands at using the mighty Barra in Mustangs and the like
As a 2016 SS owner those Q50 red sports are no joke! My car is a manual with cai, 2" long tubes and 3" catted mid-pipes. Tuned it puts down right at 400 to the wheel. Lined up with one of those and we ran from about 10ish to around 70ish and they were right with me the entire way. It didn't surprise me that the Q50 did so well in this vid. Especially against the auto SS. And even though the SS is getting to be slower than a lot of these new TT V6 cars, I really don't care because it sounds AMAZING and there is no V6 made that can compete.
The sound of the LS 3 is worth giving up a few tenths. The top end is where this thing really surprises, well surprises those who don't understand V8's and torque curves and such.
Bone stock tuned only Q puts down roughly 420whp so maybe it was a jb4 or tune only Q that was right with you. It’s a fun car, mine makes a hair over 500 wheel but the sound of the LS is music!
@@blackice7408 Aussies were buying these in droves, especially the V8 models which accounted for most of the sales. Holden died because the cost of manufacturing the Commodore was too high, and the rest of their products were rebaged GM vehicles which were quite frankly, shit.
Expensive to make and no market for it. Also people weren’t buying it. The only car in this class still alive is the dodge charger unfortunately because i love rwd sedans
Got disagree I still have an 04 gto and it is an awesome car. Great quality of parts exterior and interior. Most people think it’s a newer car and have no idea what it is lol. But everyone has their own opinions and that’s ok
Why so people insist its made by Chevrolet. The SS Commodore body and most components are designed and manufactured in Oz by Holden ( a GM company) using GM engines etc. Converted to LHD and exported to the USA and rebranded an SS. Also exported to the UK rebadged as a Vauxhall VXR in supercharged RHD form.
Loved my RedSport 400. Pop a simple piggy back JB4 on it and it REALLY wakes up around town and down low. Will spank the quarter mile in low to mid 12's at 114-115mph. Transmission is a dog around town under normal driving but that's expected. At WOT however, it performs very well and shifts quickly. Pop on the sport exhaust for $500 and it really sounds great. Combined with the JB4 it will scream up front as it pulls in more air and out back with a very subtle G-like tone. Just be sure to go into the hidden menu and turn off the fake sound generator so there's no drone.
Yeah I was going to say the same thing also I've got an SS ute VF manual. Yeah rearranging my tools is a thing yeah I'm a petrol head I also have a 2017 clubby and that hammers
The SS is a better drivers car. The Infiniti a better daily driver. AWD spoils you. As a Q50 RS owner, it has been very reliable, runs 12s consistently at 110mph in normal conditions and 28mpg at 80mph with a 20 gallon gas tank is very efficient and convenient.
I was able to rent a Infiniti Q50 through a hertz in Seattle Washington for a road trip to Montana...It turned out to be one of the greatest road trips of my life and I grew a lot of respect for the car and it's combination of effortless speed and great handling. I have a Holdon Monaro at home, A relative of the Chevy SS here and I kept on comparing the two in my head as I drove. I made a personal best driving time from Alberton Montana to Seattle Washington on a early May morning in 5 hours and 7 mins. That includes a 15-20 minute traffic stop with the Washington state patrol. Both cars are great drivers !
Sam great race. Something you would never normally see. Two really quick cars though. How about an all 80’s drag race? Fiero Vs CRX, Grand National vs Mustang Shelby, IROC vs Lotus Esprit, Eagle Talon vs RX7, Supra MkIII vs Porsche 928, M3 (E30) vs GT-R R32, Corvette (C4) vs Omni GLH
The lack of depreciation on an SS coupled in with ease of maintenance and versatile platform make these car still superior to just about anything on the market even so 5 years later. The new TT platforms by BMW and Nissan are great don’t get me wrong, it’s just very hard to take anything away from something so proven as an LS in a Holden Chassis.
Love the VF Commie. Glad it sold here as an SS yet short lived (the unfortunate part) Very Aussie yet distinctly GM. Best of both worlds! Powerful LS offering.
Such a great match up, I’ve always loved the G8/SS/Commodore platform as well as the G35/37-Q50/60 platform. I was looking for a G8 GT or SS when the car market tanked, so I bought a 12 G37 sedan snd love it, especially for $12k. I have to say I’m not surprised but still impressed by the almost 15 year old drivetrain in the SS, LS3 and 6L80 still get it done. Both beautiful cars I’d love to own, but tilted towards SS for its rarity but also massive modding potential.
I got a Chevy caprice which is a cop car made on the g8 platform and is a commodore series 1, I got mine for $10,000 with on 66k miles and it’s a total sleeper once you fix all crap the cops broke. Can’t wait to Holden the car out but it’s basically a cheaper ss with a ls2 6.0 instead of a ls3 but it’s got a ton of performance mods for the cops so you don’t have to worry when ripping it
@@aidan8860 that’s sweet, I looked for Caprice cop cars too back when I was looking but couldn’t find the right one but that’s something I still look at sometimes, if I found one for a deal and turn it into a SS or G8 GXP or Commodore a piece at a time, I love the looks of a SS with Holden badges and trim, but they’re all $35K +
@@Daddyops I hope it works out for you, I think you’ll be happy, had mine about a year now and all I’ve done is change the oil and drive the crap out of her, 40 mile one way commute to work and I average 26-28 mpg, depends how many random street (interstate) races I get into and 140-150 mph blasts I do at 2:30 in the morning when I get off work.
Thankyou for sharing, very interesting indeed. In both New Zealand and Australia we have both the LS1, LS2, LS3, LS7, L98, & the very last of the LSA engines in both manuels and automatics in the Holden Commodore SS and the HSV's. (RIP).
I am impressed that an LS based OHV pushrod engine that is supposed to be irrelevant in the day and age of DOHC, quad cammed twin turboed cars is still far more competitive and competent as well as reliable as the newer supposedly superior engines.
So there's quite some things to mention that go unnoticed about the Q50... it was easily noticed by a Q50 enthussiast, but the average owner who just pumps gas and gets oil changes would not know. The base Q50 and Silver S Q50 is the 300hp model. The Red S 3.0t is the 400hp model. But there is more to this other than just power output. The redsport has more cooling mods in stock form than the regular 3.0. BUT it is inadequate for the racing performed in this video. Why? Well all of the Q50's are water cooled intercoolers. The front heat exchanger is literally good for about 1 quarter mile hit. Then, it will require about 3 to 5 miles of 55mph driving to bring Charge Air Temps back down to acceptable levels where the car will not pull timing. This is where having an upgraded heat exchanger helps. But still they are inadequate for back to back pulls. With a upgraded heat exchanger the temps take just a little bit longer to heat soak. Also, please keep in mind the Chevy SS is modified. Memory serves me right, the owner had it modified prior to coming back from where he was stationed while in the armed forces (much respect to that). If the Q50 was even slight modified (heat exchanger, lower downpipe, tune and a flexfuel kit on e30) (less than $2,800) It would easily trap mid to high 11's from 118mph up to 120mph. Was nice to see this video and I hope my comment helps yield some more knowledge.
The Infiniti also has twin turbos and a more modern transmission. It did good but its pushing the limit for its capacity compared to the ls3 which even with the mods you mentioned, still has a lot more to give even without boost.
Don’t underestimate the q50 rs. As a proud owner of one I concur that these cars are sleepers in their own right. Really hope mines can hold together long term like a Honda or a Toyota though as reliability is low on Nissans in general.
From a documented performance perspective, the Infinity would easily win the 0-60 and quarter. The G70 3.3T currently is the only Genesis that can compete with the Q50S.
I gotta base q50 only straight piped and eat genesis for breakfast. My homies got some and we raced before and I smoke them by a car length even from a dig.
Still kicking myself for walking out of a dealer offering me a new SS for way under MSRP. A lot of people got incredible deals on those once they started dumping them.
@@geerstyresoil3136 I can't ever remember another car like that. You see some hold the value or even a rare edition that goes up in value some but never something they were dumping for way under MSRP that has done what the SS has done. Easy to see why when you look at all the boxes it checks but still hard to contemplate how it has played out.
@@TheSpink02 part of the problem was there was virtually no marketing for the SS. People still to this day do not know what this car is. Also Holden was closing down so they were near the end and only produced a minimum amount to satisfy the agreement with GM NA. The enthusiasts are realizing now what a gem this car is and the last of an era.
Plz tell me the Q50 at least has a heat exchanger, you said in previous vids that you give them some warmup runs, well the Q gets heat soak so fast and are dog poop after a couple of runs.
@@craigstokes5161 they do not, they come with 2 water pumps and turbo sensors but the heat exchanger is the same. Heat Exchanger is the first mod you should buy alongside new tires, tires are dog poop too.
@@craigstokes5161 Nice!!!! Yeah, I have a q60 Red Sport. Those two are definitely the best first mods. Next you need to go full bolt on then a tune my man! I was going to go full e-85 with a hpfp, lpfp and a flex fuel kit, but not a lot of e-85 in my area, figured it wasn't worth.
Has a mechanical LSD, but the 2015-2017 SSs also has a rear brembo brake based torque vectoring system where it lightly applies the inside rear brake to assist in aggressive turns in performance and track mode. Fun fact, the rear 14.2 inch rotors are actually a slightly larger diameter then the 14 inch front rotors.
This video really makes me miss my SS. The sleeper aspect of it is next to none. Probably my favorite aspect of owning it was being able to fly under the radar until I step on the go pedal. The LS3 really takes to modification well.
as an SSV owner, he has to know about the hidden boost. try pushing the pedal in but dont floor it, when you find the sweet spot, you'll notice u can force your car to boost even more, esp if u have a whipple /magi. i had an infinity get close to beating me but only bc traffic was involved. 0 traffic its not going to beat a modded SSV / HSV.
Sam now that’s a race!!! The red sport does impress you as it’s nothing special 3.0t worked. Tuned they are quite the sleepers. But on top, the Infinity struggles from 80-150 compared to the SS. Good stuff! Did you ever do the scat pack vs Red sport? LL 🦁 🇦🇺
The court at the startpoint was jammed that day. 2 Challengers, Civic SI, K5, GV70, Audi SQ5 ( iirc), Merc c43 coupe, tuned Q60 3.0t, Pete's SS, my Q50, Ram TRX and Roush F150. Might be missing some actually lol
2nd driver of the Q50 didn't even brake boost off the line and I don't think the first driver was building max boost, which is 2500 rpm. Still interesting to watch though.
@@nighthawk0077 The LT1 also has cylinder deactivation and direct injection, both of which can cause problems but otherwise they are great engines as well.
4 years no problem. Had rear brakes done (premature wear due to the radar cruise and automatic braking) and two popped tires (runflats are a problem) otherwise oil and regular maintenance. Been a good car for me
The Infiniti was more impressive, less HP, almost as heavy and won 2 races and one in the roll and started behind him in that as well. If he wasnt sleeping, he'd probably have every race.
I see my guy in the SS is from CT. Big ups. My Q50 sliver sport will be tuned soon and won’t be able to be beatin. No Shuh. Lol. But when I’m manual mode the transmission shifts faster on the Q.
I have a genesis g70 3.3Twin turbo awd stock. My cousin has the q50rs awd. It keeps up and I only get him by about 2 cars on a dig to the quarter. Love the infinity though. I had an m37x and it was the best car I ever owned. Not as fast as my genesis but still was quick as hell and never had a better riding car! Always wanted the m56x awd with the 5.6 v8 but not many out there especially in great shape. Engines are bullet proof!
@@rockefelleragent1357 wrong I had a Toyota Mark X jdm import 300g premium that used to keep right on the bumper of a vf2 SS Holden commodore and that mark x had 250 HP lol
I raced a Q50rs about 2 months ago. He was a young driver 18-25, I'd guess. It had no chance! Maybe he didn't know what he was doing... 16' SS with bolt ons and a tune
If you are getting into this world of rare cars, find you a CTS V-Sport and do some races. That is what I have and there is some tuning potential there with the 3.6 TT. We just had the first one in the 10's a couple weeks ago, and a 93 octane tune can get you in the high 11's with no real mods needed. I have always considered the SS and the V-Sport to be rare unappreciated cousins. Both fantastic cars that GM failed to sell (surprise surpise)
Sorry but even if its slower, id rather hear a V8 over a V6. Great videos as always tho. Also those last 2 kinda canceled each other out. The dig race, the infinity driver did thumbs up, then looked away and missed the start, and the SS driver hit late on the roll race.
Them vqs in the Infiniti sound crazy tho. Very beefy unique sound. American V8s sound the same. Those v6s sounds of the vqs are for real car people. Just my opinion
That is true especially in a v8 muscle car I remember my 1999 ford mustang gt 35th anniversary with engine mods and straight pipe cats delete and some other mods it beat and full bolt ons tune header B20v vtec Acura Integra and I gave him the go but I won by like 5 cars but with control of muscle cars are fast
The mighty nissan, the skyline, infinity what ever you want to call it. They are a great bang for ya buck. I got an 07 skyline 350 gt apart from high flow airfilters and a tune the thing is bone stock.. It goes like crazy never fails to amaze me when I plant my foot. Cheers 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🇳🇿🏴😁
