Testing the MALLETT's
Mallett
435
Mercedes
had its Hammer, Chevy gets a Mallett.
BY
LARRY WEBSTER
Rest
easy, all of you who cried the
Twice
in the past year, John Lingenfelter arrived at our doorstep with modified
versions of the LS 1: one upped from the stock 346 cubic inches to 370 and
housed in a C5 Corvette, and another punched to 383 cubic inches residing
in a Camaro.
Lingenfelter is not the only tinkerer squeezing more ponies out of Corvettes. We just stepped out of a modified C5 built by Mallett Cars, Ltd., of Berea, Ohio.
Mallett
Cars is the brainchild of two brothers, Chuck and Lance Mallett, and Jong‑time
associate Dave Sarafian. Chuck and Lance cut their automotive teeth in the
'70s wrenching for their father's drag racer. More recently, Chuck worked
as crew chief for various Corvette Challenge race teams. In 1997, a Mallett-prepared
1997 Corvette took second overall in the One Lap of America competition.
The
new C5 and its aluminum engine
Even
though the new motor may have leveled the playing field, Mallett's dream of
a modified Corvette didn't stop with the engine mods. His Mallett 435 package
for C5 Corvettes strives to improve every aspect of die sports car. The tab
is $34,000 more than the C5's $38,739 sticker (remember to age your Corvette
six months, or you'll pay luxury tax an the conversion).
Chuck
says they spent the better part of
The heads remain stock, although the intake and exhaust passages are ported for better airflow. The stock valves are also retained, but the pushrods and valve springs are swapped for stiffer units. After trying numerous custom-built intake manifolds, they found that the stock intake system worked best, so they kept it. A stand-alone K & N air Filter replaces both the stock airbox and Filter.
From the exhaust ports to the catalytic converter,
the exhaust system is stock. Aft of the converter, a Mallett-designed exhaust
system is used. The barrel-type mufflers are sheathed with carbon
fiber and are definitely a visual improvernent over the stock exhaust tips.
The outcome of all this engine work is 435 horsepower at 5800 rpm and 450 pound-feet at 4800 rpm (stock Vettes have 345 hp and 350 pound-feet of torque). Ibe rpm cutoff is left at the stock 6250 rpm because, Chuck says, "the stock intake manifold just doesn't flow enough air above that rpm."
For
the rear-mounted tranny, Mallett removes the stock rubber bushings in the
shift linkage and simply bolts the pieces together. Although the shifter vibrates
much more than a stock unit, it now has a more direct feel, and it's a huge
improvement over the stock issue. A billet-aluminum shift knob replaces the
original one.
There's
also suspension work to complement the motor. "We wanted to increase
ultimate comering grip without sacrificing ride quality," says Chuck
about the suspension mods. He adds, "We can start with any Corvette suspension,
but we prefer the Z51 [Performance Handling package] because it comes with
a power-steeringfluid cooler and a stiffer rear anti-roll bar!' First die
car is lowered 1.25 inches.
The stock springs
remain, but die front anti-roll bar is swapped for a unit that is larger in
diameter and stiffer (non-Z51 cars get a larger, stiffer rear anti‑roll
bar). For shocks, the Mallett 435 uses Penskes with manually adjustable damping
rates and external oil reservoirs.
Forged aluminum wheels built to Mallett's specs are designed to increase airflow over the brakes. Huge Goodyear Eagle ZR-S tires, 275/40ZR-17 in front and 315/35ZR-17 in back, put the power to the ground. The production brake pads get exchanged for pads that squeak a bit more than stock but are more fade-resistant. The final touches are "Mallett 435" emblems an the sides and front and rear of the car, as well as an the Beat headrests.
So,
how does tllls baby run? Sixty miles per hour flashes by in just 4.1 seconds.
The Mallett 435 roars to 100 mph in 9.2 seconds and to 150 mph in 25.1 sec
. The most recent C5 we tested hit 60 mph in 5.1 seconds and 100 mph in 11.9
seconds. Through a quarter-mile, the Mallett car lops more than a second off
the stock car's time, dropping it from 13.6 at 106 mph to 12.4 seconds at
116 mph.
Mallett's
suspension and tire upgrades pay huge dividends an the skidpad, where the
car circles at 0.99 g of lateral acceleration, 0.09 g better than stock. Credit
much of the inereased grip to the tires which were once used as rain tires
for the defunct Corvette Challenge race series held in 1987 and 1988. Expect
these softer tires to wear much quicker than stock. (Also, with no run-flat
capability, you'll be hitching a ride if you get a flat, because there's no
room for a spare.) Top speed climbed to an impressive 188 mph,17 mph more
than a stock C5 will do. Whereas Mallett's car won the skidpad contest, Lingenfelter's
370 Vette was faster through the quarter by 1/l0th and 2 mph, and topped out
at
More
impressive than the Mallet 435's numbers is the overall quality of the package.
At the track, we performed about 20 aggressive launches without anything breaking
or making painful noises. Chuck didn't even flinch as we merrily melted his
pricey tires. On public roads, the car rode as well as a stock Z51, soaking
up big and small hits without bouncing the car offline. The package was so
civilized, in fact, that we wouldn't hesitate to make it a daily driver.
Mallett
Cars hopes to build 100 Mallett 435s in 1998. Each car gets its own number
plate and is officially registered with the National Corvette Museum in Bowling
Green, Kentucky. As of this writing, the car is 49-state legal, and the Mallett
boys are awaiting certification from California.
We're
impressed with Mallett's first crack at the C5. The next adventure will be
a Mallett 4358 version the company hopes will push the performance envelope
further by removing about 200 pounds from the car. Look for a test within
the next year.
Mallett Cars, Ltd., 484 Geiger Street, Berea, Ohio 44017; 440-243-8550; www.mallettcars.com