# $4K to spend!!



## MonaroGuy06 (Feb 1, 2007)

Whats up everyone, I'm new to the forum...before I get into what i need some advice on, let me tell you about me...
Im 20 years old and just bought my first 06 M6 GTO. I just made the switch from my 98 DSM which I loved..but I cant get enough of the rumbling when driving through my neighborhood. 
Well, I've managed to save a little over $4k and was wondering if you guys had some ideas on where I could start. 
What I had in mind was Headers with the CB exhaust and an intake..possibly a cam if i have some money left over..what do ya think? Any good websites?
Thanks for any insight! I appreciate it


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## Habuzaki (Feb 13, 2006)

Well, if you want to go top of the line Kooks long tubes with x-pipe and Borla cat-back will set you back about 3K. If you do it yourself you've got another grand for a cam, but unless you know which route your going to take with your power adders I would hold off on the cam.


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## MonaroGuy06 (Feb 1, 2007)

Hey thanks a lot! So i see your right on the other side of the San Mateo Bridge! Maybe we'll run into each other one day :cool Whats the best route (whether pricey or not) to get to 450rwhp?? Thats my ultimate goal (I dont want any shots).


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## 6QTS11OZ (Mar 27, 2005)

First off, how much do you want to spend for mods and what route do you want to go. Naturally aspirated (heads/cam, full exhaust, CAI, tune) or force induction (CAI, headers - long tubes or shorties, supercharger, tune)? Either one of those set ups will get you to 450 rwhp depending on how aggressive the tune is.


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## MonaroGuy06 (Feb 1, 2007)

I dont wanna go with the supercharger just yet...the supercharger will come eventually with maybe 40-50k miles on the car...it only has 3k right now...Right now I'm going for the aggressive sounding, shake the ground and have the power to back it up type look...I'm thinking of the heads/cam, full exhaust CAI, tune..
BTW, what does CAI stand for?


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## 6QTS11OZ (Mar 27, 2005)

MonaroGuy06 said:


> I dont wanna go with the supercharger just yet...the supercharger will come eventually with maybe 40-50k miles on the car...it only has 3k right now...Right now I'm going for the aggressive sounding, shake the ground and have the power to back it up type look...I'm thinking of the heads/cam, full exhaust CAI, tune..
> BTW, what does CAI stand for?


CAI = Cold Air Intake. The two most popular ones out there are the LPE (Lingenfelter) and the K&N kit. You really can't go wrong with either one even though I went with the LPE.


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## MonaroGuy06 (Feb 1, 2007)

Hey thanks a lot...I really appreciate all the insight and advice


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## 6QTS11OZ (Mar 27, 2005)

MonaroGuy06 said:


> Hey thanks a lot...I really appreciate all the insight and advice


That's what we're all here for :cheers


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## Habuzaki (Feb 13, 2006)

Well, my last dyno was 453rwhp and I'm N/A. I went with the aforementioned kooks L/T's, Borla cat-back, afr heads, comp cam, and FAST intake. I hate to say cold air intake for all the debate on that topic, but I went with Lingenfelter as well. That was the expensive route to take, but I built my goat for the long haul. If you're thinking about going forced induction at 50k miles, then you might want to hold off or your going to have to eat some parts when you convert to a supercharger. 

Anyway, I'm not the expert but you can get plenty of advice from those that are here. I work in Redwood City and live in San Ramon.


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## pickinfights (Oct 3, 2006)

I'd do a search on CAIs. no one can prove they work. 
Exhaust, headers, cam, sounds good. 

Maybe juice it.


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## pickinfights (Oct 3, 2006)

Also definitly look at GMM Ripshifters.:cheers


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

6QTS11OZ said:


> That's what we're all here for :cheers


what he said.:cheers


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## Habuzaki (Feb 13, 2006)

Yeah, I want to drive a goat with the ripshifter. Seems like guys either love it or hate it. I'm so used to the stock shifter, I'm not sure if it would be worth it to me, had the goat a year and a half now with 27k on her.


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## MonaroGuy06 (Feb 1, 2007)

Okay, so the safe route would be the FAST intake..now with the headers, cam, the intake, and the LT's, I should be fine with my stock head right?? Why does it seem like every other person has after-market heads on their car?? Is this necessary or is that down the road with more mods?


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## MonaroGuy06 (Feb 1, 2007)

BTW, heres a great site for the rip shifter and other cool stuff for GTO's! 
http://www.jhp.com.au/monaro-gto/ 
ENJOY!!!


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## Route 66 (May 30, 2005)

Ill try to be the common sence guy here. 
I would spend wisely. Things such as CAI's, x-pipes/h-pipes and cat backs are low/minimal hp gains. They are also things you can do without. 
Take it from a guy who's learned the hard way. Start off first shoring up the rear suspension, cause these thing wheel hop like its going outta style. And it gets worse as you add hp. Best cure is a good set of adjustable shock (Koni) and drag bags. As for the exhaust...only thing you need is a good set of long tube headers (Kooks or Stainless Works)....cats or no cats, your choice. We have true dual 2.5" pipe...you dont need any more than that. Those are the 2 most important items. After that, have at it......get a cam, heads etc...
Personally I think the stock intake is perfectly fine. Ive found that these engines respond well to minimal modifications....all the other stuff is just fluff.
Do a lot of searching, and ask a lot of questiones. Check out sites like http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/ and http://www.ls2gto.com/forums/. Lots of good info on both.
Good luck.


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## 6QTS11OZ (Mar 27, 2005)

Also remember that each car respond to mods differently. So if you car doesn't put down as much power as the next with the same mods, don't get discouraged. That's just the nature of the beast. On another forum guys with the same mods as me are putting down 10-15 hp less than me but are getting 10 rwtq more than I am. Oh, and don't forget that different tuners will yield different results as well.


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## SANDU002 (Oct 13, 2004)

Don't forget with allthat hp you will need a bigger rear tire to keep it on the ground. 255/40/18 will fit your stock rim with no clearance problems.


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## pickinfights (Oct 3, 2006)

I dont get why you would spend 4k and get like 20 hp out of it. Like route66 said, suspention probably the way to go, or nice tires. Plus superchargers are only like a grand more. I know you said you wanted to wait, but I would be pissed if I blew 4 grand on crap that did very little for my car. Either way good luck. I wish I had 4000 to drop into my goat.


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## Raven02TA (Oct 24, 2006)

Route 66 said:


> Ill try to be the common sence guy here.
> I would spend wisely. Things such as CAI's, x-pipes/h-pipes and cat backs are low/minimal hp gains. They are also things you can do without.
> Take it from a guy who's learned the hard way. Start off first shoring up the rear suspension, cause these thing wheel hop like its going outta style. And it gets worse as you add hp. Best cure is a good set of adjustable shock (Koni) and drag bags. As for the exhaust...only thing you need is a good set of long tube headers (Kooks or Stainless Works)....cats or no cats, your choice. We have true dual 2.5" pipe...you dont need any more than that. Those are the 2 most important items. After that, have at it......get a cam, heads etc...
> Personally I think the stock intake is perfectly fine. Ive found that these engines respond well to minimal modifications....all the other stuff is just fluff.
> ...



I couldnt agree with this statment more. Even though i dont have a goat. But you will spend more money in fixing the stuff you break because you have more power than the parts in the rearend/suspension can handle.


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## Raven02TA (Oct 24, 2006)

SANDU002 said:


> Don't forget with allthat hp you will need a bigger rear tire to keep it on the ground. 255/40/18 will fit your stock rim with no clearance problems.


and with a lot of HP and bigger rear tire comes more Broken rear end parts and more money going into a repair. been there 521hp with drag radials broke 4 rears in a month on 17" tire. best thing for him to do is fortify the drive train and rear end before anything else.


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## MonaroGuy06 (Feb 1, 2007)

Hey thanks for all the advice, once again! I'm sorry some of you guys had to learn the hard way, but thats what were all here for! Well, I think that is the route im gonna go...has anyone had experience with any tires wider than 255/40/18?? I was leaning towards 275's..how about 265??
Whats the widest i could go without worrying about any rubbing or danger of not clearing??


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## Habuzaki (Feb 13, 2006)

First of all, common sense dictate you buy a Honda Accord and not a 400hp 2door fire-belching Pontiac speedsled. So, we can dispense with that silly arguement. And with your stated goal of 450 hp you can hit that without breaking anything everytime you launch it. I'm all stock from the clutch on back and have been for the last year at 453rwhp. I'm not a drag queen and don't claim to be, but I've driven it plenty hard everywhere else and the stock drivetrain holds up.

Of course I told you what I did and I chose my parts specifically for n/a 450+ rwhp goat. Yes, you can get more bang for your buck by spending your money elsewhere, and suspension is a great place to start. I've got Pedders rear coils, Pedders diff. insert, Castor Adjustable Radius Rod, X Member Mount, and Hotchkis front and rear sway bars. But if you want to go with power first and keep it n/a (no f/i, no nos) for 450rwhp, you may want to talk to the guys that are actually running that setup. You also have to decide how legal you want to keep it. I got mine up to that hp and it still blows clean (smog) and has a mild enough cam that keeps it a very manageable daily driver. You can always go with a less expensive manufacturer for parts to save on $$. And to answer your earlier question about heads, yes, your stock heads are great and can get you higher without going aftermarket. The thing is, you can't just say buy _x_ part to get _x_ hp, most projects need to be thought out in advance and parts need to be chosen to compliment each other to reach a certain benchmark. Don't get caught up with a certain number so much as putting together the parts you can afford and enjoying the beast that is born. Things to think about.


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## MonaroGuy06 (Feb 1, 2007)

That makes a lot of sense! I dont mind at all spending all this money on supporting mods...I don't mind strengthening up the foundation before I "Build this house" ya know? I'm definitely gonna spend this money wisely..or else would i have posted this threaD??? Well, you guys all gave me some great ideas...if anyone has any more routes to go...PLEASE TELL ME! I'm still very undecided on which route im gonna go..i think i need to map out a path i wanna go..i dont want any road-blocks in the way (WHICH IS DAM NEAR IMPOSSIBLE) but hopefully i minimize em with your guys' help. Thanks again!


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## MonaroGuy06 (Feb 1, 2007)

Habuzaki said:


> Of course I told you what I did and I chose my parts specifically for n/a 450+ rwhp goat. Yes, you can get more bang for your buck by spending your money elsewhere, and suspension is a great place to start. I've got Pedders rear coils, Pedders diff. insert, Castor Adjustable Radius Rod, X Member Mount, and Hotchkis front and rear sway bars.


How are these parts working out for you?? Any regrets? Hows the quality on these brands? any problems i should be ready for??


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## Habuzaki (Feb 13, 2006)

I told you, I went the expensive route, but I did it for a reason. I'm not going to run my gto for 4-5 years and move on. I've built her to last and didn't mind spending extra for it. I've had a great, almost too good, a run so far. The only problems I've had with my car have nothing to do with my mods. The passenger seat motor burnt out after only being used 10-12 times max. Apparently my fat ass friend broke it (290lbs), but I've read a few others have had this problem as well and it was under warrantee so no biggy. 

Anyway, if you need a good ls2 guy, I know one of the best in the business and he has a speed shop in Mountain View. He is a vast resource and won't steer you wrong no matter what direction you end up going.


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## MonaroGuy06 (Feb 1, 2007)

Habuzaki said:


> Anyway, if you need a good ls2 guy, I know one of the best in the business and he has a speed shop in Mountain View. He is a vast resource and won't steer you wrong no matter what direction you end up going.


 Please..if you could just email me his information...shop name, phone number etc...THANKS A LOT! The main issue ive been having is finding an LS2 expert..i wouldnt wanna give it to the dealership, cuz i worked at one for over a year..they half ass a bunch of **** and charge you double...so if you could get that to me, id really appreciate it..
E-MAIL= [email protected]
Thanks again!


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## Habuzaki (Feb 13, 2006)

You got it, I'll send that info to you. I'm hopefully going in Thur or Fri to see him so I'll also give him a heads up.


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## cammed06 (Dec 12, 2006)

I recommend the HPE GTO package. Call them for a quote and list of parts. Awesome setup. I made 412 after tune.


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## MonaroGuy06 (Feb 1, 2007)

Instead of the Cat-back exhaust, does anyone have high flow cats? Trying to do it legal..my friend got fined $10,000 for cat-back exhaust in his WS-6...i would love to avoid that...anyone with high flow cats? Some insight would be appreciated...


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## goatfarmer (Jun 6, 2006)

MonaroGuy06 said:


> That makes a lot of sense! I dont mind at all spending all this money on supporting mods...I don't mind strengthening up the foundation before I "Build this house" ya know? I'm definitely gonna spend this money wisely..or else would i have posted this threaD??? Well, you guys all gave me some great ideas...if anyone has any more routes to go...PLEASE TELL ME! I'm still very undecided on which route im gonna go..i think i need to map out a path i wanna go..i dont want any road-blocks in the way (WHICH IS DAM NEAR IMPOSSIBLE) but hopefully i minimize em with your guys' help. Thanks again!



Houses and cars are no comparison! But if you did...A car already has a foundation, its just what it is made out of that makes a difference. There are LOTS of guys on ls2gto.com running stock setups from tranny to axles, stubs, etc. with over 450rwhp and atleast 10 with 500+rwhp. The only ones I have seen break were hooking Real hard at the track with a good M/T or drag radial w/ like 12-18 psi in the tire. Granted ANY car can break anywhere at any time.(Even just daily driving and having fun with it). Question is do you want to "Go Fast" or build a cars drivetrain and suspension with all the money you can muster for a while and still be slow, then finally afford the power later. Its your decision.
Most of us want to "Go Fast" NOW! Trust me, you will run across some modded mustangs and chargers, or even some modded ricers and lose and be very upset thinking the car isn't what you thought. But as I tell people all the time...until you tune a GTO, you have no idea what it can do. For these cars 4k is not a whole lot. But Some of these guys gave the best advice. Cold Air Intake (CAI) (they ALL show SOME gains which is always better), Long Tube Headers (leave the 2.5 stock exhaust but delete the resonator, GMM Shifter,NOS Wet Kit 100 shot (plenty to start out with), and a good Tune. Your car can handle this setup no problem and there won't be very many upsets at the track. If you are not a fan of Nitrous then I would go the CAM route. It costs more for a cam (installation is the killer unless you know how) and with the setup I already listed you would have some money left over to get some real good tires. Remember that ALL parts that give some gain add up to make POWER. Never think all parts are a waste unless it is obvious that the whole forum agrees. Just my .02!


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## whisky (Apr 3, 2007)

Magnacharger or Procharger with the 4k and thank me later!


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## mshouppe (Mar 29, 2007)

If I had known about this before I started modding, this would have been my starting point.

http://www.ls1-ls2-ls7.com/Picture_95.html#cart


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## AA GTO SP (Nov 11, 2006)

Simple! All you need is the 600hp chip. lol


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## 04stangkiller (Jun 6, 2006)

easiest thing that i havnt seen mentioned. Go the SLP website http://www.slponline.com/view_product.asp?P=73010
and pick up one of these. best way to drop weight and get that extra power. Another easy gain is going with royal purple engine oil along with all other lubricated components of your car (trans/drivetrain) it gives extra protection and a proven 9 hp at the least with just and engine oil change. I highly recommend SLP LM catback as i have it on my 04 and it sounds mean.let alone gets you at least 25 hp with no tune. next i plan on going with kooks long tubes and a HPE cam and tune. if a dyno tune is needed for a cam or any parts please from the experts i have talked to make sure the shop that does it uses ls1 or ls2 edit depending on your year. This is the top of the line and best tuning software for our engines.


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## MonaroGuy06 (Feb 1, 2007)

mshouppe said:


> If I had known about this before I started modding, this would have been my starting point.
> 
> http://www.ls1-ls2-ls7.com/Picture_95.html#cart


WOW! sounds like a really good deal..Never heard of those brands though, anyone on here with experience on them or knowledge of them?? Let me know..Thanks A Lot guys!


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## 04stangkiller (Jun 6, 2006)

Have heard of every single one. Anything and I mean ANYTHING that comes from HPE is fanominal.


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## mshouppe (Mar 29, 2007)

MonaroGuy06 said:


> WOW! sounds like a really good deal..Never heard of those brands though, anyone on here with experience on them or knowledge of them?? Let me know..Thanks A Lot guys!


American Racing Headers are hands down the best you can get.

Lingenfelter Performance Engineering CAI is one of the best. 

HPEs cams are INCREDIBLE.

My next move would be this.

http://westfield-et.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_37&products_id=71

Which should leave you enough money for beer and hookers.
arty:


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