Right now i have a 2006 Monte Carlo LT with a 3.5L V6. It has a little over 200 hp and im really trying to get 300 hp or more. Any cheap ways to get it there? Its all stock parts at the moment.

 

I am already getting a new exhaust system but what else?

 

Only way you're going to gain 100hp is to add boost, no idea if there are any turbo kits for the 3500. You might be better off selling that car and getting one with a better engine. That would probably be your most cost efficient option.

 

Agreed- a Monte SS of that same year (or Impala SS) or a GP GXP has the ~300hp LS4 engine.

That would give you your power gain (along with other upgrades as well) and still be 100% OEM reliable.

 

Im going to keep my monte but just add cold air intake and dual exhaust. Its alright if i dont get to 100 hp but is there another way to add hp for cheap?

 

As the saying goes, you gotta pay to play. You can do some bolt on stuff like exhaust, intake and a tune. But you'll be lucky to gain 20hp in reality.

 

Yeah, a tune will give you the best gains. Not many options for that motor.

 

Honestly, that's not a bad plan. Even though the car won't be quicker- at least it will sound like it is, and that's usually enough to keep most people happy- especially on a DD where you aren't really racing it that much.

My suggestions:

Intake- get something completely walled off from the engine bay. Just doing a short ram / HAI with a cone filter open to engine heat could end up losing you power instead of gaining anything. Not that the gains will be much anyways, most people do it for the sound anyways- but you still don't want to shoot yourself in the foot either.

Exhaust- pick what sounds best to you. Again, you aren't going to gain any big power here anyways, so going with brand X mufflers vs brand Y based off of horsepower gains is silly. Even if brand Y mufflers do make 2 more peak horsepower, it really isn't going to matter in the grand scheme of things. What's worse is buying exhaust that is droney, too loud, too raspy, not your taste, etc etc because you will have to live with that every day.



As for ways to add 'cheap' power- you'll need to tell us how much you're looking to spend. It's hard to tell if you're looking to spend $500 or $5000.

I can say that in relation to the value of the car, adding 50% more power isn't going to be relatively cheap. Same is true for pretty much any modern NA (ie not supercharged, not turbo'd) car, particularly those with a limited aftermarket.

If I was given a 3.5L and had to make 100 extra horsepower as cheap as possible, the simple answer is nitrous. It's easy to install, easy to remove (when you go to sell the car), and can make big power for cheap. Plus, it in no way impedes your gas mileage or how the car drives. You can get a brand new Zex kit for under $600- and you can usually find used kits from various systems online for $500 or less.

Short of having skills and tools to fab your own turbo kit or something, I don't see any other way to do it for that kind of money.

 

Bumpin96monte, thanks for the tips. This is my first car so im not planning on getting rid of it for at least 4 years, maybe never. I think i would like it more with new exhaust like you said so it sounds good. Do you know how much it might cost to turbo or super charge it?

 

Considering there are no custom turbo kits that i know of for the 3500, it'll cost alot as you'll have to create parts and it would be a custom build. Supercharging would be even more difficult. For example, the cheapest turbo kit for the 3800 from ZZP is around $2400