Want more zip from my 2006 LT Monte with HO Vorteck engine. Help!
 

I have a Vorteck engine in my 06 LT Monte Carlo and I want to get more zip out of it. I feel I need to do some things to my trany to get the zip I want like put a shift kit in it or something but I'm not sure. I know its not a V* but I should still be able, and know that I can get more zip out of my Monte and I feel I need to focus on my trany first. I want some advise on what to do, and how to go about doing it. Thorough advice please, I know I can get more HP out of it.

What do you mean you have a vorteck HO engine?

There are things you can do to the trans to make it more 'zippy', but thats a pretty expensive route to go for minimal gains. A tune or a shift kit will make it shift harder and quicker, but in terms of actually making the car quicker, it won't really have a major impact. If you're stuck on trans upgrades, a higher stall converter or a gear ratio change would be have a greater impact, but those aren't really your typical starter mods.

IMO, if you don't have a tuner or don't know anyone local with a tuner, id just do the DIY shift kit next time you've got the pan off for a fluid and filter change.

Thank you for responding. So when you say the DIY kit, are you speaking of the DYI shift kit? And is there a certain brand you would recommend?
And I'm not looking to do this to get speak out of it as if it was an V8 or something. Ive had 4 Monte Carlos ( 95, 87,03,06), I love them. So I plan on keeping this one for a very long time and I just want to get the most out of my High Output Vteck (3500 or 3900 I think) and trany and keep it running right. I have a 05 Silverado as well so I try not to drive my MC much anyway unless I hit the freeway. I had I guy tell me about gear ratio change also, he said that would assist me in getting more out of my trany. Can you explain how that works as far as what ratio my trany should be at in order for me to get the most out of it? Would like to know what I'm talking about when I go speak to a shop about it. I truly appreciate you reaching out to me also.

What size stall converter should I use to get also that would not be to much for my engine but will give me what I'm looking for? Something like Turbo 350/400 Torque Converter 1350? Or is one like this for a trany that would go with an V8?

Not sure what DYI means. I mean DIY as in going to the hardware store, buying the 4 spacers needed for a couple bucks and installing them. If you google 4t65e diy shift kit, there are quite a few that pop up. Depending on the length of the spacers, you can go from a mild increase to 'feels like the dash is going to fall off' harshness.

If you're not interested in researching the exact sizes you want, there are many shift kits out there for the 4t65, some of which also change the accumulator springs as well. Since you have to drop the pan to do this, I'd suggest fresh fluid and a filter at the same time.

Still curious where you're getting the high output/ vteck label though as I don't think ever was applied to any of these engines. Best bet is to find out if it's a 3.5 or 3.9 (it'll say what it is on the emissions sticker under the hood). That'll help us identify better what you've actually got.


Sure, it's easiest to think about it like bicycle gears. Imagine putting it in a gear with a very high numerical ratio (the sprocket you're turning has to go around multiple times before the tire sprocket spins once). It's really easy to take off quick, but once you get up to a few mph, your legs are pumping like crazy and the bike is moving slowly.

As you get closer to 1:1 (both sprockets the same same size), it can be extremely difficult to get moving from a dead stop. However, once you do you can get the bike moving rather quickly and your legs are still moving at a relatively slow pace.

That's a super extreme example as your only options for off the shelf 4t65 sprockets range from high 2.xx:1 to mid 3.xx:1 (effective ratio). The lower number sprocket sets make the car take off slower, but give it a higher top speed. The higher number sets will improve acceleration but limit the top speed (there are calculators online to figure this out). The 4th gear clutches arent made for full power, so top speed on a stock trans would be achieved in 3rd gear. However, most people would never top out their car in 3rd as that's well over 100 mph, so the loss of top speed doesn't matter to them.

There is another downside to steeper chains, the car will run at higher rpm across the board for every speed in every gear. It's not a huge difference with the numbers we're talking, but generally more rpm means more wear and worse fuel economy.

The other downside is a ratio change is a rather extreme mod. The transmission needs to be removed and partly disassembled. So even though the parts are only a few hundred bucks, the labor to do this will be very high.

If you're interested in learning more about your options, id suggest googling Triple Edge Performance out of Indiana. They're an expert in these transmissions and sell all related parts for them.

No, you can't use a converter for a completely different application like a turbo 400. It has to be specific for a 4t65 and your flexplate hole pattern. I don't know much about the 60 degree engines, so I'm not sure what diameter the converters are.

As far as the stall speed, it depends how aggressive you want to go. Being naturally aspirated, you'd ideally want something rather high to get you up in the meat of the power band. A lot of the NA 3800 guys used to run a 3000 or 3500 iirc. I know rwd v8 guys run even higher than that (but they can also put the power down to make it useful- no reason to have it stall to 4000 rpm if it just blows the tires off).

The hard thing with a street car is that the higher stall creates a lot more heat, which us something the 4t65 has issues with even stock. You'd have to think about running an external cooler also. Not sure if you've ever driven a higher stall converter car, but it is a different experience. Most modern converters are pretty good for street use, but I've seen some that would be irritating to drive on the street due to being so unresponsive down low.

As with a ratio conversion, this is a pretty expensive mod. The trans and engine need to be separated to install it.

Any reason you're not looking at engine mods first? Trans mods aren't typically a first go to mod.