I have a 2001 3.8l ss monte carlo, no major mods.
Only a k&n filter and a 2.5" exhaust.

I have a few questions for the more experienced monte owners

will the 2008 tail lights fit my 01"??

What can i do to get more hp on a small budget?

I heard of the fwi but im not sure how to make one...

IS THERE ANY "CHIPS" FOR MY CAR??

 

 

thanks

 

First off, try finding the thread "3800 mod plan" (sticky'd in one of these forums I think)- read that.

Secondly, just to warn you- the 3800 NA doesn't respond extremely well to cheap mods. Sure you're going to gain little bits here and there, but you really should be pretty happy with where you're at now. If you're expecting to add 40+ hp (even in the long term)- you need to reconsider your options and plan now. The only way to make significant power gains NA on a 3800 are: boost, nitrous, or heads + cam (expensive).

If all you're looking to do is add 5-10 hp, then that is doable. Just wanted to clear that up before we got any deeper into it.

Basically, you go buy a universal cone filter (3" or bigger inlet- most use a 3.5" or 4")- then go to the hardware store, and buy flexible ducting that fits over your throttle body (you may need some plastic pipe or adaptors to fit your filter depending what size you go with)- then you run the ducting from your throttle body into your fender, and mount you filter there and hook it up. (obviously remove the stock airbox first)

You can also buy what is called a CAI box which would give similar gains for more money and less work- I believe K&N makes one, not sure if the Wizair fits the 6th gen montes or not, but its something to look into.

No, our PCM's do not have removeable chips that can be replaced. This means you have two options- A) Have someone plug a tuner into your car and reflash your pcm or B) buy a pretuned pcm and swap it out for yours.

There are various vendors that supply tuned pcms (zzp, intense, DHP, etc)- and they usually run about $100-150.

 

do i have to mod my car first before i can get a PCM???

 

you don't HAVE TO... but that's the order you should do it, because without the modifications the PCM isn't going to change much... and then when you modify the PCM will need to be re-done to make use of the mods.

 

ok. so im back on my post thing.
as of now i have enough money to buy th downpipe
& to make the FWI since i bought a "sound system" yesterday

if its easier write a reply to my AIM-josebeat5

thanks

 

good good. Those 2 mods alone are going to really help the car out.

Then you have to decide if you are done modifying the car (if yes, buy PCM or get tuned) if no, start saving up for more modifications and make a list and start buying as you can.

 

First off, the Monte Carlo was not available in 2008, 2007 was its final year. As far as I know, the tail lights are different dimensions and cannot be transfered/switched at all.

If you could let us know exactly how much money you're willing to throw down on modifications that would be a great help, since we could then suggest ideas/mods in your price range.

A CAI (cold air induction) is the first mod any car should start with, downpipe would be second. After these two you should consider how far you want to go, stick N/A (naturally aspirated) go S/C (supercharged) or really go far with T/C (turbocharged). If you stick N/A, you'll be fighting an uphill battle to add significant power to your car while staying in a low cost price range. Without changing the CAM, the most WHP (wheel horsepower) you will be able to attain is 187 (225 Crank HP), you should be at 160 (200 Crank HP) right now.

With a CAI and downpipe you should get an extra 5-10HP out of your car, not much...but you get out of it what you put into it. Further supporting N/A mods would be a powerlog, ZZperformance.com sells these starting at $120, these will give a slight HP boost, maybe 3-5 to start with, and are recommended for all modded builds. After that modified rockers will add more power, they sell for $250-400. With these 4 mods installed you will definitely want your car tuned in order to handle all the extra air that's inducting and exhausting.

This should be a good start for your car, let us know how far you want to take it.

 

Wrong. You can use the newer style tail-lights on your 6th gen.