09-14


Hi All

Im a new Monte Carlo owner. Bought new 2005 Monte LT 3.8 L V6 3800 Series II Silver exterior / Black interior.

Looks real nice. I was always a Mustang lover had one 10 -15 yrs ago but was stolen.

In my new Monte I put 2 items so far a: Tornado KI-85 & APC: Intimidator Performance Air Filter.

I was never a real car buff or one that really did any work on, or too my cars. Just the usual repairs. I was working w/ this guy who recommended I add this stuff. Well I was really impressed, I went from 20 MPG to AVG 25 MPG. I drive 100 miles to & from work each day. So thanx to Bush, the oil companies, huricaine Katrina, China & India increased usage, Venezeula's political climate, and god knows what else could raise gas prices, Im forced to look everywhere to get better performance & GAS MPG.

Now being a newby, and knowing, that I really know nothing about cars, except how to drive, put in the gas, and pay way to much for insurance, I looking all over for HELP !!!

I've been reading sites all over the place, u guys all seem to hv some good knowledge and seem to want to pass it on.

The one thing else that I did see, is that alot of u guys post in " CAR SPEAK " and for us newbies it kinda leaves us sometimes
high-in-dry. I know I'll learn but Im still on the curve.

Anyway, Any help in this vain w/b appreciated. Increase HP & Increase MPG.

Also Im just a poor working stiff, which Im sure most of us are, so pls keep costs in mind.

Thanx All

ozoneddddd

 

Welcome to the forum!!!!!


Nice color by the way from a Galaxy Silver owner... lol



Some of us get deep off into tech terms from time to time but please don't let that discourage you from asking us what the heck were talking about. Heck, I say somethings myself that even I don't understand and are in most cases testing the water to see who is paying attention... ... lol J/K of course...

What kind of budget are you looking to stay around as far as mods go?

 

09-15

Hi Montejass

Thanx for the reply

I'll try to post a pix or two.

Upgrades, I guess I would start about couple of hundred to $ 500.00 - $ 1000.00.

I would like to try to do the work myself, but as I stated, I really dont know much about cars & doing upgrades.

My guy @ work is gone. I do hv a great mechanic, who has fixed my & my Dads cars for yrs. I trust him and he does

great work!!! He never rips us off either, he just really likes my Dad.

One of my uncles ( may he RIP ) always said " Have Great Doctors & Lawyers as Friends ". My other uncle ( RIP ) said
" always hv a Great Banker as a Friend ". Im now finding out its just as important to " Hv a Great Auto Mechanic as a Friend ".

Well as I stated Im looking for Performance Gains in both MPG & HP.

I was wondering if u could advise me of what u think of the Performance Chips, how hard to install and are they worth while???
Do they hv them out for this car??? IM sure that they do. What is difference between Performance Chips & Modules or the
Programmers??? There is so much out there, so much I dont know, so much to learn, as w/ anything. We just are moving so fast,
cmptrs, Cel Phones, DNA, clones, sooooooooo much info, NOT ENOUGHT Time!!!

Well any info from u, or anyone w/b appreciated.

Thanx

ozoneddddd

 

Welcome to the forum. Some basic things you can do are intake, exhaust, PCM reprogrammed. All that could get you near 250hp i think, that is just an estimate. Anyway browse around, Im sure you will find the information here to be very usefull.

 

The ultimate oxymoron..... More HP in many cases = lower MPG... Not all but many..


Performance chips are well worth the investment IMO.... If you have a computer and even more a laptop DHP's software is the way to go. If not, there are several progammers out there that have off the shelf and custom PCM's. Run a search on PCM chips, there was one that was very highly spoken about but can't for the life of me remember his name. I would also strongly suggest you get a core out of a junk yard and keep your factory PCM just as a back up...

$1000 will get you pretty close to 250....

Ubend=8HP
T/B screen removal=6
CAI=8-14
Chip/DHP=16-20

Ok, so I was close, but these will keep you well within your $1K budget.. Not sure what any of these are? Ask away....

Beyond this your looking at major upgrades. Also, keep in mind that your trans is probably the weakest part of the drive train and will not handle much more than the mods listed above in the way of torqe.


DHP covers just about any vehicle running OBDII.... You fall in that category...

A pre-programmed chip is one that is modified by a programmer that has a program similar to the DHP software that is set for what they consider optimal performance, and programmer in the way of DHP will allow you to tweek it further than the normal programmer is willing to. If your a novice, I would suggest sticking with the off the shelf re-programmed PCM. If you like to tweek things to get the most of it, DHP is for you..

 

Welcome to the board! Exactly what this board needs, another 3800 guy[:@] LOL

A few friends of mine have told me, based on thier experience, headers are one of the mods that'll give you the most bang for your buck. You can get a set of S&S ceramic coated headers for roughly $500, which is pretty cheap compared to the other brands out there. U bend delete would free up some hp as well, as would a reprogrammed chip from wait4meperformance.com(this is the place montejass couldn't remember), I believe the guy's name is Jesse. It's nearly impossible for us to say what will/won't net mpg gains due to the fact that we all drive different, live in different areas, and there are so many other factors that contribute to mpg gains/loss, but the mods mentioned above will definitely give you the added hp you're looking for, and according to my calculations, will cost you approx. $750

 

Some other mods to consider are an upgraded throttle body and 180 deg thermostat.


Rich, do you recall what the estimated net HP gains were for these headers?? SLP's package claims a 25 HP gain but @ $950 the cost per HP is not that great of a return compaired to other less expensive mods.

The other thing that concerns me is that you'll quickly be at or around the 275HP mark with all the mods mentioned in this thread that could have a negative affect on the trans. Unless of course you also have a beefed up trans in the works. But still, a 75 HP gain for roughly $1700 is not bad.

 

Hey Rich,

Im selling these few items if your intrested in more HP! They are alittle used with about 4,000 miles on them. Just make an offer and it's yours!

Auto Trans Interceptor: -Increases transmission line pressure reducing burnt clutches & bands
- Eliminates the need to install complicated valve body kits
- Compatible with specific computer controlled transmission applications
- Tighten up those shifts and puts a little snap in your driving
- EASY, Plug in installation
The Auto Trans Interceptor cleans up the vehicles signal, while improving shift quality & Increase Performance!
- Brand New: $129.99, MAKE AN OFFER



Throttle Position Sensor Enhancer: -The Throttle Position Enhancer maintains Maximum Horsepower by optimizing the throttle PCM at about 70% throttle, the TPS Enhancer locks into maximum voltage which assures max enrichment meaning once you hit 70% throttle it tells your cars computer that youre at 100% throttle, helps initial acceleration by providing more fuel to the engine when you first accelerate hard. This unit also corrects for dead spots or flat spots in the throttle position sensor.
Simple 5 second plug-in installation.
- Brand New: $84.99, MAKE AN OFFER

 

Why are you getting rid of these things?? Any idea of what the estimated gains are?

 

approx 20hp gain on those headers....and they look pretty trick too