More power at low rpm?
06-22-2006, 07:45 AM
#1
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More power at low rpm? Hey I have a 98 V6 Firebird. Interested in getting more power and torque to the engine at LOWER rpms being that the car is my daily driver. Doeasnt see much racing, just highway speeds, thats y i figured i should add power to lower rpms. any suggestions?
06-22-2006, 08:55 AM
#3
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Can you say LS1 swap!! Sorry I couldn't resist. I am a high school teacher and I have multiple LS1 cars. My students always ask me how to make their Sunfires, Cavaliers, and Civics faster. I always have the same reply, sell it and buy an LS1.
06-22-2006, 09:22 AM
#4
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id say check your local news stand. i know gmhtp did sum power upgrades for the v-6 a month or two ago. other than the normal bolt-ons, id say go for a small shot(50-75) of nos if you think your car can take it. other wise, sell it and get a v-8.
06-22-2006, 10:30 AM
#7
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Originally Posted by jpticar
Hey I have a 98 V6 Firebird. Interested in getting more power and torque to the engine at LOWER rpms being that the car is my daily driver. Doeasnt see much racing, just highway speeds, thats y i figured i should add power to lower rpms. any suggestions?
Improvements in the induction/exhaust area will always help. A slightly different cam and better heads will also make a BIG difference.
But there is one major problem -COST and return on peroformance.
While the V6 isn't a bad motor it certainly isn't a performance orientated lump and will likely not even match the LS1 for specific output (thats bhp/litre).
So it means even a lazy LS1 making 70bhp/litre will still have 400bhp where as the 3.8 will only be making 266bhp and it will probably feel like a higher state of tune with the V6.
So in all honesty I would spend nothing on it and just save up and by a faster car to begin with.
If it's just for a blast every know and again there's always nitrous. As you could take it off before selling the car and sell it seperatley.
Choice is yours, but to actually make a worth while difference it will cost you a lot of $$$$$$ and IMO it just isn't worth the time, hassle or hard earned dollars.
But each to their own
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06-22-2006, 10:44 AM
#9
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mods in sig.. I'm running low 14's now
low rpm power = gears 3.42 or 3.73 but you will lose top-end unless you tune for the gears.. a good tune does wonders better tires.. low control arms
if its a a4 a corvette servo works wonders
exhaust/intake/high flow cat - I highly recommend Magnaflow but if you have the money go with Borla
better coil pack, wires, and a ign upgrade
Hold up I did say mods in sig right?..lol
low rpm power = gears 3.42 or 3.73 but you will lose top-end unless you tune for the gears.. a good tune does wonders better tires.. low control arms
if its a a4 a corvette servo works wonders
exhaust/intake/high flow cat - I highly recommend Magnaflow but if you have the money go with Borla
better coil pack, wires, and a ign upgrade
Hold up I did say mods in sig right?..lol
06-22-2006, 10:44 AM
#10
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Originally Posted by jpticar
ok cool, thanks for the advice, maybe ill just upgrade the exaust and intake and leave it be. thanks for the help guys
Although I'll be honest and say I have no idea what axle/gears a V6 has anyway.
But generally lowering the final drive ratio (numerically higher) it will allow better accelaration in each gear. The penalty is a lower terminal speed in each gear and higher cruising rpms.
Typically the LS1 M6 guys swap the stock 3.42:1 final drive to 4.10:1
You'll need to do some research and see whats good for a V6. It won't give you any power at all, but it should allow it to zip thru the gears better and make it feel like you gain HP.
There's a link to an Fbody gear calculator in my sig, not sure if it caters for the V6 but it might be worth a look.
06-22-2006, 10:47 AM
#11
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Originally Posted by V6Owner
mods in sig.. I'm running low 14's now
low rpm power = gears 3.42 or 3.73 but you will lose top-end unless you tune for the gears.. a good tune does wonders better tires.. low control arms
if its a a4 a corvette servo works wonders
exhaust/intake/high flow cat - I highly recommend Magnaflow but if you have the money go with Borla
better coil pack, wires, and a ign upgrade
Hold up I did say mods in sig right?..lol
low rpm power = gears 3.42 or 3.73 but you will lose top-end unless you tune for the gears.. a good tune does wonders better tires.. low control arms
if its a a4 a corvette servo works wonders
exhaust/intake/high flow cat - I highly recommend Magnaflow but if you have the money go with Borla
better coil pack, wires, and a ign upgrade
Hold up I did say mods in sig right?..lol
How much (inc any labour) have all the mods cost you so far? Because in terms of performance a stock LS1 is still a fair amount faster and you're just on par with the slower driven LT1's and sn95 4.6 litre Mustangs.
06-22-2006, 10:58 AM
#13
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Originally Posted by 300bhp/ton
This isn't a dig or anything, just curious.
How much (inc any labour) have all the mods cost you so far? Because in terms of performance a stock LS1 is still a fair amount faster and you're just on par with the slower driven LT1's and sn95 4.6 litre Mustangs.
How much (inc any labour) have all the mods cost you so far? Because in terms of performance a stock LS1 is still a fair amount faster and you're just on par with the slower driven LT1's and sn95 4.6 litre Mustangs.
Mod money - the only thing I actually bought was the magnaflow cat-back my brother traded in his V6 for a Cobra about a year and half ago so I just took everything off his car.. SOOOOOOO grand total of
400 bucks! well if you want to count the wheels and tires then its little more 
06-22-2006, 11:07 AM
#15
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haha nos can wait a while lol. first im lookin for continuous power improvement, not just boosts. i can see myself usin nos every 2 seconds to fool myself that the car is fast lol
06-22-2006, 11:10 AM
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oh yea, one more question. what octane gas do u put in ur V6. i been puttin 89 cuz i figure since the 6 isnt as much of a performance engine as the 8 the 93 wouldnt really make a noticable difference, or would it? and 87 octane just blows lol
06-22-2006, 11:25 AM
#17
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The number of cylinders has no bearing on octane rating requirement. High octane does not always mean more power, just more power potential due to less detonation.
06-22-2006, 12:13 PM
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well, there's a few Supercharger kits available that would give a decent improvement throughout the powerband. They all cost $3500 or more, though, so if it would only cost you $4000 to trade in your V6 and get a V8, that's the way to go.
On the other hand, if you could get that V6 into the 13's with a Supercharger for less than it would cost to just buy the V8, I say go for it. You'll have lower insurance than with the LS1, that's for sure.
On the other hand, if you could get that V6 into the 13's with a Supercharger for less than it would cost to just buy the V8, I say go for it. You'll have lower insurance than with the LS1, that's for sure.