Pontiac GTO 2004-2006 - best bolt-ons for the money?

First of all, I did a bunch of searches because I thought this question would come up pretty often and my results where minimal at best.

I am in the middle of buying my first high performance GM product, 06 GTO, and just want to know the best bolt-ons for the money. Daily driver.

The car is completely stock except for a Corsa Catback system. If this is anything like my mustang I would just put a CAI, underdrive pulleys, a slightly larger throttle body, gears, and a programmer/tune on to start off with. And between the CAI and the exhaust along with a little tuning I would see the largest gains.

But I really am not sure where the restrictions are on these cars.

Is that diablo Intune any good for a bolt on car or is it missing way to many options?

Best CAI? K&N, Volant, or? I don't have the time or tools to make my own here and now.

Also, Just simple bolt-ons right now. No power adders.

If you've got/are getting an '06, there's no need for a larger TB. The Ls2 cars already have 90mm TBs. I'd start off with a Svede OTRCAI and set of LTs. You'll hear from people taht Kooks is the only way to go for headers. Unless you're wanting to drop $1k on headers, get Pacesetters. They're 1/3 the price and will perform just as well. Then, I'd get yourself a good, custom tune from a professional tuner. Stock, these cars have 3.46 gears. A swap to 3.73 or 3.91 would give you a nice boost, but isn't "necessary".

Hope that helps.

Can the ECU just be flashed or do i need a chip or a programmer to have it tuned?

That is exactly the kind of info i am looking for. Thanks

Suspension and tires IMHO.

Subframe connectors aftermarket air lid skip shift eliminator if you have 6 speed

Kook headers with off road pipes and the corsa sport exhaust straight pipes no cats, will help out lot with good sound. Lingenfelter has a good CAI system.

Fast 102 +Ported TB was my favorite mod. I did it before headers too, and was then disappointed with the gains from my headers.

Can the ECU just be flashed or do i need a chip or a programmer to have it tuned?

That is exactly the kind of info i am looking for. Thanks

No "chip" needed. The tuning device just plugs into the OBDII port...

Subframe connectors aftermarket air lid skip shift eliminator if you have 6 speed

A tune will take care of the skip shift.

Oh and please, for the love of God, swap out the Corsa before you add a cam. Corsa+cam=popcorn.

Subframe connectors aftermarket air lid skip shift eliminator if you have 6 speed

GTOs don't have lids...

In my opinion and it's what I'm doing with my GTO, suspension and brakes first. If you want a bunch of power, you need to be able to stop it and handle it first.

First batch of upgrades I would do is check the vehicle over address any issues. After that I would put a short shifter in it a Harrop rear cover, put some good rubber on it and get it tuned by a reputable tuner it will make a night and day difference, and is well worth the money.

Not exactly what I was expecting for replys but at least I got a good idea on what people are doing.

Do subframe connectors really help much? Because with my mustang i put them on and didn't notice a difference.

Is a tuning device a good idea. I mean I know there are ones that allow you to go from a performance to a gas saving tune. Is this more hype then what its worth?

Are there any numbers to support OTRCAI vs a CAI in either dyno or track (besides the manufactures claims)?

A tune will take care of the skip shift.

Oh and please, for the love of God, swap out the Corsa before you add a cam. Corsa+cam=popcorn.

That is one thing i noticed already about the Corsa exhaust was it reminded me of glass packs and tended to cackle a bit more then I expected.

First batch of upgrades I would do is check the vehicle over address any issues. After that I would put a short shifter in it a Harrop rear cover, put some good rubber on it and get it tuned by a reputable tuner it will make a night and day difference, and is well worth the money.

I had a full inspection done before I bought the car and the only issue found was that the rear diff had some residue and is probably just the drain plug. The short shifter was actually on my list of first things to do and I have already gotten ahold of a local tuner. I just wanted to get the standard easy bolt-ons put on before I went and had it tuned to maximize the effectiveness of them.

I will probably wait on the harrop cover just because I am about 1000 miles from home for the next couple months and thats something i could handle in my garage. (same goes for the bigger bolt ons like headers and subframe connecters.)

What shifter are you thinking about going with? IMHO I think money could be spent on better things than sub-frame connectors, just my two cents.

Is a tuning device a good idea. I mean I know there are ones that allow you to go from a performance to a gas saving tune. Is this more hype then what its worth?

Just have a professional take care of you.

Are there any numbers to support OTRCAI vs a CAI in either dyno or track (besides the manufactures claims)?

There are numbers out there, but I'm too lazy to find them for you. Do a little searching on ls1gto.com and you'll find plenty of supporting numbers. Think of a K&N as a hot air intake, and a Svede or Vararam as a CAI. The Svede is a bit better than the Vararam and far better looking, IMO.

That is one thing i noticed already about the Corsa exhaust was it reminded me of glass packs and tended to cackle a bit more then I expected.

Yep. Just make sure you ditch the Corsa before throwing a cam in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cst3tsOWLKA Go ahead and watch the whole thing and see for yourself. :barf:

What shifter are you thinking about going with? IMHO I think money could be spent on better things than sub-frame connectors, just my two cents.

+1. If you're trying to improve on your drag times, drag bags will help a lot more than sub-frame connectors will.

If it's too raspy/popy, get the touring conversion, the mufflers they use are essentially the same construction as a Magnaflow, Dynomax, or any other straight through muffler.

Don't know why y'all don't like that sound anyways, I hate the low rumbly truck sound. If someone made some 180* headers I would buy them in an instant and match them up with the Corsa.

kooks + corsa sport catless= do it

Get a set of Longtubes and get a svede otrcai as mentioned above. I promise you will not be disappointed. I've regretted my K&N since i installed it and saw basically 0hp gains. Goodluck

If i could do it over, bolt ons,small cam and a procharger, i agree with what amish said go over the car and fix any issues first,gtos are nice cars, the main different between ls motors and most mustangs is bolt ons will actually make the car alot quicker lol

Fast 102 +Ported TB was my favorite mod. I did it before headers too, and was then disappointed with the gains from my headers.

this is the first time ive heard or read anyone being disappointed with LTs.


id go with headers and rear suspension upgrades to reduce wheelhop.

this is the first time ive heard or read anyone being disappointed with LTs.


id go with headers and rear suspension upgrades to reduce wheelhop.

I put on stepped, coated, and catless headers.
There was a nice gain, but the Fast +Ported TB definitely made me more.

If i could do it over, bolt ons,small cam and a procharger, i agree with what amish said go over the car and fix any issues first,gtos are nice cars, the main different between ls motors and most mustangs is bolt ons will actually make the car alot quicker lol

I do see that a lot of the bolt-ons yeild more power at the wheels over the mustangs. But I have to defend MY mustang and say that my twin turbo "bolt-on" added me about 500 hp putting me at a little over 800 to the wheels on E85 and with my new holley dominator EFI system I am about ready and comfortable enough to go for 4 figures.

I was going to buy a tuner but you guys seems to be saying its not necessary so I can put more money towards other things and feel comfortable buying a OTRCAI.

Now my next issue.. I just talked to lethel performance in San Antonio and they want $400 to tune my car. That seems high.. Im use to paying like $100-$150 an hour for dyno time. Maybe its the area im in or should i see what other options there are around here.

I really appriciate all your feedback and please don't slam me too hard for the mustang. lol

Now my next issue.. I just talked to lethel performance in San Antonio and they want $400 to tune my car. That seems high.. Im use to paying like $100-$150 an hour for dyno time. Maybe its the area im in or should i see what other options there are around here.


Lethal is good, you are lucky you drive a car that you can get a full dyno tune for 400$. My friend just paid 500$ for the software and 250$ of dyno time to tune his G37. :cheers:

BTW, ask them what my gains were from intake, catback, tune. Nearly 50hp.

Lethal is good, you are lucky you drive a car that you can get a full dyno tune for 400$. My friend just paid 500$ for the software and 250$ of dyno time to tune his G37. :cheers:

BTW, ask them what my gains were from intake, catback, tune. Nearly 50hp.

Wow.. 50 hp.. See that is huge for bolt-ons. I think on my mustang (94 5.0), when it was stock, all bolt-ons which included underdrive pulleys, full exhaust with lt, bigger throttle body, bigger MAF, msd ignition box, coil, wires, and CAI yeilded right at 30 hp and the dyno guy was kind of shocked about that much.

I originally kind of expected to pay once for a chip or tuner and then pay hourly on tuning. So $400 still sounds steep but if they can yeild a useable 50 to the wheels I could probably justify that.

Wow.. 50 hp.. See that is huge for bolt-ons. I think on my mustang (94 5.0), when it was stock, all bolt-ons which included underdrive pulleys, full exhaust with lt, bigger throttle body, bigger MAF, msd ignition box, coil, wires, and CAI yeilded right at 30 hp and the dyno guy was kind of shocked about that much.

I originally kind of expected to pay once for a chip or tuner and then pay hourly on tuning. So $400 still sounds steep but if they can yeild a useable 50 to the wheels I could probably justify that.

Full Bolt ons made 83 hp + the losses from going to 3.91 gears. Trust me though, you want HPTuners, not a handheld programmer.

Headers and the otrcai and getting a tune is what route I would go.

If they weren't so far away I would recommend SNL tuning out of Fort Worth Matt is a genius when it comes to LS motors particularly GTOs, the up side is after you get it tuned you would have 4 hours to have fun with it on the way home. But $400 bucks isn't a bad price for a tune especially from a reputable tuner such as lethal. As far as shifters go, check out MGW they make one of the best and it will make a world of difference stirring gears. If your looking for best bolt on power mods D-1 Procharger 8lb pulley, and a great tune, you really don't even need a cam or heads but obviously they will add more power.

$150 an hour is fairly normal for dyno time but what you're paying for with a $400 tune is the tuner's ability and that's pretty normal. IMHO getting a tuning suite and wideband O2 controller was one of the best purchases I made for my GTO and have used it countless times. BTW tuning for WOT HP is one of the easiest things to do. Where you need some knowledge is tuning idle and low speed with things like cams.

Do subframe connectors really help much? Because with my mustang i put them on and didn't notice a difference.




I noticed a huge difference when I put SFC's on my 94 GT, completely changed the the way it drove. One of the best Mods I did, IMO.

My GTO came with SFC'c so I'm not sure what difference it made.

For bolt ons, I would do Longtubes and a Svede or Vararam, catch can and a tune. I wouldn't waste your time with a handheld programmer, get a dyno tune.

You should also check the suspension and replace any worn bushings.

Headers and a tune along with some sort of over the radiator intake.

After that an ported intake manifold or FAST if you got the money.

I just bought an 04 gto, m6, and the first thing I did was the shifter. It is a joke how sloppy the changes were, it was very hard to shift under power when you question getting it it in the right gear. I bought a Lou's short stick and mounted it to the stock shifter and it made a huge difference and was only like $60, it's not as good as my old pro 5.0 but didn't cost $300. I just installed some slp mid length headers and it was a noticeable difference, getting it tuned later this week. If you get an intake get a svede, everyone loves them and if i didn't already have an aem cai I'd get one. Should be able to do all that for $1500 if you get pacesetter or jba headers and should pick up 40-50 rwhp. Get coated headers though for sure. Maryland speed had the jba and pacesetters on sale I think.

First bolt on.. Nitrous. second.. nitrous tune. :)

Search the parts classifieds here and ls1gto. You can find some great deals on quality headers. I went with Pacesetters, ceramic coated, because I am impatient, and there were no header's for sale. After the headers/tune, you will get a nice jump in power. Throw an OTRCAI and ported OEM manifold for another nice boost.

In my opinion, you'll want to address the radius rod bushings and strut top mounts. These are some of the first parts to go on the car, and they’re also two parts that make the largest impact on the GTO’s performance and responsiveness. They can be had for around $300 for both parts. They are very simple to install, but you’ll need to have the car aligned when it’s done. As a result, your car will have a more “positive” feel from the steering and front-end when you start driving the car aggressively into corners.

- Kevin

Throw an OTRCAI and ported OEM manifold for another nice boost.

OP, don't worry about porting your Ls2 intake mani. Unless you can do it yourself, the minimal gains are not worth your money.

OP, don't worry about porting your Ls2 intake mani. Unless you can do it yourself, the minimal gains are not worth your money.

Cam - $1500/40rwhp = $37.5/hp
LTs - $1200/30rwhp = $40/hp
CAI - $300/10rwhp = 30/hp
Ported manifold $250/10rwhp = $25/hp

Seems to me that it's one of the best bangs for the buck mods out there...

Cam - $1500/40rwhp = $37.5/hp
LTs - $1200/30rwhp = $40/hp
CAI - $300/10rwhp = 30/hp
Ported manifold $250/10rwhp = $25/hp

Seems to me that it's one of the best bangs for the buck mods out there...

Why not spend the extra dollars and get 25hp from a FAST?

Sure it's 250$, but then finding that extra 15hp down the road is going to cost more than the extra 550$ from a FAST102. Plus it will support a large cam, heads, and displacement.

I again would have to side with 409 on this one, those factory junk manifolds are best discarded just buy a fast 92 get it ported. It amazes me how many vendors have kicked to death the fact they are "Back in Black!":)

I again would have to side with 409 on this one, those factory junk manifolds are best discarded just buy a fast 92 get it ported. It amazes me how many vendors have kicked to death the fact they are "Back in Black!":)

a 102 since he has an LS2 so he won't need to get the LS1 fuel rails. ;)

Agree to disagree. You will gain a good 10-15 hp with a ported manifold. Not everyone wants to spend $800+ for another 5-10 hp, or possible 20 hp (if say, your cammed with heads). $250 for 10-15 hp, $800 for 20-25. A lot of guys don't go passed bolt-ons, or maybe a cam, and with those mods, I think it's a waste to go FAST. That extra $600 (or $500 if a used FAST is chosen), I would rather 1: buy a stall, 2: buy gears, 3: get most of a cam package, 4: get some good suspension components (in any order). I have to budget for mods, so for me, a ported intake/10-15hp and any of the previous mentioned mods, far outweigh the extra 5-10hp I could have with a FAST. Get 2 mods, and get a much larger jump in the fun factor of the car.

If you plan to go all out with heads, cam, and all that, sure it's good. I would still wait until I knew the ported stocker was holding you back, which it is really not doing on a bolt-on car. People spend more on mods that gain less power then the ported stocker.

You will gain a good 10-15 hp with a ported manifold. Not everyone wants to spend $800+ for another 5-10 hp, or possible 20 hp (if say, your cammed with heads)

21rwhp over stock LS2 on a smaller than stock cam and 799 heads and stock exhaust manifolds before a tune:
I have actually done this. I had an LQ9 that was fairly stock. Gained 21rwhp and power accross the board.

1. Had 799 heads(243 equivalent)
2. Had OEM truck cam smaller than LS2 (190s @ .050 and .460/.470 lift) :(
3. Had OEM exhaust manifolds with an aftermarket exhuast/muffler
4. OEM LS2 90mm DBW throttle body, used on FAST as well
5. Had LS2 intake manifold

So basically an iron LS2 with a little smaller camshaft. I dynoed my truck and immediatly swapped the intake with the truck still on the rollers, NO tuning so there was probably more power on the table.

http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/44418/2186697690060344825S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2186697690060344825WNcDRQ)

Very few mods will get you gains like that everywhere on the curve

VS LS2portworks stock LS2 ported intake gains:

Stock Heads, Stock shortblock
Vararam CAI
Kooks headers
Torquer 2 cam
Ported Intake

this intake gained 7.4 RWHP and 7.2 RWTQ at the PEAK.

Gains under the curve are as much as 10 RWHP and 10 RWTQ.
http://www.ls2portworks.com/images/original_dyno_sae_website_small_a5fx_pd58_qihc_h1i u.jpg

Pretty sure I've seen threads of nearly no gain to 10 whp gain as well. However, I could be wrong, and I will take your word for it. It's just not a priority for me, I was pretty happy with the ported OEM, but that's just me.

Pretty sure I've seen threads of nearly no gain to 10 whp gain as well. However, I could be wrong, and I will take your word for it. It's just not a priority for me, I was pretty happy with the ported OEM, but that's just me.

That's weird, I've never seen the 15hp gain figure anywhere. Maybe I should check out LS1GTO lol.


I think you are leaving alot of power on the table for not alot of money. 15hp extra over ported LS2 for an extra 550$ is a good deal, especialy when you start adding heads and a cam or nitrous, because let's face it- you always want more lol:cheers:
From "Jim_H" on Corvette forum
Just got my car back from Charlie at RPM, replaced the ported stock LS2 with a ported Fast 102. It still runs as smoothly as stock with no hesitation or flat spots anywhere. It Dynoed at 448 rwhp and 415 rwtq, an improvement of 28 rwhp and 25 rwtq peak, torque has improved everywhere under the curve 30 in some places and it peaks 500 rpm sooner. Overall the car behaves better on the street and still no headers, no underdrive pulleys and will pass the sniffer test.

Mods - Fast 102, RPM 243 heads, 224/228 114+ cam, Airaid intake, Z06 exhaust manifolds and cats.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-tech-performance/2622685-fast-102-gains-28rwhp-and-25rwtq-over-ported-ls2.html

How hard is it to change headers on these cars. I am away from home and have a small tool kit so I am currently thinking headers are out of the question before getting a tune on it. Unfortunatly back home the closest tuner is like 2 hours away or I would wait.

The only place I see that sells the svede OTRCAI is West Coast Speed? How important is it to go with the upgraded IAT sensor. Worth the $75 dollars?

The only place I see that sells the svede OTRCAI is West Coast Speed? How important is it to go with the upgraded IAT sensor. Worth the $75 dollars?

Vararam is also a cheaper alternative. Not nearly as nice a fit and finish, but I have yet to see anyone empirically prove that it makes less hp than a Svede, and there is not a 4-6 week lead time. On that note, If I had to do it again I would buy spend the extra $, and wait for a Svede.

On the IAT sensor: In my opinion yes. IAT logs always show enormous improvement, which translates to less power lost, especially on hot days.
With either intake get the IAT sensor upgrade.

Here we go again with the FAST thing. Sure an extra $550 will get you twice the power and open up more for down the road. Noones debating that, but if he just wants a basic upgrade for a fraction of the cost a ported manifold does great if staying with just those mods.

For a basic bolt-on car, the power returns for an extra $600 are diminishing returns. You spend $250 for the first 10hp and then have to spend more than twice that for the next 10hp. On a cammed car that might be worth it, on a bolt-on car maybe maybe not...really depends on the budget of the person. Just wanted to give out an alternative so that the guy has a choice.

I have done the whole cam, heads, intake, then stroked it, nitrous, then supercharger, then built new complete bigger stroker and now twin turbo. I want to get back to fun and efficient again, which is the reason i bought this car. Besides the basics: exhaust, cai, maybe intake, and a tune thats all i want for now. Because after this would be a sc or turbo kit for the next gains. I should have stopped at the supercharger setup i had on the last setup, supper fun and completely street driveable high 10 sec car and still got 24mpg.

I would consider any cheap power gains. This thread has been great in seeing what people have been successful with including price.

For a basic bolt-on car, the power returns for an extra $600 are diminishing returns. You spend $250 for the first 10hp and then have to spend more than twice that for the next 10hp. On a cammed car that might be worth it, on a bolt-on car maybe maybe not...really depends on the budget of the person. Just wanted to give out an alternative so that the guy has a choice.

The FAST has just as good, if not better, a hp/$ ratio as a set of Kooks headers.

The FAST has just as good, if not better, a hp/$ ratio as a set of Kooks headers.


For sure

Maybe I missed it OP but if you are an A4 a converter, M6 a GMM shifter. Headers, Vararam, UD pulley. As far as the manifold goes that is entirely up to you and your budget, the info on gains are there.