Inglimer

Hi, Jack here from Kansas City.
Soon to be going from an 06 gt boosted Mustang to either an 08 or 09 ls3.
I would like to get some direction on the least expensive and easiest way to bump the performance in the ls3.
My goal would be at or near a stock zo6 level.
I couldn't find this specifically addressed via search and I'm also new to the more recent gen of vettes.
Thanks

JJLAI724

I believe a cam mod is the best choice for this performance upgrade.

Welcome to the forum. Post pics of your new ride when you can.

Inglimer

[QUOTE=JJLAI724;1595794027]I believe a cam mod is the best choice for this performance upgrade.
Anybody else on this one?
Thanks

J.Moore

The LS2 and LS3 engines in stock form are more than enough for any street driver. Do you really think you can unleash 400+ HP on the street?

Why not just buy a Z06 from the start and not do any "mods."

doomi

[QUOTE=Inglimer;1595813476]I went the cam route. CAI, ported throttle body, headers, exhaust, and cam plus dyno tune. 468 rwhp and 445 ft lbs torque.

If I were to start over I would have tossed a super charger on it instead of the cam. FI isn't the cheap way to go though.

Can you do any of the work youself?

zryder07

Cheapest and easiest and not good terms to use while upgrading performance on a corvette. I was in the same boat as you and scraped together extra money and just did a A&A vortech kit. So far, super reliable and got into the 600hp area. I almost did a ls3 with a decent cam, headers/exhaust/intake/tb/tune- this seems to be a go to route for many but can be short of z06 c6 horsepower. I would Contact some local speed shops that did ls3 builds and they should help with your goals.

Doomi - 468rwhp is great for those mods !! Nice!

For saying 400hp on street and ability to “unleash” .. I can put all my 600+hp down on the street no problem! (80+ degree days) Many more mods come into play for this. Not a race car or street racing but I love a hard pull from 20-65!!

IF you truly want least expensive and easiest to z06 c6 power is a nitrous setup. But I assume there are more factors you did not state that will play in your choice for z06 power.

S.C. vette

[QUOTE=doomi;1595813578]

I say NA to boost

It really depends on what you're looking for in the car. If you want a daily driver, a big cam won't be fun. If you're buying an auto, a big cam won't be fun. If you regularly have to drive in heavy traffic, a big cam won't be fun. If the answer to any of those questions are answered with a yes, then a smaller cam will be your best bet for cheap. A ton of guys run a smaller blower cam and a blower on a stock converter with no regrets, but that could be more cost prohibitive. I personally don't daily my car, don't drive in inclement weather, don't have to sit in a ton of traffic, my car is an M6, etc. So I went with a really big cam. My mods are a K&N CAI, TSP Longtubes and offroad x, and a TSP Stage 4 NA Cam (235/248, .649/.615 111LSA). I made 500/460. It'll outrun a stock Z06, but I can't keep up with them if they have any mods, and those pesky ZR1's are just not a fair fight...

What I will recommend to you is to drive the car for a while in the same form as you buy it. Coming from a mustang, these cars are a completely different experience (unless your mustang made 800+ hp). You may decide you like how it drives stock and you don't need any more power. There are tons of guys who are super happy to have the power they have from the factory. Mods get expensive fast, I'm not trying to turn you off of mods, just saying make sure you actually want it. (That last sentence may be sort of hypocritical because I'm sitting around researching blowers that I don't need but really want...)

Honestly a big cam isn't as bad to drive as some people make it sound. It's more work to drive for sure, but its also a relatively cheap way to make good power. But blowers are fun, and expensive, but they make great power...

ben dover

FI, not the cheapest, but easiest.

jeffjob

The mods listed on the video got me to Z power.

LMB-Z

I think it really depends on what you want out of the LS3 (or what you are going to do with it), and how much you want to spend (or can spend). FI is probably the easiest way, but not the cheapest. Cam is more invasive, but cheaper. Pro's and con's for both.

I agree with what was said earliler...drive it stock and see what you think, then make a decision later, and save up your money.

Tonylmiller

Since you are new, I will try to help you in your future searches for information. This forum contains a wealth of information.

*First, use the search function. This type of question has been answered many times.
*Second, put your question in the thread title, such as "How to bump performance?"
*Third, there is a forum dedicated to performance discussions. You might want to post such a question there, instead.

Not being critical, because you are new, as you said. Just trying to optimize your enjoyment of the forum.

My answer to my own personal situation is that I'm buying an LS7 car off the bat, although I don't really need that much power. Hopefully it will be plenty and I won't need to modify it for more power.

Good luck!

1968swbbigblock

1- Nitrous
2 - Blower

Inglimer

Finding one that already had the right mods and had not been abused, seems like a good plan at this point. 500 whp would be great and apparently can be done pretty straightforward without FI.
Thanks for the good info.
The ZO6 is a little more than I'm willing to spend right now, but performance wise would be spot on. Sounds like I can achieve that power level easily with the LS3.

Corvette_Ed

This thread would provide you with quite a few answers, along with many of the pros and cons of NA and FI.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-na-or-fi.html

HOXXOH

Hi Jack, welcome to the forum. When you get the car, go back and fill out some of the details in your profile that make it easier for people to help you without having to ask a bunch of extra questions.

Now here's a few questions that can help define the direction you desire and will narrow down the advice given.

When you say "bump the performance", are you looking for dyno sheet numbers, street acceleration, road course times, dragstrip ET, top speed, or something else? What part of the "Z06 level" interests you most? Basically, how do you intend to use the car? Is price the reason for limiting the car to an '08 or '09? Do you understand the differences between those years and anything newer? Are you dead set on either a M6 or an A6 trans? What is your level of ability to DIY? How much beyond the purchase price are you willing to spend?

Inglimer

Looking for a strong running street car only. No track stuff. I'm not A DIY guy, so wrenching would be at a shop,(there are a couple of dyno equipped tuners In the Kansas City metro with good reps).
The 08-09 LS3 cars are within the parameters I'm willing to spend and quite simply I've reached a point in my life, where I want an auto trans.
It looks like an 08-09 car with a tune, intake, exhaust and cam will get me where I want to be.
In terms of dyno #'s and comparisons with the same gen ZO6, 500 wheel in a 3200 lb car sounds about right.
I'm not someone who's ever happy with leaving it completely stock and being just another cookie cutter LS3. Besides that extra hp & torque are really fun.
I will continue to review the provided links and try to educate myself on these cars.
I will also flesh out my profile for future posts.

nick14003

cam, intake mani,air intake, headers, tune,

3-5k maybe?

Or supercharger or turbo kit which is also like 5k+

Corvette_Ed

No need to replace the air intake on a LS3 Vette, especially since in this case the OP is not planning on doing any racing.

nick14003

Agreed