Soon to be gto owner need help on customization!!!

**Ryan M.** · 09-05-2009, 11:35 PM

sup guys im new to forums on any website and i need a little help...
im 16 and live in central california. very soon im getting a Pontiac GTO, which is undoubtedly my favorite car. I need some help on picking out the best performance parts for the money. also need help on exterior mods such as color hood scoops rims etc.
thanks guys!

also parents are second guessing buying the GOAT cuz of the fuel efficiency in the city since i will only be travelling via the city not highways. so if there is any possibility to boost the HP to get a good rush AND get like 20+ mpg (the prerequisite my parents have =O) i would be in heaven and you would make my life so much better!

**c5z28** · 09-06-2009, 12:06 AM

What year gto, you won't have a prob getting over 20 mpg's and headers with intake will also help to improve mpg's.

**Ryan M.** · 09-06-2009, 12:07 AM

they said 06 at best probably an 05 though. really? thats awesome! do you have any proof of the mpg performance?

**c5z28** · 09-06-2009, 12:10 AM

I'll let you do some research as i'm to lazy to dig it up. Go to a chevy dealer, look up on wikipedia etc. ls1, ls2 get great gas mileage for what they are with the m6 getting up to28mpg on the highway.

**c5z28** · 09-06-2009, 12:11 AM

oh and welcome to the sight from the bay area.

**Ryan M.** · 09-06-2009, 12:14 AM

does the bay area kick out some good deals on parts? cuz im probably heading up there to get hooked up no doubt. either that or l.a. for sure.
thanks for the help though

**c5z28** · 09-06-2009, 12:22 AM

More people so probably, might find more down in L.A area. Check out the classifieds for deals on used parts, check craigslist also. Don't piss off your parents and do plenty of research to show them a gto is infact the right choice

Definatley a more comfortable car than my camaro.

**Ryan M.** · 09-06-2009, 12:24 AM

to be honest LA has been known for screwing people over on their car parts lately, which is why i stray from them. do you know anybody personally in LA?

**c5z28** · 09-06-2009, 12:30 AM

family-that doesn't count in your situation
You just have to know what your shopping for I drove 2 hours up to Sac for an ls-6 manifold and the guy tried to pass off his old ls-1 manifold-that was a waste of gas. You will find shady shit everywhere just study up so your no ones fool.

**c5z28** · 09-06-2009, 12:38 AM

Introduce yourself here and read the stickys one of them even has a list of car clubs this sight has alot of good info. Just remember if someone has an opinion acknowledge it see if they have any stats to verify it and take it for what its worth. Lots of dyno results, mods etc.
http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/western-members-59/

This sight has always been good, but it never hurts to read since they have so many sticky's.

**Ryan M.** · 09-06-2009, 12:53 AM

so just talk it up with other car people? that's no problem at all for me

thanks man! on my other post this guy gave me a list of things i could do, could i message you them and you read through them and give me any details you can?

**c5z28** · 09-06-2009, 12:55 AM

sure i'll help better after I grab some z's.

**Ryan M.** · 09-06-2009, 12:58 AM

aight ill message somtime soon. sleep well and once again thanks for your help

**Sarge** · 09-06-2009, 04:21 AM

My first car was a 1965 GTO.
You'll find these cars get excellent mileage when you keep your foot out of it (good luck with that).....stick around....these guys know their stuff and will help you.

**c5z28** · 09-06-2009, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by Sarge

My first car was a 1965 GTO.
You'll find these cars get excellent mileage when you keep your foot out of it (good luck with that).....stick around....these guys know their stuff and will help you.

Favorite year my old man had one till his ex significant other sold it for $500

**Ryan M.** · 09-06-2009, 09:37 AM

hey sarge do you think you could help me out a little bit? like the only thing i need help the most with is the performance...

**jsmith564`** · 09-06-2009, 09:14 PM

i was thinking mods myself.. but i think i'll pay it off first..

i have an 04 gto m6, cant go wrong with any year.

IMO when modding i think you'll be better off with an 04 in the long run $$$$ wise. you can get an 04 cheaper then the 05/06. use that money you saved there and go for mods, plus the ls1 has been out since 97 i think.. aftermarket is a little farther ahead then the ls2. but i'm stupid so who knows.

i avg anywhere from 17.5-19mix regular driving (that includes burn outs and running it hard). when i'm easy on it it's not a problem to go above 22.5mix and i'm pretty much stock

**mark21742** · 09-07-2009, 02:39 AM

hey welcome to the sight!
the main thing to think about 1st is whether you want an M6 or a4.
the manual 6 speed will be more fun on the streets, and get better mpg, the 4 speed automatic gets alttle less mpg, but with a shift kit and higher stall torwue converter, will be an average 1/2 second quicker in the 1/4 mile......plus more consistant if you want to drag race it.

if you look here and on tech there are lots of good mods you can do yourself.....Sarge has some very good and detailed write ups (battery relocation and things)

now that I have built mine and know what you get with most mods, for any goat my first mods would be Pedders poly bushings, adjustable caster bushings, coil springs and maybe drag bags....all the power in the world is useless if you can't get traction, and traction is useless if you can't control the car after the launch.
build a great handling car, THEN add power.
happy shopping man!

**scauffiel** · 09-07-2009, 03:33 AM

In my opinion you need to read, read and then read some more. If you haven't spent hours - and I mean HOURS - reading up on what other people have done, what has and hasn't worked, what to avoid and why... THEN decide what you want out of your vehicle and how best to get it. In MY honest opinion, you shouldn't be doing any modding until you have at least a fairly good idea of what you want. Don't just have people tell you what to do without understanding the "how" and "why" along with the "what."

Again, it's just my opinion but too many guys just show up and say "okay, what do I do?" and before they know it they've got a kludge of jumbled parts because they didn't sit down and spend thirty minutes deciding on what they want out of their car.

But hey, good luck to you regardless of what you choose to do.

S.

**mark21742** · 09-07-2009, 06:30 AM

Originally Posted by scauffiel

In my opinion you need to read, read and then read some more. If you haven't spent hours - and I mean HOURS - reading up on what other people have done, what has and hasn't worked, what to avoid and why... THEN decide what you want out of your vehicle and how best to get it. In MY honest opinion, you shouldn't be doing any modding until you have at least a fairly good idea of what you want. Don't just have people tell you what to do without understanding the "how" and "why" along with the "what."

Again, it's just my opinion but too many guys just show up and say "okay, what do I do?" and before they know it they've got a kludge of jumbled parts because they didn't sit down and spend thirty minutes deciding on what they want out of their car.

But hey, good luck to you regardless of what you choose to do.

S.

well put.....and I'm still kicking myself for not painting my car that color!!! I love that orange, andI had it ready to go into the paint cup, but my G/F talked me out of the orange