2013 Camaro LS V6 Tune Question - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

CoolStudio · 06-16-2020, 09:08 AM

Greetings! I have a CAI and Kooks Catbacks installed on my V6 with 47K miles.

I am NOT mechanically inclined whatsoever. But in theory, I am pushing 341 HP according to tech specs and I enjoy improved gas mileage on the highway.

I am looking into installing IRIDIUM spark plugs to complete the tune. But, I don't want to be forced into using premium gasoline. I have been trying to sort through sales jargon on the web and getting confused.

I would greatly appreciate your expert advice based on your real-life experiences. If you can recommend a vendor who sponsors CAMARO5 I would happy to send them my business.

Ideally, I would like new spark plugs that give me a tiny bit of spunk and even better fuel economy on the highway.

What brand of spark plugs do you recommend for me AND should I upgrade the "cables" that connect them to my engine?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

ChibiBlackSheep · 06-16-2020, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoolStudio

Greetings! I have a CAI and Kooks Catbacks installed on my V6 with 47K miles.

I am NOT mechanically inclined whatsoever. But in theory, I am pushing 341 HP according to tech specs and I enjoy improved gas mileage on the highway.

Your modifications do not actually give you that much of a bump in HP. You still have your catalytic converters on your car, and that's the biggest (and really only) restriction in the v6 exhaust.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoolStudio

What brand of spark plugs do you recommend for me AND should I upgrade the "cables" that connect them to my engine?

You don't have enough modifications done to your car to switch away from stock. You don't need to replace the ignition coils unless one is defective. Stick with stock replacement plugs and leave your coils alone. The stock plugs are actually already iridium, so you aren't upgrading anything by buying iridium plugs.

Unless you boost your engine, or tune your car, run whatever gas you want in it. Your car has high and low octane timing tables and can run whichever you choose. I would recommend using 91/93 because the high-octane timing table is much better, but you don't NEED to.

DSX_Camaro · 06-16-2020, 09:49 PM

I run Iridium plugs just cause I run nice stuff in my car. Biggest thing is tuning, as was said. If you want the car to feel a bit better, run 91 or 93 octane and the car will add timing until it sees knock. More power, you need high flow cats or catless downpipes, an upgraded throttle body, air intake scoop, etc. There's more you can do to eek out power from the 6, but it won't be big.

Swapping to a V8 rear end would be a big mechanical jump and would help the seat of the pants feel, but you'd lose some of your 2LS gas mileage.

ariZona28 · 06-16-2020, 11:06 PM

Just so you know, this is the LLT V6 section. You have a LFX V6. No harm. The bigger issue is you have a fairly sophisticated engine that requires some rather expensive items to get modest HP gains. My advice is to replace any worn items with factory original components as needed. There has been plenty of discussions in other threads about fuel selection. I think you'll only see minimal gains from using 91 octane premium if your car has not been specifically tuned for it. I run mid-grade 89 in the summer to stave off pinging. Enjoy your cool ride for what it is. Don't tinker with it excessively. If you want more "spunk" save your hard earned coin and buy a decent SS with a V8.

'10CamaroDude · 06-17-2020, 01:47 AM

You can remove the secondary cats, they are not monitored. I am averaging
25.5 MPG now. Best to just gut them, rather than cut them off. I cut mine off
because one was already gutted, and I had someone on hand to weld pipes in.
So, I had to remove the other side, since the LH side was already gutted.

You can take the down-pipes off, and knock out the cat material. If you do the
front cats too, you will need spacers on your downstream O2 sensors. Mine are
3" deep, one 2" spacer would not do it.

DRIVER SIDE:

PASSENGER SIDE:

SO CLOSE (RH):

NO Material in the Driver Side 2ndary Cat:

What it's supposed to look like (Passenger Side):

RESULT:

Before I had to go 3" deep with the spacers to keep the P0430 and P0420 Off.

Yes, you can tune them out, but in PA, you can't have more than one sensor
in a "Not Ready" status, or it fails emissions.

All the downstream sensors do is monitor the primary cats. When they clog, or
flow too much, they set the Inefficiency Codes.

I am still going to replace that with OE Catted pipes if I can find a set within a 2-hour
drive of me...

06-16-2020, 09:08 AM	#1
CoolStudio Drives: 2013 Camaro 2LS Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Louisburg, NC Posts: 7	2013 Camaro LS V6 Tune Question Greetings! I have a CAI and Kooks Catbacks installed on my V6 with 47K miles. I am NOT mechanically inclined whatsoever. But in theory, I am pushing 341 HP according to tech specs and I enjoy improved gas mileage on the highway. I am looking into installing IRIDIUM spark plugs to complete the tune. But, I don't want to be forced into using premium gasoline. I have been trying to sort through sales jargon on the web and getting confused. I would greatly appreciate your expert advice based on your real-life experiences. If you can recommend a vendor who sponsors CAMARO5 I would happy to send them my business. Ideally, I would like new spark plugs that give me a tiny bit of spunk and even better fuel economy on the highway. What brand of spark plugs do you recommend for me AND should I upgrade the "cables" that connect them to my engine? Thanks in advance for your advice!

06-16-2020, 09:49 PM	#3
DSX_Camaro Drives: 2013 SW 2LT/RS LFX/AY6 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 1,741	I run Iridium plugs just cause I run nice stuff in my car. Biggest thing is tuning, as was said. If you want the car to feel a bit better, run 91 or 93 octane and the car will add timing until it sees knock. More power, you need high flow cats or catless downpipes, an upgraded throttle body, air intake scoop, etc. There's more you can do to eek out power from the 6, but it won't be big. Swapping to a V8 rear end would be a big mechanical jump and would help the seat of the pants feel, but you'd lose some of your 2LS gas mileage. __________________ K&N CAI, 1LE Strut Tower Brace, Elite Engineering Catch Can and Clean Side Separator, Apex Scoop w/ Washer Relocation Kit, CTS Front Calipers and Rotors, JacFab Ported Intake Manifold, JacFab Intake Manifold Spacer, 80mm Overkill Throttle Body, SS Brake Lines, Ideal Garage Master Cylinder, Monster Twin Disc Clutch, NPP Retrofit w/ Magnaflow Resonated X, ARH Catless Downpipes, JRE Built 3.45 Diff, 1LE Axles, 1LE Hubs, Overkill Tuned, BMR Anti Wheel-hop Kit Stage I, ACS TL1 Hood Insert, ZL1 Spoiler

06-16-2020, 11:06 PM	#4
ariZona28 Give speed a chance Drives: 2015 Camaro 2LS, 2015 Camaro Z/28 Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Mesa, Az Posts: 2,234	Just so you know, this is the LLT V6 section. You have a LFX V6. No harm. The bigger issue is you have a fairly sophisticated engine that requires some rather expensive items to get modest HP gains. My advice is to replace any worn items with factory original components as needed. There has been plenty of discussions in other threads about fuel selection. I think you'll only see minimal gains from using 91 octane premium if your car has not been specifically tuned for it. I run mid-grade 89 in the summer to stave off pinging. Enjoy your cool ride for what it is. Don't tinker with it excessively. If you want more "spunk" save your hard earned coin and buy a decent SS with a V8. Attached Images __________________ 2LS: a TREMENDOUS machine. Z/28: it's a BIT MORE POWERFUL, of course. Last edited by ariZona28; 06-17-2020 at 01:44 AM.

06-17-2020, 01:47 AM	#5
'10CamaroDude Account Suspended Drives: 2010 Camaro LS Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: Pgh Posts: 739 View My Garage	You can remove the secondary cats, they are not monitored. I am averaging 25.5 MPG now. Best to just gut them, rather than cut them off. I cut mine off because one was already gutted, and I had someone on hand to weld pipes in. So, I had to remove the other side, since the LH side was already gutted. You can take the down-pipes off, and knock out the cat material. If you do the front cats too, you will need spacers on your downstream O2 sensors. Mine are 3" deep, one 2" spacer would not do it. DRIVER SIDE: PASSENGER SIDE: SO CLOSE (RH): NO Material in the Driver Side 2ndary Cat: What it's supposed to look like (Passenger Side): RESULT: Before I had to go 3" deep with the spacers to keep the P0430 and P0420 Off. Yes, you can tune them out, but in PA, you can't have more than one sensor in a "Not Ready" status, or it fails emissions. All the downstream sensors do is monitor the primary cats. When they clog, or flow too much, they set the Inefficiency Codes. I am still going to replace that with OE Catted pipes if I can find a set within a 2-hour drive of me...