Don’t Miss These 5 GM 6.6 Gas Performance Upgrades Options!

How can I upgrade the performance of my GM 6.6 gas engine? A tuner can be the answer to your question! However, there are some other options for your GM 6.6 gas performance upgrades.

General Motors 6.6L L8T V-8 gas engine is the new powerhouse of the Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD. This powerful gas engine provides more horsepower and torque to heavy-duty Chevy trucks than their previous versions.

Apart from the power visible to our eyes, the GM 6.6 gas engine holds more potential that can be uncovered with the performance upgrades available in the market. Have a look at the common performance upgrades to boost your gas engine.

GM 6.6 Gas Performance Upgrades

Before we go on to discuss the GM 6.6 gas engine performance upgrades, let’s have a look at the GM 6.6L L8T V-8 specifications.

The strong and durable engine was introduced back in 2019 and used in the 2020 model heavy-duty trucks of Chevy and GMC. The cast-iron engine block, aluminum alloy cylinder head, and cast stainless steel exhaust manifold are the factors that make the engine ready to run for a longer period.

GM 6.6 is an 8-cylinder gasoline engine with 8.0 quarts of engine oil capacity. With the insane 401 horsepower and 464 lb-feet of torque, it becomes an ideal and appealing power beast to heavy-duty truck users for its power and towing capacity. However, the modified blocks can handle on average 2000 HP.

Anyhow, this is certainly not the limit for the 6.6 gas engine. The following upgrades can level up your engine’s performance and give you and wonderful, power-packed experience.

Cold Air Intake (CAI)- Mild Mod for 2020-23 GMC SIERRA / CHEVY SILVERADO 2500 & 3500

Cold air intake, or CAI, is one of the easiest ways to give your engine’s horsepower a push.

A cold air intake system allows more airflow into the engine. Thus, there’s more oxygen supply to the engine. The enhanced oxygen supply provides more power to the engine and gives you a 5 to 20 hp gain!

Although the improvement doesn’t look very convincing, the cold air intake can do wonders when put together with for 2022 GM 6.6 gas performance upgrades. It improves the overall performance by enhancing the vehicle’s horsepower, torque, and acceleration.

Depending on the engine model, the cold air intake can cost $300-$500.

Cat-back Exhaust- Performance Mod for Fuel Effeciency

Cat-back exhaust is the pipe in the back of the exhaust system that connects the catalytic converter, the muffler, and the tailpipe.

The cat-back exhaust also works to boost the airflow into the engine. With the cat-back exhaust present, the engine has much less work. This means that the engine deals with less work pressure and makes it more fuel efficient.

Along with the fuel efficiency, the cat-back exhaust significantly boosts the mileage and sound. The horsepower also increases from 2%-5%!

The cost of the cat-back exhaust varies depending on its quality and the vehicle model. You may need to pay something between $300 and $3000.

You can also check how a cat back exhaust takes place as one of the efficient Dodge Charger 3.5 performance upgrades and adds an extra 5 to 15 horsepower.

Headers- Great Performance Mod for Emissions

Another simple yet effective way to improve engine performance is the headers.

The job of the headers is to lead the exhaust gases out from the engine to the exhaust system. The headers help decrease the exhaust backpressure to a noticeable amount and give the engine a chance to produce more horsepower.

Headers can give you an extra 10-20 horsepower with increased torque and fuel mileage. Long tube headers in the 6.6L gas engine can bring out the most of this L8T engine, removing all the restrictions of the default header.

The price of small tube headers and long tube headers is different. However, they should fall in the range of $500-$2000.

Tuner- For Ultimate Performance Mod

Using a tuner in your GM 6.6 gas engine vehicle can improve the overall performance of your truck. A tuner changes the programming of your vehicle according to your needs to bring out the engine’s maximum potential.

The factory default programming often restrains the true potential power of your gas truck. Using a GM 6.6 gas Tuner can show improvement in horsepower, torque, fuel economy, and mileage.

However, the manual tuner might not work due to its lock ECU chip. And so, you might need the HP tuners or a robust new ECM for your 6.6. gas engine performance mod. And this may cost you high enough.

A tuner is capable of increasing the horsepower of 6.6 gas to as much as 20%. The price range can be $400-$3000, depending on its features and quality.

GM 6.6 Gas Turbo Kit

The turbo kit increases the air intake density of the engine by forcing the air inside it. The compressed air escalates power and energy production.

Although a much more complicated process, a turbo kit can add almost 70-150 horsepower. Not to forget the overall performance boost a turbo kit can give to your engine.

Along with improved torque, you’ll notice better fuel efficiency and mileage. Good quality turbo kit costs around $1500-$10000. Oh! According to GM Authority news, Whipple has launched a new supercharger only for GM 6.6L V8 L8T. And it claims to boost around 700 pound-feet of torque along with fantastic fuel economy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Final Thoughts

All of the mentioned upgrades give an overall boost to the engine’s performance. Even though they are all useful, some are more effective than others.

The cold air intake is an easy and cheap way to get a performance upgrade. However, it may not be able to show a beneficial effect when used alone. It serves best with other performance upgrades.

As for the cat-back exhaust and headers can improve the overall performance, such as the horsepower, mileage, and engine fuel efficiency.

Well, the tuner is quite a good choice for GM 6.6 gas performance upgrades if you consider the hp and overall performance gain.

The turbo kit is the best upgrade you can give your vehicle. This might be the most expensive option on the list, but it is also the most reliable, durable, and worthy one.

To get the top-level performance out of your GM 6.6 gas engine vehicle, opting for these upgrades will be a great idea that can give you the maximum outcome.

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Stephen Sahriyar

There is no twist if you drive your favorite on-road or off-road beast without feeling the performance tune-up.And Stephen is here, the founder of this site, helping you all by finding the answers to your questions regarding your vehicle performance. Stephen has done his masters in ASE from Aims College in Colorado. Now is working with a renowned aftermarket company in Colorado as well as sharing his knowledge through Motormav’s content.