Truck Forums - Horse Power

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I've got a 01' chevy silderado 1500 5.6L i put a 1 into 2 flowmaster 40 series muffler and K&N short ram cold air intake and was wondering what would be the next thing to put into it to increase horse power with out spending an arm and a leg or full engine swap

just a suggestion, how about a msd ignition?.

Headers. There is a wide range of styles and pricing, but I hear this is a great way to go.

With out a doubt headers. You said you did the intake the next step is headers. Torque step headers would be great, but require modification. shorty headers (edelbock) are fine though. Also a mass air sensor ( ex. Granatelli) would also be a good idea. Hoped this helped

yea, headers is a good idea...damn, here in cali, we cant put headers on, its illegal unless your car is a '75 or older...that sucks!!! damn smog emissions!!!

Dam that does suck! I thought N.Y. was bad! Not even smog headers?

Here in South Carolina they don't even do vehicle inspections. We can do pretty much what we want as long as it is not too loud. If it is too loud you will get pulled over and checked. So as long as you use your head you can get away with anything.

SMOKE,
THATS VERY COOL. HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT RIPPING THE CATS OFF YOUR TRUCK AND RUNNING STRAIGHT PIPES TO AN AFTER-CAT SYSTEM? JUST AN IDEA. TALK TO YA LATER

Gearheadrt - I have thought about that, but i've been told that then I wil not have enough back pressure. I did this on my 93 z-71 and it helped alot. I just need more info before I do it to this truck.

SMOKE,
ITS FUNNY YOU SAID THAT BECAUSE I HAVE HEARD THE SAME THING, BUT HAVE ALSO HEARD THAT IT DOESENT EFFECT BACK PRESSURE THAT DRASTICLY. i AM ALSO LOOKING TO DO THE SAME THING ON MY 03, BUT RIG IT SO I CAN INSTALL THE CATS FOR EMMISIONS. LET ME KNOW IF YOU HEAR ANY INFO ON THE BACK PRESSURE. THANKS PAL.

Open your exhaust. The header idea is a good one, but you should also add a less restrictive muffler to get all the benefit. Flowmaster 50 or 70 series is a good choice...gow tihe 40 series if you like it very loud. Next, get Crane Firewire plug wires. They only lose 25 ohms per foot, compared to 900+ ohms per foot for your truck. Besides, if your truck has more than 50K miles, it needs new wires.
Lastly, go with the Granatelli MAF, #350115-C (cold air model). I strongly suggest do not buy used, as they are often abused. With the above mods, expect your net gain, with the intake already added, to be 60-80 horsepower!

thanks for all the advice. but which would be better to do first the msd ignition or the headers?

definatly headers....

msd is a good idea, after you have done the basics (complete exhust system) Then when you are ready for some serious mods ( fuel delivery, cams, heads supercharger, or turbo) then a good set of msd blaster coils is a must. The stock ignition system is very good for mild modification aswell is the fuel delivery sytem. Swapping out your exhust/induction system is the smart thing to do at this stage. You will be able to enjoy it and see performance gains immediatly.
If it were my truck: Flowmaster super 40 series muffler
KN 77 series open element intake ( The intake tube is chrom, give your engine compartment a little shine)
Basicly, if you are gonna do shorty headers, they are all the same. ( edelbrock, gibson, summit) but getting them ceramic coated is a good idea, but not a must
Magnaflow makes great cat installations
And though it may seem a little expensive it is definitly worth every penny, granatelli mass air flow sensor
when you are ready for the msd, dont forget your throttle body, BBK makes a good one.
This is just my opinion, but I can guarentee if you do these things ( basicly in this order) you will not be dissapointed and your truck will be much more enjoyable ( and fast ) to drive

Headers. Get the good gaskets. And a 160 degree thermostat w/ water wetter and a radiator flush. Drops your temps down to like 175ish if its normally at 205ish. Keeps your engine cooler, and your fan clutch from locking up (as much), eliminating the need for electric fans. Get the pace setters, but once again, GET THE GOOD GASKETS!!! Great power/mileage gain for 200-250 bucks.

Programmer's are nice.

Don't buy a handheld programmer. They are nice and do what they say, but if you want the most horsepower as you can get for your dollar, get a custom tune. PCM4LESS will make you a custom tune for $250. They maximize the power potential of your vehicle by taking advantage of the mods you have.

i agree with the PCM4LESS i have done the same

Friggin' awesome, huh? Just make sure you do everything you want to do before you order it. It should be the last mod you make, because it will take into account all the mods you make and give you more power for those mods.

It USED to be PCM4less.com, but now it is PCMforless.com. Dunno why it changed...

Should you want to spend a few thousand on your truck and not worry about spending mony for crap, I can state that the following upgrades work and generally Kick Ass on many so called factory Hot Rods. The following is from a post I put up last Nov.
If I could offer advice for the best perf upgrades I have found after spending much wasted money on , HERE THEY ARE and they worked for ME. You should have your own ideas that should be respected here; these are listed to save you some cash of which I have wasted a ton of.
My 00/Z71 w/ Trailer Pkg - posi 4:10 rear; Dyno'd at rear wheels #1 367bhp #2 362bhp

1.) GMF MAF - Bought # 002 from JR when people were laughing at its worth over at LS1.com - I have had it reprogrammed/replaced by JR 4 times since for upgrade mods.
2.) Headers - Gibs - B&B - Borla - Edelbrock - JBA - They are all the same !@!
3.) Magnaflow FreeFlowing Cats w/y pipe &Flomaster Delta 40 for myCat back sys ( I have Borla on my C5, B&B on my Z28ss _ most dyno increase fromFlowmaster 40 Series- As for Bassani - I grew up with the brothers in Fullerton. They were awesome for my MX racing bikes back in 1969-77 - Their current x-pipe muf is nothing more than a Corvette Muf wannbe. There great guys so be nice..
4.) MSD Coils + Screaming Demon Coil + Dynamod+ 8.5 wires
7.) Flexfan - Hear your 5.3 Spool up like never before PLUS an honest 7-10 hp
8.)Pulley reduction - get a 105 amp Alternator first.
9.) Air induction - they are all the same as K&N even the so called Ram Air. Just open up the side hole in the front quarter panel.
10.) BBK 80mm TB
11.) TB Bypass
12.) Double Platium Plugs set at .60
13.) Helix Power Tower/Spacer - THIS SOB REALLY WORKS !@@! NS
14.) Demon Programmer - I know Hypertec is the fav BUT !@! the HP from the Demon is over 10hp more PLUS - you can CLEAR ANY AND ALL CODES - correct fuel pressure +/- and save your Tranny and Torque Converter with modulation <- this is important. There are 6 other mods that are not offered in any other programmer.
15.) This is the expensive one and seems redundant. GET A RE-PROGRAMED PCM - DUMP THE HANDHELD JUNK unless like me, you don't want to have to pay the Dlrshp to clear codes every time you do an upgrade (which they won't unless you can show a CARB #, in Calif).
You have a Goodguy REP here, use him if he is in your area or if he will ship. I went with Tom at Tbyrne Motorsports for my Truck only. (Steve Cole did my other cars) I used Tbyrne because of the real crazy **** that he can do LIKE
1.) When you hit your Tow/Haul it bumps the HP up 10-15+hp plus puts your entire drive train in Full Race mode - I can only say that the second gearchirp you may get from a hand held is nothing like the TIRE SPINNING KICKOUT my rear-end offers me WHEN I HIT SECOND GEAR (second gear shifts at 91 mph. That is near TRAP SPEED for a stock 07Silverado in a 1/4 mile run.
14.) -> IMPORTANT !@! If you going to do all this - Get a set of ProComp Traction Bars or anything similar. You will be putting immense spin on your Rear End which = snaping U-Joints. I have both the Procomp TBs and Airlift air bags in the rear

Please don't take my advice personal if your path has taken you elsewhere. I respect any and all racers and/or non-girly men who just want some umph. If your towing a boat (mine stays in Vegas at my Sis/in/Laws house), watch your mods, especially the PCM replacement. If you plan on alternating fuel pressure or timing curves, get some solid advice. Detonation is just a button away. Thanks for humoring me by reading this but trust this; what I have works for me something fierce.
I know many of you guys have kids and/or tuition and/or a big Mortgage, maybe all the above. I'm 52 and all that is past me. I offer this as simple guideline to what has taken a 290hp truck to a MacDaddy killer [

I noticed you have "#7 flexfan". Is this an actuall mechanical flex fan, or an electric fan? Questioning because Ive never heard of getting that much power out of a fan. Thanks

Totally agree with this dude[sm=exactly.gif]