where to start?

Hey,

I am new to this forum and to my truck. I have only had it for about a month now. It is a 99 silverado 1500 extended cab with 5.3 auto.I have made some cosmetic changes already.... Black Jdm corner markers.... carbon fiber taillights..... trim and badge removal half done( blisters on thumbs held up progress). I now want to start doing some performance mods. This will be my first time trying to do anything like this on a newer vehicle. So where is the best place to start? I have seen a lot about intakes and exhaust and programmers but I dont really know what is best one to start with. Thanks for the help!

Ed

open that baby up and let it breathe easier. K&N filter at least, and also upgrade the exhaust, I suggest Flowmasters. Series 40 if you want it to be loud. If not go with 50s.

im getting duals put on my truck this next week (hopefully) and am going to get a flowmaster 40 series......any one have any feed back .....good or bad?


Thanks

im getting duals put on my truck this next week (hopefully) and am going to get a flowmaster 40 series......any one have any feed back .....good or bad?


Thanks


Just got the Flowmaster 40 with dual 3" tips installed yesterday.

I had no idea the 40 was that loud.

Damn I love it.

See http://exhaustsoundclips.com/phpbb2/dload.php?action=category&cat_id=4 for examples of GM vehicle exhaust sounds.

If anyone in the Austin, TX area is looking for a good installer, check out Royal Muffler on North Lamar. The 40 series with tips was $322 installed. $295 before tax. Meineke wanted Nearly $100 more for the same thing.

jdm on a chevy?

I'm just not spent on Flowmaster. I had it on the old setup, and it made the little 4.8L sound good. When I decided to change up the exhaust setup with a borla turbo, I lost alot of sound, but I did gain a tenth in the quarter. I'm still a firm believer in the straight through muffler design giving the best results.

What mods you need really depends on what you want to accomplish. I spent a pretty good bit of money on my 4.8L before I went all out on performance. What do you want your truck to do? Run up and down the track? Eat some rice on the street? Both? Towing power?
Also playing a major factor is how much money are you willing to let go on the truck? Bolt ons for these trucks are pretty expensive, so you want the ones that yield the best performance for the best price. Since you have a 99, you will definately be wanting a tune upgrade. 99 are extremely conservative on the tune, compared to newer models. An intake is a great way to get some more air to the truck. I have the Airaid with the Modular air intake tube, and I'm pretty happy with it. K&N filter packs are also very popular. An exhaust setup will be a must. Check out above post. Purely my opinion only. Headers are a great way to make some horsepower, but IMO, look for a good set of mid-lenght or long tube headers. Both of these will require exhaust work and will not just bolt up to the stock exhaust system, but are more than worth it in performance gains. A gear swap is a nice way to gain some low end grunt if you're still running the 3.42s. Underdrive pulleys are an "ok" upgrade, but will usually only yield a 1-2 tenths increase in the 1/4. Not really worth what most companies charge for them. Always check out ebay, because alot of guys who have purchased them get a supercharger and won't be able to use them. Pretty much your basics there. If you want to get really serious, we'll talk cams/heads/tranny work/stall/nitrous/turbo,superchargers. :naughty: Like I said, all in how much you want to spend.

Hey,

Thanks for the input and info. I guess I mainly looking for some better street performance.... ie rice and ford dusting. This is still going to be my daily driver for back and forth to work. From what I have read it sounds like maybe I should start our with some kind of programer? From the few articles that I have read in magazines I will need to retune to get the most out of any aftermarket pruducts that I add. So which programmer do you guys recomend? Thanks again!

Ed