TOP 5 HP GAIN MODS (poll)

ok folks,
what do ya'll think are the best 5 (out of 10) mods to do for HP/tq gains which give you the best bang for your buck.
Exclude swapping engines, and changing cams, etc. we're talking pretty basic bolt on or PCM mods here.

-jerry

No doubt about it, the Nelson gives the most "bang for the buck" in that whole group.

No doubt about it, the Nelson gives the most "bang for the buck" in that whole group.

JEVERETT....tell me more about your nelson tune....i would like to do the same. did you have to do anything else to your truck? mine is still stock so i dont know if a nelson tune will really do anything for me since everything else is still pretty much stock other than the free mods i have seen here. also what is the price range on a nelson tune? i appreciate any info you can help me out with.

What you do is contact Allen Nelson @ Nelson Performance (owner and operator) and tell him what you're looking for. What he does, is takes a PCM, and burns a custom tune into it for your truck's specific needs. I opted for the 93 octane tune b/c of the huge power increase, but say you want better mileage, he can burn you an 87 octane tune also. All of his tunes increase gas mileage by at least 2mpg if not more. Some have seen way greater. Mine went up about 2.5 to 3mpg. he can also alter the PCM for top-speed limit, shift points and firmness, all sorta things, just about anything you can imagine. The price is $385 for 99-02 and a little more for 03-05. The best thing to do is check out the website and then give him a call and he can answer WAAAY more questions than I can.
OHH yeah, he also offers free updates for life, minus the shipping. So say later you change your mind and want something different, just call him and he sends u a new tune. You just pay shipping.

Installation is easy also. Just remove your PCM (under the hood on the drivers side behind a little black plasic shield) and replace with his tuned PCM. Return your old PCM to him for core charge. That easy!! took me about 20 minutes.

im really lookin forward to gettin one of these as soon as i get some cash.

I'll tell ya man. It's been worth every frickin cent I put on it. My truck was steady holding like 105 going to that fire last night. All I had to do is give it alittle more "go pedal" and it'd keep climbin, no sweat.

Well, lets look at this list a little. I've had experience with every one of these.

As far as the top dog on that list, the Nelson tune is the best bang for the buck. Allen did a great job on my tune, which wasn't an easy one due to all the cam/headwork/boltons/tranny work he was dealing with.

Electric fans- They're a great addition, but I wouldn't spend the money for the flex-a-lites, permacools,etc. Just look for a set of LS1-LTI fans out of a wrecked firebird,camaro,corvette. They fit in perfectly, they are a dual fan setup, and you can easily find them under $100. Allen Nelson sells a wiring kit that allows the fans to run off of your pcm and looks completely factory. Gains are great compared to when the truck is running the clutch fan and they cool the truck great.

Underdrive pullies- This is a mod I would recommend as the last bolton. They are very pricy, and only give you about .1-.2 in the quarter mile. THe stock crank/harmonic balancer pulley is a pain in the a$$ to get off, and you won't really tell a seat of the pants difference. They also have a slightly negative effect on the charging system. Not alot, but it is there. Find a set used. Maybe 5-10hp increase maximum.

Intake- Great first mod to start out with. All of them are pretty much the same, as long as you stay with the old dependables(airaid,k&n,UPD) Definately a must for anyone looking for easy horsepower, and worth the money

Exhaust- Makes the truck sound great, as well as increasing horsepower. Shorty headers aren't going to give you much over the stock manifolds, but they do bolt right up. Long tubes/mid-lengths are a great addition and give you alot more horsepower for the money. Mufflers-Flowmasters sound great and are better than the stock mufflers, but don't give the numbers a turbo or straight through designed muffler give, like a borla,magnaflow, dynamax. Cutouts- only really needed for the "loud sound" factor. They will cut the backpressure tremedeously, and decrease low end torque when opened.

Shift kit- produces no horsepower, but will extend the life of these crappy stock trannies, and makes the truck feel tons better between gears. To get the full effect, you'll need to remove the torque management.

Handheld tunes- I posted in another post somewhere about them. :biggrin:

EGR shave/removal- Hey, the shave is free, so why not. Power increase won't be that noticeable, but it does help. If you remove the EGR setup(I have), you'll have to have the EGR setup removed in the tuning or you'll throw a SES light.

Aftermarket MAF- Don't spend your money. Nice expensive paperweight. I sent mine back after I was slower in the quarter mile after installing it.

Removing the MAF screen- This will confuse the computer and mess around with the air/fuel mixture. Some people will get a slight increase in power due to the mixture, and some have had adverse effects. These GM computers can be weird as hell sometimes.

This is all from my personal experiences, and trust me, I've done them all. Some may feel differently, but this is how everything has worked for me.

Ok, i was thinking about doing a cold air for a while now but there are quit a few out there. which one is the best? most people I've talked to say K&N but that is all they have heard about. Any input would be great.

Ok, i was thinking about doing a cold air for a while now but there are quit a few out there. which one is the best? most people I've talked to say K&N but that is all they have heard about. Any input would be great.

I would rate the K&N up there at the top. I love my Airaid intake as well, so I think you would get the same gains with either one.

I know that on the 2003-2004 dodge hemi pu's, changing the air intake pipe to custom mandrel pipe(using stock air box and filter) and changing the exhaust from cat back to 3" with dynomax ultra flow made a big difference.

On the dyno it was 39 hp increase, for under $800.00 installed retail.

It also sounded awesome.

I know that on the 2003-2004 dodge hemi pu's, changing the air intake pipe to custom mandrel pipe(using stock air box and filter) and changing the exhaust from cat back to 3" with dynomax ultra flow made a big difference.

On the dyno it was 39 hp increase, for under $800.00 installed retail.

It also sounded awesome.

Hemis take well to mods, but for that money, I'd go with a 3000 stall, a stock ls6 cam, and a little tuning and knock off a little more than a second on the 1/4.

Too bad the hemis have no good tuning options, other than the Superchips, or huge aftermarket. They have real potential, but the lack of good tuning and aftermarket performance parts is really killing their chances of making great numbers.

The problem with this poll is that not everyone has all of those mods. SO most people just put down the mods that they do have and that kinda throws off the curve. Anyone with all of those mods on their vehicle have some input on this?

The problem with this poll is that not everyone has all of those mods. SO most people just put down the mods that they do have and that kinda throws off the curve. Anyone with all of those mods on their vehicle have some input on this?

I've had or currently have all the mods listed in the poll. I've been all over the world with modding, from simple bolt ons to tapping into the engine itself. :biggrin:

I would rate the K&N up there at the top. I love my Airaid intake as well, so I think you would get the same gains with either one.

Agreed. I would recommend the AIRAID simply becuase you can use a Poweraid TB spacer AND the Airaid intake. If you go K&N, you can't use a TB spacer. atleast that is true for 88-95 TBI engines.

I have both of the above on my truck, and I think it helps. They seem to compliment each other nicely.

Slowprocess: How much hp/tq would a set of Edelbrock shorty headers give a truck do you think? They advertise like 15 hp I think, and don't really cost TOO much ($299 for my truck-92 K1500 350 TBI).

I would rather go with the short headers simply becuase they bolt right up. I'm not interested in drag racing my truck (do that in the car), I just have the other basic bolt-ons (intake/spacer/exhaust) and figured a set of headers surely couldn't hurt, might give a 10 or so HP and 1 or 2 more mpgs.

Agreed. I would recommend the AIRAID simply becuase you can use a Poweraid TB spacer AND the Airaid intake. If you go K&N, you can't use a TB spacer. atleast that is true for 88-95 TBI engines.

I have both of the above on my truck, and I think it helps. They seem to compliment each other nicely.

Slowprocess: How much hp/tq would a set of Edelbrock shorty headers give a truck do you think? They advertise like 15 hp I think, and don't really cost TOO much ($299 for my truck-92 K1500 350 TBI).

I would rather go with the short headers simply becuase they bolt right up. I'm not interested in drag racing my truck (do that in the car), I just have the other basic bolt-ons (intake/spacer/exhaust) and figured a set of headers surely couldn't hurt, might give a 10 or so HP and 1 or 2 more mpgs.

I think it would be a safe bet that you could get 10hp with the shorties. The shorties on your engine work alot better than on the 99+ engines. You'll gain most of it down low/middle range. The stock manifolds on these newer engines are very comparable to the shorties on these trucks, and that's the main reason I try to sway anyone from getting them. In your case, I think it would be a nice/affordable investment to go with the shorties.

I think it would be a safe bet that you could get 10hp with the shorties. The shorties on your engine work alot better than on the 99+ engines. You'll gain most of it down low/middle range. The stock manifolds on these newer engines are very comparable to the shorties on these trucks, and that's the main reason I try to sway anyone from getting them. In your case, I think it would be a nice/affordable investment to go with the shorties.

That's exactly where I'd want the gains (low/mid-range-that's also where the spacer and intake seem to help the most). That would help in towing, and that's what I'm more interested in (for the truck, lol). And it just seems like those TBI engines have as good a bottem end as the newer trucks. Now the top end is a whole nuther story, lol.

I'm definetely going to look into the shorties though. That and Edelbrock's Multi-Port fuel injection conversion for the TBI engines. On Horse Power TV, they installed that on Chuck's 93 C1500, and it gained 20 hp at the back tires, and they said it gained a lot of torque and fuel economy. Now the multi-port F/I conversion is pretty pricey (around $1000), so that will come at a much later date, but I would like to get some of the shorty headers.

When trying to get more performance or power the work never stops.


AutoPro

When trying to get more performance or power the work never stops.


AutoPro


I agree 100%.. Once you do start to feel a difference, that isnt good enough anymore and you want more more more!

But as for the poll.. The way to make power is to get air in and out as fast as possible.. So, first off.. air intake, and exhaust/headers..

regardless of wether or not they giver u the best bang for buck, you still shouldnt do any other mods until they'r addressed..
Slowprocess summed it up pretty nicely..

1)air intake
2)exhaust/headers
3)free mods (egr shave, tbi coolant bypass (proven good for up to 8hp), etc.)
4) Shift kit (and corvette servo if possible) will make your trannyt shift faster and harder.. puts more hp to the ground and makes a world of difference shifting..

5( A good dyno tune.. Never heard of this allen nelson charactrer.. But No "custom" burned prom you buy will ever be 100% correct, only someone that has the car at their disposal can hope to get the tuneright...get a cheap laptop, free scanning software http://www.moates.net/index.php?cPath=33 , A prom burner and prom adaptor http://www.moates.net/index.php?cPath=25 and a .bin editor. Learn about prom burning, get to know what is what on a prom chip and how to go about making changes and knowing what the changes do and affect. Try here for a good place to start http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~davis/z28/

should start you on your way to making some decent power..

bTw.. please excus my speeling and language.. i just got home from a loong nite of partyin' (its 7:30am..) and I just got shOT in the arM by my brother.. (if you wanna know the story, its in the off-topic thread of the Camaro forum)

my dad is gunna get his 98 done by allen and if he likes it enough he'll probly do the same for me too lol or well get it for me

I'll tell ya man. It's been worth every frickin cent I put on it. My truck was steady holding like 105 going to that fire last night. All I had to do is give it alittle more "go pedal" and it'd keep climbin, no sweat.

how well does a nelson tune work on a v6 silverado???

how well does a nelson tune work on a v6 silverado???

I'm not sure, and I could totally be wrong, but i don't think that he can tune a v6...

how well does a nelson tune work on a v6 silverado???

Just swap the 6 for an 8 :iceslolan

Just swap the 6 for an 8 :iceslolan

thats easy to say!!!

thats easy to say!!!

Worth it though, but I'd never do it again.

Too bad the auto manufacturers don't make it easier to upgrade the engine in the vehicles

Too bad the auto manufacturers don't make it easier to upgrade the engine in the vehicles


well how easy can it be??? its a thought worth thinking just think blender if you find a way you would be rich

well how easy can it be??? its a thought worth thinking just think blender if you find a way you would be rich

No, what I mean is having the v6 and v8's all use the same harness, PCM, etc. That way you could just yank out the v6 and stick in a v8 without trying to figure out how to rewire it, etc., etc.

aahhh yes. Those were the days. I can put a number of engines in my 77 ford f150. I even had room to stand INSIDE the engine bay while mating the block to the tranny!! I dont think that would be the case with these newer trucks. This is my first vehicle that WAS NOT made in the 70's. They sure have come a long way since then.

ive heard of all these mods except the "egr shave"...what does this do and how can i do it..??

I'm sorry but that's lame.

How about a Magnacharger. It can turn money into huge horsepower gains

How about a Magnacharger. It can turn money into huge horsepower gains

Magnacharger makes a great product, but its EXPENSIVE. It's power potential is pretty much limited to 500hp. You also need a full exhaust system to make good use of the Radix. There is also a good bit of parasitic drag using the radix. Overall a great supercharger for the average joe that wants to make good power, has basic wrenching skills, and a wallet full of cash. :iceslolan

I have heard filters that require oiling (k&n) the oil effects the MAF sensor. is this true? if so who makes the best filter that dont require oiling?

hey Slow...can you explain this EGR shave mod? i have an 02 with the 5.3. is this something i can do?

I just went today and was asking the same thing of a salesman at 4wheel parts. He told me that the Airaid will do exactly the same thing K&N will do. K&N is about forty bucks more. The filters are almost exact. People who have'nt had either, are just as satisfied with the Airaid.
Joe

Best bang for my buck so far is the Volant air intake with the ram air option on my 2002 2500HD Silverado. HUGE power gains over 40 MPH and when pulling a 27' travel trailer. Increase in mileage - 4 mpg. Also using spintech muffler dual 3" in and out with resonators. Sounds totally hot.

Eric Jensen

I just put an AEM Brute Force CAI on my truck this winter and have noticed 3 mpg increase and better performance. Plus it sounds really good. When this filter wears out I'm going to replace it with AEM's new Dryflow (http://trucks.aempower.com/press_events_detail.asp?aid=54) Air Filter.

No Oiling required!!!

My Throttle Body Spacer was a noticeable upgrade for sure... It was like $50 or $100 (It was a long time ago)

lol the best mod you can do to go faster will actually help in more than one way. if the girlfriend/wife is kinda on the heavy side, make her loose some weight, then youll be able to accellerate quicker and your chick's hotter at the same time!!!!!

lol anyways, a good set of headers should net a few more ponies, just dont get too big of ones for your application. bigger is not always better. i saw a test on a 350 smallblock with headers that were 1&5/8 and 1&3/4 inches and the smaller headers didnt make as much horsepower, but they made a killer amount of streetable torque, whereas the bigger tubes lost upwards of 20 lb/ft at certain points to the smaller ones. the horses gained by the big headers were only about 5 or 10 ponies if i remember right...

also, i dont know if it is easy or possible for the home mechanic to do on the newer v-8's, but what about a thinner head gasket. that would net a recognizeable power increase with the increase in compression ratio... anyone here ever done it on a newer style chevy v-8? you can really affect the ratio quite a bit depending on how thin you go.

has anybody used the "Tornado" in there v-8? if so, any differance or improvements?

if youre running an old 350, the best thing you could do for it (unless you want to rev it really high) is to bore it .030 over and stroke it out to a 383 with a 3.75 inch crank. then again that's kinda not a weekend venture

Hey Mods, How About Shutting This Thing Down?

Please, from now on, set polls to expire; this is ridiculous.