Sierra-Need more power for towing

[Imorr55]

Newbie: Have a 2001 Sierra . I need to increase the power because I bought a larger trailer. The RV dealer recommended increasing the gear ratio, currently it's 3.42. He also recommended a computer chip and a KNN air-intake upgrade. I'm new to trucks and open to opinions. What will these improvements cost and are they the right things to do? He also mentioned upgrading the exhaust but it sounds like a lot of money.
Regards,
Ian

[Taz_01]

What size motor do you have in your truck? If it's the 4.8 it is way too under powered to pull a larger trailer. As for the gear ratio I would go with the 4.11 or the 3.73 minimum. You can check auto wreckers to get them for a decent price.The air-intake is a good option- fairly cheap and adds up to 10% more power. The power chips are expensive and as for the exhaust, mine is a 3" exhaust (designed for power) from the factory, you shouldn't have to mess with that. Also make sure your truck is rated high enough to pull a larger trailer, makes me wonder if all you have are 3.42 gears. Good luck!

[Sivart]

3.73 gears would be better or if you do a lot of towing 4.11 would give you the most pulling power. Your non towing mileage will suffer though.

[sechracer]

If your truck is a 4X4, the gear ratio change can get exspensive, a chip is a good way but can be exspensive, super tuners run about the same price, but are a little bit better option. They are simple to use, and you can switch from more horsepower back to stock in minutes. The exhaust should be a 3 inch if you have a fullsize. Only thing that would give you more horsepower with that is to get a good catbak system which costs in the area of $500

[jerradjoe]

Look at some kind of a power programmer, some can add us much as 150 ft/lb of torque