5.3L perf upgrades? + Splitfire question...

[letstalkdirty2]

Hey, I know this topic has been covered over and over again, but I wanted to get another perspective on things.

First of all, I have a 2001 2WD Tahoe with the 5.3L engine. I upgraded to a K&N cold air intake. I also upgraded to some SplitFire spark plugs and purchased the programmer III module from ?? so that I could program the chip in the Tahoe.

First impressions went like this. The K&N most certainly made a nice improvment to overall performance. Plus it now has that kewl sound when you stomp on the gas. As far as the programmer is concerned, I wasn't sure what options to change, but I did tell it to program the performance options. Honestly I didn't notice any changes at all once that was done. The only time I noticed a change is when I programmed it to use the higher octane fuel, but I had to change that back because we moved to a place (from Texas) where there is no 93 octane fuel available and the engine kept pinging.

Lastly (and I wanted to get opinions from others here) the SplitFire plugs seem to have actually degraded performance of my Tahoe. When I took the Tahoe into the shop to have them installed, the installer told me it was a bad idea and that the stock plugs were better. I blew him off, because you never know if these guys know what they are talking about... In anycase, the biggest degredation I've noticed is in initial excelleration. Now you can stomp on the gas and the thing barely moves forward. It feels like if you were trying to pull a 6,000lb trailer or something. Plus, now that I'm close to the mountains, I've really noticed how sluggish this poor little 5.3L is, trying to get up these mountains.

So, a) have other's had similar experience with the Splitfires?? Are they a waste of money for trucks/SUV's? What would be the best plug to get for the Tahoe for performance / torque?

also b) what else should I buy to help increase the performance of this 5.3L?? I need more HP because this thing ain't going to cut it as it is now. I've heard about throttle body spacers, would that be a good next purchase?

I wish they made Tahoe's with bigger engines, like a 7.4L or 8.1L. Is there a way to replace the 5.3L with a bigger engine? I'm very tempted to just buy a new Chevy 2500 HD truck with a big 8.1L, but I've got a LOT of money tied up in a gorgeous Alpine Multi-media system and TV's everywhere in my Tahoe. Hate to waste all that money and extra goodies. It would be perfect if it just had a bigger / stronger engine.

Any suggestions / ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thanks,

letstalk...

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[Accord_boy619]

It can be swaped for the 6.0 its direct fit. I dont know bout the 8.1, but the burbans HD come w/8.1

[SpitAndDirt]

Spitfires are a advertisers dream.....The plugs are do not crate a larger flame kernal. Simple rule of electricity: It will always take the path of least resistance. If one of the ground electrodes is closer to the center electrode than the other, then the spark will always take that path. Also splitfires are not made of the same quality metal as found in the stock ACDelcos. The plugs tend to erode faster and not give a complete spark. You need to switch back to stock plugs or a suitable equivalent. I've heard some people say that they have had good results from using NGK V-Power plugs, and also from Denso platinums. DO NOT USE BOSCH UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. You won't hurt anything, but seems like GM trucks to not tolerate Bosch plugs at all. Honestly I belive that throttle body spacers are in the same category as the Splitfires. I don't believe they give a real power gain. Some will argue with me I know..... but I won't buy anything unless it comes from a well respected manufacturer. -Chris

[gurrzt]

No the spacers do nothing, it is a spin off on the spacers they use between the carburator and the intake manifold on non FI vehciles, they do work in increasing fuel intake velocity, they do nothing to increase air intake, for that is governed by the size of the throttle body.

If you want a SOTP upgrade, replace your stock TC with a 3500 stall 2.5 STR.

[MentalState]

I have the Hypertech Programmer III..
I love it!..I have mine set for 93 octane I have moved the speed control to the max...I have the shift point changed to firm and the shiftpoints all set to a +5..Seems to rev out alot quicker and shifts like a dream..I also have and airRaid cold air intake and true dual exaust..I notice a big diffrence with programmer over stock set up.