A gear swap to like a 373 and a good custom tune and you will be well on your way. That is after you install a CAI and exhaust. Good luck man

 

um. i have no clue what you just said....well i mean like i don't know what that means... except for the gear thing and i gt glass packs if thse are any good true duals

 

other less expensive upgrades are throttle body spacer, lightened pulleys, low temp thermostat, MAF sensor. most of which are not too bad hard to install, after that your gonna have to spend some money if want noticable results. 5.3's are a really good powerplant but the only thing they got going for them from the factory are vortec heads! if u wanna make some true power u'll need an engine rebuild and upgrade all the internals, AND THATS VERY EXPENSIVE!! but if u look in the right places you can probably make around 500hp for about 2-3 grand.

 

If you want to go faster put different gears in your truck 373 is a good gear you should have 342 gears right now. Also buy you a custom handheald tuner and you will be well on your way to going faster. That is after you get a Cold Air Intake and a good aftermarket exhaust.

 

My thoughts:

3.73 gears - Around $2000 for parts and install
CAI by K&N or AirAID - $220 - $299 (do it yourself)
Throttlebody Spacer - $100 (do it yourself)
Programmer - $299 - $499 (do it yourself)
Exhaust - about $500 for parts and install

These are Alaska prices...so I'm sure they are steep depending on where you sling your mud at.

You do that and your gonna be quite pleased especially if you are running stock tires and haven't lifted it. I have all off the same mods on my 5.3L (except 4.56 gears and lift/tires) and I am COMPLETELY pleased at my performance.

 

My thoughts:

3.73 gears - Around $2000 for parts and install
CAI by K&N or AirAID - $220 - $299 (do it yourself)
Throttlebody Spacer - $100 (do it yourself)
Programmer - $299 - $499 (do it yourself)
Exhaust - about $500 for parts and install

These are Alaska prices...so I'm sure they are steep depending on where you sling your mud at.

You do that and your gonna be quite pleased especially if you are running stock tires and haven't lifted it. I have all off the same mods on my 5.3L (except 4.56 gears and lift/tires) and I am COMPLETELY pleased at my performance.

Where are you getting 2 grand for parts and install. I just got quoted at 300.00 for the swap in my 08 silverado. I couldnt even see it costing that much if you bought the whole axle. That is parts and labor. It is only about 1.5 hrs to swap the gears out. Then if you dont have a tuner you have to purchase that to swap your gear ratio on you pcm.

 

Start out with an intake and exhuast, I'd recommend Volant intake and Gibson exhaust because that's what I have, but the choice is up to you, that will set you back about $700-$800 after that maybe a programmer another $300-$400 and then after that you're going to have to spend some real money! :great:

 

You need a programmer that will disable GM's torque management. That will give you better take offs. The tuner will also help with a wee bit more horsepower. CAI and exhaust will help it all breath better and get you moving faster. If you get ambitious then I would mess with a new camshaft (~ $300 - $400), if your not familiar with engines have some else install the cam. Modding a vehicle is a true adventure, doing the work yourself wherever you can will save you big and gives that sense of accomplishment. Plus you know how it went together if there ever is an issue you'll know where to lokk for problems.

 

5.3l

I got a 2008 silverado 5.3
i did a k&n intake the plastic one not the chrome better for performance doesn't hold as much heat
a edge programmer with the dash pod
a gm performance exhaust stainless steel very very nice deep sound

 

Where are you getting 2 grand for parts and install. I just got quoted at 300.00 for the swap in my 08 silverado. I couldnt even see it costing that much if you bought the whole axle. That is parts and labor. It is only about 1.5 hrs to swap the gears out. Then if you dont have a tuner you have to purchase that to swap your gear ratio on you pcm.

$300? I'm not sure how that is considering a new ring and pinion for the front axle alone is $325 and $260 for the rear using the 3.73 ratio. To do a master install right, it's around 4 hrs per axle.

I just had mine regeared and that is on par with what I expected to pay. $2056 out the door.

 

I am just going off what the guy at the shop told me and I didnt think you had to do both axles in the truck and you dont have to change out the ring an pinion to install the 373 gears the gears are only like 140 bucks. My buddy just had his firebird changed from a 342 to 373 paid the guy 300 bucks and that thing gets out of the hole in a hurry now. If it isnt broke dont fix it. If you want to change the gears you dont have to go all out and change everything else.

 

I should have asked this rite off the bat what Kind of truck is it. This way people wont be arguing over prices. It cost a little more to do 4*4s than 2wds

 

$300? I'm not sure how that is considering a new ring and pinion for the front axle alone is $325 and $260 for the rear using the 3.73 ratio. To do a master install right, it's around 4 hrs per axle.

I just had mine regeared and that is on par with what I expected to pay. $2056 out the door.

$2000 sounds about right to me, option 2 would be to find a complete axle off someone thats already been regeared but odds are very slim..... if you know someone good at mechanic work, make it a do-it-yourself project and save loads of money!

 

dumb question, but what exactly does putting in a 373 gear do? is it for posi-trac? sorry..

 

dumb question, but what exactly does putting in a 373 gear do? is it for posi-trac? sorry..

changing gear ratios increases or decreases the number of times the drive shaft/engine turns per revolution of the wheels. can use it just to compensate for tire size changes or to increase/decrease horsepower & torque or acceleration & top end speed. here's a link i found that should answer your question and many others....http://www.ringpinion.com/FAQ.aspx

 

Sorry about hijacking the thread for a question, but should my suburbans 3.73 gear ratio be okay with my 285 tires?

 

I dont know why I said you dont need to replace the ring and pinion but that is what you need to replace. The ring a pinion for my truck is 145 dollers and 150 for the labor.

 

Sorry about hijacking the thread for a question, but should my suburbans 3.73 gear ratio be okay with my 285 tires?

Yes. It should put you at around 2400 - 2600 RPMs at 65 MPH in overdrive. Is that what it normally is? That is on the fuel economy side of the scale, so if you want to be closer to factory, you need to go with 4.10:1.

 

I put a K&N intake system on with a set of short headers. An Edge programmer to change the timing curve. Was told that I can have my transmission shift points changed, haven't done that yet. My millage went down by 3 mpg afterwards though!

 

Ive heard that you can do a cam swap and give it up to 400 horsepower. but i dont know the name of the cam

 

I live in smog town (San Diego) so that's out!

 

so whats out a cam swap?

 

Doing the following will help:

Different exhaust(get rid of that water heater sized restrictive muffler)
K&N filter and less restrictive tube
Computer tune (Diablo, Hypertech, custom)

Those throttle body spacers pretty much do zero, there is no evidence to back up the claim that they increase HP and torque.

 

I did headers, exhaust (no muffler but I kept the H pipe), spectre intake, cam swap and springs (not installed yet) throttle body spacer, custom tune from diablo and maybe eventually I'll do a dyno tune, 373 gearing and smaller, lighter rims and low pro tires. Once the cam is in and the tune is perfected I will, without a doubt, smoke an SS. The next mod would be built heads that are port matched to the engine. This truck is getting very impressive and sounds AMAZING! I can't wait for the cam to go on it.

 

I have a 02 Silverado current upgrades are Headmen shorty heads 3" exhaust, K&N cold air intake, MSD 8.5mm plug wires, accel rapid fire plugs and a Hypertech programmer. Any ideas on a quicker throttle response.