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Advice with performance Mods needed!!!

avking

SM 2003
Full Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Messages
1,297
Location
Buellton, CA
I have read a lot in this and the 4x4 forum. I have done many offroad and apperance MODs to the AV. Now it is time for some performance MODs. This is where I get lost and have no experience. When making reccomendations, please keep in mind, I will ve having everything installed for me. I do not have the tools, skills, time or desire to do the install myself. I don't even change my own oil or clean my own truck. Also, I'm not Mister Big $$$, but I can spend a little every month or so. With that said, I am looking for performance MODs that will be good for an offroader. I want both onroad and offroad performance increases, but the MOD must be safe offroad. I offroad in a lot of sand, fine dust and deep and long water crossings.

Air Box Kit. What is the best kit for someone that offroads? I have read a lot about them, and many seem to have some problems when offroading.

Has anyone done or seen a snorkel on an AV? This MOD would give me great piece of mind on the river crossings.

Muffler / Exhaust system. If I get a Air Box Kit, I need to do this next, to get better advantage of the increased air flow. Correct? Well, I need a system that will not change my clearance from the stock system.

Chip. What is the Chip? Is it used in conjunction with a Hypertech programmer or is it stand alone?

After a Air Box Kit, Exhaust and Hypertech, what would you do next? And don't tell me a supercharger, don't have that kind of cash.

As stated in my sig, I have a 02 1500 Z71 so it is the 5.3l. I have 3.73 gears and I know the 4.10 would be a great MOD, put very expensive. My dealer wants 2K and I can't swing that right now.

Thanks guys.
 
The first thing I would get even before an airbox (since the Stock air box is rather well designed) would be the exhaust.

Start with the exhaust and then move onto a chip programmer and then maybe an after market airbox. The snorkel would be a cool idea but I am unsure how you would run it without cutting some sheet metal work on your AV.

 
Avking, I would mirror Flynhigh's advice here. You can get a fair amount of benefit and save a lot of money by going with a muffler swap. I went with a stainless Magnaflow and have been happy with it. There are several brands of exhaust system/mufflers that members here have used with good results. Try searching with "muffler" or "exhaust" as your keyword.

I bought , and can also recommend a Hypertech PP3 (HPP3) programmer. These can be purchased new for around $325. It will allow you to tune the computer for 93 octane fuel, (or 87 octane), adjust shift points and firmness, change tire size for the speedo calibration, and a couple of other options. You will notice a difference after installing, and there are no tools required.

As far as the airbox goes, I am using the Volant box. It uses a serviceable, oiled gauze element, as does the K&N. It will breathe better than a stock paper element, but if you ever decide it would be nice to have a clean filter while in the middle of a dusty road trip, it is much easier to pop in a cheap, throw away paper filter into the stock airbox and be done with it than to carry around an extra, clean (and expensive) spare oiled gauze element.

The idea of attaching a snorkel set-up to an Avalanche sounds intriguing, and would look very cool, IMO. If you are going to spend any amount of time in deep water it may be the way to go. Just don't forget that there are other items on the truck that will need their breathers elevated as well, such as the differentials. One thing to remember about a snorkel, is that it will make the air intake less efficient, costing you power. Something to think about if you don't need it.
 
Agree on the general line. Help the truck to breathe better. Almost anything you do in this are will fit well with other items. There are mods that you will not get the full impact from if the air flow is restricted. I did the smaller things leading up to the super charger. They were all great adds on thier own. K&N, exhaust, then after a while headers. To my thinking these are good on or off road.
 
Thanks for the info, and please, keep it coming.

The snorkel is not "necessary" but would give me piece of mind. I do some deep water for short distances and with waves coming over the hood, I am worried of water in the intake. The other breathable parts are not as much of a problem, because I do not do long distances in the deep water. The problem I see is that it only takes one wave to get water into the intake, then I could be in for a big repair bill.

Exhaust system. I will look at other threads, but does anyone know who makes the unit with the best clearance. Or at least as good of clearance as stock?

Air Intake. I understand the dilema. Good intakes and good filters can get trashed offroad, and are hard to service offroad. But, they perform better. I am going to have to think on this one. I am going to look around for an air intake designed for offroaders.

I need the Hypertech for my bigger meats and my lift. Id there a difference between the Hypertech and the "Chip" I hear people talk about? What is the "Chip"?
 
Before the engine's computer could be reflashed, you would put in a computer chip in the computers diag. port... Now you can reflash the computer with a Hypertech PP III or a DiabloSport Predator so making the "chip" obsolete. So basically your Hypertech or Predator is just a new version of a chip.
 
Edward K said:
Before the engine's computer could be reflashed, you would put in a computer chip in the computers diag. port... Now you can reflash the computer with a Hypertech PP III or a DiabloSport Predator so making the "chip" obsolete. So basically your Hypertech or Predator is just a new version of a chip.

Thank you. You get 1 "applaud" for that.
 
I know these threads were back in '03 but i'm a little behind in the game... I've "chipped" my avi with super chip and got it running performance with 93 octane (waste of gas =/) but i've recently come across the following: http://www.gfchips.com/  this website says its an actual chip, not just a programmer...it promises way more gains than any programmer and costs insanely less!! anyone here heard of this?
Thanks, in the next 2 weeks i'll be installing headers on my baby which already has K&N and magna flow... oh i'm pumped =D thanks brothers with bad ass trucks!
 
This is still a programmer they are not redoing your ECU. To chip you have to open up your ECU and that is one of the things OBII prevents. Until the HotRoders figured out how to hack the ECU?s by using the ports. You would have to send your ECU in, or exchange, or know how to break into it to chip it.

This is from their site ( We have developed a system that is able to intercept and reconfigure the signals transmitted to the ECU.  This enables us to essentially reprogram your ECU to attain maximum efficiency) so there are a lot of flashers or programmers out there that do custom PROGRAMING.


http://chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,132729.0.html

This is another chance I get to talk up superwagon a member on here. If you search tunes it is endless.
 
It's NOT a chip. Their description indicates it plugs into your IAT sensor with two wires, so it's simply just another one of the same-old, same-old resistors that fools the PCM into thinking the inlet air temperature (IAT) is cooler than it actually is. The pcm therefore does not start retarding timing due to high IATs, thus essentially advancing your timing. This marginally increases your power level.
 
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