Truck horsepower

[William S Imondi Sr]

What is the best way to improve the horsepower on my 2002 Chevy Silverado 3/4 ton 6.0 engine? Only has 31,000 miles on it. I'm pulling a 2014 Flagstaff 8528 RKWS.

[acadianbob]

That's a tough one. Some people will recommend tuning software or exhaust modifications. Unfortunately, those are expensive alternatives for modest gains. And I think that what you REALLY want is increased torque. Some of the engine mods can actually work to reduce torque.

What is your rear axle ratio? Perhaps the truck could be geared down a bit. But if you are already at 3.73 or 4.10, there isn't any room there either.

[1l243]

Tuner won't do much for gas motor. Air Intake and exhaust is about all you can do..I don't think the power increase will be worth the money.

Your Rig is a low mileage rig to say the least and you can get top dollar for it. You could consider selling and getting a diesel where Tune mods make a big difference not only in motor but shifiting as well...

[jgroff]

I would say it depends what you want to spend.

cam, ported heads, headers and exhaust will get you a good increase. look at the edelbrock e force super chargers too!

if you arent looking at spending alot (10k) dont waste your money on tuners.

[Torch]

What a lot of people do is a mistake, free flowing exhausts etc might increase upper rpm horsepower but it will be at the expense of torque.

[zs325RES]

Torch is spot on regarding exhaust and torque. This is especially true for the GM 6.0 on your truck which is an LQ4, a version of the LS engine.
I have the same in my 2006 2500HD and am pretty impressed with it in the stock setup.
I just sent my ECM out to get reflashed by Black Bear Performance. Along with my added cold air intake, I'm expecting a 50 hp gain in the low to mid rpm range. These engines are severely detuned by the factory to meet emission standards, so there is much to be gained with a proper tune. The tune includes reconfiguring the transmission settings for better torque management as well.
A pretty good investment for the money IMO.


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[MtnGuy]

I have had to delete several threads that had no reference to the the OPs question. He specifically asked about a Chevy engine.....not Ford, not Dodge.

Let's keep the thread on track with Chevy answers.

[AquaMan]

I was never impressed with my 2006 6.0L. While it had power, I thought it was lacking by today's standards, with only a little over 300hp. My biggest complaint was in the transmission though. Always searching for a gear, and while it had power to pull, the transmission was constantly downshifting, and high revving the engine, which drove me crazy. Pulled my 7200lb TT one season with it before I traded it in. I do believe you could do some valve work and tuning on the trans to make it better, I had great results with Level 10 upgrades in the past. Getting the power to the ground has better results than increasing the power.

[donanddona]

Don't know what the ratio is in the rear axel but have you thought about lowering it?

[Dave_Monica]

I'm surprised that you're unhappy with that combo...I had the same floorplan in a Rockwood and towed it for 2 years with a Hemi Ram and I was adequate for power.


What you really what is increased torque...lower RPM even better. Increased horsepower usually increase torque too but usually increases the RPM which peak torque occurs. Increasing the axle ratio has the same effect as increasing the engine torque and would be relatively inexpensive unless you have a 4x4. If you're thinking that you need more power to be able to maintain speed regardless of the grade, you should probably change that expectation.


Dave

[Cajun Po-Boy]

Originally Posted by AquaMan

I was never impressed with my 2006 6.0L. While it had power, I thought it was lacking by today's standards, with only a little over 300hp. My biggest complaint was in the transmission though. Always searching for a gear, and while it had power to pull, the transmission was constantly downshifting, and high revving the engine, which drove me crazy. Pulled my 7200lb TT one season with it before I traded it in. I do believe you could do some valve work and tuning on the trans to make it better, I had great results with Level 10 upgrades in the past. Getting the power to the ground has better results than increasing the power.

X2...had a 2009 Sierra 6.0, loved the truck but hated the power train setup

[William S Imondi Sr]

The rear axel is 3.73 and it is a 4x4. I thought about changing the rear gears to 410 but I would have to do both front and back because it is a four wheel drive. I'm looking more into bolt on parts, like intake and exhaust. I appreciate your suggestions and comments. I want to do something without going to the extreme.

[AquaMan]

Originally Posted by William S Imondi Sr

The rear axel is 3.73 and it is a 4x4. I thought about changing the rear gears to 410 but I would have to do both front and back because it is a four wheel drive. I'm looking more into bolt on parts, like intake and exhaust. I appreciate your suggestions and comments. I want to do something without going to the extreme.

Don't waste money on "cold air intakes", your truck has more than enough breathing room, and the gains are minimal at best. I ran only a slightly modified stock air box on a supercharged 5.7L with no problem. I still think money is best spent at the transmission. A reworked valve body and a tune will make the truck act completely different for less than you would spend on other add ons.

[mattb]

I was happy with some noticeable improvement from a Diablo tuner. No need to send out computer for rework. Plus, you can make mods to tranny shift pressure and shift points. You can also log performance data and email that to Lew and he can email a "custom tune" back for your exact conditions. I bought mine used on a truck forum for $300, I think they are like 400 new. You can also read OBD codes. Probably your best bet because you get to mod engine and tranny with one item. I have a k&n filter in my factory air box, not sure about improvements but I like it better than the paper style. I am still debating the cam change. Turbo or supercharging would be great but $4-6k. "How hard can you afford to make it pull".

COMP Cams: XFI™ RPM, XR259HR <BR> Very Strong Torque, Good Mileage, Noticeable Increase Over Stock Cam

https://www.diablosport.com/
DiabLew Tune - Custom Tuning for GM Vehicles - DiabloSport inTune, Trinity, Predator Custom Tuning by 06MonteSS

[LTnTN]

I'm surprised that you're not pleased with your truck's performance. I pull the exact same camper that you have with an F150 and the 3.5L Ecoboost with a 3.55 gear. I've put almost 3000 miles on it in the last 6 months pulling to Charleston SC, east Tennessee mountains, Virginia, and eastern Kentucky. Never short on torque or speed, cruising at 70-72 mph @ 2000-2200 RPMs in 5th & 6th gear 98% of the time. The occasional downshift to 4th is only on the steepest interstate grades.

[Taranwanderer]

If you plan on keeping this truck for awhile and towing with it frequently, the gear swap in both axles is the way to go. You'll lose some MPGs, but you'll be happier with the towing. My truck came with 3.42 rears and swapped to 4.10. I wouldn't trade the towing torque back for the mileage I lost. Good luck!

[SKnight]

You have a couple of options, while neither are cheap, they'll likely give you what you're looking for.

Option A, a supercharger such as the mentioned Edlebrock Eforce unit. You can get these as bolt on kits complete with a tuner so you can properly retune the engine and transmission controls. They're relatively low boost, so extra engine strain is minimal while gaining about 100 horsepower.

Option B, get a Gear Vendors under drive unit. They bolt in between the transmission and the transfer case and you can select a ratio that will give you the results you want. So if you want to end up with an effective 4.30 setup you order a unit with a 14% under drive. Then, flip a switch and the unit switches gear back to normal and you're back to your 3.73 ratio. So if you're happy with its high gear performance but want more getting out of the intersection then you have the best of both worlds.

[acadianbob]

Originally Posted by SKnight

Option B, get a Gear Vendors under drive unit. They bolt in between the transmission and the transfer case and you can select a ratio that will give you the results you want. So if you want to end up with an effective 4.30 setup you order a unit with a 14% under drive. Then, flip a switch and the unit switches gear back to normal and you're back to your 3.73 ratio. So if you're happy with its high gear performance but want more getting out of the intersection then you have the best of both worlds.

Interesting! I've have not heard of such a product before. I'm going to google it out of curiousity.

Edit: Googled it. Yikes! $3,000 plus and installation cost. Cool product though.

[SKnight]

Originally Posted by acadianbob

Interesting! I've have not heard of such a product before. I'm going to google it out of curiousity.

Edit: Googled it. Yikes! $3,000 plus and installation cost. Cool product though.

Yeah, like I said they're not cheap. But they're an excellent solution and cheaper than another truck. But cost more than a front and rear gear swap, so it's up to the buyer.

[AquaMan]

Not sure about the newer under drives, but the earlier ones were noisy and problematic.


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