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Best Mods for Money, and Why.

Ed HD

Ed HD

Formerly: Dad's 05 LLY
Messages
3,152
Reaction score
362
Location
Chuck Town, Iowa
Ok, so my dad won't do anything to our truck, and it is pissing me off. It has just over 48K, and all that has been done for performance is a K&N drop-in filter, and that was a freebie from our suburban, when we upgraded to a K&N intake. What is the best Intake/Tuner/Exhaust combo, how much (approximately), how hard is it to put in, and how much will mileage increase? I know that is really loaded, but answer as well as you can. I want something that will improve mileage somewhat, 3-4 mpg, but will deliver good performance when i drop the hammer. TIA.
 
You wont see much from just a intake and exhaust if you read deisel power last month they did a comparison of ford and cheb\vy to see who responded the best to the after market the chevy was an LBZ, it gaind about 16 horse power and I think 30 footpounds or so nothing huge a tuner is where it is at if you want power and ecocnmoy in my opinion.
 
your exhaust and cat removal will be the best bet for you imo. dont waste you money on a cai. and for a nice tuner maybe go with the predator.
 
If you are on a budget, keep the drop in filter. Some say the stock filter is better and flows better as well so thats an opinion thing.
MBRP turbo back in aluminized will be one of the least expensive and good exhaust.

For a tuner, check out any of the hand helds like the predator, flashpaq, hypertech, etc. They are inexpensive at $400-$500. You will need a finger stick and blocker plate for the exhaust because you will likely throw a code with the exhaust.

Check with supporting vendors on here and see what they have.
 
If that's the K&N filter that gets the oil spray on it I'd be real cautious because they've been known to really screw up your ex$pensive MAF sensor. The stock filter actually seems to flow better than the K&N.
 
The K&N has been on there for 2 years with no effects on the MAF, so I'm not worried about it anymore. About removing the cat, i know that is illegal, but we have no emissions checks/inspections, but what about if i got pulled over in it?
 
stacks04 said:
your exhaust and cat removal will be the best bet for you imo. dont waste you money on a cai. and for a nice tuner maybe go with the predator.
Click to expand...

x2
in most caes the LLY won't throw a code b/c some of them were FE9 packages that didn't have "emission controls". even if you get pulled over it's not required for a diesel to have a cat, i've been through inspection check points and never had any problems. silverline makes a nice exhuast that is turbo back that would elim the cat. as for a programmer, a Quadzilla or Diablo are two nice choices for a simple plug and play adjustable unit that would most likely increase fuel economy any where from 2-5mpg.
 
FYI - Here is an independent Laboratory test that was organized by Arlen Spicer (a member at the other place).
http://www.duramax-diesel.com/spicer/index.htm

The K & N filter did have the lowest initial restriction, but also was one of the worst in allowing dirt to get through.

It all boils down to what you are really after.

The conclusion was that for most applications, the OEM AC Delco filter was the best overall performer.

So as far as "bang for your buck" is concerned, the OEM AC Delco filter is ultimately the least expensive for the obtained results.
 
KYLE@XDP said:
x2
in most caes the LLY won't throw a code b/c some of them were FE9 packages that didn't have "emission controls". even if you get pulled over it's not required for a diesel to have a cat, i've been through inspection check points and never had any problems. silverline makes a nice exhuast that is turbo back that would elim the cat. as for a programmer, a Quadzilla or Diablo are two nice choices for a simple plug and play adjustable unit that would most likely increase fuel economy any where from 2-5mpg.
Click to expand...
Ok, where do i look to see if i have the FE9? My dad's boss had the Diablo on his 02 PS, and he really liked it. I just have to convince my dad to do anything with it, and BTW, none of this will void the 100K powertrain warranty, will it?
 
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Ok, i looked, and it is FE9, but it has a code DPF, which i hope means something other than what it means on the 07+ trucks
 
Take a look at my mods. You can't beat the Silverline exhaust, the DiabloSport Predator is about the simplest tuner you can buy ($300 or less - I got mine for $180 on eBay), the TxC CAI is definitely the way to go (take the K&N off and throw it as far as you can) - retains the stock AC Delco filter and stock air box. The TxC CAI was good for 1-2 mpg on my truck. I went from 16-17 to 22+ highway. YMMV...
 
It is just the replacement filter for the stock, and it was a freebie from our suburban, and it would take a lot of explaining to explain to my dad why i put in a factory air filter instead of the K&N that was in there
 
Dad's 05 LLY said:
It is just the replacement filter for the stock, and it was a freebie from our suburban, and it would take a lot of explaining to explain to my dad why i put in a factory air filter instead of the K&N that was in there
Click to expand...
If he wants to ensure the longevity of his Duramax, all you need to do is give him the link I posted above and he will see for himself that the factory AC Delco air filter is a whole lot better than the K&N filter.
 
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