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Power additions: headers, chip and manifold?

3K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  TravRam07 
#1 ·
Hello,
I was just wondering what people are finding to be the best additions to their truck, be it headers or chipping or intake manifolds. I will eventually do all 3 if people are finding it beneficial, but I have a few questions as to which to do first (if it matters) and installation pains.

1) What are some good aftermarket headers and can I just bolt them on with the existing exhaust pipe or do I have to get new piping as well?

2) What have people found to be the best chip/ tuner? I've been wanting to get one for some time now, but I cant find what is the best for the buck for the 07's?

3) Wanting to increase my intake manifold to an 85 mm (bbk?) but am not sure if there are others out there or if this mod is worth it?

Any and all information on these questions would be much appreciated. I will be updating my profile (new, so doing that next) but as of now I just have the K&N intake and a Flowmaster Muffler...

Thanks in advance and hope to hear some great tips soon, want to get these mods done before winter. Gas mileage increase would be great, but power increase would be BETTER!! haha
 
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#2 ·
you have the right ideas, i believe edelbrock, jba and bbk make shorty headers that are direct fit (on my 05 they are)...Superchips and Diablo are the better and more experienced programmers, lean towards Diablo if you think you might want custom tuning done. I do run a port throttle body and i like it. Flows aren't really a nice option for hemi's as they like to breathe and straight thru mufflers perform better than chambered ones..
 
#3 ·
Fred is on the money here. BBK's are the most affordable bang for buck shorty headers available for the 3rd gens. If you want to step up to longtubes, then Pacesetter makes a nice affordable set with a 3" mandrel bent Y-pipe that will make for an easy install. On the tuners, I recommend Superchips if you dont think you will need custom tuning down the road, or Diablo if you think that you will wangt to custom tune your truck to gain every last HP or tune a bigger cam. BBK does also make a nice throttle body, but there are a few cheaper options out there for the same gains.
 
#5 ·
wow, thanks guys. So a shorty header would be a direct bolt on and I only have to replace the headers, not the y pipe with it? Also, thanks for the tuner advice, I think I am going to go with the DS Predator...seems to have good reviews and a lot of people are using it with success. I am going to look into the BBk headers...but, are the long tubes much more beneficial? Also, maybe I can find a different throttle body that is a little cheaper, because BBk is pretty pricey for sure. haha. Thanks for the input so far and I will update with what I decide to go with and which pieces I start with...I am thinking to start on the "in" side and work my way to the "out" side...order being chip, intake man, headers...then maybe need a custom tune done?
 
#7 ·
yup..some some of the other stuff too like a 180 tstat an efan.. long tubes will always be the best option but it takes more customizing of the exhaust.. do you have any form of smog/emissions testing or inspection? that sometimes is a deciding factor on how people choose headers...I run pacesetter lt's with custom exhaust and will swap it to smog legal shorty's for a week for testing...
 
#8 ·
no testing in Indiana...I think the shorty headers is the route I am going to go... I want to keep it simple on these mods, take stocks off and put aftermarkets on type thing. what is the 180 tstat? Ordering the throttle body in a day or so. Again, thanks for the reply's and after I add the parts, I will be leaving reviews/ results and hopefully I can help the next guy out.
 
#9 ·
180 thermostat..a cheap and easy mod. stock, your truck will run at 203 degrees which is good for emissions.. the 180 makes it run cooler (usually 185-190) which is better for performance as well as longevity (and important when it comes to modding).. you can get it at any autozone (duralast 4128)...
 
#10 ·
Went to Autozone to get the 180 tstat and they do not carry it...Going to have to find it somewhere else, I guess. Also, I found out the truck takes 16 spark plugs...OUCH! was wondering if it is ok to put good ones up top and just regular ones for the exhaust side? or do they need to match all the way around?

DS Intune is in the mail, and I am currently looking into the throttle body. Would like to change the throttle body, plugs, and wires all at the same time before I tune it.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the advice, bucks. Also, wanted to make a change to my last post...Decided to spend my money on a set of Hedman Headers instead of a TB. Those are also in transit and hopefully next weekend I will be making the changes...getting excited.
 
#14 ·
Got the DS Intune installed and tried the 91 tune first...noticed a slight difference. Then I tried the DS tune (think it is the 93 equivalent from the predator), havent had a whole lot of run time, but seem to notice a slight difference from the 91.
What are the downfalls of putting the tune on the truck?
Shorty headers are going on this weekend!! hope they are a direct fit to stock exhaust. Any tips or tricks to removing the stock headers would be greatly appreciated!
 
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