Questions about cam and other upgrades to my 5.3?

[Draenor]

I just want more all around power. More torque at the bottom end to get off the line and more ponies to keep going. I also want more torque to be able to haul trailers that "i cant haul because theyre too heavy" says me dad.

That being said. Your 5.3 really is not the limiting factor of you towing more. Gears, suspension, brakes and maybe transmission are more the problem than power. The 5.3 will pull more than the rest of the truck should handle. You may already know this, but I just hate to see people overloading a half ton when I have to be on the road with them.

6.0, longer stroke, more torque. Little cam and some tuning, it will pull. The tune alone will make a difference. What gears do you have 3.42s? Gearing lower will give more grunt and be terr off the line.

 

[66nova]

I have to agree with Scott on this. The 5.3 is a very capable motor, but if you're looking to stay naturally aspirated and make 400hp at the wheels I would start with a 6.0 or 6.2.







Can your goals be accomplished with a 5.3? Absolutely, but will the power be where you need it in a heavy ass truck. Probably not. What good is 400 hp if it's only available at 7000 rpm? If you're drag racing and have a properly matched combo to that 7000rpm great but I'm assuming this is not going to be a drag only truck and you need some torque to go with it.







6.0/6.2 is the way to go. Better heads and displacement right from the factory. Plus, depending on which one you get you are starting off with close to 400 crank hp.







What are you wanting to do with the truck?

I just want more all around power. More torque at the bottom end to get off the line and more ponies to keep going. I also want more torque to be able to haul trailers that "i cant haul because theyre too heavy" says me dad.

Is your truck still a 4 speed or the 6 speed?



The 5.3 can certainly be made stronger. You would be amazed what can be had just from a custom tune. It will give you more than what many can imagine. I would start there. There is no reason to wait on it until you get other stuff, because just will retune it for free.



That being said. Your 5.3 really is not the limiting factor of you towing more. Gears, suspension, brakes and maybe transmission are more the problem than power. The 5.3 will pull more than the rest of the truck should handle. You may already know this, but I just hate to see people overloading a half ton when I have to be on the road with them.

I have the 6 speed

I think most people telling you need a 4L80 think you have the 4 speed (4L60) My understanding is the 6 speed will hold up to more power.

If I were you I would order an Autocal and get a tune from before I did anything else. If you haven't driven a GM with a custom tune you really can't fully appreciate the difference.

With the autocal you can get email tune updates and data log your truck.

 

[09chevyAV]

Yeah I havent ever driven a GM with a custom tune on it. And from the factory I have 3.08 rear gears, like WTF is that? I am gonna go with 4.56 when I lift it and put 35s and rims this summer along with either a tune or speedo recalibrator from hypertech. Been thinking about just the recal and then once I save some more up I can get the tune

 

[66nova]

You won't want 4.56 gears with that 6 speed. 3.08 and a 6 speed is like 3.73s with a 4 speed. The six speed is geared very low.

 

[daddy]

Yeah I havent ever driven a GM with a custom tune on it. And from the factory I have 3.08 rear gears, like WTF is that? I am gonna go with 4.56 when I lift it and put 35s and rims this summer along with either a tune or speedo recalibrator from hypertech. Been thinking about just the recal and then once I save some more up I can get the tune

I think you might need to do a little more reading, asking, and thinking.

There is no better place to start than with a tune. There is no better bang for your buck. Also, as Robert stated, those gears are entirely wrong for that 6-speed. Skip the Hypertech altogether and use that cash towards you tune, even if it's only $5.

 

[09chevyAV]

So what then 4.11s? I know that is what I want to go to at the highest for sure because I know with 3.73s on the highway the truck will be searching to find a gear at 70 mph. Ive experienced it in my dads truck. He has 4.56 and 4.11s before that and the 4.11s were fine but he went to 4.56 to try and get more torque out of the low end to pull stuff

 

[mr_bots]

If a 5.3 with 3.73s can't maintain 70 on the highway then something is wrong. The 5.3 in my Tahoe with 3.42s and the 6 speed will cruise at 80mph in 6th all day.

 

[09chevyAV]

But thats also not with 35s and a 7.5 lift. I mean I know for sure that I will need new gears. Its ridiculous to even try to run 3.08s on there with that setup. At first I had originally wanted to go with 3.73s because I had researched the rpm gears and tire size chart and that had matchd up closest. But what I am going to do next is put in 4.11 yukons, a 7.5 lift, 35s and either an 18 or 20 inch rim, and now a tune from blackbear. thanks guys

 

[Draenor]

I take my needing a gearing change back. I think you should be good on 35s. Im not all familiar with the 6 speeds though.




Get a tune. It will be a night and day difference. No need for the Hypercrap. This can be done via tune.

I see yer in Lafayette. If I had the time
(and you had some monies), I could burn some credits and do some tweeking.

 

[09chevyAV]

I take my needing a gearing change back. I think you should be good on 35s. Im not all familiar with the 6 speeds though.




Get a tune. It will be a night and day difference. No need for the Hypercrap. This can be done via tune.

I see yer in Lafayette. If I had the time
(and you had some monies), I could burn some credits and do some tweeking.

Thats what I was told also, that really I didnt need the gears, that a retune would be ideal instead because of money mostly. And then later on since I would go with blackbear anyways I could get a new tune from them when I had the money for a gear swap.
Right now I dont have the money to do any of that, but I really want to just squeeze more power out of it. Thats all I want really. And also if I didnt get a gear swap I would be able to do it all sooner as well