MOD advice and 3" Exhaust Help

[dsf81]

I have an 01 silverado 5.3L 4x4. I have added the following:

Airaid intake
Ganatelli Mass Airflow Sensor
dual exhaust (but not catback)
Poweraid TBS
hypertech PPIII programmed
160 Deg. T-stat
MSD 8.5mm wires

What would one recomend next? Also I was thinking about a 3" exhaust and turn downs. Will true duals work on the 5.3 or will it throw a code and cause it to run bad. Any help on what I can do with my exhaust would be appreciated. I think I want to try
3" and turn downs, but am interested in advice from others.

[CahtasZ]

i have a single in dual out flow, with 3in turn downs on my 05. havnt seen any power lose, but when i took the tips off from having it as a 3in. pipe out the back to the turn downs i did lose a little noise outside the truck when running at idle. but as far everything else its great i love it. here's a pic

[96ImpSS]

First of all, let me say you're NOW heading in the right direction by posting here to get info and advice from folks with practical experience instead of just being subjected to marketing hype.
I'm sure you noticed an improvement in responsiveness from the Hypertech programmer. But......for the half that money you could have gotten twice the performance gain from one of the reputable tuners for these trucks: PCMforLESS or WAITforME. Those are the two "value" tuners that come to mind. The others like Westers, Wheatley,... are also good but I believe quite a bit more expensive, but they are still better value than the Hypertech. I'd sell the HPP and contact either PCMforLESS or WAITforME.

I'm not experienced with the NBS trucks like yours, but I suspect, as with my OBS, there is next to nil to be gained by replacing the well-designed factory intake. So I'd venture to say the Airaid intake didn't gain you anything, but you might like it just for the aesthetics.

The Poweraid spacer.......a waste. Sell it.

The Granatelli MAF sensor.........a waste. The factory MAF sensor will support 500 hp, plus the Granatelli is nearly impossible to tune around. Sell it and put the stocker back on.
The 160 tstat is a good mod that will allow a better tune when you get custom programming.

The MSD wires are a good durability mod. No improvement over new stock wires, but if they're the spiral wound type, they won't break down over time like the stockers.

I'm not clear on what you did with your exhaust. But anyway, going from a 2-1/4" (for example) dual system to a 3" dual system won't do anything for you until you're beyond the 400 hp level. Even then, a good mandrel bent 2-1/2" dual system is good for 500 fwhp.

Sorry to sound so negative, but let us know your goals for the truck, and you'll get more useful information on what to do next.

[dsf81]

Right now I don't drive the truck everyday, however I do drive it almost every weekend. I also pull a boat with the truck atleast one weekend a month. I want to get all the horse that I can, but don't want to give up a ton of gas mileage as I use it too much for that right now.

I was thinking about changing the exhaust for sound. I want a deeper more aggressive sound. I have dual exhaust, but not catback. I am wanting suggestions on what to do to make my truck sound better, and if I gain some HP on top of that that would be awesome.

[96ImpSS]

Since you're towing, I'd put a Transgo shift kit in it. It will help the trans durability and make the shifts much better.
Get the custom tune, taking into account the shift kit and removing torque management.
Then a set of longtube headers and your catback of choice.

[gmctrucks]

My brother put on long headers on his truck along with a stall convertor oh he does have a true dual all the way back and took it to some guy that tunes it with his Lap Top talk about getting after it BIG power gains I agree with 96ImpSS he knows his business. Next he's trying this new cam for it he has a 5.3 engine on it he takes it to the track with slicks I forgot what time it was but it was good. I guess all it takes is money good thing I keep my money tree well watered. I wish.

[96ImpSS]

My brother put on long headers on his truck along with a stall convertor .....

I have a Vigilante 9-1/2" converter in my truck that brake stalls to 3100 (it was actually built to be a 2600 stall in a cammed ImpalaSS, but this Vortec motor has gobs more torque in the 2500-3000 range, thus the increase in observed stall).
I love it even though I tow 5500 lbs with it. But I would NOT recommend it unless I really trusted somebody to observe the precautions I do; number one being the use of a manual lockup switch for the TC clutch.
As a matter of fact, for towing in hilly country I'd want a lockup switch with any converter, including the stock one.

The mods I suggested previous to this are kinda like no-brainers; you can't go wrong or get yourself in trouble with them. If you're considering a different TC and/or a cam, and you're towing, then I suggest you do a lot more studying, make some long range plans, and really understand the ramifications of what you're getting into.