Eula Eckman

August 12, 2010

Trick My Truck & SUV – Chevrolet Tahoe Add Ons to Increase Horsepower and Gas Mileage

Filed under: Flowmaster — Tags: , , , — biooooowwwnn @ 12:12 am


Image : http://www.flickr.com

Chevrolet has perfected a huge selling success with its Tahoe and Suburban SUV. With a wide array of trim packages and powertrain choices, there’s a little of everything for folks of all walks of life. But as gas prices start to climb and more people looking for more fuel efficient alternatives, owners are looking for cheap ways to enhance what they’ve got without going to the extreme of trading or downsizing into something less favorable. The aftermarket world for performance enhancing parts is huge with the Chevrolet Tahoe and is certainly worth the research to find the right products for your SUV. Here is a brief list of inexpensive do-it-yourself items you can buy and install in an afternoon.

First, an easy to find item is a higher flowing performance air filter. Manufactured by well known companies such as K&N, airaid and AEM, these products can be purchased at any auto retailer like Wal-Mart, AutoZone and Pep Boys. What a performance filter does is replace your existing restrictive stock filter with a higher flowing unit. The better the engine can breathe, the more horsepower and better gas mileage. Tests have shown a 8-10 HP increase and a 1-3 mpg upswing in a 5.3 V8 Tahoe. Aside from the gains, maintenance will be cut down as well as these filters are cleanable and reusable too. In essence, don’t leave this cheap part off your list, they only retail for $35-55!

Next, a performance exhaust system is another cheap way to free up some more of those HP’s and overall gas mileage in your old or new Tahoe. Kits are available from manufacturers like flowmaster, borla, and Bassani for all engine size Tahoes from the early 1995 models to the newer 2010′s. Kits come complete with all the hardware and instructions. All you have to supply are basic hand tools and an afternoon’s amount of time to get it all together. Your Tahoe will thank you because the engine will dispel all of the burnt gases easier and you will get that nice deep throaty sound once made popular in muscle cars. Gain more power and a few more mpg’s with this must have modification.

And lastly, no Chevrolet Tahoe or GMC Yukon will come complete without a performance chip from Hypertech or Superchips. Performance chips retail at around $80-100 and only take about 20 minutes to install using basic handtools. What a performance chip does for your ride is that it will enhance your transmission’s shift points for better efficiency and less wear and tear. A good performance chip will also enhance your truck or SUV’s fuel curve to gain more mpg’s too. A performance chip will compliment the other performance parts and won’t void any existing warranty.

And so, that is a brief list of some of the most popular and tested parts one must buy for their Tahoe or Yukon. Altogether, you should see about a 30-40 horsepower increase and about a 5-7 mpg gain with all the mods. With summer just around the corner, motorists could use more of their hard earned bucks toward more important activities. But if you want to take modifications a step further, drivers have been converting their truck and SUV into hybrid type vehicles. I’ve seen water/gas conversions and the popular electric/gas hybrid conversion made popular by Toyota and Honda. The IRS will even pay you tax credits for driving a clean fuel vehicle, nothing but positive money savings here. For more information on how you can convert your truck and SUV now, please feel free to visit my site below.

For more tips on how you can easily convert your truck or SUV into a gas/money saving hybrid, please visit my site: http://kookoox10-silverado-exhaust.blogspot.com/

Shaun Davidson-Automotive and Finance Consultant-2008

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July 24, 2010

Trick My Truck – Chevrolet Silverado Performance Add Ons to Increase Horsepower and Fuel Economy

Filed under: Flowmaster — Tags: , , , , , — biooooowwwnn @ 3:07 am


Image : http://www.flickr.com

Despite increasing gas prices, trucks and SUV’s are still among the best selling and most profitable of automobiles available. And coming in at a close second, the aftermarket community is just as profitable as most owners look for the right mix of personalization and performance to further set themselves apart from the crowd. That’s what makes customizing a new or pre-owned truck an unforgettable experience. The great news is, that most aftermarket add-ons are readily available and take little effort to install using simple hand tools and a couple hours of your time. I will go over a brief list of some of the most popular and cheapest performance accessories to make that truck more powerful, more economical, and have an enhanced satisfaction value.

One of the easiest and most affordable add-ons is of course a high flow air filter. Not only will this allow the truck’s engine to breath more efficiently, but will give you a part that is reusable. In the long run, this will save the enthusiast in maintenance costs and will give the driver a fuel economy boost of 1-3 mpg on average. In addition, manufacturers like K&N and Airaid have a wide selection of air filters to choose from for any make and model of automobile, these retail for only $35-55 and the benefits will exceed itself in a matter of months. I would also recommend the fuel injection intake kits if money is no object, again these install in less than 45 minutes and have the same function as a basic air filter. These are also available in a cold air variety that feeds air from behind an air dam or bumper, therefore getting more increase of horsepower.

One such other add-on that is most popular is a custom exhaust. To compliment a more free flowing intake system, a quality exhaust is a must and will help dispel of all the burnt gases from the engine efficiently. An aftermarket system will also enhance performance figures and give it’s driver a slight edge in fuel economy as well. There are some exhaust systems from Borla and Magnaflow that have a bolt on kit available which will eliminate welding work and having to bring your ride to a muffler shop. But for a more economical system, Flowmaster has a wide variety of kits that cost only several hundred dollars and is the most popular. In your exhaust search, try to focus on stainless steel kits to help hinder rust for many years to come. And most kits come complete with all the hardware-muffler(s), tubing, hangers, clamps, bolts, instructions, you get the picture. But best of all, a custom exhaust will give the truck a nice throaty sound that only a muscle car can do.

And finally, another basic add-on is a performance chip. Made available by companies like Hypertech and Superchips, a performance chip will re-educate the computer system in your truck to adjust shift points to better your fuel economy. These chips take very little time to install, less than 15 minutes in most cases, and cost around a $100 on average in most autos. A more technological accessory is a power programmer, this tool does everything a chip does, but there is more driver intervention of specs of your engine vitals. You can literally customize your truck’s computer more completely than just a chip. But beware, these programmers cost more than 3 times the performance chip, and it’s worth every penny.

And so there is my short list of performance goodies anyone can install in an afternoon’s time. Additionally, these parts will not affect your manufacturers warranty. There are other inexpensive performance add-ons like hedders, mass air flow sensors, and transmission shift kits to consider, but require a little more work. The overall end product however, will be one of complete amazement and satisfaction as you finally turn the key and feel the results!

If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to visit my website containing more advice & tips to enhance horsepower and fuel economy in your car, truck, and SUV: http://kookoox10-silverado-exhaust.blogspot.com/

Shaun Davidson-Automotive and Finance Consultant-2008

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July 19, 2010

Homemade Horsepower

Filed under: Flowmaster — Tags: , — biooooowwwnn @ 12:20 pm


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I had a white 95 Cherokee, 2.5 L, 5 speed, 2×4 SE with black trim. When I first bought it I couldn’t even keep up with traffic! I’m not rich by any means but I can be quite inventive and mechanically inclined when I need to be. So most of what I’ve done I made myself and/or got the parts cheap or for free. I’ve spent 22 months on these projects,researching and testing. They do work and you will see a difference, believe me. Try these at your own risk to persons or property. I assume no responsibility or liability for anything posted here, including any federal, state and/or emission laws, manufacture warrentees, insurance and/or safety. These are just ideas I’m passing along.

- A “true” cold air intake. $5.50 (From Home Depot)I made it from 3″ PVC drainpipe. First, I removed out my entire air box. Next, I cut a 3″ hole in my fender wall and stuck the pipe through my fender above my tire. I have plenty of room for the air filter because I have a 3″ suspension lift with stock height tires except they are 1″ wider. I glued on a 90-degree elbow and another short section. I had to make a brace to hold it in place so it didn’t bounce around. I also had to reroute my CCV and Charcoal Tank lines. I drilled holes in the rubber elbow coming off the throttle body and used gasket sealer to hold them in place.

-High flow cone filter. ($25.00 from Pep Boys) I clamped it on the end of the intake pipe so it sits in my wheel well right behind my bumper. I’ve had no problems with rain. I don’t advise driving in deep water though. (Laughing)If you are planning to, don’t cut the hole and keep the cone filter under the hood.

-E-Ram air. ($25.00)(Homemade) I went to a marine supply store and bought a 4″ 230 CFM 12 volt DelMar Bilge Blower. I used 4″ to 3″ PVC reducing couplings to make it fit. ($2.50 from Home Depot)I installed it in my intake with a switch in my door panel. When I flip the switch alot of extra cold air is pushed into my intake. A 2.5 liter engine naturally consumes 86 CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) in 5th gear going 65 mph. So that means that I’m pushing 8 PSI (Pounds Per Square Inch)Not bad for a plastic blower (Laughing)

-Flowmaster Muffler.($38.00 on E-Bay) After the shop welded it in I had them cut off the rest of my exhaust pipe to lessen some back pressure, I only left 1″. Then they added an elbow and now my exhaust is in front of my rear tire. I also had them shorten the pipe that’s between the cat and the muffler to make it all fit right. I set off everyones car alarms when I drive by (Laughing)

-High Flow Universal Cat ($80.00 from Pep Boys)

-Shorter serpentine belt. ($30.00) that didn’t include A/C, which also eliminated 2 idle pulleys for less parasitic loss. I also removed the entire compressor and hoses to lesson weight by 30 Lbs. Do NOT bleed the A/C yourself. Any A/C shop can recapture the freon for you, then you can remove the compressor.

-Throttle Body Spacer. (Free) (Homemade) I cut it from a 1/2″ plastic cutting board and used high temp gasket material on each side. I had to also put a 7/8ths” spacer under my throttle linkage bracket as well. I used a couple nuts and washers. Be sure the cable is stretched all the way out or it will idle real high. The spacer keeps the throttle body cooler.

- 4.0 Throttle Body ($42.00 from E-Bay)

-Copper core spark plugs. ($5.00)

-160 Degree thermostat.($5.00)and added Water Wetter. ($8.00) The colder your engine runs the more horsepower it has. Make sure you warm your engine a good 5 minutes when it’s cold.

-Manifold Intake Heat Shields. (Homemade) ($15.00) I purchased a roll of high temp gasket material from Pep Boys and three 10′ rolls of 2″ wide aluminum tape from a hardware store. I cut two 4″ x 6″ rectangles out of the gasket material and covered them with several layers of the tape. I slipped them between the intake manifold and the exhaust manifold to insulate the intake manifold from the heat. I secured them with coat hanger wire that I taped between the layers. Next I wrapped the entire intake manifold with metal heat tape all the way to the air filter minus the throttle body. After that, I took a turkey baking tin,($1.50)smashed it flat, folded it in half and wired that under my intake manifold. I drove for an hour, stopped, pulled the hood open and stuck my hand on the intake manifold. It was cold! (Try that at your own risk as well)

- Removed factory 30 lb. rear bumper and brackets and replaced it with a 65″ long 3″ dia. schedule 40 ABS plastic pipe with end caps which weighs next to nothing.($15.00 from a plumbing supply store) I secured it to the back end with two 3″ pipe clamps after I painted it black. I also painted behind the bumper area black also. Call me crazy but my steel jeep is still stronger than todays plastic and fiberglass crap.

-Complete Tune-up.($70.00)Cap, rotor, plugs, plug wires, fuel filter, all fluids etc.

-When your all done with everything, detach your positive battery lead. Turn your ignition key fully forward and hold for 30 seconds. Re-attach the positive cable. This will wipe your computer memory clean. It will rev high for a minute then settle down. Now drive “normal” for a couple days to reset everything so it can relearn the new mods. (Free)

Total Cost about $950.00! Not bad huh. If you had a pro shop do all this with performance name brand parts, were talking thousands! Some people call it “Ghetto” or “Redneck” mechanics. All I can say is that’s it’s way faster now and I still have my savings account intact. Hang onto your stock parts. You might need them come smog testing time.

Remember also, less weight = more horsepower & better gas mileage. Anything you can do to lesson that is a big help. Every 100 lbs. you can get rid of is 3 additional horsepower. It adds up real quick.

One thing for sure, I can keep up with traffic now!

-Another added bonus is my MPG went from 12 to 17.

-Load it like a Freight Car

-Polish it like a Show car

-Drive it like a NASCAR.

http://www.fixitfred.net

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July 12, 2010

Trick My Truck – Dodge Ram Performance Add Ons to Increase Horsepower and Fuel Economy

Filed under: Flowmaster — Tags: , , , — biooooowwwnn @ 2:35 pm

When Dodge rolled out a hot and trendy new body style back in 2002, people took notice of a revolutionary and popular look that owners simply love. With a huge selection of various trim lines, hot engine choices like the the V6, 4.6 V8 and the hot rod 5.7 Hemi, customizing options are a veritable sky’s the limit. Nobody wants to compromise driving less in their nice Rams at the cost of saving money at the pump this summer. Gas might get back up to record levels seen last summer of 2008, so here’s the chance to prepare you’re truck for vacationing fun and recreation. And so here is a list of some of the most inexpensive aftermarket performance parts that are a must have to save you money at the pump.

No doubt, the least expensive item one can buy for any vehicle, even any engine size Dodge Ram, is a performance air filter. The great thing about the filters is that they are cheap, easy to install, and are reusable for years to come. Not only that, an installed performance air filter will net drivers a 1-3 mpg increase and about a 10-15 HP gain. Additionally, install time is about 15-20 minutes, which will leave much more time for more important activities. K&N and Airaid are the most well known dealers in cleanable performance air filters, so be sure to find one for about $35-55 dollars at auto parts retailers. The more involving and expensive fuel injection performance kits gets you a cold air intake tube and more air flow to your engine with slightly higher HP and torque gains as well. As a result, don’t leave this out of your add ons list, they are a must for any vehicle.

The great thing about the recent body styles and the all new 2009, the exhaust sounds are tremendous for a stock application, but they do have their faults and weaknesses. A nice aftermarket exhaust system will pound for more hustle and muscle. And not only that, a quality exhaust system will release all the burnt gases more efficiently and increase your fuel economy and HP/torque. Retailers like Borla, Magnaflow, Mopar, and Flowmaster have readily available kits to sell and will take an afternoon’s time to install with some basic hand tools. Most kits come complete with the required hardware, mandrel bent tubing, stainless tips, and comprehensive instructions to get you started. There is nothing better than upping the ante on an already powerful engine in your Dodge Ram.

Finally, the last must have performance goody to get is a performance chip. Performance chips will re-educate the trucks computer to adjust shift points and fuel curves, therefore getting you very noticeable HP/Torque gains and fuel economy improvements. Plus with this easy install, the truck will have better transmission shift algorithms that will eliminate some wear and tear on your vital parts. Hypertech and superchips sell the best chips in the marketplace today. Most chips install in less than half hour without the use of any sort of OBD setup or other specialized tools. And so, the performance chip is an easy do-it-yourselfer, and instructions are always included.

And there you have it, don’t get left out of the crowd with a plain stock truck. Even small and inexpensive add ons will get you noticed in a heartbeat, and the money you save on gas and maintenance will be very noticeable too. Recently, the trend towards Hybrid automobiles has certainly been the cat’s meow. Don’t get left out of the crowd and transform your new or older Dodge Ram into an electric hybrid. Not only will you smash the fuel economy arena with a hybrid, but the government will pay you tax credits for driving a clean fuel truck. For more information on how to get your truck transformed, please visit my website below.

Transform your new or pre-owned Dodge Ram into a popular money saving and money making hybrid truck. Can easily be done in a day and costs less than $300 to do! Please visit my site to get more information on this hot performance addition: http://kookoox10-silverado-exhaust.blogspot.com/

Shaun Davidson – Automotive and Finance Consultant – 2008

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