2007 Chevy Silverado 5.3 performance upgrade questions

Which CAI do you recommend? I was looking at this K&N air charger kit: http://www.knfilters.com/search/product.aspx?Prod=63-3058
What do you think?
 
I'm also thinking about getting a flowmaster, but i'm kind of at lost for what I'm looking for. I don't want a really loud sound, but a nice agressive sound would be nice. Any recommendations?
 
I've also heard about custom tuners and such, but I don't think I'll be getting to that anytime soon.
 
So are these the basics of performance upgrades? What else should I do, or is there anything I'm missing? Thanks.
 
 
 
 

The first 2 you mentioned are usually were everyone starts and are good choices,I have a K&N air intake exactly like the one you are looking at GREAT!!!!As far as muffler i chalk that up to preference,I too was worried about loud but once i got a taste of the sound of power i couldn't stop and am glad i went as far as i did .
I started with a flow 50 wayyy too quiet,and then a super 40 still wayyy to quiet but a bit better and then an original 40 series and this was almost the cake but still wanted to hear it at low idle /revs so i looked up an old friend from the high school days and went with my single chamber Cherry Bomb Extreme,Now it is loud the loudest i've heard but when you drive at normal speeds and without booting it it is not overwhelming but you always know it's there with a nice resonant hum,so please don't do like me and be afraid of going to loud and then saying wow this isn't loud at all i would say if you want aggresive sound get what i have it is a 3 inch in 2.5 inch out dual cherry bomb extreme single chamber and i have 4 inch tips on it and it's great!!!!!!!!!
You sound just like i did when i started,i mean some people explian the likeness of the sound in the cab like it's gonna blow your head off but it's not,i just like to hear my motor at all times and can now.
Don't be afraid go for it!!!!

K&N are good but check out S&B filters before you decide: www.sbfilters.com
and check out http://www.thetruthaboutfilters.com/ for some very helpful info.
I have a flowmaster 70 bigblock series muffler and love it, but I would suggest for you a 50 series, sounds great when you step on the gas but quiter while at idle and while cruising 60/70/80 mph.  

I just recently put a Super 44 on my 2004 Silverado. 4.8l V8. Sounds great. Not too loud in the cab and hasa nice deep agressive tone.

I guess what the big difference is the newer chevy's have way better noise reduction material that make the cab alot less noisy, as opposed to older one (like my "95) which I can hear almost every little noise in the cab. Therefore, for me a 50 or 70 series muffler sound just fine from inside the cab, but for folks with newer models, they may want to go with a louder muffler so they get the noise and feeling inside the cab. But it all depends on personal preferences on how loud you want it. Just food for thought.

thanks for the replies, i appreciate them.
 
i also heard something about intake and exhaust relation. do i have to get a new exhaust or will the stock exhaust do fine?
 
if I do decide on installing the intake myself, how difficult is it? i mean i know how to use a wrench, but i'm not exactly a mechanic either.
i wouldn't want to screw anything up.
 
and what about a supercharger? is there one out yet for the new Silverados?

i dont know about a supercharger, im sure there is some company that is making one for the new silverado's but i do know about the intake.  i put the S&B on mine, and it literally only took me about 45 min to put in and i was hanging out drinking beers and eating pizza at the same time so its not that hard, plus i did a throttle body spacer at the same time.  only a basic knowledge of wrenches should get you there, most instructions are very clear, if you have any questions you can always call the manufacturer, and most places that sell the intakes have the instructions available for you to view even before you buy the product.  my 2 cents.

I think I heard somewhere that the new chevy's had mandrel bend exhaust pipes, but don't quote me on that. The easiest way to check is to look at the pipes and it they have crinkles in the bends or and indentation at that the bend (which makes the pipe narrower) then I would replace the exhaust. A CAI and exhaust go hand in hand, they compliment each other. If you have better flow going into the engine then you should have better flow (less restriction) coming out of the engine. 

yes northey, mandrel bent systems are better, for race cars and high performance motors.  if you have an every day v8 that isnt built, it is not going to affect the performance at all if you dont have a mandrel bent system, its better to actually get rid of the restrictive stock muffler and put a different muffler on even if the rest of the system is not mandrel bent.  yes it will flow better with mandrel bent pipes, but not enough to notice any mileage or hp gains.  I do have my stock exhaust at home that i replaced, ill take a look at it tonight and see if it is mandrel from the factory and get back to you.  but i do know that the stock exhaust is about 2 feet long and about a foot tall vs my flowmaster that is only about a foot long and about 6 inches tall with dual outlets.
All in all, you wont notice a difference in performance or restriction with mandrel vs non mandrel, unless you are running a setup with some serious power.

I disagree. I dont think it matters wether or not your running high horsepower or everday specs. Mandrel bends are always better than crush bends. Less restriction = more flow. If your theory was true, catback systems wouldnt waste their time with their products using mandrel bends. Wether its flowmaster, Borla, SLP, or whoever, most use stainless steel pipes with mandrel bends. I had a custom exhaust on the Supercharged Tiburon with crushed bends, then I put a SLP loud mouth stainless mandrel catback on it and it dynoed at 6 more HP, strictly because of the mandrel bends.
 
 

Im not going to argue about which is better, all I know is that after I did the mods to my truck (mainly do to the S&B CAI and catback system) I gain on average 2 mpg, and noticed a big difference in power.

i dont like to argue about it either, if anyone would like to spend a lot more money on a system that will give them minimal amounts of gain due to less restriction, that is their opinion and their choice, i am simply stating that a mandrel system really only makes a NOTICABLE DIFFERENCE on a vehicle that is running some serious motor under the hood, not just a cat back system on a mostly stock v8. its all opinion, im not fighting anyone else so please dont take it that way at all.

alright. i have a few more questions. please don't laugh at me.
 
I decided on the muffler i want, but I don't understand the offset/inlet configurations.
 
Which one will i need?
 
Can I keep my stock exhaust with this muffler?
 
if I buy it online, there should be a place to install or weld it on for me. right?
 
I'm also looking into the airaid body throttle spacer. Is the whistling noise that noticeable from it?
 
thanks.

i have the airaid tb spacer, no whistle at all, and on every vehicle i have seen them on (about 6 different vehicles) there werent any whistling either, so you should be good.  as for the exhaust i have the original 40 flowmaster, and with my setup, i have dual pipes out the rear, you want to go 3" inlet, dual 2 1/2 out, but thats what i did, you can choose something different if you want.

Are wanting to just replace the muffler and keep the stocks pipes? If so you may want to just take it to a muffler shop and have them get the right configeration, you just need to tell them what series muffler you want.

If you want a decent supercharger go with a procharger system. They have setups for specific vehicles though you will have to wait for the 07/08 system to become available. http://www.procharger.com/TRUCK_SUV/truck_suv.shtml

I have a brand new K&N 63-3058 for sale if you guys are still looking.  Check the classifieds!

quote:

ORIGINAL: northey87

Are wanting to just replace the muffler and keep the stocks pipes? If so you may want to just take it to a muffler shop and have them get the right configeration, you just need to tell them what series muffler you want.

 
 
I don't know if I want to do that?
 
Would you recommend me getting new pipes?

Take McGuiness's word for it and get at least an original 40.  I had a 50 on mine and I switched out to a 40 because it was way way to quiet.  Also once you hear that sound you will want it out the back as a dual not a single pipe like you hve now. 
Just take your truck in to the shop and tell them what you want so it comes out right, dont worry about Mandrel pipes there is no way in the world on a stock truck you could ever notice the minimal difference if any it would make.
The CAI is a half hour job with a screw driver and a wrench.

quote:

ORIGINAL: nateratm


I don't know if I want to do that?

Would you recommend me getting new pipes?

 
What are you wanting to do with the exhuast? Are you wanting to do it yourself? Have a shop do it? Expensive? Inexpensive?
Have you decided what muffler you want?
What are you planning on doing with the truck? Everyday driver? Towing?

I installed the 63 series intake on it, and I decided on the flowmaster 50 series delta flow.
 
i'm probably going to take it in to a shop to get everything installed.
 
i decided on a dual exhaust, but what kind of pipes should i look into getting. what manufacturer out there makes
the best dual exhaust setups?
 
inluding the cost of parts and labor how much would this cost?

If your not picky about the pipes being mandrel bent, then let the shop do all the pipes, and they can bend then any way you want, out the sides, straight out the back, what ever. That what I had done on my '70 ford and it turned out great.

http://performanceparts.com/part.php?partID=135505
 
go carberated and get rid of all the emissions and engine control bull... but only if you can get past an emissions test or your state dont require it.. besides it looks cool if you open a hood of a newer truck and there sites a edelbrock carb. besides it cleans up the engine bay getting rid of all those ugly wire harnesses
 
 

I belive Volant makes a great CAI and Exhaust combo.  Both are tested on the dyno together to make sure thay don't interfear with each other.  What people don't realize is that K&N, AEM, Airaid all get their Dyno results with the hood open.  In the real world, that is not practical.  On the open designs, engine heat is sucked in which cuts power.  Volant is a closed design with air ports pointed in the most optimal direction for greater perfoemance.

Thats why I like S&B because they have closed box system like Volant plus it was cheaper without sacraficing quality.