| silverado Performance under Truck
What is laziness? If it's taking the path of least resistance to achieve a goal, then we're all lazy. This is especially true for a large percentage of the male gender in relation to shopping. So, what's the path of least resistance for easy plug-and-play truck mods? Web shopping on www.truckperformance.com, that's what! We put the task of beefing up the power output of an '05 Silverado by way of web shopping and easy bolt-ons found at Truck Performance's website.
| silverado Performance exhaust
The whole experience was like watching David Copperfield performing live magic, on a street corner in New York City during a Friday lunch hour. Magically, all the power parts showed up at the door step via our favorite brown carrier. We opted to make the basic upgrades, making good power enhancement while still keeping the installation process simple. We tried AEM's new Brute Force dry air intake, so we didn't have to worry about destroying the MAF sensor by over-oiling a cotton-gauze filter when we clean it. We also incorporated JBA's Headers and after-cat exhaust system because JBA manufacturers its products to upgrade power, while being installer friendly. Then, finally, we chose an easy install programmer by Superchips to continue down the path of least resistance.
| silverado Performance parts
The time we spent in front of the computer till the time we were able to enjoy our first tire-hazing burnout consisted of almost five hours of actual work. All the components were easy to install, so if you applied yourself, it would take you the same amount of time. Of course, this wouldn't account for going to the store for a six pack of your favorite beverage, daydreaming of what to do next, trying to find the tool you just used, or running back and forth from the garage to the TV to see a football score. We also had the luxury of an air compressor and pneumatic tools. Without these devices, this install would have been a dusk-till-dawn job.
| silverado Performance aem Parts
A quick pull on the dyno at Superior Automotive provided the hardcore evidence we needed to compare the before and after power mods. On average, the stock '05 5.3L truck scenario makes 245 hp and 286 lb-ft of torque with an automatic transmission measured at the tire. The stock powerband kicks in about 3,400 rpm and pulls to 4,900 rpm before the power starts to drop off.
| silverado Performance install Programmer
After the mods, our truck made 306 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm, which is 400 rpm higher than stock. Horsepower was increased to 280 at 5,250 rpm. The engine always made more horsepower and torque over stock through this rpm range. This proves the exhaust, headers, and intake allowed the engine to breathe better, even at the same rpm, and the programmer provided the means to make best use of the performance enhancements.
