MDTAHOE

Box programmers do not compare to a CUSTOM tune.

MathewsMan

Man wish I would have got on here before I purchased that bully dog! ugh. By the way I have over sized tires. Not huge but bigger than stock:
BFG A/T 285/70R17 Not sure if they are big enough to effect the gearing or not.

LARIDERS

yes those will effect alot, They will take alot of power away from you.

MathewsMan

I knew it made a difference but I didnt realize it made that big a difference.

s34n

i cant imagine it being that much of a power loss.. i mean the tire is a little wider. because gm has two stock tire sizes. 245/75/16 i think is the size and 265/70/17.

therewolf

MDTAHOE is right, a handheld programmer can't compare to a really good chip tuner. IMO the best bang for the buck.

If that fails, and you can't get enough power out of the 4.8L, I'd consider carefully going to either a 6.0L engine in the truck you've got, or a truck with a 6.0L engine. I was not pleased that it was the smallest engine available for my truck in my model year, but despite 310+stock HP, it's always been a surprisingly economical engine, when driven in a sedate manner.

Also, don't be discouraged about that handheld programmer. They are great for getting trouble codes from your OBD, and also for resetting your parameters. For example, for resetting your truck's tire size in order to get a more accurate speedometer reading. You could also re-flash your own PCM to compensate in the event you got a different engine size, or new gears. And if you place the original tune back into your truck, you may be able to use the programmer on a newer truck, as long as they are similar.

MathewsMan

Good to hear about the bully dog wolf and I have enjoyed the ability to see my mpg as well but I originally got it to help with torque and hp. I will call black bear today and see what my options are. I would like to know more about converting my 4.8L to a 6.0L though. How long would it take, cost and would it perform like a factory 6.0L? Like I said I am not that familiar with engines so I really don't know. Would there still be lag when I step on the gas to pass on the highway or get on the highway? The lag and jump in engine rpms is what drives me crazy. I drove a 5.3L and when you step on the gas the truck accelerates...when you step on mine to fast it shifts hard and the rpms jump from 2500 to 5500 and that can't be good for the engine.

LARIDERS

I know alot of people that have went to a bigger tire most of them a 285. It has hurt there mpg and power. there is a reason a duramax comes with 245 tires on it.

MathewsMan

yes it certainly hurt my mpg by 1-2 mpgs but I use my truck for hunting and camping so I need the larger A/T tires. I mean I know this is not going to perform like my stroke I had before but it is a long way from that at this point. I love how the 5.3L performs so if I can just get it to that point I would be happy and maybe I cant. If I cant then I need to see my options upgrading the engine.

MathewsMan

OK, just went to my local Chevy dealer. They said to do a 6.0L I will need a new tranny and if I buy a REM engine total cost is going to be about $6,500 not including labor. If I buy a 5.3L REM engine it is about $3,500 not including labor. The estimate the install of these motors to be 20 hrs so an additional $2,500 in labor. This is more than I want to spend for sure. I guess I will just get the black bear tune and live with that as that is about the last thing I can do with out spending several thousand dollars. Hopefully the black bear tune will get the truck to a point that I can live with.