boneskeys

I have a 2001 Silverado 5.3, it has 188,000 miles, now this might be a stupid question, but is it too late to add any performance mods? I got some extra cash so I figured I'd spend some money on my truck. The truck is currently all stock. I'm in the process of getting an x pipe and deleting the muffler but still keeping the cats on (I live in California). With that being said, I want to make it run fast enough to smoke my buddy who has a dodge hemi lol. What performance upgrades should I get? Also I would like to keep everything street legal so that I will still be able to pass smog in California. Thanks.

jrodz21

if u want to add sum hp to it with out doing something big u can add a cam like an ls1 ls2 or mabe a zo6 cam also gettin it dyno tuned and a good cai

country_09

Just gettin a good tune you should be able to beat the hemi. LTs aren't smog legal in Cali unless you have a buddy that'll pass it. A cam, tune, exhaust, and intake will let you rip him pretty good

boneskeys

what kind of tune would you recommend? and will I still be able to pass smog with a tune? thanks

country_09

Blackbear, Wheatley, or anyone that has a dyno shop that does custom tunes around your area can do the truck. And of course you can still pass with a tune. longtubes aren't CARB legal in Cali though. Could get some midlength headers but they're expensive

boneskeys

alright that sounds good, as far as the cam goes, where can I buy a smog legal one? Thanks

country_09

I'd look on comp cams website. They have a good site that you can get a cam on there. How big do you want to go? Plan on doin a converter too?

skeeter5

Hi boneskeys,

This is not what you want to hear, but this is my thoughts on making your ride a little hotter.

You have 188,000 miles, leave well enought alone. Not saying that your truck will not run better, just not a good time to enhance the performance of a truck this mileage old.

I had a 2001 GMC, with 5.3 engine, a good truck. I now drive a 2011 Silverado with a 5.3.

My $ .02.

Good luck on what every you decide.

boneskeys

i'm not looking for nothing too crazy, I just want to add some decent power while keeping the tranny and converter stock.

country_09

212/218 112 lsa low lift cam. Would be the best for what you want then. Anything bigger and you'll want to upgrade a few things converter/tranny wise. People say you should upgrade the stock converter to a 2600 but it's not necessary. Still pulls really good without it