only mod is a k&n cai kit...i pull a 36ft camper every summer here in tx and the truck struggles going up and down even small hills, i can pull my racecar and it pulls fine

seems to pull much better at 80mph (rpm i guess)
and pulls a ton better when its 75 or below outside (temp)

looking to do bolt ons maybe, possibly just a tune? dont really wanna put exhaust and make it loud needs to sound stock

which motor does it have? a lq4 or lq9?
i was considering 243 heads (it has stock 317 with 1 exh bolt broken off??? second time!) this would bump the compression up some, and still flow the same...???

and possibly a z06 cam but not sure if it will help where i need it...which is 1800-2500

maybe some e-fans (must be a clean and factory like install, id prefer it be controlled by the pcm if possible?)

what do yall guys reccomend? im all ears

 

start with tune, cold air. you have the lq4..(as do i) If you get a tune, then adding efans would be a walk in tha park via tune, also the tune will help with mileage when not towing. After a tune and a cold air, i would consider going internal...CONSIDER, I would do every bolt on first

 

I completely agree with Thechevyman122. Stick to the outside of the motor first to simplify the modifications. E-fans from a newer truck ('07 I think people are saying) and wire them into the PCM. Have the PCM tuned to recognize and control the fans to come on and off when they need to. Be sure of your alternator and battery, the fans will require a lot of amperage on start up. If you look in your glove box on the little white sticker, option KG3 means you already have the high output "factory" alternator of 145 amps. If you see K68 instead, it means you have the 105 amp alternator. Regardless of which one, even 145 amps is barely on the "ok" side of properly supporting a big set of electric fans...go figure GM would put in an alt just big enough. I'd start calling around to local alternator shops to have one made for you. Most shops charge $1 per amp, and a 200 amp alternator would do nicely. I just had a 250 amp alt made for me but we also played with the stator and pulley size so the initial load test had the metering needle spike over 300 amps. Make sure to replace the alternator-to-battery-positive cable with 2 gauge, and the battery-negative-to-ground cable also with 2 gauge.

The next thing I would do make better use of your Tow/Haul button. Hopefully the guy doing your tuning will address this, and change the shift characteristics of the Tow/Haul feature to better suit your driving style while towing. If your truck lacks going up hills while towing (who's truck doesn't?) have the tuner maximize the shift points around holding 3rd gear longer while going up hills to get the motor into it's power range.

The third thing I'd do, and last on my list of "outside" modifications, is address tire size. You didn't mention anything about tires but they play a big role in how your truck can pull a load on the highway. Are they larger than the stock 245/75R16's? I would hope so, but to the same degree not too big either. LT265/75R16's would be the largest I'd go on a DD and constant Tow rig. Anything bigger would require a re-gear to keep everything the same. If your tires are bigger, I'd look to 4.10's and re-gear the front and rear differential.

(And as a final note, I'd have your 317's ported and polished before EVER swapping on 243's for a tow rig. You'd end up losing low end power and throttle response with the 243's. There's a reason the 317 heads have smaller intake and exhaust runners. )

 

I had problems with my electric fans and towing. Wanted to overheat on grades, heavy loads. Took them out and all was fine.

I would look at gearing depending on how much you tow.

 

Gears and tire size would be the first thing I would address.

My friend has a truck identical toy yours. I have seen how it pulls.

Most 2500s 4x4s have 31in all terrains at a min. That being said.
4:10s are the ABSOLUTE LEAST gear I would run. I dont know what they come with, but IMO, 4:10s are not enough.

Think 4:56s or so. I wouldnt run over a 31in tire.

While the 6.0 is a horse. Thats a big truck you have.

 

Some good suggestions here After tuning and all of the bolt ons are done, I'd consider a mild cam too, maybe something in the 212/218 range. I wouldn't go too big since you're going to need your low end torque to get that big rig moving. If you go with a cam like I mentioned, you can still retain the factory converter and you should feel a nice increase across the powerband. I think a 4.10 gear would be a nice compromise of gear for out of the hole and fuel economy concerns.

 

1.) First and foremost Tune (160-500)
2.) ceramic long tube headers, off road y pipe high flow cat an muffler (750+)
3.) Lt1/ls1 electric fans on ebay for 100 bucks, harness made by derek @ edo (on this forum for 80) get the tune updated and use your pcm to run them, the fans harness will have a pcm pin that you enter into the plug on the pcm. (180ish)
4.) small cam like mentioned above for use with stock stall.

All in all i think you would be amazed if you spend a few hundred on a good tune, and personally that most likely will be all it takes

 

I know how you feel... Our 6.0L is a dog too unless you run 80+.... its 100% bone stock 4:10 gears and the stock small 245-75-16's I just hold it on the matt, It has a 100K mile warranty so the 6,000 rpms up hills almsot because fun, ( i live in the mountain)

As they said, tune, maybe gears if you have large tires, also if you tow look for towing cam.

As for gearsing on stock size tires, 245-75-16's there is only about 500 rpm difference at 70.. our suburban has 373's and the truck has 4:10's

 

Look at Vinci cams, the 065 is for towing