well, i have been reading for weeks on here...lots of great info! i have started modding, and thought i could just do a little here and a little there...but now i realize that first dime i spent HAD to be followed by hundreds more!

either way, i have been looking at the price of building.....cam, heads, intakes, headers, etc etc..... all i can see in the future is an assload of work and lots of money goin out...

am i crazy to think i should just save my money and get an sts turbo and slap it to my fairly stock little motor.....i think it would be about the same price and similar power gains...but way less work! i know i am being lazy on that, but damn....i work too much OT to waste every bit of free time under the hood.

what do you guys think? i havent seen a dyno sheet on a stock 4.8 w/turbo @ 5 psi...but i am sure it would make 350+ rwhp??

 

You'll get several different opinions in this thread. There are those who swear up and down that N/A is the best way to go, and those that swear up and down that FI is the way to go. Personally, I'd probably go FI. STS is a great kit, as is the Magnacharger kit. It all depends on what you're looking for though.

We would be more able to help you if you defined your goals better. What is your budget, what are your power goals, and what are your future plans? What aspects of your truck are important to keep the way they are? What do you want improved and what are you willing to sacrifice?

 

goals....not super high... i would be happy with a high 13 second quarter....

its my DD, so i need the gas mileage to stay around what it is now<if at all poss.>

my budget is around 3K-4K... just had a baby, the old lady is crackin down on my spending LOL!

i finally got it lookin great, it just need speed now. i am afraid of nitrous, but i hear these motors love it... just a nice looking, DD truck that can pull my bass boat and rip up a mustang gt when i want to.... and i think they are around high 13's??

 

cheapest bang for the buck is nitrous

 

i know, but i have seen SOOO many motors blown with nitrous..... not a lot of lsx motors...but still.... it scares me. i just dont want to spend $2k-3k on n/a mods and not be satisfied...not to mention all of the tedious work involved. that damn stall converter gave me all i wanted in the driveway!! i though i was gonna get a free cam, so i was gonna go n/a..but that fell out from under me. oh well. that cam swap would surely take me most of the day....

i was so close to a bunch of free parts too, kinda pisses me off.... ah well.

nitrous tends to hit hard, and i dont figure my tranny would hold up...and i cant see sprayin a 50 shot...... you kinda go at least 100 or so to get a lot of performance..... then bang!!

 

I went the 6.0 route after thinking and thinking over again of going FI on my 4.8. I have less money in this 6.0 build then I would having put a turbo or blower on the 4.8, now if i decided to go for more hp down the road i have a great foundation to work with. Like THUNDER said there will be more then one op on this ???. If you are looking for mid 13's slap a turbo or blower on it with a good tune and you will be there. Still know that you will be atleast 3500-4500$$ depending on what FI route you go, unless you score a used kit. I think a mild 6.0 could be done for cheaper and gain the same results.Just my op. Either way you go you will need to have a built tranny.

John

 

Do anyones goals ever not change?
What I was thought was fast is turd slow.
You can (and probably will) add to whatever you decide. I buy parts with the next step in mind.

 

I would suggest one of two things, swap in a 6L which should run you 2K for parts and labor and you can use the rest for bolts on if you wish or toys for your baby!

Second option would be for an STS and run mild boost and you'll see those numbers.

Here's what I recommend NOT doing, there are alot of people who will swear by N/A but the more stock parts you replace with performance parts the less reliable your engine is gonna be. There's a reason why GM puts our headers on there and our exhaust and our intake and our cam, etc... They are proven to perform and be reliable at the same time. The more you put in (i.e. cam, headers, intake, fans, exhaust, etc...) The more your getting away from reliable parts. Not to say that one part isn't a good part but a combination of parts that brings the engine closer to it's designed limit the less likely it will be reliable. All FI does is add more air into the cylinder, most of the other stuff stays put. JIMO and there are plenty ways to skin a cat.

 

I like my STS kit...
WJMARK loves his TRT Front mount
Trevert likes his Blower..
Not sure about spoolin.. haha he likes his 240sx....

Jk spoolin..


I guess it depends on what meets your budget..

We can guarantee one thing though...
Your transmission will hate you if you run it hard and its stock.

Just try to figure out what you want to do and then check on prices...
Once you get started it wont stop... ask me how i know...

 

Have to agree here, once you start it is hard to stop, it is a damn sickness.