I'm looking to make my 04 Suburban (1500, 5.3, 4x4) tow better with perfomance as a side benifit. What are some of the best bolt on mods I can add for towing?


Signed,
Always downshifting

 

But as far as truck mods go, a good exhaust and a tune are very good. But if you want alot of power for cheap, nitrous is the way to go (just make sure you do it safely)

 

^^^
00ChevyScott, if she was ugly I'd bitch about how that picture is irrelevant to the post, but at least she's good eye candy.

yamadogjjv, just about everything you do for bolt ons is designed to help the motor breathe better in the higher RPM's, typically where a tow vehicle does not need the gain. Go ahead and bolt them all on anyway, just don't expect any change while towing. Cold air intakes, long tube headers, free flowing cats and mufflers are all designed to decrease pumping losses associated with restrictive engine components that come stock. If you truly want to make more low end torque and improve towing ability you must dive within the motor. This means milling the heads for higher compression to develop better throttle response and pulling power everywhere throughout the rev range and not just up high, while changing the camshaft to one designed for brute force pulling power and better fuel efficiency.

My family has an '02 Suburban, 5.3L 4x4 and I alone have put probably 30k miles on that truck myself within the last 3 years. I know how heavy it is but at the same time I also know how much low end the 5.3L has to still keep the drive fun and exciting at times. I've used that Suburban to tow over 10,000lb bobcat trailers in the deep sloppy mud and then shuttle around 9 other passengers on a long trip the very next day, so I know what you're looking for when it comes to a true do-it-all SUV.

The Suburban will never be fast due to it's weight, but you can definitely make it fun to drive and with a few simple parts have the truck pulling the weight of a 3/4 ton. I'd suggest just changing the camshaft and springs, and have your heads milled down for higher compression. Finish up with a good tune and the 5.3L pull just like a stock 6.0L except get much better gas mileage. I'd expect nothing less than 19-20mpg highway after those three mods; cam + springs, milled heads and tuned after.

 

This should help: https://www.performancetrucks.net/fo...d.php?t=395748

 

If you're looking to go the inexpensive route, bang for buck, a custom tune will net a seat of the pants gain for a few hundred bucks. For real impressive gains, a well selected camshaft and raising the compression as Inch mentioned, will net you gains across the board.

 

For me, best bang for the buck was custom tune, servos (like $18 on ebay), ported tb (free if you have a Dremel), tb bypass (free), and sway bars. Intake and exhaust help, sure, but money is better spent on a custom tune.

 

best bang for the buck i could think of

 

A tune first, then decide where to go from there. Look at canshafts but don't sweat milling the heads- not yet anyways..........

 

I would go with a tune also and look at doing a gear swap.