Good evening,

So I am getting to a stopping point modding my 2015 Chevy SS and want to give my 2005 Silverado 1500 some love. She has 160 on the clock but runs strong and oil analysis is spot on. I think I am narrowed it down to swapping in the BTR TRUCK STAGE II CAM but I am trying to determine if a set of aftermarket heads are worth the investment. The truck is used for normal DD, towing somethings, and long drives. Will update all necessary internal components. Already have intake, longtubes, and tune.

 

If you ask 95% of us the answer is likely no, swapping heads is not worth it for what you are after.

If anything most will have them cleaned really well and just milled down a tiny bit to raise compression and gain a few extra potential ponys. The cost to mill heads is stupid cheap compared to buying new heads or finding used 243/799 take of heads from a newer truck.

I think you'd be very happy with the camshaft upgrade and tune. It will be a decent bump in power that you will surely notice and it will run and drive great with a good tune.

 

Thanks for the info. Yea I am not going to worry about the heads and just drop the cam in. I think I am going to have to get a wideband for tuning purposes.

 

It's a must.

 

Leave the heads. They're the best anyway...


Surprising HP Numbers From Our Stock LS Cylinder Head Test


Yes, get the wideband...

 

i say i am all for going with a cam but as for the heads im not too sure. my 706's on my 05 5.3l cracked and had to replace them, but replacing them with other stock heads or just taking them off to gt milled seems a little much. if you were to take them off i would replace all the lifters and have a slight porting done to. the heads then. other then that just slap the cam in and a nice tbss/nnbs intake and call it happy.

 

Any recommendations you guys are thinking about for wideband? Gonna get an additional o2 bung whole welded in and looking at getting this wideband.

Tuning by Shane Hinds. AFR500 WITH NTK sensor

 

I love my AEM x series wideband. I had a innovative wideband crap out on me once.

 

These BTR truck cams are not designed for upgraded heads or anything else done. These are simply for stock trucks looking to gain more. Talk with the people at BTR and they will tell you the same thing. if you are looking to doing heads and more, you will benefit better doing a different cam that is going to give you the results.

 

Such a misinformed test. They did nothing to the heads and expect the bigger better flowing heads that lower compressor on these 5.3 motor to make the same power. If you mill a set of 243s to keep the stock compression ratio or even go higher, the will out perform the 706s by miles. larger valve meaning more flow, more flow is more power....