Im not ragging on catbacks, and I have one for the sound, thats all. I dont think that any experienced person here will argue that $$ per HP they are a bad investment.

I will agree that most of the tips on aftermarket catbacks blow. I cut off the tips that my kit came with and welded on the stock tips that came on my 02' Z(I knew I would use them for something one day) Thier looks flow very good with the lines on our trucks, and dont give off the "Bubba" effect that you get from most chrome tips.

 

keep me posted on that 2400 stall. My truck is my only vehicle so i know what you mean about worrying about gas mileage, towing, hauling, etc. Is a tranny cooler necessary for this torque converter? do stalls affect gas mileage by the fact that you need to give the truck more gas to get moving? is that the idea?

as for my initial mods, im actually just going to fab up my own ram air setup so that wont be expensive, and then im just swapping in a magnaflow and a tune of some sort...probably a mail in tune

 

You should have a tranny cooler from the factory. Its not a large unit, but should suffice. If it helps your peace of mind, a larger unit damn sure wont hurt anything.

If you tow or haul on any regular basis, then the 2400 is a good idea.It will affect your MPG by about 3 in town, but shouldnt hurt highway driving that much.

 

i wouldn't run a torque converter with a 2400 rpm stall on the stock trans cooler. its just big enough to cover towing on the stock converter. towing with that 2400 will need one. hayden makes badass trans coolers for a good price. check ebay. dont get one of the log style that has fins on it, they're a POS.

 

3 mpg!...damnit...why does going fast have to be so expensive

 

I may be wrong about the exact loss of MPG, but I can promise you that you will loose a chunk. LS1 cars a light compared to your truck, and they typically loose anywhere from 2-4mpg after you set them up with a stall. My friends 01'SS lost 3mpg with a 3200 stall on his car, granted, you will be running less stall, but a hell of a lot more weight.Just be prepared.



Get some 4.10s and a tune first, and see how you like that. I would get some gear before I got the TC. Also, the 4.10s will quite possiably pick up your MPG around town, and shouldnt hurt you on the highway at all. Thats a lot of truck to be moving with 3.42s. 4.10 is the absolute LEAST gear I would put in our trucks, mine came with the 3.73s and if I ever change them, im going with those new 4.30s.

 

pick up mileage with 4 10's? really?

 

Very likely. You are having to give you truck a lot more throttle to get it moving than you would with the 4.10s.

My father had an older gentleman that worked for him a few years back. He bought a brand new ECSB 5.3 in 2003. The truck came with 3.23s. He literally tried EVERY gear, 3.42s, 3.73s and 4.10s. He said that the fuel mileage difference between the 4 gears was almost unnoticible. He said the 3.23s would get a tad better on the highway at 70mph, but around town, the 4.10s did better. It pretty much broke even with the 4.10s, plus it moved out a lot better.
Also consider that your truck has taller tires stock than a 2wd will.

 

any idea what the total cost of a gear swap would be? including intsall?

 

Figure about $200 for the gears, your truck is new so you wont need a total rebuild kit, but you will still need a rear end gasket, and a few bottles of dif lube. Im not sure if our trucks need a limited slip additive, but if so, add an extra $8 or so. As for install, I have had 4 done at a local speed shop for anywhere from $150-250, depending on how the rear was setup. When its all said and done, a rear swap should be about $500 if its pretty straightforward.