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Any hope for a 5.3???

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Old Oct 14, 2008 | 10:02 PM
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dieseltruckin2001's Avatar
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Default Any hope for a 5.3???

Ok, I have a cold air, an exhaust and just put the Diablo Predator on my "04 Z71. I still can't even hint at a tire scratch when I take off. I turned the TM off and still nothing. It doesn't feel any stronger than stock. Am I missing something in the programming or could I have a real problem with something else, or are these motors really just that weak??? Somebody help, please!!!
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Old Oct 14, 2008 | 10:07 PM
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Nope, the 5.3L sucks. Yank it out and throw a 6.0 in there






Ok, just kidding. It's your tuner, fire it.
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Old Oct 14, 2008 | 10:07 PM
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What gear do you have? Keep in mind that even on the stock tires, they are almost 32 inches tall, and you have a heavy truck.
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Old Oct 14, 2008 | 10:11 PM
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At only 325 cubic inches you need a converter in there to really turn the tires much unless you are using the brakes. As for tuning, if your device is a handheld it's not really tuning, it's wishing.
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Old Oct 14, 2008 | 10:14 PM
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Lol. If I had the time and the money I would just sell it and go back to a diesel, but I don't so I gotta settle with the 5;3 for now. I have 3.73 gears. I know its heavy and all, but I can't believe its so gutless below 3000rpm. It runs good after that.
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Old Oct 14, 2008 | 10:19 PM
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Like Zippy suggested a decent torque converter will get you in the powerband, that with a good tune will get your tires smoking.

btw I was kidding, my Z71 has a 5.3L
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Old Oct 14, 2008 | 10:20 PM
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time to start searching this forum. dont spend another dime until you search the heck out this place. 5.3 are plenty powerful if setup right. what are you tring to accomplish with the truck? BTW welcome to the site.
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Old Oct 14, 2008 | 10:22 PM
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your biggest problem is the handheld..ive seen a diablo loose 2hp over stock
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Old Oct 14, 2008 | 10:23 PM
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Originally Posted by dieseltruckin2001
Ok, I have a cold air, an exhaust and just put the Diablo Predator on my "04 Z71. I still can't even hint at a tire scratch when I take off. I turned the TM off and still nothing. It doesn't feel any stronger than stock. Am I missing something in the programming or could I have a real problem with something else, or are these motors really just that weak??? Somebody help, please!!!
Go to Diablo Sports Website, the Predator is much more capable than your average handheld. You can request a custom tune from them or you can read up on their forums about doing further tuning with the predator. With the predator you can get better performance than just the canned performance tune if you do further tuning yourself or have them do a custom tune for you. I didn't have any problems spinning my tires when I only had CAI, Exhaust, and the predator, but I do have a '05 2WD with 3.73 gears. One other thing, I'm not sure what the temps and air are like where you live, but hot temps and bad air seem to affect these motors a good bit. PM me if you want additional information about the predator or doing additional tuning yourself.

EDIT: You might also want to use the diagnostic feature on the predator to view real time data while you drive your truck and make sure you aren't getting knock retard or some other issue.

Last edited by three83; Oct 14, 2008 at 10:31 PM.
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Old Oct 14, 2008 | 10:29 PM
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Originally Posted by dirt track racer 81
your biggest problem is the handheld..ive seen a diablo loose 2hp over stock
Something must have been wrong there to loose power. On Monday I was running my factory tune and there was a huge diffence from the tune I have with the predator. Just installing the canned diablo predator performance tune doesn't do much, but you can modify the canned performace tune or get Diablosports to do it for you. It also has a feature to view real time data so you can monitor (LTFT and KR) for instance and make necessary adjustments.
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