2018 MODS

[email protected] · September 6, 2020

Just got a 2018 1500! Buddy is ragging on me for not getting an 8. Need some good starting points for modifications. Any engine tunes worth a crap for the 4.3L? What will the tunes do? Also looking for recommendations on exhaust and intakes. Again, are those mods worth it on a 6?

Looking to make the truck a bit more responsive and maybe louder.... not race car loud... just would like it to sound more like a truck. Thanks in advance for any information.

SeekAndDestroy · September 6, 2020

6 hours ago, [email protected] said:

Just got a 2018 1500! Buddy is ragging on me for not getting an 8. Need some good starting points for modifications. Any engine tunes worth a crap for the 4.3L? What will the tunes do? Also looking for recommendations on exhaust and intakes. Again, are those mods worth it on a 6?

Looking to make the truck a bit more responsive and maybe louder.... not race car loud... just would like it to sound more like a truck. Thanks in advance for any information.

I think Magnaflow makes a nice sounding cat back exhaust for the 4.3. There are videos on Youtube, I could be mistaken on the brand. Get the Airraid MIT and do the air box mod to get a bit more sound out of the intake. Do the "paint stick" mod on your gas pedal and get a throttle controller, I have the one from Soler Performance. It makes the pedal feel way better. Headers aren't worth it unless you boost it.

For tuning your best bet is a custom tune from a reputable company. Diablew and Blackbear are popular on here. That will get you a little bit more power. Run E85, or turbo it for the biggest gains

WHITESSTOWPIG · September 6, 2020

All of these motors respond about the same to the same mods.Bolt ons arent going to do much for power until you open the motors and tune the ecus.If you want a bit more power get an exhaust the shorter the better and run E85 if you can tolerate the 12mpg in city.Jet Performance has some removable piggyback modules that will help a little with faster shifts and Range has some AFM modules that can keep cylinder deactivation from kicking on but thats about all you can really do without tanking your warranty.If dont need a warranty and really want to get serious with power boost is always the right answer

Edited September 6, 2020 by WHITESSTOWPIG

jshrubs · September 7, 2020

If you want the most out of this engine, you can do all the bolt on mods and then get a tune to get the most out of them. If you find an exhaust you like then headers will make it louder but the performance benefits for headers will probably be minimal. Also exhausts on these trucks can sound good until you get into the higher range of rpms (Highway Speeds).

A tune will be your best bet if you're looking for something easy to wake the truck up and companies like Blackbear will retune for free as you add mods.

Turbo is not as easy as it seems. Not a lot of support for this engine in that regard. No off the shelf options so it would have to be 100% custom and I haven't seen any reliable power made through a turbo yet on the 4.3 ecotec.