Jump to content

Help a new guy decide.

SisqocqkSTi

Recommended Posts

SisqocqkSTi New Member

SisqocqkSTi

Posted
Posted

Howdy, my name's eric and im a frequenter of www.i-club.com (one of the few import forums against rice) and have a couple n00b questions for my father.

 

I got off the phone with my father today and he's tired of his trucks performance and is a bit jealous of my MY03 WRX and 04 STi because im always doing something new to it.

 

Anyway, he owns a 2003 GMC 1500 4.8L with AT and is looking to get a Reflash on his CPU and a good dual tip catback. I tried to seach for "CPU" etc but am unfamiliar with the reputable companies so i didn't have too much luck. What is the best going reflash on the market now or the "best bang" for his dollar. Also, how do they work? are they user tunable with different maps or do you ship the CPU off to the company? Will the dealer be able to find it during work on the car and will it matter for smog? Any info you think i'll need to know would be awesome.

 

Also, what are the better catbacks on the market? i want one with decent welds and sound. I love the sound of a good magnaflow...do they make one for his model?

 

Sorry to ask a question on my first post. I just want to get the ball rolling for my father.

 

Any direction is appreciated!

 

thanks, Eric :lol:

Wingnut Senior Enthusiast

Wingnut

Posted
Posted

First off, welcome :thumbs:

 

 

Then, use the "search" feature up above and to the right.

 

Use the terms "Westers" and/or "Nelsons". You will get quite a few hits. Take some time, do some reading.

 

Both of them are mail-order tunes that appear to be the best out there right now. (I don't have either, but so many people here are amazed by their results.)

 

Oh...and...

 

Howdy, my name's eric and im a frequenter of www.i-club.com (one of the few import forums against rice) and have a couple n00b questions for my father.

 

I got off the phone with my father today and he's tired of his trucks performance and is a bit jealous of my MY03 WRX and 04 STi because im always doing something new to it.

 

You drive a WRX, but are in an "anti-rice" forum? I'm not flaming you, I just found that to be a little odd. :dupe:

 

 

:lol:

rhilton Enthusiast

rhilton

Posted
Posted

Best PCM "bang for the buck" he can get is a wester's PCM upgrade. With that you order the PCM, Lyndon (the owner) ships you his tuned PCM and then you send your original core back to him. He has 87 to 93 octane tunings. He also tunes for mods like catbacks, camshafts, headers, intakes, etc. Here's the link Wester's

 

Recommendations on catbacks

 

From what I've heard, JBA, Gibson, and flowmaster are the top dogs.

 

I'd go with JBA headers. And a K&N FIPK intake. If he really wants to put some strength to it, go with a Vortech, Kenne Bell, or Whipple supercharger. :lol: That's probably not what he wants

 

But Westers does free upgrades for the life of the vehicle.

 

Say you got a supercharger put on after you had the PCM already. Tell Lyndon, he'll tune you a new one, send it to you and then you send your old one back to him. No down time.

 

Hope I helped.

rhilton Enthusiast

rhilton

Posted
Posted
You drive a WRX, but are in an "anti-rice" forum? I'm not flaming you, I just found that to be a little odd.

 

WRX are one of the few imports that hardly ever sound like a ricer. :thumbs: Of course, with a specific muffler, you probably could make a 4800 chevy sound like a ricer. :dupe:

 

Or get a whistle tip like Bubba Rubb. :lol:

 

It goes "Wooo-WOOOO"

 

-Robert

LikeaRock14 Enthusiast

LikeaRock14

Posted
Posted

Well, here's my opinion on a cat-back

 

If your dad is looking more for performance w/ a great sound, Magnaflow is the most efficient way to go. Their straight thru design is flawless, they're all stainless cat-backs, and they sound awesome! A single 3" in 2.25" or 2.5" out w/ the tips he likes will be great. I actually found a site off this website that was a great one. Magnaflow d/o cat-backs for like $417 I believe. That's a hell of a deal for magnaflow! The usualy gain from Magnaflow is about 10-16 hp, 20-30 ft lb's of torque.

Corsa's cat-backs are a hell of a deal too. They sound extremely aggressive from their clips I've heard, they have a great power increase and have almost 0 interior sound from what they say. they produce a good increae in power too.

I personally love the sound of Borla on a 4.8 or 5.3 GM. They don't drone (i thought they did, amsingly they dont!), they have a deep mellow tone all thru the r's, they don;t get overly loud (quieter than a 40 series Flowmaster), and they have a great performance increase too.

 

For more of a performance SOUND, a Flowmaster Super 40 series muffler w/ a cat-back from them would be nice. Deep mellow tone, little interior sound, good power increase.

My personal favorite for a unique sound, since I love that chambered muffler sound :lol: is a Spin Tech Cat-bac. 0 interior drone, but that sounds there when u want it!!! Deeper, mellow agressive tone, smooth, refined. Awesome sound

 

As for an intake, go Volant or K&N. A chip, WESTERS ALL DUH WAY

Wingnut Senior Enthusiast

Wingnut

Posted
Posted

Bubb-Rubb..... :lol: MAN that's funny stuff.

 

 

And I am not :thumbs: on the WRX, those cars are d@mn fast, and handle like they are on rails. Great cars, in my opinion.

SisqocqkSTi New Member

SisqocqkSTi

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Wow very prompt responses.

 

Im from the bay area (well near) and Bubb Rubb and whistle tips are well known here. What i meant by "anti-rice" is the fact we keep our cars respectable. we don't throw on the primered bodykits and giant wings. We keep it simple, easy on the eyes and functional of course. We always have meets, autocrosses, picnics etc while keeping it safe and CHP friendly (some of us are cops so...)

 

Anyway, thanks for the responses.

 

Here my last question on the Reflash. On my WRX i have an EcuTek reflash and it comes with 2 built in maps. One for the primary driver and one for valet, kids, wife etc. All i do is turn on the ignition (without the engine on), step on the throttle and hit the defrost button to switch maps. I have one set at 9psi at 4000rpm gov. and one at 16.5psi and 9000rpm max.

 

Are there features on the 4.8L reflash that'll give my father the opprotunity to switch maps or turn off the tuned CPU when my Step-mother steps into the cab? Or is it all set in stone once he ships it off to the reflash company?

 

BTW very respectable forum you have here. :lol:

 

thanks again! Eric from http://www.i-club.com

Wingnut Senior Enthusiast

Wingnut

Posted
Posted

D@mn, I want some James Bond-like programming for my truck too!!! :thumbs:

 

"Wait! Ms. Moneypenny, please don't press that......BOOM!!!!". :lol:

 

 

The tunes are going to be a step-up, that's for sure, but they will not make it undriveable to the un-initiated.

 

I know Westers will give you a dual-tune, which responds differently to different octanes. Not sure about a switched, dual mapped chip though.

 

Would certainly be cool. I had one with 6 different settings on my 89 years ago, but you had to pull the glove box out to change it. So guess where it stayed. :dupe:

SisqocqkSTi New Member

SisqocqkSTi

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Outstanding Info fellas.

 

So far i know for a fact he'll want a Wester 87octane Map because he's not the type to spend too much on gasoline. plus we live in CA so the price is already high.

 

can someone please tell me EXACTLY which reflash i'll need off this page ( http://westers_garage.eidnet.org/scprice.htm ) because i don't want to give him false information on price etc.

 

So correct me if im wrong but my father orders the Chip based on octane/VIN etc. They send a new CPU without any downtime and my father simply mails the OEM factory ECU back? sounds too easy...

 

 

Also looking into the Gibson Catback seen here because i love the design: http://www.gibsonperformance.com/extrem.asp :lol:

 

Last question (until i can think of more crap :thumbs: ). I know how my father thinks. He wants a nice "streetable" truck with nice catback rumble. Should he wait until he gets new , larger size wheels, catback and K&N before ordering the Wester's? Or it really wouldn't matter what route he takes because wester will ship him a new CPU for free based in recent upgrades, right?

 

 

thanks again, eric

Wingnut Senior Enthusiast

Wingnut

Posted
Posted

Yup, it really is that easy.

 

And yup, he will do future upgrades for free....Well....You pay shipping, of course, so it isn't all that free. But still a much better deal than you will get just about anywhere.

 

Sorry, I can't help you on the catback, don't have one on the 02. Lot's of fellas here have them, and you will probably get lots of info on that over the next couple of days, as not everyone can live on here like I do. :lol:

 

If you do a search on cat-back, or exhaust, you will get a ton of hits back.

Wingnut Senior Enthusiast

Wingnut

Posted
Posted

Oops, looks like we spoke too soon. It appears he is still asking for the core first on the 03/04 model years....I think that means that you will have to send him your computer, and then he programs it. Looks like a cost of $595 :lol:

 

Lots of info in **this thread here**.....Which happens to be a group purchase going on (discount)

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Forum Statistics

    250.3k
    Total Topics
    2.7m
    Total Posts

  • Member Statistics

    342,739
    Total Members
    8,960
    Most Online
    chfkief
    Newest Member
    chfkief
    Joined

  • Who's Online   1 Member, 0 Anonymous, 1,463 Guests (See full list)

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • Chuck FB
      Joke Thread

      By Chuck FB · Posted

      Fred was in the fertilized egg business. He had several hundred young pullets, and ten roosters to fertilize the eggs He kept records, and any rooster not performing went into the soup pot and was replaced. This took a lot of time, so he bought some tiny bells and attached them to his roosters. Each bell had a different tone, so he could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing. Now, he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report by just listening to the bells. Fred's favourite rooster, old Butch, was a very fine specimen, but this morning he noticed old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all! When he went to investigate, he saw the other roosters were busy chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing, but the pullets, hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover. To Fred's amazement, old Butch had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring. He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one. Fred was so proud of old Butch, he entered him in the City Show and he became an overnight sensation among the judges. The result was the judges not only awarded old Butch the "No Bell Piece Prize," but they also awarded him the "Pulletsurprise" as well. Clearly old Butch was a politician in the making. Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most coveted awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the unsuspecting populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention. Vote carefully in the next election, you can't always hear the bells.
    • chfkief
      FS: Black Bear Performance AutoCal Tuning System

      By chfkief · Posted

      Do you still have?
    • 3CarSeatDad
      High Country Suburban build confirmation

      By 3CarSeatDad · Posted

      Can someone confirm if the GM order workbench terminal is able to validate a custom build sequence:   1) Initialize the Allocation Base: Open a new vehicle build queue, select the 2026 Chevrolet Suburban 4WD, and pick the High Country (3LZ Preferred Equipment Group).   2) Select the Diesel Powertrain: Go directly to the engine configuration screen and choose RPO code LZ0 (3.0L Duramax Turbo-Diesel). Ensure it maps to the MHS 10-speed automatic transmission.   3) Deploy the Seating Swap: Navigate to the Interior Options screen and enter RPO code ATT to replace the standard captain's chairs with the power-release 60/40 bench seat. Because you are not trying to force a separate luxury or air-suspension bundle, the standard, premium D07 Fixed Floor Console remains active. The system will accept this change immediately without triggering a warning message.   3)Apply Heavy-Duty Hauling Capability: Input RPO code NHT (Max Trailering Package). The commercial terminal will automatically bundle the required trailering hardware and software modules to support the diesel engine's maximum towing capacity.   5) Layer the Premium Tech and Glass: Separately add code C3U (Panoramic Power Sunroof) and code UKL (Super Cruise) to the order screen.   6) Run the Final Validation: Click the "Validate Order" button at the bottom of the interface.
    • revmanii
      Looking at ordering a '26 WT because I want a std cab, std bed

      By revmanii · Posted

      Spent the last hour or 2 googling and reading up on the spacer thing. I don't like the loss of thread contact on the slip on spacers, but it appears you can get "extended" lug nuts that reach into the hole of the wheel to get back the lost threads. Looks like the only true hubcentric slip on spacers are at least .375". I'd want as little as I could get away with and don't want to cause other clearance issues going any thicker. Bora seems to offer what appears to be a well made .375" spacer and extended lug nuts. I searched here and did find a couple threads recommending Bora. But not cheap. By the time I buy spacers and lugs, new TPMS sensors, then pay a tire shop to install the new sensors, I suspect I'm going to be in over $400. Thinking about running out and getting some washers to put behind the wheel to see if .375" is enough to clear calipers, turn lock to lock without rubbing, and to see if the wheels/tires look strange pushed out a little. This would just be to check fitment.
    • Core-Lokt
      Road Master Active Suspension

      By Core-Lokt · Posted

      Roadmaster makes some quality parts; I have their sway bar. I considered the RAS, but I ended up bagging. I didn't know what kind of ride I'd get with RAS, and the bags have interior jounce bumpers, so I can run 0 pounds pressure. I figured I'd have the best of normal suspension ride with assist on-demand. But it seems you got pretty much the same in one item.

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...