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Just Got My New Truck. Need Advice

rufous

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rufous Enthusiast

rufous

Posted
Posted

Hello all. This is my first post on these forums. I would appreciate your input on computer control modules or whatever they are called. Mainly I would be interested in getting better gas mileage. My new 2008 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4 with the 5.3L V-8 (3.73 gear ratio) is quite a bit more powerful than my old 1998 Ford F-150 with its 4.6L V-8 as is and the Ford worked just fine for me so I really do not "need" more power. I never do any towing either. But in doing a bit of research on this forum I see that many of you really like your truck after having Justin at Blackbear Performance do a tune for you. So I am considering this as an option but absolutely would not want to do anything that would jeapordize my warranty. Would Justin's tune void my warranty? If I kept my old unit could I just install it when I took it to the dealer so that they would have no idea of my use of an aftermarket unit?

 

Here is a photo of me with my new truck. The color is Inferno Orange. I just got it last week and am so far loving it. With the big rebate I was searching high and low trying to find one equipped in the ball park of what I was after and this was the only one I could find and it was in Las Vegas with me living in SE WA state. I actually really like the color.

 

I also have another question. My Ford did not have running boards or steps and getting in and out I tended to slide over the seat. This wore out the seat so I think I should get some sort of a step for my new truck. I am thinking seriously about Carr Super Hoop. Should I look at something else or would that one work great for me? I do not want to spend too much but do want to get something that will make getting in and out easier and will help keep the seats looking good for many years. Thanks for any input you can give.

 

BCnewtruck2.jpg

Z71kris Senior Enthusiast

Z71kris

Posted
Posted

welcome to the site, lots of good info for you, I have a set back country running boards on mine came with the truck, but work well, the color is not bad to look at...

alaska511 Senior Enthusiast

alaska511

Posted
Posted

Welcome! Nice truck!

 

I hate to try and comment on what will void the warranty, but keep your stock modules and hook up with Justin at Blackbear :lol: He will answer your questions.

 

I have the GM step bars, and I really like them.

tobias Senior Enthusiast

tobias

Posted
Posted

Welcome to the site! :lol:

 

The use of any non-OEM calibration from either handheld programmers or from a custom tuner like Justin at Blackbear Performance will jeopardize your warranty. If your dealer ever found that a non-OEM calibration had been applied to the vehicle they will have grounds to potentially void your warranty if they can prove that the tune caused the condition in question. The best way to try to mitigate this is to do exactly as you suggested and buy an entirely new set of modules, have them programmed and swap them out at service time. I will be getting a tune once my warranty expires but not before. I just prefer to be safe and not have to sweat any expensive repairs. All of that said, I have heard not a single bad thing about Blackbear Performance and would suggest that if you do anything, you go that route. Just tell Justin what your goals are and he will deliver as best as is possible.

 

As for the color, that's only the second one I have seen. We have another member, takevin, who has a similarly colored truck. He also has some rather unique mods. :D

 

I'm afraid I won't be much help on the step bars though as I don't have any on my truck. A lot of guys seem to like N-Fab, Westin and the GM kits as well.

 

Again, Welcome to the site! :thumbs:

 

 

You know, if you remove all of the badges and stickers from your truck you'll save mileage by shedding weight and improving aerodynamics! :crackup:

Spurshot Senior Enthusiast

Spurshot

Posted
Posted

Holy carrot cake, Batman! That's some orange! You gotta be a hunter, right?

 

I just got a Blackbear tune installed tonight. I posted another thread on my first impressions. It's over under the Engine & Powertrain submenu. If you are really disappointed with the driveability of your truck, the tune may be for you. If you are perfectly happy with the way your truck drives, leave it alone. I was somewhat perturbed about the way my truck drove and wanted to fix it to at least the way you would expect a new truck to drive. My BB tune did that and then some.

hockeypro1411 Senior Enthusiast

hockeypro1411

Posted
Posted

First, welcome to the zoo.

 

Second, I'm lovin' the sweater.

 

And finally, as far as the steps go, if you want that style with the drop down "loop steps" then the Carr ones may be your best bet. However, if you're interested in that style, but want a full nerf bar to go with it, look into N-Fab. If N-Fab is too expensive, maybe try Go Rhino steps. They are similar to the N-Fab's, and typically cost less.

 

Edit: Did some of the dirty work for ya.

 

http://4wheelonline.com/Products.aspx?Cate...ProductId=83670

 

http://4wheelonline.com/Products.aspx?Cate...roductId=238307

97SierraGMC Senior Enthusiast

97SierraGMC

Posted
Posted

honestly i would try to stay away from the hoop steps and buy full boards..

 

they are goign to be about $250-350 but its not a bad price considering how much a seat costs.. plus if you get the 6" ovals they will keep the rockers from rusting if you live in a snowy climate..

need-for-speed Enthusiast

need-for-speed

Posted
Posted

GM is starting to crack down on PCM tunes. I have also read that they can tell if the computer has been swapped (I'm not saying I beleive it).

 

These things have way too much TQ management. I can't blame people for wanting to tune that out. I have serious doubts that anyone can do much with a tune to improve fuel economy. I'm sure some tuners will tell you they can, but I would call BS on that. GM adds torque managent for a reason. They have no reason the leave "mpg" on the table. I realize the stock calibration is a bit rich. Tuning a bit leaner could return some improvement, but how much?

 

But do this - add up all the money you would spend for spare modules, paying for the tune, and any other related cost. Now consider you MIGHT gain 2 mpg (I doubt it). See how many miles you would have to drive to recoup all of that money. And that isn't even giving consideration to the Net Present Value of the money you spent up front (and the time required to recover costs through improved economy).

MarkD Senior Enthusiast

MarkD

Posted
Posted

Nice truck ! Personally I like the AMP power steps. I have the stainless nerf bars and miss the clearance, but want the convenience. I didn't know about AMP when I bought my nerf barss.

Paul58 Enthusiast

Paul58

Posted
Posted

Nice looking truck! Welcome to the club. I have to agree with Daddy on waiting for a tune. I don't have a custom tune, I went with a hand held thinking returning it to stock would solve the warranty issue, but now know it can be detected as well. Makes me paranoid about bringing the truck in for any service! I like what a tune does for the driveability (and a custom tune is far better than a hand held tune), but I'm not so sure it's woth the worry. If I had it to do over again, I'd forego the tune for a bit less stress and worry! Just my .02...

VMax2007 Senior Enthusiast

VMax2007

Posted
Posted

Regarding the tune:

 

I agree that tuning for MPG is not worth it. But tuning for driveability/performance is most definitely worth it. These trucks are stricken with extremely conservative tuning and the driveability completely sucks to the point of being almost dangerous at times (i.e. passing or changing into the fast lane). You will notice this if you haven't already.

 

I would get a spare set of modules and go the custom tune route and not lose a minute of sleep over it. My truck is at the dealer right now and I put the stock modules in it, even though they aren't "virgins" as I used to run the Edge Evolution on them, but returned it to stock and sold it and went the custom tune route. Could they see that I had a non-OEM calibration in there at one time? Probably. But unless they have probable cause (i.e. a major powertrain failure that is symptomatic of abuse or a tune), they aren't going to look. GM would have to request the dealer to take a "snapshot" of the Cal. ID's and they would have to send them to GM for evaluation.

 

Bottom line.....People are WAY too paranoid about this when in all likelyhood, the chances of it ever affecting you are extremely slim.

 

Now, if you had a Diesel or a Vette, then your chances of getting caught are much higher since diesel tunes boost power by an order of magnitude more than a gasser tune will. Hence increasing the chance of a major PT issue much more without beefing up the rest of the drivetrain. Vettes are also under the GM microscope due to the obvious nature of the vehicle.

 

As for step bars, I have the GM 6" ovals, but I also like the N-Fab style bars. It all depends on the lok you want. I like the rocker/door protection that the 6" ovals provide.

 

Welcome to the site!

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