Got my first 03 6.6 3500 duramax with 180,000... Everything is stock on it would like to get upgrades done to it!! Where should I start or what should I do first to this badass truck!!?? I'm new to diesels i would like to get some more horsepower out of it and better gas mileage along with it just sounding better want to really hear my turbo which I really can't right now.. Any help would be great!!
First Duramax!!
- Thread starter Madagan47
- Start date
Welcome:welcome::welcome5:
This is the place for your performance quest.
The best thing to do is read, read everything you can here on the forum, go to other forums to get a good laugh come here to learn. There is many avenues to go down, some are better than others, most apply to all models, some are model specific. I believe you have an LB7 engine, there are many little tweaks to be done to your intake to make it more efficient, a 4" exhaust is a good start and a lift pump to aid in fuel delivery to the cp3(your high pressure pump) and filter down contaminant and remove all if any water that is present in the fuel. From there a good efi live tune will get you some really fun power.
If you are serious, the first expensive mod you will make is your transmission, you need to have it built to hold the power you desire to push to the wheels, figure somewhere around 3500 to up to (and not limited to)6500 dollars, depending how much power you really intend on making. For most a 3500-4500 build cost is more than enough.
After your trans is built, your engine, with turbo and injector upgrades can handle 550+ whp before the pistons, rods or gaskets fail, ARP head studs should be implored for that power level(450+ actually)
Its all about what you want and how much you want to spend, dig deep the road you want to travel down is expensive, really really expensive, to do it right...well if you do it wrong its just as expensive in the long run, maybe more so, so as I said at the start
Read read read......
This is the place for your performance quest.
The best thing to do is read, read everything you can here on the forum, go to other forums to get a good laugh come here to learn. There is many avenues to go down, some are better than others, most apply to all models, some are model specific. I believe you have an LB7 engine, there are many little tweaks to be done to your intake to make it more efficient, a 4" exhaust is a good start and a lift pump to aid in fuel delivery to the cp3(your high pressure pump) and filter down contaminant and remove all if any water that is present in the fuel. From there a good efi live tune will get you some really fun power.
If you are serious, the first expensive mod you will make is your transmission, you need to have it built to hold the power you desire to push to the wheels, figure somewhere around 3500 to up to (and not limited to)6500 dollars, depending how much power you really intend on making. For most a 3500-4500 build cost is more than enough.
After your trans is built, your engine, with turbo and injector upgrades can handle 550+ whp before the pistons, rods or gaskets fail, ARP head studs should be implored for that power level(450+ actually)
Its all about what you want and how much you want to spend, dig deep the road you want to travel down is expensive, really really expensive, to do it right...well if you do it wrong its just as expensive in the long run, maybe more so, so as I said at the start
Read read read......
Thanks for the reply!! I'm not trying to go that far with the HP right now just couldn't afford doing that much to it so I'm a lil limited... What could I do to it to add HP but not have to rebuild my transmission or push it to where I would lose a piston or a rod looking to spend around $2000 at the most... Could I just get a tuner and not have to worry about my engine or transmission or if I do get a tuner what should I do to it.. Or should I not get a tuner and focus on some smaller detail?!! Can't wait for some more responses for help just new to this and all the help is greatly appreciated!
Mod your intake track, exhaust, lift pump and a STOCK TRANS efi live tune from any of the vendors on this forum, and you will have a real nice power band, and a reliable truck...
That will put you close to 12-1500
That will put you close to 12-1500
Efi-550
Exhaust-350-550
Lift pump-550-650
Intake can be self modified for the most part, add an lbz turbo elbow for cheap
Or an s&b or banks ram air intake system for 500
You are right at your 2g mark, and you will be somewhere around 150+ whp over stock:thumb:
Exhaust-350-550
Lift pump-550-650
Intake can be self modified for the most part, add an lbz turbo elbow for cheap
Or an s&b or banks ram air intake system for 500
You are right at your 2g mark, and you will be somewhere around 150+ whp over stock:thumb:
Forget all the BS of built transmissions and liftpumps right now, your just beginning. I would get a PPE programer and call it done for now. Run it on the 90 or 160 HP settings. There numbers are crank shaft hp. You can handle about 90-100 at the rear wheels over stock on your stock trans. Dont get wraped up in the liftpump, built trans hype right now. Just add a little power enjoy your truck and start reading here. After researching and asking questions here you'll decide what to do next, probably guages, exhaust and intake in this order. Have fun and wecome to the site, hide your creditcard from yourself also
In my opinion might as well buy EFI cause in a few months you will want it anyways. Just get the tuner to keep it trans safe. Otherwise you buy somethig like edge or Ppe and in a few months have to sell it to get EFI. We all know its unlikely you will not want more power eventually.
This would be my oppinion also a good PPe tuner is going to be around 500 on up anyways and its still a caned tune.Leave the efi live as your last thing otherwise your going to keep making changes and need corrections to your tune.The efi live will getg you the most out of the truck while keeping the trans safe.Just my 2 cents.
LB7 trucks can't run an LBZ mouthpiece... Instead they port and polish their stock inlet
welcome:thumb: I would also go ahead and get efi live v2 or swap out your ecm with a tuned one. Be saving for a built trans. And do A LOT of reading on here this site has tons of useful info. Sure wish I knew about it back in 09 when I got started with my truck!
Thanks everybody for the feedback and welcomes!! After hearing everybody and their opinions looks like I'm going to go with the EFI live which is what everybody has mentioned... What's the best place to order one? Also does it matter that I have an automatic or do certain products work better on an auto trans than a manual?
Thanks everybody for the welcomes and the advice!! After hearing what everyone had to say looks like I'm gonna go with the efi live for now... Where would the best place be to purchase one? Also does it matter if I have an automatic trans does certain products work better with it or does it not matter whether its manual or auto?
there are several vendors on here that sell EFI. EFI live is a tuning software, when you buy it you are not getting a premade tuner, but rather the software and cable (V2 or autocal) to change the tune on your truck. You can chose who you want to tune it. When you buy the tuning tool from one of the vendors it comes with free tunes from that guy, and he can customize them for you.
I myself run Idaho Robs (ATP) and really like it. There are some other guys that tune on here that are good also. Don't go with some cheap shady tuner for EFI, you can get into trouble that way.
With EFI you can check your balance rates as well as use it for an advanced diagnostics tool.
Only real issue with the LB7s is the injectors, just watch the balance rates and make sure you don't have fuel in the oil and it should be a good truck for you
I myself run Idaho Robs (ATP) and really like it. There are some other guys that tune on here that are good also. Don't go with some cheap shady tuner for EFI, you can get into trouble that way.
With EFI you can check your balance rates as well as use it for an advanced diagnostics tool.
Only real issue with the LB7s is the injectors, just watch the balance rates and make sure you don't have fuel in the oil and it should be a good truck for you
