Upgrades for 4.6 V8 XLT 2003.

[zerodevil]

so, i have been pondering taking my exploader to the next level, and i have had my eyes on a few things on the net, so ill list them off. I just want to know if anyone has had any experiences they would like to share.

So far ive had my best luck and explorerexpress.com,

Bama Chip tuner: does it realy do ALL that it says? and what kind of HP and torque gains am i looking at? Any adverse effects?

Magnaflow Exhaust: Mounting issues? HP gains? does it even sound good?

MAC Cold air intake kit: HP gains?

Stainless-Steel exhaust headers: Even worth it? HP gains?.

4 pronged iridium spark plugs: Any improvement or will it take further tuning?


I am hoping to add about 60-70 hp, with these mods and some tuning what are the odds? My plan is to creat a sport truck of sorts, maybe even get the poneys to take down a trailblazer SS.

Also, ive been thinking about a new brake kit, (3rd gens have BAAAD breaks man...) so maybe it would stop somthing more like a 2007-08. Any recomendations?


are there any other upgrades that arnt uber expensive upgrades that im not considering here?

 

[Kyle0614]

i call order for a drag truck ...hmm lets say fully built internals with remote mount turbo and 150 or so extra horses

 

[Kyle0614]

oop...forgot to answer your questions

1.. yup bama chips are pretty accurate in what they will say they do from what i've read on this site

2. magnaflow's do sound good but flowmaster's are better...

3. headers should give that v8 about 15-20 extra horses

4. spark plugs are just for maintaining issues never really add horsepower more like restore horsepower if your old ones are lagging or something...

horsepower hmm...i would say at least 45+hp with ^^ above items listed now if you had those same items dyno tuned after install then you could def probably get 60-70...hope this helps..

3. Mac CAI maybe 5 maybe 8 if your lucky...

 

[bigapple]

the exhaust will sound good no matter what since u have a V8, but the magnaflow gives a tad more of a poppy sound than the flowmaster cuz the magnaflow is made more like a glasspack whereas the flowmaster is a straight-thru muffler... headers will definitely give u gains but if u modify the exhaust, i would modify the intake too... u will notice more power if u do

 

[zerodevil]

hmm

Thanks for the help, SO what else is there to consider other than 2-3 thousand for a turbo charger or super charger?Realy want to crank this thing to 400+ HP, what would that take? Also i dont think flow master makes an exhaust system for a 2003 explorer, or is that a custom aplication?

 

[Kyle0614]

that would take alot ...like, everything forged internally engine parts everything else custom like port and polishing ...remote mount turbo with at least 23 pounds of boost (i.e. 23psi)...you would need some sort of race tranny in a X to handle that kind of power... the factory one would just break probably from the stress...maybe a 50 shot of nitrous just for a little extra when all said and done after proper dyno'ing and such then i think you could easy see 400 hp...what are those stock BTW? like 260 or 270?

 

[zerodevil]

i dynod in at 272, im just looking to create a sleep style street truck, i guess i would be ok with 330-350...i can already stomp down on silverados, durangos, and jeeps...but i want to take down a trailblazer SS. Would it be an overly expensive hill to climb (Although a Trailblazer SS has 400 hp, it also has only 4 gears, and about 1000 lbs on me), IF i could get close to 340 hp im willing to bet that i could take one down on a drag strip...but i didnt want to spend 5 grand on a super charger...3 grand on a racing trany..2 grand on new diffs...just a little more bolt on fun.

 

[Kyle0614]

trailblazer ss is goning to be a challenge those things haul absolute ass ...but if you do exactly as i described in my last post but maybe with just at least 15psi for the turbo , nitrous , forged internals, race tranny, port and polish. traction mods like slicks and something lower it so it can catch on the launch...then maybe just maybe you could beat one by 1 maybe 2 car lengths ...but IMO what are those like 400hp stock just plain sick lol hope this helps...

 

[Kyle0614]

oh didn't read your full post...btw you probably want be able to compete with a SS with just bolt on's those are 0-60 in the 5's i think stock ...

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

good luck on doing the upgrades on ur truck and keep us posted.

 

[zerodevil]

lol, its just going to take more time and deffinately more money...then i thought, but...i think im going to do it for the sure joy of owning an SS, ill keep you posted, Thanks for the help.

 

[zerodevil]

flowmaster

one more thing, what flow master exhaust system fits a 2003 V8 4wd? is it a custom aplication or what? any one have experience with a JBA system? looking for a SICK sound as well as HP gains.

Ive been browsing Ebay and have found some decently priced turbos, ANY idea on how complicated a conversion would for say a 7lb boost gain? what kinds of HP gain would come from 7lbs of boost? would it cause to much mechanical unstability for a stock tranny and engine?

 

[bigapple]

one more thing, what flow master exhaust system fits a 2003 V8 4wd? is it a custom aplication or what? any one have experience with a JBA system? looking for a SICK sound as well as HP gains.

Ive been browsing Ebay and have found some decently priced turbos, ANY idea on how complicated a conversion would for say a 7lb boost gain? what kinds of HP gain would come from 7lbs of boost? would it cause to much mechanical unstability for a stock tranny and engine?

well i bought the muffler at a local pepboys and welded it in the stock location... go to ebay and check out flowmaster mufflers... if u get one with an offset inlet and center outlet, a muffler shop could weld that beast in for u... as long as the welds are good and seal up, ull be getting good performance

 

[crash594]

Is there a web site for the BAMA Chip

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

i happy with the 40 series flowmasters on my 01 sport the previous owners used to have 70 series on my sport and it sounded to quiet. And now with the 40 series big difference in sound and it sounds more louder and deeper.

 

[blown03]

Bama Chip tuner: does it realy do ALL that it says? and what kind of HP and torque gains am i looking at? Any adverse effects?

Magnaflow Exhaust: Mounting issues? HP gains? does it even sound good?

MAC Cold air intake kit: HP gains?

Stainless-Steel exhaust headers: Even worth it? HP gains?.

4 pronged iridium spark plugs: Any improvement or will it take further tuning?


I am hoping to add about 60-70 hp, with these mods and some tuning what are the odds? My plan is to creat a sport truck of sorts, maybe even get the poneys to take down a trailblazer SS.

A canned tuned chip won't do anything for you, unless you're going with a custom tune don't bother. A good custom tune after the usual bolt-ons isn't a bad idea and usually results in decent gains. Intakes will give you 5-10hp tops, try to get one with the least path of resistance (least amount of unnecessary bends) and that's not metal. Exhaust will give you a decent gain on these trucks as long as you don't mind the extra noise. They are pretty corked up from the factory, but you're going to need to go with a full exhaust to see the real benefits. You won't gain anything with new spark plugs, unless your current ones are in need of replacing. Sorry bud but unless you go forced induction, or want to start getting into the heads/cams you're not going to see 60-70hp from bolt-ons.

3. headers should give that v8 about 15-20 extra horses

horsepower hmm...i would say at least 45+hp with ^^ above items listed now if you had those same items dyno tuned after install then you could def probably get 60-70...hope this helps..

He's not going to see 20hp from headers on a n/a truck, maybe even it was blown but that's still a little high. He's not going to see near 45hp from bolt-ons without a tune, and definetly not 60-70.

i dynod in at 272

What mods did you do to dyno at 272? Are you referring to wheel horsepower or flywheel horsepower?

 

[blown03]

but the magnaflow gives a tad more of a poppy sound than the flowmaster cuz the magnaflow is made more like a glasspack whereas the flowmaster is a straight-thru muffler...

The magnaflow is a straight thru muffler, the flowmaster is a chambered muffler. The flowmaster might sound better, but a straight thru muffler will be better for power.

 

[zerodevil]

im not sure about the existing mods as i just recently bought it used, but it still has the stock intake box and exhaust, and to my knowledge no tuneing has been done, thats BHP on the dyno btw.

so a tune wont do me anygood untill i have dropped some mods in?(not even in shift points or removing the throttle lag?) how much am i looking at for a good tune after the mods, im currently dead set on ordering a magnaflow and a good CAI, and possibly a used turbo Kit off of ebay, probably around 8 psi of boost (not a lot, but i dont want to spend a lot yet or break my recently bought truck...yet at least lol.

 

[blown03]

im not sure about the existing mods as i just recently bought it used, but it still has the stock intake box and exhaust, and to my knowledge no tuneing has been done.

so a bama chip wont do me anygood untill i have dropped some mods in? how much am i looking at for a good tune after the mods?

Where did you get the number of 272 horsepower on the dyno? 272 at the rear wheels is about a 75 horsepower jump from stock, and it sounds like the truck is primarily stock. A "canned tune" which is just installing one of the premade tunes is honestly a waste of time. They can't really add too much timing or lean the fuel maps out or they would be asking for trouble with people hurting their motors. I would get with some of the vendors on this forum and once you've figured out what you want to do as far as bolt-ons then get a custom tune from them. A hand held tuner is going to run you $300-$400 depending which one you get, most companies will charge $100-$200 for a custom tune. If its an option get a dyno tune, that way the tuner can datalog and see whats going on with the car and really get the most out of it. Dyno time is typically $75-$150 an hour while tuning. I'd check ebay and the classifieds on the forums for used tuners, I've sold a couple tuners that I used on my Cobra for $150 and they were used maybe 3-4 times.

 

[zerodevil]

tuners

ok, ive gone ahead and bought a full blown magnaflow exhaust package, and am looking for a CAI that is not metal or curvy, now im looking at some tuners on ebay, will a superchip flash paq allow me to custom tune myself? how about this little number?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SCT-...3007171QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116


if not, does anyone have any recomendations?