Performance upgrade help on 05' ST

[offroad72]

hey everyone. I have a 2005 ST. I would like to get more performance out of truck. and better gas mileage wouldnt hurt either. I have the usual cosmetic upgrades. Torsion Twist and 3" body lift. I am running 33X12.50X15 General tires.
I have heard people talk about programmers and chips. I am from the old school. my last truck had a 390 in it. So I am new to the programmers and chips. Can anybody point me in the right direction and are they worth it. Also I would like to install a nice exhaust system. I am looking more for performance then noise. is it worth it and which ones are people running. and can you buy kits for self install. I have access to welders and fabrication tools.
Thanks for any help.
Doug

 

[LONO100]

hi doug, in terms of increasing mpgs, with the 33"s you have on, its going to be tough. the best way to increase your mpgs is to alter your driving habits and to reduce the weight of your truck by taking off things like camper shells, steps, and bull bars. ive heard of tuners with fuel economy settings working, but to get the most out of them you will need to upgrade your intake as well as your exhaust.

for intakes, your best bet is to go with a KN or volant and switch out the cone filter with an amsoil filter. for exhaust systems, full catback systems are available from gibson as well as flowmaster that seem to be some of the more popular ones used. do a search on exhaust mods and you will find everything from opinions and reviews to youtube clips of how they sound. i have a KN intake with a magnaflow exhaust but have yet to pull a trigger on a tuner.

in essence, i think the popular thinking on these components for power/mpg gains is that you will get minimal gains from each component, but when you combine a good intake, tuner and exhaust you can really open things up. good luck and let us know what you end up going with.

 

[offroad72]

Lono100
Thanks for the helpful tips. I was just about ready to order a cold air intake until I read some posts on here. Most people said dont bother. So I am not sure. Maybe it would help if it was matched with Exhaust. I have heard that changing the gears in the rear end would help also. any body have any advice on this.
Thanks
Doug

 

[LONO100]

If you upgraded to 33" tires and haven't regeared than your Speedo is off which throws off your tranny shift points. This makes the tranny work harder and you also lose top end power and speed. You might have noticed this already going up long hills at freeway speed. To properly regain and get your Speedo back on point use this formula to figure out what you need to regear to:

New tire size/stock tire size X stock gear ratio = new gear ratio needed

There is much debate about intakes, I think the best middle ground is to get an amsoil filter for your stock airbox. Definitely an upgrade over conventional breathing.