I like my cold air intake but i don't feel that much more of a power gain and i am pissed that i paid 295 for it... definitely listen to cheaper alternatives. When i opened the box i couldnt believe i paid that much cash for a couple of plastic tubes and a fancy filter. sometimes i wish i had bought the AEM Brute force cold air intake. Supposedly it works great and it looks bad ***

 

00Blazer: An ebay CAI with a DIY heatshield and a k&n on the end (or other comperable filter) is just as good as an out-of-the box FIPK. <-- I believe it's better because you can ensure a better fit in the engine compartment with a DIY shield vs. the gaps in the pre-made... AND it has to do with HP gain so imo it does go here, just as a tangent since it is a seperate question Just remember that if you use an oiled filter, to let the oil seep in before re-installing and then it doesn't hurt to clean up the MAF post install (say after a tank of gas or so) so that any loose oil that may have accumulated there gets cleaned up before particles of crud stick to it and throw your MAF sensor off.....

This is an interesting 4.3 HP article

For horsies:
PCM Tune
High/Free flow exhaust/cat/muffler
CAI
CLEAN YOUR ENGINE AND COMPONENTS!! (iac, tb, maf, egr, seafoam!)

big boy stuff like port and polish
over bore
better cam
headers
specialty fabbed throttle body
specialty fabbed upper intake plenum to handle
NOs
aluminum for EVERYTHING
higher octain fuel
fuel cooler
A/C delete
e-fan
cut weight from EVERYTHING!


also screwing with your transmission will help hp's get to the wheels....
look at those mods

 

Wow! Thanks for all the quick replies and welcomes guys! You're already making me feel at home here!

SpectreBlazer.. ha! alright.. thanks! lol . We play with newbies sometimes too over on the ATV Forum i'm on as well.

I really like Phil's idea of basically building your own intake system. Good idea.. and a good way to save money.. and get more goodies like you said! Now do you have to reset a switch or something like that.. or a sensor? My Super Duty has a sensor and I had to reset that when I put my AFe Stage 2 Intake in there.

I also heard about K&N letting dirt in, it's always been something people have been saying. I run K&N's in my four wheelers, and the some riders say the same thing.. but I'm happy with my results, and knowing that the machine is breathing better.

So K&N it is!

Thanks again guys!!

00Blaze

 

What do you guys think of the 4 stage jet performance chip? I'm seriously considering it along with other things mentioned so far. Thanks!

 

it would probablly get you a few horsepower but your better off with an ecm tune as the ecm tune will be set up for exactly what you have and the jet performance chip wont. The ecm tune costs just as much as a jet chip as well maybe even a little bit cheaper.

 

hey i'm new here and i was wondering what the cost would be for everything to do a 350 swap on my 2000 chevy blazer 4dr 2wd?? if it is way to freakin expensive, whats would be another way to get some big performance gains for fairly cheap??

 

that will not be very economical, unless you have a 350 (perferably 5.7L Vortec, om nom nom ) lying around ready to drop in.

 

Here is a list of bolt ons and upgrades you could do in a weekend in your garage or driveway.
1. Ignition system- MDS or Accell both make coils, distributors, and ignition control modules. i suggest doing the whole system.
2. Big bore mass air and throttle body- Granitelli makes a good product for both, but dig around online. I've seen a few other options. Also, you can de-screen your mass air flow sensor but be careful not to wreck it. There are also T.B. spacers as well that will help in the higher rmp range.
3. Cam- Comp Cams make a few different options. If you do a cam, you might as well do timing chain and gear set, but dont get a double roller set because you would have to space the back of the cam out to clearence the wider chain and gear set. i would also do lifters as well.
4. Injectors- Upgrading the injectors.
5. PCM tune- do this after all the above because you can tell them what cam, throttle body and mass air, injectors... This will also delete your speed gov and your rev limiter. So be careful not to over rev. I recommend PCM's for less
6. Valve Springs- Nobody ever mentions valve springs. Get a good, stiff set of valve springs. this you can do without pulling the heads off with a little compressed air and a tool you can rent from an auto parts store. This will compliment the cam and PCM tune by allowing you to spin higher rpms without any valve float.
Anyone mechanically inclined could probably do all of these things in a weekend if you have collected all the parts.

 

I really hate to do this, but for the sake of keeping the information in this thread accurate...

The stock ignition system is already quite hot and about the only thing that you will get out of an ignition system upgrade is the multiple spark aspect, but that is only with the full MSD system not just stock replacement parts. Which does not do a whole lot for a low RPM street motor. Change the cam to bump the power curve higher in the RPM and you may see larger gains from an ignition system upgrade, but to upgrade it out of the chute may leave less money for other supporting mods that would make more of a difference. But just replacing the stock components with other 'stock' components made by MSD or Accell won't net you any attributable gains other than new hardware vs. old hardware.

Throttle body spacers don't help high RPM at all, actually quite the opposite. They help low end torque at the expense of high RPM power. And on a motor that already makes good torque off idle, they really don't work well at all.

Descreening your MAF as well as going with a 'big bore' throttle body or knocking off the deflector have been discussed in other threads. The MAF screen is there for a reason. The throat area of the MAF as is out flows the throttle body. Have a read through THIS THREAD, particularly my replies and the quote I make towards the end. It kind of covers the maf and throttle body mods. Also run a search for "maf+screen" or "throttle+body+deflector" for further threads on the topic.

As far as injectors go, I have only seen one place that mentions higher flow injector packs for these engines, but you have to get the whole spider. That is unless you go to marine intake which uses regular bosch style injectors.

Getting a cam, valve springs, and higher ratio rockers is a sure way to give these engines a kick in the pants. They all work in conjunction with each other though and you will not realize their true potential until you have it all working together properly. If you are staying in relatively normal RPM levels, springs may not be necessary and I don't know as I would change them until you started to experience valve float. Again, this is a case were there are other things that you could spend that money on initially. But high lift and/or higher ratio rockers (more so with high lift) may throw the valve a bit at high RPM (valve float). It all depends on the setup.

A cam will change the power curve so you will want to choose wisely here. I would suggest anyone contemplating a cam swap to call the tech lines of several major cam manufacturers and get their advice. They will ask you a series of questions about your motor, operating conditions, and your expectations. In the end, they should have some recommendations on valve train upgrades to support the cam of choice.

You need to be honest with yourself and with them about what you want out of the vehicle in the end or you may end up disappointed. Just saying, "I want more POOOWWWWEERRRR!" doesn't cut it. Engines can be setup to give you neck snapping torque, high RPM power, or a mix of the two. It depends on the end use.


The last piece to the puzzle is the PCM tune. I would recommend all of these mods be done at the same time. If you have a local shop that can do true dyno tuning, you will realize the full, safe potential of your vehicle.