Towing with 33” tires versus 35” tires

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Ben Barrow

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I tow a good bit with my truck on 35s, but it has been regeared to 4.56. Before the regear i had the factory 3.73s, and it was a dog compared to now. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't have wanted to tow a whole lot with it. I would definitely recommend going to 4.56 if you're going to be towing a load often. You won't want to run much over 70 on the highway, but most of my driving is on 45 mph roads anyway. Also gained almost 2 mpg after regearing.
 

kylenautique

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Man this thread has gone all over the place! All good information all around. I have considered the 0411 ECM swap, but because I have a 98, my ECM is somewhat tune-able, and I don’t plN on abandoning the vortec 350 for an LS engine. 0411 has better ECM fan control so I might still do it. I also totally agree that brakes are overlooked when tire size is increased. I installed a hydroboost brake system, removed the ABS and also installed 99-04 silverado rear disc brakes. She stops on a dime. I’m thinking 35s would work if I was just driving around, but because I tow and haul stuff, the 33 inch tires might be the better solution unless I want to re gear the truck to at least 4.10s, which in theory should make my truck feel like it does currently with the 33” and 3.73 gears.
 

Ehall8702

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Headers? Intake? Tune? You're not making 550 crank with that motor. I don't doubt it's rowdy, but if you're going to spout numbers you need to hit the Dyno.
Headers? Intake? Tune? You're not making 550 crank with that motor. I don't doubt it's rowdy, but if you're going to spout numbers you need to hit the Dyno.
Headers, full 3" duals , 243 heads milled .030 (with simple valve job done by me) thinner mls head gaskets , sloppy stage 2 cam, flex fuel injectors, tbss intake ....PLENTY videos of same setup dynoed putting 550 crank and more. This the second time u question a number I put up isn't it? Lol LS motors make power so easy 500+ very easy to do on em
 

Ehall8702

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Headers? Intake? Tune? You're not making 550 crank with that motor. I don't doubt it's rowdy, but if you're going to spout numbers you need to hit the Dyno.
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799 same as 243s , close to same cam numbers and non decked head or thinner head gaskets. Easy 520+ crank HP. LS motors make easy power if you do ur research.
My truck will never see a Dyno , not what I built it for , I used parts I had on hand (except cam) and threw it together to go in a truck I got for a grand bc the PO smoked the motor (well afm did).
Sorry to OP for hijacking the thread , was just making a point about torque management, it'll take a beast if setup properly , firm shifting and over 6k rpm shifts are a 4l60es Nemesis! Hot and cold are next in line, I had to put a oil line thermostat on mine bc it's so cold it's hard to get up to operating temp and that's almost as bad as over temp in a trans.
 

Ehall8702

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Man this thread has gone all over the place! All good information all around. I have considered the 0411 ECM swap, but because I have a 98, my ECM is somewhat tune-able, and I don’t plN on abandoning the vortec 350 for an LS engine. 0411 has better ECM fan control so I might still do it. I also totally agree that brakes are overlooked when tire size is increased. I installed a hydroboost brake system, removed the ABS and also installed 99-04 silverado rear disc brakes. She stops on a dime. I’m thinking 35s would work if I was just driving around, but because I tow and haul stuff, the 33 inch tires might be the better solution unless I want to re gear the truck to at least 4.10s, which in theory should make my truck feel like it does currently with the 33” and 3.73 gears.
Yeah there is more tunability with the 98 vs older ecm, not as much as a 0411 still. Hptuner won't work for you as I think only goes back to 2000. Idk about efilive , but that's almost 3 times the price as hptuners, which is why I didn't go that route. I'm not sure of what options you have for black box tuning , I mean as far as tuning it urself. 0411 swap easy but I never found a definite answer about trans tuning on the older 4l60e trans with new ecm, like do the options for the 00+ trans work properly with 00 back ones? Only answer I definitely found was torque converter was built differently for 00+ .
 

Supercharged111

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799 same as 243s , close to same cam numbers and non decked head or thinner head gaskets. Easy 520+ crank HP. LS motors make easy power if you do ur research.
My truck will never see a Dyno , not what I built it for , I used parts I had on hand (except cam) and threw it together to go in a truck I got for a grand bc the PO smoked the motor (well afm did).
Sorry to OP for hijacking the thread , was just making a point about torque management, it'll take a beast if setup properly , firm shifting and over 6k rpm shifts are a 4l60es Nemesis! Hot and cold are next in line, I had to put a oil line thermostat on mine bc it's so cold it's hard to get up to operating temp and that's almost as bad as over temp in a trans.

10.5:1 6.0. . . you're starting with an LS2 (400hp stock) and a bigger cam (easy 40hp), headers/exhaust (easy 30hp), TBSS intake (maybe 10-15ish?), and no tune?! C'mon man, you're not fooling anyone. I called you out because that's what they do in the U.P. Bolt on a bunch of crap, don't tune it, and make baseless claims. You have a solid 500hp worth of hardware, but no way in hell is that truck making 550.
 

kylenautique

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Yeah there is more tunability with the 98 vs older ecm, not as much as a 0411 still. Hptuner won't work for you as I think only goes back to 2000. Idk about efilive , but that's almost 3 times the price as hptuners, which is why I didn't go that route. I'm not sure of what options you have for black box tuning , I mean as far as tuning it urself. 0411 swap easy but I never found a definite answer about trans tuning on the older 4l60e trans with new ecm, like do the options for the 00+ trans work properly with 00 back ones? Only answer I definitely found was torque converter was built differently for 00+ .
I have a tuner locally that can do most the the adjustments with TunerCats. The 98 ecm is pretty good if you plan on sticking with the 5.7. The 98 ECM controls the transmission the same way the 0411 does. TunerCats does have its limitations though. I’m going to go with a Black Bear tune soon. They tune 98 black box ECMs with EFI Live.
 

Supercharged111

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I have a tuner locally that can do most the the adjustments with TunerCats. The 98 ecm is pretty good if you plan on sticking with the 5.7. The 98 ECM controls the transmission the same way the 0411 does. TunerCats does have its limitations though. I’m going to go with a Black Bear tune soon. They tune 98 black box ECMs with EFI Live.

I first tuned my black box and later went with the 411. As a driver, you'll probably see less of an improvement than the tuner would. I will say though that my black box always had a phantom knock. It went away with the 411 and the thing really picked up some top end with that. We're I not my own tuner I wouldn't have ever had a clue.
 

Ehall8702

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10.5:1 6.0. . . you're starting with an LS2 (400hp stock) and a bigger cam (easy 40hp), headers/exhaust (easy 30hp), TBSS intake (maybe 10-15ish?), and no tune?! C'mon man, you're not fooling anyone. I called you out because that's what they do in the U.P. Bolt on a bunch of crap, don't tune it, and make baseless claims. You have a solid 500hp worth of hardware, but no way in hell is that truck making 550.
Hmm u want my log files there bud? ****** won't even run if you don't tune it for one. I started by having to turn a gen 3 motor into a gen 4 motor, how many reluctor wheels you changed ? Yeah by hand no jig , I've been tuning on this truck for about week and a half, getting close to what I'm after. Here, here is last log file and tune file
One I've only been back up here for the last 10 years, 27 we're in Florida so I'm not a YOOPER and do things right . I'm a certified mechanic and do this professionally for a living, I've got more invested in my tools than most have invested in Thier vehicle. I'd slow down on judging someone before u know something about em, just bc u don't THINK something someone built makes what they say,open your eyes and do the research, I spent alot of time and effort to put the right combination of parts to make the motor be what it is.
 
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