I need some advice...

[Robert Lukas]

Airraid MIT tube and a flat panel replacement filter.

Does the airraid fit the engine? I'm assuming it does but I'm just making sure.

 

[George B]

First thing I would do is make sure all the regular maintenance is up to par. You don’t want a “poser” ride that breaks down on you when your out with your best girl.

 

[wjburken]

Welcome to the forum from Iowa.

I think @George B has given you some very sound advice in getting a good baseline on your vehicle before going too far.

I have a 15 yr old son and a 17 yr old son who both have vehicles that I have provided. My rule is if you’re gonna drive it, you’re gonna learn how to maintain it. I don’t have any idea how familiar you are with wrenching on cars or what resources/mentors you may have in your life, but you will be able to do a lot more of you don’t have to pay someone to do it.

A mild lift/level is pretty cost effective and does change the look of the vehicle. You can maybe get a few extra ponies out of cold air system, but it’s more of a sound thing as these vehicle basically have a cold air intake already.

If your budget can swing it, I think a tune would probably give you your best bang for the money.

Just remember, as has already been mentioned, low-key with mild sound is probably best as young drivers do well to stay off the radar, pun intended, of the local law enforcement.

Good luck with your journey and don’t be afraid to ask questions. We have all been in your shoes before, some have just been out of them a lot longer than others.

 

[Jason in DLH]

I concur with @wjburken on the Cold Air Intake. It does sound pretty cool though. And I concur with him on getting to know your Tahoe and wrenching on it yourself. I saved $500-$700 on the last repair I did and I know it was done right as opposed to some random guy cutting corners (I just cringe at the thought of someone else touching my truck!).

I’ve always liked loud, tuned exhaust. I cut the muffler and resonator off my 6.2L for awhile. But, got sick of that and installed a Borla XR1 muffler which sounds spot on in my opinion.

 

[Taheezy_88]

Get your AFM disabled asap, do all maintenance checks before, and go from there.

I have the same year tahoe 2 inch leveled lift, Craven exhaust with 5 inch muffler sounds beautiful, all up to date maintenance, 22 inch rims with 33inch MT, upgraded headlights, new paint job, and I am in the middle of rebuilding the engine.
Plan to get a RC 3.5 inch lift to replace suspension components as well, and new headers.

Good luck young friend! This forum is a ton of help!

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics, please.

You have already received some very sage advice from very knowledgeable folks here in this Forum. Come to this Forum daily for a year and look at the new posts, and you will be amazed at how much you will learn.

I STRONGLY support the folks suggestions of NOT getting a loud exhaust system on your truck at this time. While it has been several decades since I was a teenage driver, I still remember getting stopped more than once for my cherry bomb muffler, even though I was not doing anything wrong. A loud exhaust has always been, and will always be, a cop magnet for teenage drivers. You simply do not need that unwanted attention and aggravation. Now, as an older man, I have a very loud exhaust on my truck, and when cops see my gray hair, they just look the other way, and don't bother stopping me.

You need money to do mods, and if you are like most of us, you don't have a money tree growing in the back yard. So, you need to carefully plan for each mod, moneywise, and ALWAYS budget more money for each mod, than simply the components that you plan to install with the mod, as there are just about always 'things' that were not anticipated that go wrong with a mod, during installation, and those 'things' always need more money to invest to complete the mod. As they say, shit happens, and it happens frequently with mods. There is nothing worse then being 3/4 complete with a mod, and then suddenly finding out that you need to spend more money, which you don't currently have, just to complete the in-process mod, and get the truck off the jack stands, and back on the road.

As folks stated above, an AFM delete mod should be one of the top items on your list, as they had a large number of failures in those early years of that feature.

I would first recommend a Black Bear Performance tune, which will run in the neighborhood of $600. This tune will modify your ECM and also your TCM, (so that shifting performance will also be improved, which can make as much a difference in performance as the ECM tune). And with this purchase, you will be able to obtain additional free tune adjustments for the life of your truck, whenever you make a mod for which a tune adjustment would be appropriate (cam, headers, CAI, tire size change, etc.). You can obtain the tune totally remotely with BBP, and I would suggest that you call @BlackBearPerf and discuss your needs with them. You won't be disappointed. A good tune is the best performance mod you can make for your dollar, IMO.

And, a BBP tune can also delete your AFM.

Good luck, and I hope that you have a lot of fun, and a lot of knowledge gained, with your mods over time.

And last, but not least, the great folks here on this Forum will love to help you spend your money.

 

[exp500]

As a low key example- Many years ago, someone I knew built an MG with a Hi hp mazda rotary. Couldn't tell it was running when idling, But loved to eat camaros and vettes and mustangs for money at stop lights.
You will learn alot about advertising while following these boards and builds on what works and what jusst eats holes in your wallet.
And If mom and Dad are nervous about your girlfriend, you should be too!

 

[Just Fishing]

If you want to "mod" learn to tune.
May i suggest "Goat rope garage" on youtube, start learning hp tuners!
skip the standard bolt on crap until you get some basic understanding.

 

[Just Fishing]

As a low key example- Many years ago, someone I knew built an MG with a Hi hp mazda rotary. Couldn't tell it was running when idling, But loved to eat camaros and vettes and mustangs for money at stop lights.
You will learn alot about advertising while following these boards and builds on what works and what jusst eats holes in your wallet.
And If mom and Dad are nervous about your girlfriend, you should be too!

My first car was an RX-7, i have happy memories of that thing and it's red line alarm going off.

And yup for the girl friend also, but she sure "sewed my wild oats"

Just remember "pull out" and if she seems a little too needy, don't marry her.


Ah memories!

 

[swathdiver]

As a low key example- Many years ago, someone I knew built an MG with a Hi hp mazda rotary. Couldn't tell it was running when idling, But loved to eat camaros and vettes and mustangs for money at stop lights.
You will learn alot about advertising while following these boards and builds on what works and what jusst eats holes in your wallet.
And If mom and Dad are nervous about your girlfriend, you should be too!

Notice he didn't mention Buicks! LOL

I raced a first gen RX-7 in my '85 Buick on the way home from the track once, no way was I going to let him beat me, kept turning up the boost until he blew his motor and seconds later one of my pistons melted! Sounded like a parakeet going home afterwards, but I was still driving and that fellas was waiting on a tow! LOL