Want a fast Denali AWD

[fngh]

Hi everyone! My name is mike and I'm new here and to the full size truck world. I will get right to the point. Very recently, like a month ago I picked up a 2011 Denali 6.2 awd flex fuel and want more out of it. Its now got 106,*** miles? or really close. My question(s) is/are this. How do I start? What is the route the experts(you guys) would take to get this thing to really move? I do not have the dough to go S/C or TT yet but would love to get a lil more or a lot more until that day. I have ZERO experience w these trucks, please keep that in mind. I am willing to pay someone to do the work if necessary btw. Do I start w K&N? New plugs? Flash? That kinda stuff. Rookie stuff. Im not ashamed to crawl before walking. I plan on keeping this truck for awhile so I want to enjoy it. Also, I live in Huntington Beach, CA so if anybody has a guy, that'd be awesome as I am not very skilled nor equipped to do much. Just bein honest. Any and all recommendations are appreciated, even you turbo n supercharger guys as that day will come. Appreciate ur help and hope to hear back soon. Thank you. Sincerely, Mike

 

[drakon543]

intake and cat back exhaust is always a good start. listen to some exhaust sounds on YouTube and pick the sound you like. when your ready to do more is when id start thinking about tuning. a good tuner like black bear can get you more ponies from a bone stock setup. give them something to actually work with is when the tune really does its thing.

 

[91RS]

I don't think you're going to be able to do much and still meet CA emissions requirements. My suggestion if the emissions requirements aren't an issue would be an AFM hardware delete with a mild VVT cam which will probably get you 30hp and make it reliable for a long time to come.

 

[ivin74]

What is your budget? How soon do you wanna start the mods? What are your horsepower needs?


Common mods

Cold air intake 5hp
Headers 20 hp
Exhaust 5 to 10hp
Tune up to 20hp
High flow cats/ cat delete
High flow heads 5 to 25hp
Cam up to 50 hp
Aftermarket intakes up to 25
Turbo/ SC up to 120 hp w a good tune

 

[avalonandl]

I would check to see if either the Whipple or Magnuson kits are 50 state legal.

 

[wjburken]

Might check out @randeez 's build. If I remember right he was running in the 10's with his until he had a little issue with his "big" turbo and had to put his "small" turbo back on.

It all comes down to how much you're willing to spend for the HP.

 

[Dantheman1540]

Get a tune then save for a supercharger and have a very quick daily driver that hooks on the street and can still do all the normal truck stuff including be quiet and relaxing to drive like a denali should be.

 

[Jason in DLH]

I’ve heard great things of Black Bear tunes (it’s all done through the mail and they update your tune when you change something). I will be doing this in the future.

I personally started with resonator delete and swapped the muffler to a Borla XR1 muffler.

Then did a K&N Cold Air Intake with a JET Mass Air Flow sensor (basic stuff).

I’m thinking of a non VVT cam to go more aggressive, but like others say....not sure what you can do in CA! I’m in northern MN and I don’t even know what a smog test is all about!

 

[Jason in DLH]

I do like the supercharger option too, just a bit pricey for me sadly.

 

[Jason in DLH]

You can always bore and stroke it! I believe you can safely get to a 427 ci.

 

[Jason in DLH]

Completely forgot to mention larger fuel injectors. Can change to a larger throttle body.

Here check this great article out...

https://www.onallcylinders.com/2018...-expert-advice-l92-mods-maximize-performance/

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Keep it simple initially, particularly if you are currently budget constrained.

Place a phone call to Black Bear Performance and discuss your short-term and long-term desires, and they will give you some sage advice. @BlackBearPerf

A Black Bear Performance tune can be done right now remotely by email, and it can be subsequently adjusted for free, each time that you make a mod in the future that would benefit from a tune adjustment.

The difference in performance improvement, both motor and transmission, is really significant with a Black Bear Performance tune.

 

[Doubeleive]

Honestly the only way it's going get "faster" is weight reduction and engine work, all the other stuff will make it "sound nice" but wont get you from point A to point B any faster. A tune like others have noted will make it more enjoyable to drive.

 

[BlackBearPerf]

Keep it simple initially, particularly if you are currently budget constrained.

Place a phone call to Black Bear Performance and discuss your short-term and long-term desires, and they will give you some sage advice. @BlackBearPerf

A Black Bear Performance tune can be done right now remotely by email, and it can be subsequently adjusted for free, each time that you make a mod in the future that would benefit from a tune adjustment.

The difference in performance improvement, both motor and transmission, is really significant with a Black Bear Performance tune.

Right on, we would be happy to help!

 

[gooffeyguy]

Paint everything red

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[91RS]

I’m thinking of a non VVT cam to go more aggressive, but like others say....not sure what you can do in CA! I’m in northern MN and I don’t even know what a smog test is all about!

No reason to delete the VVT. The only people who say to delete it are scared of it because they don't know how to tune it properly. The VVT has the ability to get the power down low where you need it with a smaller cam that doesn't trash the drivability. To get what you can accomplish with the VVT out of a bigger cam you're going to need a torque converter, headers, etc. and you won't make power until 3k RPM (meaning it'll be slower than stock until you get to 3k RPM) which also isn't good for towing.

 

[fngh]

I don't think you're going to be able to do much and still meet CA emissions requirements. My suggestion if the emissions requirements aren't an issue would be an AFM hardware delete with a mild VVT cam which will probably get you 30hp and make it reliable for a long time to come.

great point sir. I honestly did not consider that. I moved here from AZ where basically anything goes, and this is my first car registered here. Sh%t! Lol, this may be a lot of work. Thanks man!

 

[fngh]

Wow! Thanks everybody! Really appreciate it! So much! Well looks like I learned some things today. I suppose the biggest lesson is how far do I wanna go, and what can I afford? Thanks all, mike

 

[Jason in DLH]

No reason to delete the VVT. The only people who say to delete it are scared of it because they don't know how to tune it properly. The VVT has the ability to get the power down low where you need it with a smaller cam that doesn't trash the drivability. To get what you can accomplish with the VVT out of a bigger cam you're going to need a torque converter, headers, etc. and you won't make power until 3k RPM (meaning it'll be slower than stock until you get to 3k RPM) which also isn't good for towing.

I just like the way a more aggressive cam sounds is all and would be willing to sacrifice low end for the big cam lopey idle. Bah-rohm...bah-Rohm..bah-rohm.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Wow! Thanks everybody! Really appreciate it! So much! Well looks like I learned some things today. I suppose the biggest lesson is how far do I wanna go, and what can I afford? Thanks all, mike

We are here for you.

Try to always carefully 'plan' your future mods, so that you can also carefully plan on how you will pay for them. As many folks here on this Forum can attest, the costs of mods can get way out of hand really quickly, if not carefully planned.

And, while everybody here will love to help you spend your money, don't count on any of us to contribute to your monetary fund to achieve your mods.