More towing power from the 6.0

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RAPID

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I do regular long haul towing with my vehicle and am looking for more low end torque. Its an 02 Denali XL 1500 with the 6.0 engine. SO FAR I have upgraded to a Curt hitch, 10 Ply Tires, Amsoil Synthetic trans fluid, billet 2 and 4 shift servos and HD tranny cooler. Also added a Airaid cold air intake. Last week I contacted PCM of NC (who is great to deal with) and ordered a electric fan conversion kit to eliminate the clutch fan and will be getting a custom 93 octane towing tune. This will all help with power but my camper is 7500 lbs so im looking for just a little more. I just noticed one of my exhaust manifold bolts is broken and its time to have them replaced. Since its a labor intensive job I was wondering if this would be a good time for quality long tube headers with high flow cats? Ive used them on other vehicles and they are great for making HP but what about low end torque? I don't mind the expense if climbing long grades at 1500-3000 rpm is improved. Any suggestions on this or other power adders would be much appreciated
 

S33k3r

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Watching with interest! My 6.0 also has broken exhaust manifold bolts...
 

adriver

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Anytime is a good time for long tubes. Having ANY reason you are already in there (such as, "well, I opened the hood",) is even better. Those two things are definitely going to help. From there if that's not enough for towing, your next two options are going to be new gearing in the rear, (not sure what your 02 XL has), but most will say 4.10 is what you want. More of a difference if you have 3.42 than 3.73, but no clue what you have. The other one is to put a new cam in there to give you that lower torque you are looking for. The custom tune might give you what you want on its own, but everything else will make it even better.
 
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swathdiver

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I do regular long haul towing with my vehicle and am looking for more low end torque. Its an 02 Denali XL 1500 with the 6.0 engine. SO FAR I have upgraded to a Curt hitch, 10 Ply Tires, Amsoil Synthetic trans fluid, billet 2 and 4 shift servos and HD tranny cooler. Also added a Airaid cold air intake. Last week I contacted PCM of NC (who is great to deal with) and ordered a electric fan conversion kit to eliminate the clutch fan and will be getting a custom 93 octane towing tune. This will all help with power but my camper is 7500 lbs so im looking for just a little more. I just noticed one of my exhaust manifold bolts is broken and its time to have them replaced. Since its a labor intensive job I was wondering if this would be a good time for quality long tube headers with high flow cats? Ive used them on other vehicles and they are great for making HP but what about low end torque? I don't mind the expense if climbing long grades at 1500-3000 rpm is improved. Any suggestions on this or other power adders would be much appreciated

The long tube headers on an otherwise stock engine are going to move the powerband higher into the rpm range. You didn't say which gear ratio you have. A switch down to Load Range C tires will take off a bit of weight too.
 

zraffz

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Replace those head bolts with Ebay stainless steel studs for $20. Best investment I continously make time after time when I have the motor out (since I usually end up having to weld nuts on 2 or 3 broken manifold studs).
 

adriver

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The long tube headers on an otherwise stock engine are going to move the powerband higher into the rpm range. You didn't say which gear ratio you have. A switch down to Load Range C tires will take off a bit of weight too.
I'm glad that when I post and just regurgitate the same generic information that I have read, there are a few people like you, who can come and give the actual information.
 

zraffz

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I'm glad that when I post and just regurgitate the same generic information that I have read, there are a few people like you, who can come and give the actual information.
This is common sense. Short tube headers or stock manifolds for torque. Several friends have made fun of me for not wasting money on the intake or exhaust system on these trucks. Don't waste your money on either of them in a 5,500lb truck.

Your best bang for the buck is going to be a tune from Black Bear Performance.
 

Bditt

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I do regular long haul towing with my vehicle and am looking for more low end torque. Its an 02 Denali XL 1500 with the 6.0 engine. SO FAR I have upgraded to a Curt hitch, 10 Ply Tires, Amsoil Synthetic trans fluid, billet 2 and 4 shift servos and HD tranny cooler. Also added a Airaid cold air intake. Last week I contacted PCM of NC (who is great to deal with) and ordered a electric fan conversion kit to eliminate the clutch fan and will be getting a custom 93 octane towing tune. This will all help with power but my camper is 7500 lbs so im looking for just a little more. I just noticed one of my exhaust manifold bolts is broken and its time to have them replaced. Since its a labor intensive job I was wondering if this would be a good time for quality long tube headers with high flow cats? Ive used them on other vehicles and they are great for making HP but what about low end torque? I don't mind the expense if climbing long grades at 1500-3000 rpm is improved. Any suggestions on this or other power adders would be much appreciated
I do regular long haul towing with my vehicle and am looking for more low end torque. Its an 02 Denali XL 1500 with the 6.0 engine. SO FAR I have upgraded to a Curt hitch, 10 Ply Tires, Amsoil Synthetic trans fluid, billet 2 and 4 shift servos and HD tranny cooler. Also added a Airaid cold air intake. Last week I contacted PCM of NC (who is great to deal with) and ordered a electric fan conversion kit to eliminate the clutch fan and will be getting a custom 93 octane towing tune. This will all help with power but my camper is 7500 lbs so im looking for just a little more. I just noticed one of my exhaust manifold bolts is broken and its time to have them replaced. Since its a labor intensive job I was wondering if this would be a good time for quality long tube headers with high flow cats? Ive used them on other vehicles and they are great for making HP but what about low end torque? I don't mind the expense if climbing long grades at 1500-3000 rpm is improved. Any suggestions on this or other power adders would be much appreciated
 

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