2011 Tahoe performance upgrades

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Polksta

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Hello my fellow enthusiasts. New to the forum and I'm trying to narrow down some good info. Just picked up a cherry loaded 2011 Tahoe z71. It's bone stock and ready for some performance upgrades. I'm no dummy to the auto repair trade so I know the general stuff but I'm looking for the the first hand knowledge of what really helps add the power and what sounds the best. Looking for a nice rumble but not obscene and of course the best bolt on mods to get some power that I can actually feel but nothing to crazy like turbo kits. Can anybody help me out?
 

iamdub

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Been covered a million times all over the forum, but:

Long tube headers

Magnaflow 12589 or equivalent for a little more sound

Custom tune such as Balckbear or DiabLew or a reputable local tuner if there's one near you. Avoid the handheld tuners with their "one-size-fits-all" tunes.

Of course, this is assuming you have all the stock stuff (spark plugs, filters, etc.) already up to par.

Welcome to the forum!
 

kbuskill

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Also the Airaid MIT tube combined with the factory air box and a decent filter is about as good as it gets for intakes on these trucks.

Black bear did a dyno comparison of several and this was there conclusion.
 

iamdub

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I started to mention the MIT but omitted it to avoid the influx of replies saying it's only a noisemaker. Yes, it growls when the engine's under load, but I think that deep growl complements a mild muffler so you don't have to get such a loud muffler to get the sound you want- lesser or no chance of drone.

I forgot the exacts, but has been proven to boost something like 6-8 HP. For a filter, I can't recommend the AEM DryFlow enough.
 

swathdiver

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Hello my fellow enthusiasts. New to the forum and I'm trying to narrow down some good info. Just picked up a cherry loaded 2011 Tahoe z71. It's bone stock and ready for some performance upgrades. I'm no dummy to the auto repair trade so I know the general stuff but I'm looking for the the first hand knowledge of what really helps add the power and what sounds the best. Looking for a nice rumble but not obscene and of course the best bolt on mods to get some power that I can actually feel but nothing to crazy like turbo kits. Can anybody help me out?

Noise ain't performance. It's noise.

The best bang for your buck is a custom tune. Long tube headers will add about 20 horsepower after you have the tune updated. There is little or no performance benefit from an exhaust system or air intake upgrade (save for Airaid MIT) until the camshaft and heads have been worked over to make more horsepower.

Ohh, you want about 15 free horsepower? Switch over to E85, it's like running race gas.
 

curtis ronci

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So I bought the Diabolo 3 tuner and have been playing around with some tunes.I love the afm shut off mode and the 93 octane tune!Give them a try but as said before do due diligance on maintaince first.Belts,plugs,hoses,wires,coolant,filters and ect.
 

09_4WD_YUKON

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Also, add an oil catch can!! And go with the Black Widow exhaust muffler,
 

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