Magnuson Supercharger, Valve Train and other supporting mods. 2007-2013, 5.3L Chevy Tahoe

[Pilot]

Don't use that cam though, use one made for our big vehicles, an L9Hs at least.

Is an LS3 a good route for a GMT800? My goal is 500whp for now with plenty of low end and daily driver manners, but a solid platform that I can take beyond that down the road. My current 5.3 has 200k on it..

 

[Matt_]

Following this also as I eventually want one for my 2500 to help with towing.

Somewhat local, in Jackson and play roller hockey at Winding River, friends live in Tom's River too.

Anyone talk to East Coast Supercharging on 539?

I know a lot of Subaru guys who go to Procom and have a buddy who does some side work for them. Also know the guys who own PSI (specialize in harnesses for LS swaps), I think they use Tune Time for a lot of their dyno runs.

In the end I'll probably do my own install and have Black Bear tune it

 

[swathdiver]

Is an LS3 a good route for a GMT800? My goal is 500whp for now with plenty of low end and daily driver manners, but a solid platform that I can take beyond that down the road. My current 5.3 has 200k on it..

Two things, an LS3 is Gen IV architecture. You have to decide if the electrical adaptation required is worth it as the GMT800s are Gen III.

Second, dropping in an LS3 crate motor is going to kill your bottom end. The camshaft was designed to move cars around fast, not trucks weighing 2000 pounds more. Most performance camshafts, even the "low lift" cams advertised for trucks, lose a substantial amount of lower end torque and gain it back higher in the rpm band. The is counter-productive for getting a big truck moving and of course, towing.

I read the posts of guys putting in "mild" cams in their trucks and then going with high stall converters and gears because they are now dogs off the line but scream above 4000 rpms. Who drives at 4000 rpms? In my daily travels, mine rarely sees 3000 rpms, the tune and 3.42 gear gets it up to the posted speed limits with little effort.

Just make sure the camshaft is designed to move a heavy truck, not a regular cab short bed that weighs as much as a Vette! And if going with forced induction, mild single pattern cams usually work best in those applications, letting the turbo or supercharger do most of the work when under boost.

 

[Chrismnj]

Following this also as I eventually want one for my 2500 to help with towing.

Somewhat local, in Jackson and play roller hockey at Winding River, friends live in Tom's River too.

Anyone talk to East Coast Supercharging on 539?

I know a lot of Subaru guys who go to Procom and have a buddy who does some side work for them. Also know the guys who own PSI (specialize in harnesses for LS swaps), I think they use Tune Time for a lot of their dyno runs.

In the end I'll probably do my own install and have Black Bear tune it

Haven't heard of East Coast Supercharging, but definitely will check them out, thanks! what is your experience with Procom? I go to the range in Jackson.

 

[Matt_]

Haven't heard of East Coast Supercharging, but definitely will check them out, thanks! what is your experience with Procom? I go to the range in Jackson.

No direct experience with Procom, just have friends who have built subi's and spend a lot of time there, and a close friend does CAD work for them on the side. I'll actually be at his house tonight for NYE... have any questions? I'll poke him a bit to see if the procom guys have any experience with the GM engines (would benefit me as well if they do).

A few of the houses I'm looking at are around the corner from ECS, so I'd be interested in their experience too.... might be very local to them soon

 

[muncie21]

Having had a few SC'd vehicles, I'd suggest a roots blower, rather than a centri for your tahoe. Roots make max torque just off idle, thus are good for heavier vehicles where you don't want/need to spin the engine to generate torque.

A magnuson install is pretty straight forward and they come with a hand held programmer. Perhaps not the best tune, but good enough to get your to a local tuning shop. Install is pretty straight forward; 2 days (max) with basic hand tools. Net result is ~+100HP, with conservative tune.

 

[Chrismnj]

Having had a few SC'd vehicles, I'd suggest a roots blower, rather than a centri for your tahoe. Roots make max torque just off idle, thus are good for heavier vehicles where you don't want/need to spin the engine to generate torque.

A magnuson install is pretty straight forward and they come with a hand held programmer. Perhaps not the best tune, but good enough to get your to a local tuning shop. Install is pretty straight forward; 2 days (max) with basic hand tools. Net result is ~+100HP, with conservative tune.

so there is no need to send my ECU to them?

 

[muncie21]

The TVS1900 kit on their website shows the hand held tuner comes with the 2010 5.3 engine tune. Not sure of the difference between your '12 and the '10s however the tune should be sufficient to get your going, especially if you don't get into the boost. My guess is that because this kit is CARB rated, they don't have certifications in hand for newer motors. Quick call to them would confirm.

The Magnuson SC'ers have a vacuum regulated by-pass valve that doesn't allow boost under low/part throttle conditions, so essentially your motor runs like stock until you floor it.

 

[intheburbs]

Make sure you set aside some money in the budge to beef up the transmission. Especially if you'll be towing.

 

[Chrismnj]

The TVS1900 kit on their website shows the hand held tuner comes with the 2010 5.3 engine tune. Not sure of the difference between your '12 and the '10s however the tune should be sufficient to get your going, especially if you don't get into the boost. My guess is that because this kit is CARB rated, they don't have certifications in hand for newer motors. Quick call to them would confirm.

The Magnuson SC'ers have a vacuum regulated by-pass valve that doesn't allow boost under low/part throttle conditions, so essentially your motor runs like stock until you floor it.

would you say Magnuson is a best choice for Tahoe?

 

[Chrismnj]

Make sure you set aside some money in the budge to beef up the transmission. Especially if you'll be towing.

hope won't have to get in to that.

 

[muncie21]

I installed a magnuson 1900 on a LS1 at 48K miles at 130K she's still running fantastic. I had to modify the tune to accommodate my other bolt ons.

Can't say a maggie is the 'best choice' for your tahoe, but it seems to fit what you are looking for. I.e. additional HP/TQ for off-roading, not necessarily looking for max HP or straight line acceleration.

 

[BlackBearPerf]

2012 Tahoe 5.3 with about 60000 miles, using it off road and towing so not really a DD. Planning on going with a SC, so the big question is any particular one? also any supporting mods?

We would be happy to help with a supercharger and tuning with our AutoCal. Once you install the supercharger we would have you read out the tune files on the vehicle and email them to us so we can build a base tune to get you up and running safely with the supercharger. Then we will have you data log, we will use that to dial the tune in, all of this is via email with the AutoCal.

Here is some information from our tuner (Justin) about the superchargers we sell.

"The Whipple, Magnacharger and Edelbrock are all going to be very close in terms of power output relative to boost level. They are nearly the same efficiency.

Magnacharger instructions and installation is a LOT better than Whipple's setup. Edelbrock is a bit more difficult to install than the Magnacharger, but only very slightly. Whipple is the most involved.

Magnacharger and Edelbrock bypasses are set up for smoother boost application. On my Whipple'd 6.2L, if you are riding right at the edge of boost and increase throttle by just 1%, it can go from 2" vacuum to 2psi of boost instantly, resulting in a bit jerky of a drive.

Where the Whipple wins, in my opinion, is sound. I like the sound of those rotors better than the Magnacharger rotors personally.

Magnacharger and Whipple are both terribly slow to ship (3-5 weeks) whereas Edelbrock ships next day in most cases.

We have run Whipple and Magnacharger systems on daily drivers for the past 10 years now without a single issue related to them. I have not yet run an Edelbrock myself, but have many customers that have and it is a well-made system."

Let us know if you have any other questions.

 

[Chrismnj]

We would be happy to help with a supercharger and tuning with our AutoCal. Once you install the supercharger we would have you read out the tune files on the vehicle and email them to us so we can build a base tune to get you up and running safely with the supercharger. Then we will have you data log, we will use that to dial the tune in, all of this is via email with the AutoCal.

Here is some information from our tuner (Justin) about the superchargers we sell.

"The Whipple, Magnacharger and Edelbrock are all going to be very close in terms of power output relative to boost level. They are nearly the same efficiency.

Magnacharger instructions and installation is a LOT better than Whipple's setup. Edelbrock is a bit more difficult to install than the Magnacharger, but only very slightly. Whipple is the most involved.

Magnacharger and Edelbrock bypasses are set up for smoother boost application. On my Whipple'd 6.2L, if you are riding right at the edge of boost and increase throttle by just 1%, it can go from 2" vacuum to 2psi of boost instantly, resulting in a bit jerky of a drive.

Where the Whipple wins, in my opinion, is sound. I like the sound of those rotors better than the Magnacharger rotors personally.

Magnacharger and Whipple are both terribly slow to ship (3-5 weeks) whereas Edelbrock ships next day in most cases.

We have run Whipple and Magnacharger systems on daily drivers for the past 10 years now without a single issue related to them. I have not yet run an Edelbrock myself, but have many customers that have and it is a well-made system."

Let us know if you have any other questions.

I guess let's get the ball rolling with Magnacharger. Just not sure about the tune maybe I will try some local shop? not really comfortable with doing it my self and going back and forth with i.

 

[swathdiver]

I guess let's get the ball rolling with Magnacharger. Just not sure about the tune maybe I will try some local shop? not really comfortable with doing it my self and going back and forth with i.

The trouble you may run into with a local shop, is there experience level in dealing with these systems and tuning. BlackBear has few peers. It's easy to use the AutoCal and email files back and forth and download them to your truck.

Either way, have fun with it!

 

[BlackBearPerf]

I guess let's get the ball rolling with Magnacharger. Just not sure about the tune maybe I will try some local shop? not really comfortable with doing it my self and going back and forth with i.

Sounds good. If you don't mind, please send us an email [email protected] and Justin can get the pricing and other details squared away. You can use a local shop, we can help with using the AutoCal for tuning, we have instructions that will walk you through the steps on our website, and we can help by email and phone as well.

 

[Chrismnj]

Sounds good. If you don't mind, please send us an email [email protected] and Justin can get the pricing and other details squared away. You can use a local shop, we can help with using the AutoCal for tuning, we have instructions that will walk you through the steps on our website, and we can help by email and phone as well.

E-mail sent, I will try going with your tune as well. thank you for your help!

 

[BlackBearPerf]

E-mail sent, I will try going with you tune as well. thank you for your help!

You are welcome. Let us know if you have any other questions.

 

[Chrismnj]

You are welcome. Let us know if you have any other questions.

just one question. Has it been shipped yet? LOL

 

[muncie21]

Keep the rest of us minions updated on the build and most importantly your impressions of the final result!