2006 Chevy Silverado Performance Upgrades - More Ponies for the Chevy

GIVE HER AIR
1. Our testing showed the largest gain in power initially came from installing SLP's cold-air induction system. The kit includes a conical air filter, composite plastic ducting, and all the necessary hardware. It took about 20 minutes to install.

2. First, we removed the intake cover and ducting using an 8mm nut driver.

3. Next, the mass airflow meter and factory airbox were removed. The airbox simply pulls upward out of the inner fender. Most times, the factory airbox does a better job than some aftermarket air intakes at preventing underhood engineheat from increasing the air inlet temperatures and robbing the power. This timethe new arts did the job better than the stockers.

4. The SLP box is a sealed unit that bolts right into the factory bolt holes after the stock tray is removed. The hole in the bottom provides fresh air via the core support.

5. Although the factory inlet tube ooks like a smoother transition to the throttle body, the SLP unit

...boasts a larger diameter and doesn't have the side ports, so it's a straight shot to the engine.

6. Once the tube and airflow meter were back in place, the filter was clamped inside the box and then sealed with a lid that is held in place with new fasteners. The result was a 16 hp increase on the dyno.

LET HER BREATHE
7. The header installation began on the underside of the truck. The factory downpipes had to be disconnected in order to remove the old exhaust manifolds. First, though, the 02 sensors were unbolted to prevent damaging them when we moved things around.

8. Back in the engine compartment, the spark plug wires were removed with this cool Snap-on tool. Your hands will do the same job, if you don't have the tool. After the wires were out of the way, the 13mm bolts were removed, and the manifolds were taken out of the bay. The passenger-side header came out from the top, but the driver-side manifold had to come out from the bottom of the truck.

9. SLP's headers feature four primary tubes, merging into a single collector, and are coated for longevity and reduced underhood temperatures. The primaries are not equal length but are longer than the factory units for improved flow.

10. New metal crush gaskets are provided, and the headers fit the truck perfectly. We had zero problems aligning the factory downpipes with the new parts.

GIVE HER LEVERAGE
11. Swapping out rocker arms might sound like an intimidating process, but really it's not that difficult, especially on an LS engine. We simply unbolted the coil pack mounts and then the valve cover itself to gain access.

12. To remove tension from the valvesprings, you can crank the engine over quickly until each intake valve is in the open position, then unbolt the corresponding exhaust rocker arm. Then, reverse the process to remove tension from the intake valve rocker arms. You'll need an 8mm socket to do the job.

13. The new rocker arms look just like the stockers with one small exception-the pushrod location is moved closer to the pivot point of the rocker, which mechanically increases the net valve lift from the camshaft. Basically, the rocker arm makes the cam lobes seem taller and opens the valves quicker and further than they would in factory trim, allowing more air to pass through the intake and exhaust ports. The factory cam offers 0.292-inch lift, and when multiplied by the factory 1.7 ratio rockers, opens the valves 0.496.4 inch. The SLP 1.85 rockers increase that lift to 0.5402 inch. This translates into more power, as long as the air inlet system can support it, which in this case, it can.

14. The new rockers come with hardware, and you'll need a 6mm Allen-head socket to install them. This mod was worth 10 hp on the dyno.

15. SHE GETS WITH THE PROGRAM
Diablosport's Predator engine control module re-programmer is an amazing box that not only offers a performance computer tune-up but also allows you to monitor and log engine data in real time. Plus, if you've changed gears or tires on your truck, you can account for that and keep the speedometer in check and also ensure the transmission will shift when you want it to and however firm you like. It took about 10 minutes to reprogram our computer using the Predator's OBDII cable interface and on-screen prompts, and we found another 10 ponies.