11H

OK ... so I have to ask now ... NOW: I am running the diablo where I can get custom tunes done ... albiet I have to have THEM write them ... Then I go on my merry way and some day, I will tune on the dyno for gains ... FUTURE: Can I justify the extra expense and learning curve and ditch the ability to return to stock in 2 minutes ? ... How much is a full home tuning setup gonna cost? It's either that, or I buy another PCM and have it done up mail order ... It seems I like the versatility of the predator and it has potential, but I am wanting what you guys are doing to get more power ... I just can't have it closed-ended at least under warranty ... advice? 11H

justin, i hope people read to the point to where you made corrections ...MOst people I meet are not even to the detail I am at, so I am glad you are making kind corrections ... I am all ears ... I am glad at least I was on the right track with adjusting my trans, even if the terminology was OFF ... lol 11H

Thanks Justin! I have been out of the loop for a little while since I sold my 2002 av and never got too far into tuning the trans on my last rig it was a 4L80 ... It din't need much finesse ... I hear you on the handheld thing and I have played with LS1edit, but never liked their licensing to one pcm thing ... I have a VERY good relationship with Johan at Diablosport, and I have a few featues on my HH that maybe some others don't get ... What I fight with, is I get them for my use gratis and NEED to have a portable way to go back to stock because my local delaers here have gotten commie on me and they deny warr work on a lot of trucks when they shouldn't be ... Our new area rep is strict ... What I am working with, is I have many custom tunes, some where we are seeing 1-3 MPG increases by modding egr and PT timing ... so, I give field data and I normally get any custom tune I need ... The gap of course is, I have to tell him what I want, and he writes a tune and emails it and I upload it ... Maybe not the best scenario but I guess I am sorta confident I have someone with a lot of experience writing my tunes ... On my 1500 av 4x4, going this route, I made a real dyno tuned on the same day 12RWHP and 15RWTQ just from tuning and we never finished and that was with crap fuel ... so to me, the diablo works and does make power, you just have to have custom tuning done ... However, since you have my ear, maybe you should pitch me what the latest and greatest is, because if there is a real 20RWHP in tuning the way most of you guys say, then I am game ... I just am not comfy doing the mail order tune thing ... I just can't imagine going that route gets people more than my route with custom tunes via the pred ... Maybe I am wrong ... lemme have it Do I have catching up to do? Has the tuning world changed that much in the last 2 years ? 11H

One thing about "mail order" tunes, is trans calibrations are tough for them because every model acts different and every trans is adjusted and driven different, so to get it spot-on for all customers is tough, and even logging with autotap, it will not get you there 100% ... even then you have to know what to look for ... The best way, is to make small adjustments and drive it a lot between and also get some 80% runs and 100% TPS runs to get it adapted ... Doin't get anxious and take your time ... and don't go overboard with LP or Timing on oem components ... computer enhancing can only go so far ... 11H

I'll chime in a bit here ... I am doing some custom tuning with diablosport and one part of my tune was getting the trans the way I wanted it ... Bottom line is, in our truck it will not be 100% the way you want ... When you retune the trans tables, you can basically "scale" values in percentage increments based on TPS and LOAD, and a couple other things come into play ... Whether you have modded or removed all 3 facets of TQM, trans temp, etc ... .justin. is also exactly right; it seems the M70 has a tad more adaptive traits as well compared to the other 4L60E's I have played with ... Once you make an adjustment, you have to do about 10 to 15 miles of driving at varying loads and TPS to get the trans adapted, and even then it takes several cycles to fully settle into a steady state ... (Basically, you have the ability to add or remove LP, add or delete shift "commanded" to "made" timing, among lesser things that affect "feel") ... You have to make small adjustments and make some drive time, and wait for it to settle ... The reason for that is, the values you change will be adapted from ... You can't make a change, then feel it, unless it is a BIG change ... Eventually, feel will change once adaption takes over and logs drive time ... The reason you do NOT go too far and make only SAMALL changes is because shift adaption also takes into account shift ERROR and if you make a change too far in one direction thinking you are changing for a goal, it may adapt in another direction with error and you will start chasing your tail ... Some guidelines ... on the 2-3 shift, the parameters and hardware is robust and oem allows for a nice firm and crisp shift, add maybe 10-15% LP and leave the timing alone ... let it adapt and see how you like it ... you will most likely not need to change shift timing ... the harshness you might be feeling as well, as maybe a clunk is if you are hanging around at in town speeds, the speed that you are hanging at puts the driveline in near limbo almost to a slack state or light load state, and it makes the nice quick 2-3 and it feels like a whack (Gm actually had a TSB a while back on the 2-3 clunk and softened the overlap which to me causes more weear, but eased off the clunk) ... All my trucks clunk sometimes on the 2-3 because at part throttle, it's about where I let off after pulling into my neighborhood, then it makes the 2-3 and clank ... I have just learned to drive "passed" the 2-3 and then let off ... just the nature of the beast ... just don't soften it up too much there... drive it with decent throttle input to get through the 2-3 shift ... you can also increase your part throttle vs load table to shift at a higher MPH to get er past that point where it like to be almost slack and HIT ... back to the 1-2 ... I added about 15-20% and reduced the shift time by about 10% ... I don't know what tuning software you're using so I am being generic ... You will NEVER get a nice quick 1-2 without a bit of "overlap" feel or almost an engine rpm hang or "limbo" feel ... I don't like the oem overlap on the 1-2 ... because of the hardware in the oem trans ... it's built to be easy on itself on the 1-2 because that's where there can be a bit of abuse on upshift and downshift at slow speeds ... a transgo kit and servo upgrade will help there ... I have mine setup about 80-85% where I want the 1-2 and I guess I will stay with it ... it has adapted a bit quicker and it is ok now at my level of mods ... On the 3-4 add 10-15% and leave the timing alone ... You want a snappy shift there on the 3-4 because a lot of surface wear due to heat can glaze the 3-4 pack can happen if it eases in ... you are rolling well on the 3-4 so make it snappy, but not harsh ... I would leave upshift TQM intact and remove your 2 second open loop delay on dead start, and remove also overall torque reduction ... LEAVE THE UPSHIFT TQM INTACT at least with oem parts, it pulls up to 10 deg of timing on overlap and helps the friction material "cinch" quicker and actually results in less slippage ... leaving TQM in on the upshifts reduces input TQ for a few milliseconds and does not hurt your acclearation times ... BTW, I didn't know autotap was able to make programming mods, just read and log PID's? ... EFI live is bi-directional, but only on a few things and NOT permanent ... Once you cycle the key and unplug EFI live it should revert ... Is is not a flasher last I checked ... 11H On the 1-2 on our M70, IT IS A CHALLENGE TO GET IT LIKE THE 2-3 ...

I hope I actually have first dibs on it bro since I said I was going to pay for it yesterday... I thought we had agreed on a total, and you wanted to verify sh cost ??? ... I thought we were on for sealing a deal monday when you verified weight and measurements? As far as I am concerned the system is sold to me unless you bring the box to non-fedex direct shipping and they mark it up 200% ... (If it is in the same box you got it in and within weight it will be about what I said if you print a label online) If you want to knock $20 off our agreed total and one of my 2 buddies in San Diego can get it from you we can do it that way as well, and I can work shipping from them ... If that saves some trouble ... I don't want to get into a bidding war with anyone after we made a deal ... Let me know, I think my buddy Mike actually lives in your suburb ... 11H

It takes a balanced person with a NON-CHEVY to come and be cool ... You are a good egg and far from the norm ... But since you are here ... I ride in and drive a LOT of vehicles, and how fast a vehicle feels when you ride in it is very deceptive ... A big part of how I feel a 15 second diesel FEELS faster than it actually is for example ... So then, since the Hemi and the VHO were neck and neck (might as well say), a fender give and take is a dead heat to me so, how does the VHO "feel" compared to your Hemi? I mean, I have seen and been in cars that I thought would wax me, but after a run, it many times ended up different, so give us your opinion on HOW DIFFERENT THEY FEEL ... 11H

I get that a lot haha ...

CaliChevyV8,, Did you get my final PM last night? thanks

I have seen 3 or 4 TBSS here in AZ ... All were black ...

NICE!!! ... Those Jeepers are pretty rare around here ... Pretty expensive rigs though ... Nice job ...

haha ... good memory! (I would scoop them up asap!!!!) ... They are rare in these parts and worth all of $1500+ ... On the B&B --- Hmmm --- I would love to take it off your hands, but for me to do that I would have to get a steal on it, more than you are willing to get hit for I am sure ... Unless you are tired of the boat anchor in your back seat lol ... I am in the market for a decent kit right now... I am pretty well connected to Magnaflow and some dealers, and Gibson which to me is a "turbo style" design which doesn't allow much room for future boosting IMO ... sooo ... B&B would be nice for sure, but I am VERY leery about used stuff ... UNless like I said, I can steal it ... I have paypal loaded, let me know how much taking that heavy box out of your midst is worth 11H

For sake of mention also, I saw the comment that an 80E mildly built can handle 900HP ... I am not an engineer at TH or a tranny builder, but I have an 18 year tranny veteran builder that works on these as a daily job ... He tells me, You could take a 454 and put it behind a decent built 700R4 (4L60E) and with the right TQM, treatment and driver knowledge of what to do and not to do, and with good up-keep and adjustments, it can live as long as the driver would ever expect it to ... You can then take the same tranny, put it behind a mild 350, and a spunky youngster can trash it in a weekend ... SO You wish for a "tranny you don't have to worry about" is non-existent ... IMO ... I have seen some 60E's go through hell and run a long time IF IT WAS BUILT AND ADJUSTED AND MAINTAINED BY A REPUTABLE BUILDER WHO KNOWS POWER AND TIMING AND HOW TO TIME AND UPGRADE A 60 OR 65E ... THE KEY IS NOT GO BIGGER SO MUCH AS TREAT IT RIGHT, AND HAVE IT BUILT BY ONE OF THE FEW THAT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING... I used to be in a car club of F bodies and not one tranny held up longer than 30K after a rebuild, all because the builder didn't set up the rebuild right ... Mine was setup right and it is still going in the F body I sold years ago ... I would say 1 in 4 builders know enough to build a performance GM trans ... If they can't discuss TQM in detail with you, they have no business building electronic trannies ... FWIW ... hope this helps ...

Going to the 80E you will be adding about 5-10% parasitic loss depending on your final gearing ... The 80E has almost a 100# torque converter and has a shallower first gear ... This equates to quite a bit more "rotational mass" in the driveline which is the worst mass to have ... The loss is not as apparent at higher RPM's as the extra rotational mass actually helps because the driveline has momentum built up, but it will be noticeable on bottom end ... It has a bit more static mass compared to a 65e as well ... Many people feel the 80e is the best to go with, then find later it is a torque sapper ... So weigh your needs and do your homework ... a 65e or 70e can be made pretty strong, it all comes down to input torque, standing starts, and how you abuse it ... A big reason why "some" TQM be added back into your tune ... Not all TQM hurts acceleration ... my .02 11H

I went through this as well, because I have your same 17" wheels ... So I went with a brand new set of take-offs from a 2007 Denali ... They are the 18" six spoke high-polished... look at the pic in my profile ... ANY 20" take0ff set (rims and tires) will be about $1300+ ... I have a local guy who sells the new Tahoe 20's for that or more ... Plus they are about $200 to ship ... The Denali 18's wheels and tires sell for about $625 and the P265/65/18 is becoming the new "standard" in GM's mid to higher line stuff ... Mine came with the Dueler HT which have a good footprint and weigh no more than the 17's with the AT's I took off ... Offset is OEM approved, at +31mm so you will see about 1/2" more offset which makes them just about flush with the front fenders ... (nice) Look for a guy on eBay called oem_takeoffs or bigalarsen ... I have met both guys and go with oemtakeoffs because he's 110% honest about wheel condition ... I have bought 3 sets from him and he's awesome to work with ... A big part of traction is sidewall height and the higher it is, the more "flex" you get when torque is applied ... If you go to 20's that is fine, but you will sacrifice "some" 60' time ... I feel my set is the best balance of current "looks" and performance in acceleration ... Hope this helps ... 11H

Gibson will most likely be first ... They already have some GM 2007 models released ...

I see you have a wonderful tech section and Mr P has a very nice tutorial for R&R'ing rear diff fluid ... Rather than botch up his excellent thread, I thought I would toss this out there and the admin/mods here could do with it what they like ... However, there seems to be MUCH confusion at times on the forums about what lube is OK and if the $30 a qt purple fluid is required ... (If it is still purple) I found this letter back in 2002 or 2003 __________________________________________________ Note from Michael Asmussen, Torque Control Division of Eaton Corp. We recommend the following lubricants for our locking differentials: 1) Texaco 2276; Synthetic 75W90; GM part# 9986115 2) Texaco 9622; Mineral Based 80W90; GM Part# 9985290 3) Texaco 2080; Synthetic 75W140 (Heavy Service); GM Part# 9985991 Note- All of the above lubes are pre-blended with friction modifier. No additional modifiers necessary or recommended. As far as other lubes are concerned, any standard GL5 lube will work, but the units perform optimally with the 3 listed above. ____________________________________________________ I have emailed Mobil on the use of M1 75W90 and their comments were: "Mobil1 synthetic gear lubricant meets GL3, GL4, and GL5 API ratings. If the manufacturer allows ONLY the use of GL3, or GL4 with no mention of GL5 then you cannot use M1 Synthetic Gear Lubricant" I have also heard the new Arvin-Meritor 500,000 mile lubes in the right viscosity are compatible as well ... *** I have used Mobil 1 75W90 in all my previous G80 diffs without issues, however I never pulled heavy. 11H

Is the coating removable? I can get some pretty strong solvent like MEK, Xylene, etc ... Do you know of any "inside views" of the muffler so I can see how it's designed? (I am working on an offer as we speak) Thanks sir ! 11H

Also, nice to see that the local Proving Ground rumor was just that a RUMOR about the new Diesels being de-tuned ... The LMM 2007.5 Duramax is actually more powerful than the LBZ ... So the scare about ULSD (Ultra low sulfur diesel) is in the past ... 11H

I like how Chevy has kept the "traditional" look through the years and I think most of us on here remember the years when they went to IFS in the late 80's ... They kept that look for some time ... Maybe not in the squareish hood lines but it's easy enough to tell similarities to the trucks in 1988 ... At least in the overall body lines ... NOW, this truck to me, the ONLY way I would embrace it is because I embrace the superior powertrain/s ... If it had been for looks and stance, GM would have lost my money a few years ago ... To me "beauty lies in the function and build quality more than the looks" ... I saw a 2007 Chevy 4x4 this week with a 4" Lift on it, in White, and it was "cleaned" of all nameplates, etc ... It honestly, with dark windows was one of the burliest trucks I have seen and that is going to be the TICKET ... As it looks stock it looks like an over-done/busy "I hope this brings home the bacon for us at GM and pulls us out of debt truck" ... One bad=azz thing added to the Vortecs now is VVT which IMO is a huge advantage for us, however it will send the tuning aftermarket to some serious homework ... It will be interesting to see where this VVT puts the margins for gain at ... 11H

Take some pictures and ask if the shop owner has an email addy ... Man I would be pissed ... (The reason I try to do all my own work) ... Good luck man ...

Of course they do. Check it out. I have one if your interested. Lemme know. It's the shaft with the shell. Got it from PATC. I am not going to use it because if my trans goes again, I am going to purchase a bulletproof trans!!! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Question ... Doesn't the M70 (4L70e) have a stronger input shaft and a few of the upgrades you mention over the 4L65e? I reviewed a GM powertrain build sheet and from what it looks like, they are holding back on a couple things as they only list 3 differences over the 4L65e, but also give the M70 the rev capacity of the 4L60e along with the higher TQ/HP rating ... As of now I only see it as an RPO in the Vortec MAX 2006 and TBSS ... seems like you might know ... Thanks 11H

I know a guy who has a 2002 Avalanche 4x4 1500 with a 5.3 running high 12's ... He gets there with stage 2 LPE heads, 9:1 JE's, a Whipple with a +1 pulley, and a 150 wet shot (NX) ... The 1500 AV is about 6,000# wet and he launches in auto trac ... He complains all the time that he wants the 5.3 to let go because he has a built 6.0 Short block ready to go... The 5.3 has surprised the hell out of him and is still living with about 4% leak-down ... I would not worry too much about strength, just watch your cylinder pressures and heat with the turbo, and most certainly have a "chiller" shot setup just in case you need to cool things down ... Funny how nice N2O works with a turbo ... Make sure you have enough retard built-in to your tune to allow for excess boost ... If you plan on keeping the oem CPM rods, you can't afford to detonate ... Not knowing how far you want to mod the bottom end, it's tough to give you any more than this ... IMO the oem bottom end including pistons should hold about 500 +/- flywheel HP as long as you are tuned right ... Add about 100 more HP if you drop compression and go with a forged piston ... Any more than 25 hp +/- of a change in N20 you will have to re-tune ... I would highly recommend adding the N20 to the turbo install ... It will control heat nicely if used conservatively ... I caution also, running a turbo with nos is very different than running a roots style charger with nos ... keep the advice on each seperate when you make your plans ... And find a good tuner with a dyno that has experience with a bit more than bolting on chargers ... IMO 11H

How were you able to tell it was an 05 and not an 06 ? 11H

I live in 85218 (AZ) ... If you ship it FedEx Ground and keep the total L+W+H under 108" it will be about $20 for s/h ... I know B&B exhaust very well, however they are INSANE with their retail pricing compared to the rest of the market... To me, I would rather have a Magnaflow, as they are what runs best on the dyno here, but if I got a B&B system for a steal I might be turned onto it ... (B&B tends to be very proud of their pretty exhaust systems and they look the show truck part also) ... Which is not really what I want an exhaust for ... My concerns with your exhaust, however NO fault of your's and why I am not inclined to pay $450 when I can get a full cat-back system done custom with a Magnaflow (mandrel) with a tucked tail for $360 with a life warranty and welded ... Not that it is not worth $450, it's just what makes a B&B a B&B is not part of my expense/priority ... If you are willing to deal and get rid of it and not hook me on high shipping, we can do a paypal deal... I am just concerned about: Why coat a beautiful B&B tip? was it damaged? What did you coat it with? Maybe hoping to reduce resonance? It looks to have been welded on, how do I know it will mate on my truck? The LAST thing I want is to buy a used system, have fit issues and pay my shop $50 in refitting it ... When I could pay $360 for what I mentioned above ... (Don't take it personal, I am just a hard guy to please as I am an anal retentive type who wants to know everything before I leap as to no surprises) I am a serious paypal deal if you can get to the point to where you understand even though it is a B&B high retail system, that it is still a formerly installed system and has been used, and altered with a coating ... 11H