Hobes Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 (edited) My 04 is completely stock. I've been told CAI and exhaust followed by a tune are a good start. I'll start with CAI. I was originally thinking AEM brute force but now I'm kind of intrigued by the Volant that has the box and optional front bumper "SS scoop". What exactly does the box do? And would the "SS scoop" thing actually make any difference or is it just a gimmick? Also I live in Calgary so high altitude, dry climate, lots of snow and occasional brutal cold snaps in the winter (-25C at the moment) - does any of that play a factor or does it not matter? (Edit: Forgot about K&N. If I should go that way, 57 or 77?) On to exhaust. Thinking Corsa Sport or Magnaflow. Based on the prices I've checked out the Corsa appears to be a bit more money. Is there much of a difference performance wise? And is there much of a difference in sound between them? I wouldn't base my decision just on that but I figure it's something to consider. I'll worry about getting a tune as soon as I have these upgrades done. Based on the threads I've read people that have these various products seem pretty happy with them so I can't imagine I wouldn't be. But with that said I don't have my heart set on any of the above and being brand new to all this I have no brand biases or anything so I'm really open to anything. Any and all feedback is appreciated. Edited January 16, 2012 by Hobes (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_aSSet Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 First off let me thank you for actually reading up on this stuff through older threads, you're off to a great start already. CAI, anything is better than the stock intake, the difference in gains between the 3 you mentioned would most likely be negligible. But with that said I prefer k&n, or volant. The volant looks great in the engine bay, and the box is to seal in the air intake from the hot engine bay, not sure exactly how effective it is but its something to consider, you couldn't go wrong with either. K&N has been proven to give you a tad more hp than the volant, see the cai wars sticky. Onto the exhaust, if you're wanting more performance and bang for your buck id personally do headers, and replace the stock muffler. If you wanna keep it mild, the Corsa system is great overall, awesome quality, and the sound is amazing. Magnaflow if you're talking about the cat back, I have no experience with those but all of the magnaflow products I've had were top notch and the guys around here that have them seem to like the sound, they're flow is pretty geared towards performance so again either way you'd be on the right track. Best of luck with the modding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stg313 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 I would recommend K&N intake and Magnaflow for exhaust out of everything you mentioned. If you like a loud exhaust, definitely give Gibson a shot. I have their kit on my new truck and LOVE IT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2bfast Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 GM Performance Parts CAI and Corsa. The scoop on the volant really doenst make a difference and the brake ducts on the truck are cosmetic. I say GMPP because I do not like oiled filters. In my opinion they dont flow any more than a paper one and they are half the cost. Although the GMPP filter is almost as much as say a K&N you dont have to worry about oiling it and getting oil in the MAF. If you dont choose GMPP, Volant would be my next choice. As for exhaust, Corsa is the cats meow and many will agree. I have heard many brands and kits and none sound like Corsa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kissfans03ss Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 <br />GM Performance Parts CAI and Corsa. The scoop on the volant really doenst make a difference and the brake ducts on the truck are cosmetic. <br /><br /> I say GMPP because I do not like oiled filters. In my opinion they dont flow any more than a paper one and they are half the cost. Although the GMPP filter is almost as much as say a K&N you dont have to worry about oiling it and getting oil in the MAF. If you dont choose GMPP, Volant would be my next choice. <br /> <br /> As for exhaust, Corsa is the cats meow and many will agree. I have heard many brands and kits and none sound like Corsa.<br /> <br /><br /><br />I believe Volant makes one called tru-core but it is blue and never needs oiling. Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARTYW Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 I would recommend K&N intake and Magnaflow for exhaust out of everything you mentioned. If you like a loud exhaust, definitely give Gibson a shot. I have their kit on my new truck and LOVE IT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eeekroar Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Volant, Corsa here. My Corsa touring sounds very tame. They designed the Corsa to have no drone.The Corsa Sport sounds like a Nascar. You can get 15% off of both of them. Also, as mentioned above. Thanks for reading a few post before asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadowsniper3006 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 GM Performance Parts CAI and Corsa. The scoop on the volant really doenst make a difference and the brake ducts on the truck are cosmetic. Adding the scoop is where is where i saw the gain. At the track i saw no gain in the cai at all on a stock truck, when i added the scoop i finally saw an improvement. Also, when using the scoop the IATS are ambient with the outside air temp when the truck is moving. At a long stop light or in traffic i can see my IATS start to raise, but once the truck is moving again the IATS drop pretty fast. I would imagine a non ram air box would do they same but over a much longer time period. I would stay away from any intake that does not have a sealed box and a way of getting a good outside air source to it. As far as exhaust, the stock pipes flow very well, enough that i still am running them. Have you thought about saving the hundreds of dollars(and putting it into the tune) and just having a new true dual in dual out muffler welded into your stock system. I like the magnaflow, but to each is their own. Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChinoHillian Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Corsa Sport Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobes Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Thanks everyone. I still haven't decided on anything for sure as I still have lots of research ahead of me. But all your feedback is greatly appreciated. Now more questions... Say I go with the Volant for example, I think it said to clean and re-oil the filter every 10 000 miles. I'm guessing that's not too hard to learn (could be wrong) but how often should the filter be completely replaced? Also does anyone know the best place(s) to get all this stuff from? I live in Calgary. I've never bought anything for my truck so I have no idea where to go. Well not things like CAIs and exhaust systems anyway. I was thinking about checking out Mopac Auto Supply here in town, it's relatively close and it looks like they carry all the brands I'm looking at. Anyone in the area have any experience with them or know of any other places I should check out? Or stay away from for that matter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1ss Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Best bang your for your buck is the magnaflow muffler as stated. The stock pipes are great on this truck. Voalnts seem to be on some of the fastest trucks on the site also, but I do like the idea of a true concealed airbox with a non oiled conical filter (GMPP). Im sure at highway speeds the Volant with ram air duct scoop with gain you a some hp no question. Have to consider also what tone exhaust you like, deep tone or mellow and then screams like a nascar fastcar at wide open throttle. The magnaflow is a nice deep tone muffler, if I were to go deep tone thoug I would go with the Gibson Super Truck catback. Good luck and happpy modding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevyfreakv8 Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Magnaflow and a Volant! Deff helps. Get a wheatley tune for sure !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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