OK, the muscle-car guy here is used to dealing with Holleys, not fuel injection ..... so at the risk of sounding naive, I'll go ahead and ask anyway ..... I hear some of you saying getting the "tune" instead of a programmer ..... just what does this entail ? Who can do it ? With the cai and axle-back system already installed, what gains can be expected with each ? Am I crazy to think I can squeeze 450 hp out of this thing without going in to change the cam or heads/intake ? A GM line-mechanic friend (who has a Trailblazer SS) says overcoming the "torque management" is also very important and not everybody (if anybody) has figured that out yet .... someone on here wrote "400 hp doesn't feel like it used to" and I tend to agree .... I love the car and it does everything very well, but I can't help feel soemthing is holding it back ....... once again, thanx in advance for all the helpful info ..... Gregg

 

A computer tune will make a big difference althought I would not think a 50hp one.

 

The cat backs will not do much, possibly 2 -3 hp, but sound much better. Of course they will help with any more mods you do "air in, air out" it does add up in the long run.

I feel for you, as I knew much more about the older muscle cars than these computer operated fullies. You mention Hollys, Hell for a while I ran a 3bbl on my hot mopar. Most people today never even heard of a 3bbl carb

 

Carbs?! Carbs are bad. Keep your carb intake moderate and stick with alot of protein and a small amount of good fats. This along with regular exercise will keep you lean and healthy. Alright, now that we're done with the diet discussion, I thought this was the Tech Section? Let's get back to your question.

It's hard for me to get into exactly what is involved in a tune. Regardless, it is a must. GM has to tune these cars for a vast array of driving conditions and to meet certain regulations. This leaves a good amount of power on the table. A tune will help release that chained power. A good tuner will be able to reduce/remove the amount of torque management in your vehicle. This will really wake it up. 450hp, I'm assuming you mean at the motor, shouldn't be all that hard depending on what you want to do. Without going into the engine, ie; heads/cam/intake, you are somewhat limited. So if you want to keep it simple and relatively inexpensive, I recommend this approach.

CAI (Vararam/Callaway/LPE are the top 3)
Headers (Kooks/LGs seem to be the most popular)
Tune

Depending on where you live in the country will determin the best shop to go to. The above set up should get you about 420-430bhp. If you still want more but don't want to touch the motor, go for a set of gears. 3:90s or 4:10s depending on driving style and transmission. This mod alone is worth more than the above and will really change your vehicle. And even if you don't get 450bhp, the gears will sure make it feel like you do.

Whatever you decide, make sure you plan ahead. If you can, do all the mods at once or very close to each other and then get the tune. No sense in paying to have it tuned more than once. Best of luck and we're here if you need us.



PS: I was just kidding about the Carb thing. I used to have a '70 Chevelle 350 4bl