If you ride a Chevy Silverado, you already know it’s a sweet ride. But did you know you can actually upgrade its performance by adding horsepower? If you didn’t, let’s have a look at the tutorial of how to add horsepower to 5.3 Silverado.
The 5.3 Silverado engine belongs to the LS engine family, which is basically a V8 engine. This small-block engine is open to performance upgrades, there are actually several methods for that. So let’s cut to the chase & check out the tips—
How To Add Horsepower To 5.3 Silverado
As you know, the Silverado has been dominating the market since the late 90s, so you really need to perform a deep scan before following these steps. Although we made this instruction for a 5.3 engine, you can actually use the same instruction to boost the performance of 4.3, 5.7, 6.0, 6.6 & 8.1 too. You essentially don’t have to implement all the points, one or two tasks will go a long way. Let’s dig into the process—
Upgrade The Performance Chips & Tuners
Upgrading the performance chip & tuner is hands down one of the easiest tricks to boost the horsepower of your vehicle. This process is suitable for not only a 5.3 engine but also 5.7, 6.2 & even V6 engines. You will actually be able to monitor all the data of your engine, like air-fuel ratio, temperature sensor readings & also the fuel economy of your engine. A tuner will reward you with a competent modification of the vehicle’s computer only with a button.
A performance chip will, however, let you choose from a variety of tunes. So you can effortlessly fine tune the stuff by which you can get a custom tune for your vehicle yourself. Hence, upgrading the performance chip & tuners is a big yes from us.
Upgrade Air Intake Systems
The moment you improve the air intake & ventilation system of your truck, it will perform like a beast. To ensure an optimum engine performance in your truck, upgrading the ventilation system should be the first choice.
An improved air intake system and air filter circulate more fresh air into the engine, boosting its efficiency. Installing a better air system will, therefore, provide a high volume of fresh air to the engine. So you’ll notice the difference in just a few hours.
The whole upgrade or installation doesn’t cost you a fortune, rather it’s actually cheap. So if you’re interested to really elevate your truck to another level, start with the air system.
Upgrade Throttle Body Spacers
Just like an improved air circulation system, an upgraded throttle body spacers will also allow your engine to be exposed to a lot of air, letting it breathe properly. Costing only a few bucks, changing the throttle body spacer actually boosts up the performance like magic. The installation process is also pretty straightforward, so you can do the whole step yourself.
This step will save you some fuel money by ensuring the optimal combustion too. However, upgrading the throttle body spacer doesn’t work on other engine models of Silverado, but it works fine in a 5.3 engine.
Installing High Flow Exhaust
Just like we cared about our engines properly breathing in with a throttle body spacer, we should work on a proper breathe out too. To make that happen, you should think of replacing or reinstalling a high flow exhaust in your engine. There are actually a few variations of exhaust systems, they are- single, dual, side-exit & rear depending on the model & year of your engine.
A high flow exhaust system actually makes your truck pretty fancy too. After you install it, your truck will roar like a sports car! Plus you’re engine will be able to breathe out properly, resulting in a super efficient performance. However, you must rely on professional auto servicer for this job, as the process is pretty complicated.
Headers & High Flow Downpipe Set Up
Setting up headers & high flow downpipe to your engine will boost up the horsepower even more. No matter which engine your Silverado has, you can definitely think of setting up this mod to dramatically change the performance. It maximizes the airflow & back pressure from the exhaust system, so it exponentially boosts the horsepower and torque of your engine. Hence, it doesn’t fail even if you don’t get an expected result from reinstalling the exhaust system.
However, you can’t do this setup yourself, we highly recommend relying on an expert professional to avoid any potential damage.
Installing Intercooler
If your engine gets hot as hell while driving, an intercooler can effectively increase the performance of your truck. It will not only reduce the engine temperature but also increases the air density which has a direct effect to increase the horsepower and torque. Although this whole process needs additional modification like a performance tuner, an intercooler works its way to give your engine a long life.
Throttle body
If you want to finish all the hassle in just one step, we would recommend changing the entire throttle body. You should replace the throttle body with a larger one so that it provides a more efficient result even by skipping all the steps above.
A larger throttle body provides better air direction, air flow & even air volume to boost the performance of your truck. To get the best result, use a throttle body spacer along with the throttle body. So if you want your truck to be a heavy breather, don’t skip to choose a bigger throttle body.
Installing Supercharger & Turbochargers
Now that you’ve done all the upgrades, the last step is to install a supercharger & turbocharger. This efficient apparatus certainly gives that extra boost that your truck absolutely needs so that you can achieve perfection in your vehicle.
That’s all for how to add horsepower to 5.3 Silverado. If you want to turn your favorite truck into a beast truck, make sure to follow these tips & tricks. Until then, happy riding!
