97 Chevy Suburban - How can I make it faster?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hate Hate and more Hate
  • Start date Start date
H

Hate Hate and more Hate

Guest
My dad just gave me his 97 Suburban. It has about 100k on it and runs preety good. My goal is to get another 10 years out of it. It's and LT 1500 with 2WD (rear wheels) and it has a 5.7l vortex V8 engine.

I already going to add the usual stuff like air intake, headers, and dual cat-back exhaust. My problem is I don't know what brands to go with? I also plan on replacing the engine in the future but I don't want to buy all these parts and they won't fit on the new engine
What other little things can I do to get more horses out of this baby.?
 
You could consider an aftermarket Mass Air Flow sensor if it doesn't come with the intake kit, and either reprogramming or getting a high performance engine chip. A roller camshaft and lifters might quicken up engine response as well.

Other things to consider are better brakes. That rig isn't likely to stop any better unless there is a stronger braking system. A fairly top heavy truck like that would benefit from some suspension upgrades as well. No sense in going faster if it doesn't go in the direction that you point it. You may want to look at the drive train while you are at it. An automatic trans could be helped by some valve upgrades, or when the clutch needs to be replaced, consider something with a bit more bite. A limited slip or Posi-Trak rear differential will also help that beast get moving. Extra power will only make a heavy open wheel diff vehicle even more of a dog. It might make a lot of smoke from one tire and make driving in the rain more interesting, but getting your power to the ground efficiently is more effective than overwhelming the tire(s).
Plus, a better rear end may already have a disc brake upgrade installed.

For the future engine to be compatible with your "current" parts, you may need to stay with the same general engine size/configuration, opting to use either a pre-built crate engine, or perhaps getting an engine with a longer bore and stroke with a camshaft geared towards more power.
 
gears for your rear end. it doesn't add any HP , but trust me, you will enjoy them.

spray is always fun as well.
 
Back
Top