So being kinda new around here, I just wanted to tell you all what a great forum you have. I have learned quite a bit just from reading over the past couple months.

Now, to get down to brass tacks, and hopefully not make too many posting faux paus.

First off I would like to avoid the alleged $2K to 4 h.p. gain....but I am looking into tweeking the the 3.0 with A/T a little.

I already have a K&N filtercharger, good, and a JET chip, Ok.

Now I know breathing is the most important thing, so throtle body(intake manifold?) and exhaust system are in. However I am still a little confused as to what direction to go with headers and an exhaust system. There seems to be a bevy of info for the 22R engines...but not quite as much for the 3.0's.

It seems that the two main suppliers for 3.0 exhaust systems have opposite ideas. One: large header diameter, smaller exhaust, the other: just the opposite. So if I go with the small diameter tubes, 1 1/2 for headers, more low end torque - what I want - is the correct thing 2 1/2 in. pipes or 2 1/4? It seems even tho that particular manufacture suggests the larger pipes - conventional wisdom from the group here says 'not so fast'.

I am not building any sort of monster, just massaging a little bit for more fun on the weekends. As it is still my only vehicle.

Other plans include Detroit locker for the rear end, and new gears...4.56...maybe....then a lift kit, get more money, wheels, get more money, beef up the supension, get more money, hhmmmm I am noticing a trend here....

Thanks for help and opinions in advance.

Aaron

I can't really help you on the exhaust, but I can help you on the gears. I just went to 5.29's from 4.10's with 33's, and I must say, it made a big difference. I personally would not waste the money on 4.56's though. You probobly already have 4.56's if you have factory 31's.

You might even have 4.88 gears, thats what I have according to off-road.com.

If you're going to get bigger tires than 32's then I would go 5.29's like Josh said. When I went to 32's from 31's I felt the difference in power.

Steve

Anecdotally people report nice gains with a freer flowing exhaust than with headers. I believe AllenD is one person who did the headers after the exhaust and reported very little difference.

One thing that's often overlooked is keeping your engine well tuned and maintained. You didn't mention anything about this, but it should be Item #1. Change all fluids and filters, plugs and wires, cap, just keep the engine running optimally and it's not all that bad. And as I recently discovered, keep it in the powerband as much as possible - over 2800rpm to like 3500rpm and it scoots on the freeway.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">Originally posted by little_joe:
<strong>Anecdotally people report nice gains with a freer flowing exhaust than with headers. I believe AllenD is one person who did the headers after the exhaust and reported very little difference.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">Nope. I did them both at the same time. I did notice some gain in performance. The truck seemed to rev a bit more freely. However, it sure was a lotta work for only modest gains. I went to 33's (from 32's) just before doing the headers & exhaust and I think it just got me back to the peppiness it had w/ 32's. The bottom line is that there is nothing you can do to the 3.0 to give it a significant boost in power without paying big bucks.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">Originally posted by Allen:
<strong>Nope. I did them both at the same time. I did notice some gain in performance.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helv, Helvetica, Sans">Thanks for the clarification Allen. Man am I getting senile! <img border="0" alt="[Drunk]" title="" src="graemlins/drunk.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="images/icons/shocked.gif" />

If you are looking for every little bit of power make sure all of your valve and ignition timing is right on. Also putting synthetic gear oils in your transfer and differentials will help your driveline turn with less resistance.

Good first post and WELCOME ABOARD!