Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
Jayco RV Owners Forum
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 05-22-2013, 10:27 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 4
5.3 liter / more horsepower???

I'm pulling a 28 BHS Jay Flight with a 5.3Liter 1500 crew cab Chevy and am looking for more Horsepower. I was wondering if anyone has used a Programmer and do they help? (Or) Would I be better off putting a turbo in?
Can you really get the same amount of horsepower out of the programmer as you can with a turbo? Any ideas would be great thanks!
CampUSA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2013, 03:43 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
mcfarmall's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Kalamazoo, West Michigan
Posts: 1,817
This sounds like a question that you should be asking on a Chevy truck forum. I can't help you out on this one.
__________________
2006 23B Hybrid with 10k round bar WDH
2011 F150 4x4 SCREW Ecoboost, Max Tow, Integrated TBC, 3.73 LS axle, Firestone Ride Rite airbags.
mcfarmall is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2013, 10:42 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: North Idaho/Arizona
Posts: 5,446
Good luck getting a turbo to work with all the electronics on that truck. As mentioned, check out a Chevy forum.
clutch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2013, 12:09 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Twin Falls
Posts: 930
My suggestion - upgrade your truck... messing with trying to get more horsepower out of that engine is only going to reduce your engine life. Chalk this up to dealers saying that the trailers are 1/2 ton towable...

I'm speaking from experience, having owned a Suburban 1500 with that engine, I too experienced not enough overall power, I upgraded to a diesel and have no regrets.
__________________

2011 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins
2012 Starcraft Autumn Ridge 297 BHS
Flyrotor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2013, 01:58 AM   #5
Site Team
 
Crabman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Virginia`s Eastern Shore
Posts: 17,091
Moved from Jayco pics forum. Welcome.
__________________
2017 Coachmen Catalina 283RKS
2018 Ford F250 Super Duty 6.2l CCSB
2010 Jayflight 28BHS (sold)
Crabman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2013, 06:06 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 552
Trying to turn the truck into a hot rod isn't going to solve your towing issues. There's much more to consider, the biggest factor being payload, especially with a trailer that size. Then there's rear end ratios, brakes, trannie cooler, and the list can go on. If you are really serious about it, upgrade the truck
__________________
2010 22FB(Ret)
2013 F250 XLT
I now have a Keystone Outback, but I try to help when I can.
---------------------
Bitter Gun Owner
Bitter Clinger
Armed Infidel
Bob Landry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2013, 06:52 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
max2bob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: bozeman,montana
Posts: 273
i have tried upgrading my engines twice with ok results and a lot of money invested. ultimately i would have been better served by investing that money in a different truck as both times that is what i wound up doing. i am extremely pleased with those results. and the trucks i upgraded to handled the loads significantly better. one was a 1 ton dually and my present a 3/4 ton. the advice on going to a chevy forum is sound as only they can tell you what works and what does not for your particular engine. ultimately consider upgrading the truck you will not regret it.
__________________
2014 ram 2500 6.4 hemi, 2014 jayco eagle touring edition 28.5 rkds, 2017 jayco 145rb baja edition
max2bob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2013, 12:46 PM   #8
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Virginia
Posts: 83
I think the problems you'll run into will be horsepower gained vs. money spent. I upgraded to truck in the sig from an '03 Silverado with the 5.3L. The Silverado was a great truck and pulled my old 26 foot Layton trailer great but was noticeably doing worse with the new trailer. Mostly gas mileage dropping from about 10 - 11 to 7 - 8 mpg and harder pulling hills and more braking needed going down. A true 3/4 ton makes all the difference in the world. Heck, only use the tow/haul button going down mountains and it holds me back so well I hardly have to use the brakes on the new truck.
__________________

2010 Jayflight 29RLS
2006 Ford F-250 Superduty 6.0 diesel
Equalizer hitch

Recondite is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2013, 02:58 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Nighthawk 96's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Columbia SC
Posts: 572
A 5.7 litre 1/2 ton or a 3/4 ton would be a better solution than tryng to modify your current truck. Personally I think any gas engine with a turbo is a BIG repair bill waiting to happen.
__________________
2012 Toyota Tundra 5.7 Litre DoubleCab
6 speed, 4.30 Limited Slip, Tow Package
2013 Jayco White Hawk 27DSRL
2010 Jayco JayFlight 26BH sold
Yamaha EF2000is Generators (2)
1996 Honda CB750 Nighthawk
Nighthawk 96 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2013, 05:07 PM   #10
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Utah
Posts: 27
You can go for more horsepower if you want. But. The 4L65 trans you have and 9-1/2 rear end you have won't hold up. Like others have said. New tuck would be better off. I don't even notice my 264 bh behind my 3/4 ton gmc.
__________________
2013 264bh Jayco Swift
2008 gmc Sierra 2500 6.0L
Shootnut is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-01-2013, 09:55 AM   #11
Member
 
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 32
A programmer on anything without a turbo is pretty much useless, esp. while towing.
The 5.3 is a great engine. What rear end gears do you have? Upgrading the gears should really improve you towing experience.
__________________
2011 Jayco 26BH
2000 Ram 2500
AMC_Jeep is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-01-2013, 11:01 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 100
Quote:
Originally Posted by CampUSA View Post
I'm pulling a 28 BHS Jay Flight with a 5.3Liter 1500 crew cab Chevy and am looking for more Horsepower. I was wondering if anyone has used a Programmer and do they help? (Or) Would I be better off putting a turbo in?
Can you really get the same amount of horsepower out of the programmer as you can with a turbo? Any ideas would be great thanks!
First, consider joining the Silverado/Sierra forum and you will get all of your questions answered and then some. Now, programmers will add horsepower and so do custom tunes and bolt-ons. A turbo is a little more than a bolt-on in my oppinion and very expensive...however no other horsepower modification will match it if done correctly, short of totally rebuilding the engine. The turbo will cost you $3-4K or more and is a very complicated set-up. A programmer...$400-500 for a good one (don't go cheapy; get what you pay for). Your truck is not towing at its limit so looks like you are just looking to improve a little. Turbo will get you a lot more (50-150HP) but will cost you a ton to get there and NO, you can not get that much with a programmer alone. A supercharger would be better for towing applications but it is also expensive and hard on the engine/power-train. My advice; improve the engine intake and exhaust and plug up a programmer; that's a good 50-60HP and not gonna hurt the power-train.
__________________
Bart and Tina
2001 Chevy 2500HD 6.0 Silverado 4x4-Banks Power
1997 Jayco Eagle 5er 285BHS-flipped axles
bbrown is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-01-2013, 05:31 PM   #13
Junior Member
 
wakamicamper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 21
If you are serious about trying to increase hp out of your truck, you could try one of the K & N Filters for your truck. Since you are not running a turbo, you can't do any damage to your engine. I installed one in my 2001 Ford Supercrew for the same reason you want to do your truck. The difference was amazing. I improved my mpg by 1 and the truck was more responsive. There are systems you can get that for the air intake that will also give you a boost in mpg and in hp. http://www.knfilters.com/search/prod...x?prod=63-3070 The 57 Series FIPK is supposed to boost the engine by 10 hp because the engine breaths easier. Do some research on air intakes to boost hp.

Good Luck
__________________
2009 GMC Sierra Crew Cab 4 x 4 Diesel/196 litre Titan tank
2013 Jayco Eagle 28.5 RLS 5th Wheel

Soon to be: 2019 Jayco Eagle HT 27.5RLTS 5th Wheel
2018: 21 days Camping
wakamicamper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-05-2013, 01:33 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 100
You are going to get many suggestions for upgrading with the 3 standard bolt-ons: Intake, Exhaust, Programmer. If done right, the three combined can net you anywhere from 25-50 HP maybe more with a custom tune. My advice would be like others have said; do plenty of Research, then Re-research and read customer reviews. I would not recommend ripping out your stock intake for an expensive cold-air-intake kit. The factory intake IS a cold air intake...it feeds air from outside the hot engine compartment/the front wheel fender body...about as cool as you can get. But do get a drop-in high flow/low restiction filter; like K&N, Airaid, Volant, etc. A good intake upgrade that is less expensive is a modular intake tube (Airaid makes one) and it is much less restrictive than the stock tube, which has a stupid resonance chamber for noise. There are lots, uh I mean multiples, of choices for Intakes, Exhausts and Programmers...and oh yeah the paperweight...throttle body spacer. IMHO, and based on hours of research...the TBS is useless for Chevy Vortec longrunner intake manifolds. Just thought I would save you some time...you might see a few people recommend the TBS...AKA-paperweight. Good Luck...you really outta try out the SilveradoSierra forum also...it's a ton of good information on GM trucks all in one spot.
__________________
Bart and Tina
2001 Chevy 2500HD 6.0 Silverado 4x4-Banks Power
1997 Jayco Eagle 5er 285BHS-flipped axles
bbrown is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2014, 11:31 AM   #15
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 4
Thanks for the replies!
Someone asked what I have for a rear end and I have the 4-10 gear.
CampUSA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-06-2014, 08:30 PM   #16
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 37
Costly proposition

Quote:
Originally Posted by CampUSA View Post
Thanks for the replies!
Someone asked what I have for a rear end and I have the 4-10 gear.


I thought I would add to the thread with my own experience. From an engine upgrade perspective, modifying normally aspirated engines seems to produce very little in terms of results without serious modifications. Turbo engines respond much better to modification, unfortunately that is not the proverbial boat you are in.

I also own a 28BHS and tow it with a 2013 F150 S-Crew; I moved up from a Dodge Durango with the 5.7 and couldn't be happier. My F150 is equipped with the 3.5L ecoboost and the truck produces fantastic towing power, even with my 3.31 hwy gears. On a 5% grade the truck drops to 4th and pulls the hill at 55 MPH @ 2300 RPM.

I wish you the best of luck on your power modification search. That said, I would encourage you to look at the cost per horse power added.
mraplx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-07-2014, 08:24 AM   #17
Senior Member
 
Iraqvet05's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 1,710
I've researched this a bit for my Silverado. I added a drop in K&N filter that marginally increased HP while unloaded but didn't seem to make one difference towing. I've read on several forums that the programers for the 5.3 are also a waste of money in towing application. There is only so much you can squeeze out of the 5.3 without do major work (new heads, change bore/stroke, etc.). The DW and I are going TV shopping later this month for a 3/4 ton.
__________________
2018 28BHBE
2017 Ford F250 XLT, 6.2 gasser
2013 26BH (traded)
Iraqvet05 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2014, 12:09 AM   #18
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Utah
Posts: 892
What gears do you have? Taller gears can make a big difference in felt power, and most people notice less than .5mpg difference while unloaded.
__________________
2014 Ram 2500 Mega Cab Laramie 4x4 6.4L HEMI 4.10s with antispin
2014 Jayco Jay Flight Swift 287BHBE
Equal-i-zer 90-00-1200(new 90-02-4900 shank)
2x Honda 2K
NewBlackDak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-13-2014, 10:30 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Swift Current
Posts: 159
If I read correctly, you're already running a 4.10 ratio? So that's covered. With the 5.3 and 4.10's you can produce a heck of a whollop out of that little 5.3 with the right mods. Were it me, I would run straight to a super charger rather than turbo for the increased grunt down load. yes, more parasitic loss than a turbo, but it's on tap, you don't have to wait for a spool up. There is no sense going down that road though unless you verify that your transmission can hold the extra torque. Too many times I have see guys slap on a super charger and at the first sign of torque load, their transmissions heave there guts out the pan.

Or, you could look at doing a full header swap (catback produces nothing but noise and in some cases you actually sacrifice some low end torque) with a new free flowing exhaust. You don't have to have greasy sounding 40 series on it- you can get fairly mellow mufflers. Once that is done, look for undersized pullies if they are available. The two most wasteful upgrades (only in my opinion) on these newer more efficient engines are the "cold air" intakes and throttle body spacers. Both designed to make noise, problems, and a lighter wallet. Sure they claim a 15H gain or whatever, but look at the dyno charts. That gain only comes at or near the ceiling of your RPM range. Who wants to drive like that?

Programmers are not useless as long as they are done by someone who knows what they are doing! Get a custom towing tune done- but make sure they do it for 87 octane so you aren't turning your mill into a grenade if 89 or 91 isn't available. Steer clear of the canned tunes you order online. They are junk. Every engine reacts differently, and a trained eye can maximize this. What you are looking for is to maximize what that mouse can do in the lower RPM range. This is not in its design, but it can be increased a bit. With 4.10 gearing, even the slightest adjustment in shift patterns, etc can make a huge difference.

Since that was the original question, I won't bother saying get a different truck or whatever... and how did payload even come into this discussion???
__________________
2015 Ram 2500 Limited 6.4L Hemi, 3.73 LS
2007 Jay Feather 254 EXP "HMCS Anchovy" :Canada:
smurfs_of_war is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-14-2014, 04:14 PM   #20
Senior Member
 
MrKong's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: WV
Posts: 336
Another thing to look at that no one has mentioned is shift kits for the transmission. That can make you think your are driving a new vehicle with firming up the shifts, and changing some of the shift points.
__________________
MrKong is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jayco, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:12 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2002-2016 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.