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that and cat-backs still have the major restriction component in place.
the stock manifold.
a set of headers would make a bigger difference in all honesty.

KikiTheCat wrote:CAI, exhaust, and a reprogrammer to modify your stock ECM curves and you should increase both power and gas economy.

Okay, what is CAI.

So I want a reprogrammer, a gibson exhaust, and new headers. Hmmm...Okay, all of this is absolutely nessecary right? Which shall I get first?

CAI= Cold Air Intake.

Of course it is all necessary.

tedd

none of it is necessary. CAI is a cold air intake.
if you want better flow, you need mroe air in, and more gas flow out.. that means a cold intake, and headers with a free flow exhaust.
the reprogrammer will re-do your fuel/air mix, valve timings, etc to improve HP, torque, and fuel econ.

youll only notice a little till you get like the complete exhaust done from the headers to the tip(s) and then i would do the reprogrammer and put a k&n or something like that air filter assembly on there. if you were really wanting to save gas milage swap the clutch fan to an electric fan is it dosnt have one. there are alot of things to do to make them have more power and better gas milage.

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.

It's always good have you guys around, seriously. You can't find advice like this from a salesman. Now I can go in there and tell them exactly what I want. I've been around this board since I was 17, when we were on ezboard. You guys have always ROCKED.

and now you're 17 and a half, and much better off knowing all we've passed on to you!

Only thing to watch with a reprogrammed chip is that most are set up for a premium fuel program to take advantage of the more aggressive timing curve and fuel mixtures. Those tend to do the best for gas mileage, but the extra $.20 per gallon levels out the mileage benefit. You do get a free power boost, though :)

Little things like electric fans, windage trays, different oil types, transmission shift kits, gearing changes, all are little things that can add to a noticeable mileage and power benefit in the end. A note about electric fans, though, I don't feel an electric fan is a great idea on a truck if you intend to do any pulling, truck radiators are thicker with more fins, that combined with the A/C condenser will cause a larger pressure drop than a car would. Most electric fans will struggle to overcome this and offer little benefit over not having a fan at all, that is why truck manufacturers are sticking with a good clutch fan. With cars it is a different story because they don't experience the same level of pressure drop since the radiator opening is much smaller, the radiators tend to be thinner, with fewer fins. There isn't a big power difference between an electric and a clutch fan, anyway. Nearly any performance modification that retains it's streetability tends to improve mileage, the key is to improve the engine efficiency with better flowing intake, heads, exhaust, but keep it optimized to a street setup. Tonneau covers help a lot with trucks, soft or hard cover.

Slightly off topic, but talking about gas mileage, there was some ricer show I was watching on speed that was showcasing a custom "underbody aerodynamics kit", basically two sheet metal skidplates with a Type R logo stamped in it. They bolted up right in front of the rear wheelwell. They were blabbering on about how it can improve your mileage and help your handling at the supersonic speeds that only a Honda Civic is capable of. I almost spat my drink out, it was funny how much they were endorsing it.

What would be the best order to purchase this stuff in? Exhaust first?

programmer first
most bang for the buck and if you buy a good one, you can always re-program each time you add something else to compensate for the new toy you add.
it allows you to tweak the car for each new bolt on.