2011 silverado 4.8 thoughts

[ls1mike]

What is the trailer 2500 to 3000 lbs? The horse 1800lbs? The truck will do fine. Only thing I would do is add an Aux external transmission cooler in case they ever have to go further than the mileage you mention.

 

[HyundaiAbuser]

What is the trailer 2500 to 3000 lbs? The horse 1800lbs? The truck will do fine. Only thing I would do is add an Aux external transmission cooler in case they ever have to go further than the mileage you mention.

trailer is 2500, horse is only around 1000, she's on the small side.

 

[GMguy84]

When was the last time you had changed the air filter?

Was a NEW K&N air filter I installed like 2 months ago ?? It was having issue day 1 even before I installed the K&N


Dave

 

[GMguy84]

What is the trailer 2500 to 3000 lbs? The horse 1800lbs? The truck will do fine. Only thing I would do is add an Aux external transmission cooler in case they ever have to go further than the mileage you mention.

YES !!

100% agree a trans cooler is a MUST when heavy hauling if you dont have a HD XL80E trans

Trans coolers to extended life of the trans for sure

Dave

 

[350Rocket]

Should be a 4L60E, But not sure if the 4.8's got those 6L80E's in 2011 ???

I have a 2008 Silverado 4.8 4L60E crew cab with 200K miles as my work truck and power and acceleration SUCKS !! My heavier 5.3 suburban would outrun it. It will be a DOG pulling a 2 horse trailer

The 5.3 or even more the 6.0 would have been suited better for their needs

I would tell them to keep a high quality synthetic oil in it. Camshaft and lifter failures are #1 issue on these rigs. Luckily the 4.8's dont have the AFM
(Active fuel 4/8cyl mode management) garbage on them.


Below I posted a video from 1Aauto on common issues with the GMT900 trucks

Dash board falling apart, Engine mounts, door handles, oil pressure sensor,

For me its been:
Horrific Dash cracks
power door lock actuators
Outer door handles

Dave

Our 2013 at work with the 4.8/4L60E is a lot slower than my 05 with the same drivetrain and gears minus the variable valve timing.

Our 13 has had 2 outer door handles, left rear door hinge is shot, tailgate hinge is getting worn and trans pan gasket failed. No other issues yet. 100k miles.

 

[OVERKILL]

Was a NEW K&N air filter I installed like 2 months ago ?? It was having issue day 1 even before I installed the K&N


Dave

It didn't need a K&N either, lol.

WAI's/CAI's often throw off the "butt dyno" because they make a lot more noise so it creates the impression that you've got more go when the reality is it's the exact same. My wife's truck "sounds" faster now with her new exhaust, but it's not, it's a perception thing.

 

[350Rocket]

BTW the best upgrade I did to my 05 with the 4.8 was remove all the surveying equipment, the racking, the cap and the box liner to get the body and paint redone. With all that weight removed it feels very peppy now.

Mine is a 4wd extended cab with 3.42 gears. I'm surprised to see so many with 3.23 gears on here, between 3 work trucks and another couple friends trucks, every one has been a 3.42 ratio.

 

[ls1mike]

trailer is 2500, horse is only around 1000, she's on the small side.

That is easy peasy. Still if they decide to run it anywhere more than 20 miles, I would add the aux cooler it is an afternoon of work. Well worth it.

 

[01rangerxl]

GMT900s are my least favorite generation of Silverado so far, but if the truck has been well cared for, it should work fine for your parents. I'm sure they won't be brodozering it with horses in tow.

We have had a 2012 at work now for about four or five years, and while it seems to be an abnormally bad example, it has soured my opinion of 900s a little. What's funny is, it has none of the super common problems, but a slew of other issues. For example, the engine has been replaced...twice. The first used 4.8 was bad from LKQ, so they had to send another. The 4L60E is original though with over 200k and one fluid change. The dash and door panels/inside door handles are original and intact, but multiple pieces of pillar trim have fallen off, it's always had door lock issues, and the blower motor for the AC quit. Not a single crack in the dash though, and this truck is outside in Alabama all of the time except when it's broken in the shop. I think it actually has original door handles outside as well, but the hinges on the driver's door are in rough shape and will eventually need to be replaced. It's like a really bad GMT400 door, I've never seen an 800 that bad and they have hinge issues too. It's just had a bunch of weird issues that our other, older Silverados/Sierras have not. We had one 4.3 strip the distributor gear at 525k, and that's it for engines until the 4.8 from hell came along. The 5.3 800s are all running the original engine, and one 04 is well over 500k now. They will blow the doors off the 2012 truck with 100-300k more miles on them.

The good thing is, the aftermarket has these covered where GM doesn't..you can get interior handle kits for $30 or less, no need to spend hundreds on the whole panel. It's a popular GM truck so parts will always be available. Aftermarket mirrors and such are ridiculously cheap. I bought a no name chrome cap power mirror for a Tahoe for around $20-30.

Assuming it's in good shape and your parents aren't rough on vehicles, it'll probably be a good truck with such low mileage. If it starts having constant issues, fix it up enough to sell and dump it. I think the truck at work is a bad apple, but it always has something going on. Just yesterday it was limped in again, this time the belt tensioner pulley bearing came apart and the pulley fell off, apparently with no noise (and the guy who drives this truck will definitely say if it's making a noise). At least this time it was simple/cheap.

 

[Tman220]

The 4.8 is a shorter stroke 6.0, so if you are patient in accelerating and take care of it, it could last pretty much forever.

Close but not quite.

4.8 Bore/Stroke = 3.78" / 3.268"
5.3 Bore/Stroke = 3.78" / 3.622"
6.0 Bore/Stroke = 4.00" / 3.622"

The 4.8 is the same bore as the 5.3 but with a shorter stroke.

 

[GMguy84]

It didn't need a K&N either, lol.

WAI's/CAI's often throw off the "butt dyno" because they make a lot more noise so it creates the impression that you've got more go when the reality is it's the exact same. My wife's truck "sounds" faster now with her new exhaust, but it's not, it's a perception thing.

Its not all in my head. Again I have been driving the truck about avg 100 miles a day the last 2 months and the new CAI setup has greatly IMPROVED acceleration and throttle response. No it didn't "Magically" give me 100HP but it feel 100x better driving around town in Dallas Metro. There's people who have dynode and done testing on these things. its not a "Placebo effect" like your saying.

I'm happy with the performance it now gives

Dave

 

[OVERKILL]

Its not all in my head. Again I have been driving the truck about avg 100 miles a day the last 2 months and the new CAI setup has greatly IMPROVED acceleration and throttle response. There's people who have dynode and tone testing on these things. its not a "Placebo effect" like your saying

Again my hard pedal/poor acceleration issue is now gone.

I'm happy with the performance it now gives

Dave

So, a panel K&N made no difference, so it wasn't a filter restriction. K&N CAI claims to add 10HP to the 6.0L, which makes 367HP stock, the 4.8L makes 295HP, and your butt dyno isn't picking up 5-10HP, but your ears most certainly pick up the noise. Were there any silencers you could see in the factory intake plumbing? Give it a look over, if there aren't any obvious restrictions; if there aren't any areas that are smaller than the throttle body, then draw your own conclusions

On an otherwise stock engine the potential gains with a CAI just aren't there, particularly not with the tradeoff in poorer filtration. Often times if there are gains to be had it's through the elimination of the silencers that are sometimes fitted to the factory intake plumbing. Removing those can yield the same marginal increase without the loss of factory filter efficiency.

On non-stock engines, it's a completely different discussion but even then, most stock intake setups with the silencers deleted can support a surprising amount of power above stock. Of course this can vary significantly vehicle-to-vehicle and some OEM's aren't generous with airbox and filter size like is the case for most performance cars and trucks, which tend to have large plumbing, large airboxes and large filters.

 

[GMguy84]

So, a panel K&N made no difference, so it wasn't a filter restriction. K&N CAI claims to add 10HP to the 6.0L, which makes 367HP stock, the 4.8L makes 295HP, and your butt dyno isn't picking up 5-10HP, but your ears most certainly pick up the noise. Were there any silencers you could see in the factory intake plumbing? Give it a look over, if there aren't any obvious restrictions; if there aren't any areas that are smaller than the throttle body, then draw your own conclusions

On an otherwise stock engine the potential gains with a CAI just aren't there, particularly not with the tradeoff in poorer filtration. Often times if there are gains to be had it's through the elimination of the silencers that are sometimes fitted to the factory intake plumbing. Removing those can yield the same marginal increase without the loss of factory filter efficiency.

On non-stock engines, it's a completely different discussion but even then, most stock intake setups with the silencers deleted can support a surprising amount of power above stock. Of course this can vary significantly vehicle-to-vehicle and some OEM's aren't generous with airbox and filter size like is the case for most performance cars and trucks, which tend to have large plumbing, large airboxes and large filters.

Well something made a difference with the upgrade ?? I can literally feel it in my foot

I believe the red color added an extra 25HP also


Dave

 

[FADEC]

I did do this upgrade to my 4.8 last night. BEST $55 I ever spent on a engine MOD lol


Dave

View attachment 30032

Dave could you show the link for that set up for $55? I would like to get one also.

 

[GMguy84]

Dave could you show the link for that set up for $55? I would like to get one also.

Link below:

I also have the same set up in my '01 Suburban 5.3 and HOLY %#&@! it made a difference in throttle response and love the low end torque GROWLLLLL !!!

It's known as the "Cheap Chinese kit" but VERY high quality parts IMO !! It was also "Amazon's Choice" and had the highest positive reviews out of all them in that price range

Best of all, So far after several days on my truck still NO check engine lights popping up after


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082YDSMRP


Bought the red one cause red adds 50HP extra


Also comes in black and blue/chrome

 

[FADEC]

Link below:

I also have the same set up in my '01 Suburban 5.3 and HOLY %#&@! it made a difference in throttle response and love the low end torque GROWLLLLL !!!

It's known as the "Cheap Chinese kit" but VERY high quality parts IMO !! It was also "Amazon's Choice" and had the highest positive reviews out of all them in that price range

Best of all, So far after several days on my truck still NO check engine lights popping up after


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082YDSMRP

Bought the red one casue red add's 50HP extra


Also comes in black and blue/chrome
View attachment 30168





View attachment 30165

View attachment 30166

Thanks for the link. That's pretty nice for the price. The last one I bought was a K&N years ago, and it was much more expensive even then.

 

[GMguy84]

Thanks for the link. That's pretty nice for the price. The last one I bought was a K&N years ago, and it was much more expensive even then.

Happy to be at service

Oh and a little trick the guys do on the LSX truck forums is they replace/throw away ?? the filter that comes with the kit and use a universal 4" Spectra or K&N cone filter and those only run $25-30 on Amazon and then you'll have a K&N CAI for 1/3 of the price LOL


Dave

 

[390pcode]

FYI... With 4.8, most years: 4x4s got 3.42 as standard; 4x2's got 3.23 standard according to factory literature.

 

[OilMagnate]

...it wasn't a filter restriction...but your ears most certainly pick up the noise.

I also have the same set up in my '01 Suburban 5.3 and HOLY %#&@! it made a difference in throttle response and love the low end torque GROWLLLLL !!!

I think OVERKILL has the answer he was looking for.

I didn't know torque growled...

I also didn't know these "cheap Chinese" filters are doing the impossible now. Taken from the image above: "Improves up to 95% filtration efficiency over OEM paper filters." I guess these aren't your dad's old K&N rock catchers anymore. I know of course that the magic words are "up to" (meaning 0.0000000001% better counts), but I'm still amazed that they can possibly claim 0.0000000001% when we all know even that is a pipe dream.

My favorite (lengthy) quote of all time comes to mind here:

“In the current, digitized world, trivial information is accumulating every second, preserved in all its triteness. Never fading, always accessible. Rumors about petty issues, misinterpretations, slander...All this junk data preserved in an unfiltered state, growing at an alarming rate. It will only slow down social progress, reduce the rate of evolution.

...The untested truths spun by different interests to chum and accumulate in the sandbox of political correctness and value systems. Everyone withdraws into their own small gated community, afraid of a larger forum. They stay inside their little ponds leaking whatever "truth" suits them into the growing cesspool of society at large. The different cardinal truths neither clash nor mesh. No one is invalidated, but nobody is right. Not even natural selection can take place here. The world is being engulfed in "truth".

And this is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper."

-Colonel Campbell, MGS2 (2001)

 

[Brons2]

My favorite (lengthy) quote of all time comes to mind here:

“In the current, digitized world, trivial information is accumulating every second, preserved in all its triteness. Never fading, always accessible. Rumors about petty issues, misinterpretations, slander...All this junk data preserved in an unfiltered state, growing at an alarming rate. It will only slow down social progress, reduce the rate of evolution.

...The untested truths spun by different interests to chum and accumulate in the sandbox of political correctness and value systems. Everyone withdraws into their own small gated community, afraid of a larger forum. They stay inside their little ponds leaking whatever "truth" suits them into the growing cesspool of society at large. The different cardinal truths neither clash nor mesh. No one is invalidated, but nobody is right. Not even natural selection can take place here. The world is being engulfed in "truth".

And this is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper."

-Colonel Campbell, MGS2 (2001)

Excellent quote. We live in a misinformation age, rife with tribalism. People choose whatever misinformation suits their bias.

They should do oil analysis to find the truth