Augy88066

Side note - I am now on the fence about upgrading my shocks. It sounds like I am better off leaving the truck as is considering I plan on keeping it for a long time.

A tune sounds tempting but I am not sure what that means for the longevity of the vehicle.

Sweatmachine

My 5.0 with 3.73s and a custom tune with an aggressive shift strategy gets a consistent 15.9 MPG average with 90% of that being city driving with my lead foot. I drive it like I stole it with the AC blasting and my foot on the floor. I'm on stock 18" wheels with stock tires. Big wheels and tires have a big MPG penalty.

The tune is more about the shift strategy than about squeezing every last HP out of the engine. Basically it makes your lazy automatic transmission act more like an aggressively shifted manual trans. It doesn't run for 6th gear as soon as you get moving, it holds gears longer, downshifts sooner, and is generally more athletic than lazy.

I run an 87 octane street/performance tune but I always use 89 octane gas to be safe. I'm sure it's an unnecessary expense but it helps me sleep at night. The only problem I've had with my tune is that when I have to return to stock to take it to the dealer I can't stand driving the truck!

FSU

I was between Rancho QuickLifts and Bilstein 5100s I ended up going with the ranchos because you can adjust the firmness of the ride (although minimal it makes a difference). I heard Bilsteins ride is stiffer than stock and since i was getting E rated A/t tires I thought the ride might be too rough with Bilsteins but aside from that most people say nothing but great things about Bilstein. As far as the CAI i'd get a tuner first if I were you. You'll pay a little more but get a lot more out of it then when you eventually buy a CAI you can use it to its full potential with the tuner

FSU

Those were also a few things I kept in mind as I made the few modifications I did to my truck. I only have 17,000 miles on it and i'm planning on keeping it till it dies since it has plenty of life left. I got the Ranchos and just kept my old shocks since they're practically new if i ever wanted or needed them again. As far as the tunes go, I did a ton of research because everything I do is thinking for the long run and if you get the tunes from a reputable company with years of experience I don't think there's too much to worry about.

gDMJoe

Good call .... I was going to mention the adage - Unless it's broke, don't fix it. MEANING: The shock absorber change/upgrade can wait until they're in need of replacement - worn-out and/or leaking.

If you're looking for a bolt-on, handling change/upgrade, would HIGHLY RECOMMEND the addition of a Hellwig rear stabilizer bar.
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