Ever thought you could make that fun turn by your house going a little faster than normal, only to realize you've just pushed your truck past its limits? You get that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, your knuckles get white, and usually that turn ends up not being very fun at all. If you can relate to that story, this tech article is for you. Our used and abused '04 Sierra felt more like a school bus trying to turn at speed and with a worn-out stock suspension, puny 16-inch wheels and 275/60R16 donuts, along with no rear sway bar, the truck wasn't raising any hairs on the back of our necks. To get to the bottom of our stock misery, we rented a runway at a private airport and strapped on Racepak's latest GPS data acquisition gear, the G2X, for incredible real-world performance information. This way, we'll know exactly what our stock 0-60 mph, slalom, 1/4-mile, and 80-0 braking figures look like. Once the testing was complete, the data told us what we suspected; our truck was slow, handled like a barge, and was a real buzz kill. No worries, we had a plan.
Our plan for a revived suspension consisted of dropping the truck four inches up front with a McGaughy's spindle and Hotchkis lowering coil spring, six inches out back with a McGaughy's drop shackle and Hotchkis drop leaf, strapping on some burly sway bars engineered specifically for lowered trucks from Hotchkis, and all-new shocks from McGaughy's. To get the most out of the suspension, we ordered a set of Nitto's new street-legal, ultra high-performance summer tires, the NT05. Project Novakane gets its anti cookie-cutter image and name from the wheels we bolted onto each corner-BMF Wheel's 20x9-inch Novakane's in Death Metal Black.
Handling was a priority, but power was a must. We knew the stock 4.8L V-8 still had life left in it and could crank out some serious power to make the Sierra really impressive, which is why we turned to Banks Power. Known for their extensive research, Banks is no stranger to products that "put up, or shut up", so we ordered a Power Pack, which consisted of a new Ram-Air intake, Torque Tubes headers, Monster exhaust, and OttoMind programmer-basically covering the usual suspects of performance bolt-ons.
Want to know how well everything performed? Follow along and get the facts. This way, we make it easy for you to decide what parts are best for your truck. To see the truck in action, check out truckinweb.com for video footage and exclusive autocross action where the old work truck surprised two race-prepped muscle cars!
Before leaving for the track,...
Before leaving for the track, we pulled the stock truck up on the dyno, where it made a respectable 222 hp and 256 lb-ft of torque. It's not jaw-dropping figures, but for a tired engine, it was decent.
Arriving at our test facility...
Arriving at our test facility (aka a private airport runway), we strapped our Racepak G2X data acquisition gear to the Sierra and made some 0-60 mph, 80-0 mph braking, 1/4-mile, and slalom tests. Being behind the wheel of this stock rig was not entertaining.
As you can see, we came prepared...
As you can see, we came prepared for all of the part's installation right there on the runway. With some of the best aftermarket companies in the business involved, we had high hopes for the Sierra.
First up, we popped the hood...
First up, we popped the hood and began the Banks' air intake kit. After using a 5/16-inch nutdriver to loosen all of the hose clamps, the inlet hose was disconnected and the tubing from the MAF sensor removed, along with the airbox. We removed the factory lower airbox tray, installed the new Banks' box, and positioned the air filter and lid in place.
Using the factory hose connector,...
Using the factory hose connector, the MAF was secured to the Bank's lid and then air inlet tube was attached to the throttle body and secured with the new clamps.
With the hose tightened down...
With the hose tightened down and the MAF sensor wiring harness reconnected, we used a #3 Phillips screwdriver to tighten the airbox lid to the box and the intake was handled.