Looking for the best advice on aftermarket parts.

I am a new diesel owner (or will be), currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom...after a long de bait, I decided to trade my 2001, 1500 Silverado in for NEW. I wanted to go diesel based on the amount of towing (21' Bayliner Boat and ATV) and the every day driving I do.
I ordered a 2009 Chevy Silverado, extended cab, 4x4, with the 6.6l LLM-1000 Allison tranny...

OK now I am a cherry to diesel, and over the last 6 months I have learned quite a bit, but i'm still not satisfied with a decision on after marget parts.

so the questions are

I am buying a complete package for the truck
Intercooler
Exhaust
Cold Air Intake
Programmer
6" lift with the tires and rims to go with

The delima:
It seems to me (and please don't be bias) but I was considering the Banks BIG Hos Package
I like the comparison and information Banks has available..but brass tax it comes down to what works and what is just flash.

My Gilr found me an authorized mechanics for the installs I couldn't handle, and was told the following package was equal to what I choose.

Magna flow Performance Exhaust
S&B Cold Air Intake
Edge Juice w/ Attitude
And to keep the banks inter cooler...

Well i'm all about saving a buck, but not at the cost of HP or LB-FT

Reading both distro's I see banks claims 57% better air flow then stock and S&B 40%....both life time warranty on filter, but S&B meets certs...worth the drop in percentage?

Next
The programmer: Banks Six Gun w/PDA vs Edge Juice w/Attitude
both have decent EGT temps, but banks is almost a full second faster and 6 more MPH on the 1/4 mile. They also and claims no smoke.....

So what does smoke have to do with it...ok unburned fuel got it...does it mess with the particulate filter???

And third, the exhaust... it looks like the Magna flow is better over all, yea banks blows colder out the tail, but aluminized system vs stainless w/ a life time warranty...

I guess the best overall cost effective parts are what im looking for ...but with out compromising HP or LB-FT

You tested you tried, what do you think?

Everyone has an idea on what is the best, but there is one thing for sure. "A long time after you forgot how much you paid for something, you still have it." And if the product is poor, you don't remember you saved a buck or two. If the product is great you forgot you paid a bit more, but are happy. Good luck with your truck, I hope you have lots of good times with it.

go with efi live. once you start modding with that dpf you will want it to disappear. go ahead and save up for a tranny build. cus the power gets addicting and u may not know where to stop:D

no tuner will smoke with the dpf still there. ditch the dpf, get mbrp exhaust, ppe programmer, keep stock intercooler, keep stock intake. both intercooler and intake are effecient to over 500 wheel horsepower. my 2 cents

I agree stock intake and intercooler are good to at least 500 hp and your trans will need help bofore that. I agree with ditching the DPF (diesel particulate filter). Do a search and read about it. I personally dont care for banks products. but that is just my 2 cents

I would look at the MBRP exhaust too. They make a great system, I'm happy with it. I would also look into the Quadzilla tuner. It is a great cheap tuner. Not as many frills as some of the others, but gives power and the ability to drop the DPF. Where are you located at. There are members from all over that could help you out when you get back stateside.

If you are not wanting to put guages on the pillar you might want to look into the edge insite.

No need to mess with the intercooler yet, just start with the basics and work up from there. Go with a programmer/module, cold air intake, and exhaust. You will be amazed how much better the truck will run. The Banks 6 Gun is a nice unit as well as their exhaust and intake. I think the S&B unit is the best overall value on the market though. Magnaflows exhaust systems are some of the best out there, and their intercooled tip(s) have a nice look. If you are worried about warranty, I would stick with a harness style box like Edge J/A or Banks as they dont reprogram the computer. If you have any questions or would like a package deal, feel free to give me a call or shoot me a PM.

Just about any tuner available on the market will give you enough power to trash the stock Allison.....the breaking point seems to teter on around 80-100 HP more than stock. If you go further than that the question isn't IF the allison will go but WHEN the allison will go. Building a good trans is going to cost north of $4000.....which I'm sure will put a dent in your budget.

You need to decide if you want to break the 100hp barrier or not. If you don't want to all you need to do is ditch the DPF by getting a full exhaust and get any tuner that will allow you to turn off the DPF in the tune....which the banks will NOT do. If you do want to go hotter than 100hp and get the built trans then you can look into other speed parts.

I'm sure you are aware that your entire warrantee will be toast once you lift and tune the truck. GM will not honor any suspension parts under the warranty with a lift, and the ECM has memory to tell if you have ever tuned the truck which will void the powertrain aspect of the warrantee.

Moved to Other Performance! ;)