2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
The 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 comes with three engine and transmission options and can be outfitted as a basic fleet work truck or a done up luxury hauler - all this to say, there are tons of options and configurations to choose from within the lineup. The standard engine for this year's half-ton is a 4.3L EcoTec3 V6 engine. Mated to a 6-speed automatic, the 4.3 churns out a respectable 285 horsepower and 305 lb-ft of torque. For those that need more tow and haul capacity than the V6 can offer, the baseline V8 is the 5.3L EcoTec3 rated at 355 hoesepower and 383 lb-ft of torque. This engine is also matched with a 6-speed auto, however a newer 8-speed is an available upgrade. To obtain the 12,500 lb max towing rating as published for the 2018 Silverado 1500, a 6.2L V8 with 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque is left to do the dirty work. 2018 marks 100 years since the first Chevy truck hit the streets, and therefore they have devised a Centennial Edition that adds a custom Centennial Blue paint job and unique badging.
More Power
Supercharging a V8 engine has been a classic hotrod technique to pump out big power without sacrificing any streetability. Nowadays, equipping a 2018 Silverado 1500 with a supercharger can be a streamlined process thanks to the existance of so many pre-engineered bolt-on kits.
- Increase engine and torque by 40-50% (4.3L V6, 5.3L V8, 6.2L V8)
- Supercharger systems complete with everything needed for install
- Power always on demand
- No change to streetability
Regarding supercharger type, there are two main competitors vying for a spot in your Silverados' engine bay. The first is a centrifugal type supercharger, a standalone head unit that sits away from the engine on a bracket and has a charge pipe leading to the throttle body. These superchargers look similar to a turbocharger but rely instead on being driven off the crank pulley via a belt. Centrifugal superchargers are quite efficient, but like turbos, are reliant on engine RPM to make more boost. This puts their focus on mid-to-high end power gains. The second type of supercharger is a twin-screw roots style blower. These systems are a combined supercharger and intake manifold, replacing the OEM manifold all together. These superchargers use a system of two screws (counter rotating in the case of a twin-screw unit) and are positive displacement superchargers, meaning they produce the same volumetric boost all the time. This translates to maximum boost being available at idle, making these superchargers better off the line but slowly running out of steam when approaching redline.
Upgraded Fuel Supply
In the case of adding a supercharger to a 2018 Silverado, replacing the factory fuel pump with a higher flowing unit may be necessary if you wish to push more than 7-8 PSI of boost. In this case, there are two main options to go with. You can either replace the entire pump assembly, or simply the actual fuel pump unit within the assembly. The former, by all accounts, is significantly easier to do. The fuel pump assembly consists of the fuel pump mount (often referred to as the hat), wiring and attachment plate. A performance replacement unit comes pre-assembled ready to drop in place of the factory piece. Aftermarket assembies can even be had with a dual pump setup, if you plan to really make a lot of horsepower. Again, while this is the easiest way to replace the fuel pump, it is of course the more expensive of the two options. The second way to upgrade the factory fuel pump is to remove the pump housing out of the gas tank and disconnect the actual pump itself from the mount. You can then replace just the pump, retaining the OEM housing. While this is not actually that difficult to do either, depending on the fuel pump you select, it could require changes to the wiring. If you're very comfortable working on your truck, this method is cheaper.
