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Stesso

First Performance Modifications

4:27
28:00
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At 4:27 in

WHY I Built an Escalade ESV Into a Drag Truck! (LSXcalade Was Originally My Dads)

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What happens here

After receiving the Escalade, the creator begins making performance modifications. Initially, he installed a Vararam cold air intake kit that he had removed from his previous Suburban. His father, aware of the warranty, explicitly told him not to modify the new Escalade. Despite this, the creator went ahead, blew a Mass Airflow (MAF) sensor fuse (which he initially feared was more serious), and eventually got the vehicle tuned. This initial tune, along with the cold air intake and an LS3 throttle body, significantly improved the car's performance, dropping its 0-60 mph time from over 7 seconds to 5.8 seconds, making it feel like a "whole new vehicle."

Goal: Install a cold air intake and get the Escalade tuned for improved performance.

Tools and materials

  • Cadillac Escalade Cadillac — The vehicle being modified
  • Engine Tuning Software/Device — To reprogram the engine's computer for optimal performance with new parts
  • Hand Tools — Installation of cold air intake and throttle body
  • LS3 Throttle Body — To allow more air into the engine compared to the stock 87mm unit
  • Mass Airflow Sensor Fuse — Replaced after being blown during initial modification attempts
  • Vararam Cold Air Intake Kit Vararam — To increase airflow to the engine

What they say

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this thing shows up and I start driving it driving to school man maybe like the second day he had it or something I came out from the basement with this little big vert RAM and take the cold air intake kit like the tripower one with the triangle and the hoses that went like that came up beside the grill there it was like a ram air deal I had that on the suburban and I took it off before I traded it and I was like oh well that'll work on the Escalade I'll put it on there he saw me coming up carrying that thing and he's like what's that and I said it's the old intake from the suburban I'm gonna put it on the Escalade cuz it'll fit and he's like don't effing touch it it still has a warranty I was like okay I won't I'll just take it over to the shop and get it out of the basement because I had this shop like not really shop it's like local garage a couple miles from the house that I like paid rent for by cutting grass and doing like random odd jobs for the guy who owned all the garages over there the real good family friend then I was an opportunity that legitimately changed my life because without a place to mess around all this stuff outside of the supervision of my dad I wouldn't be sitting here right now because I wasn't allowed to do any of this in the beginning anyways but uh yeah I took it over there and I'm gonna put on anyway because well I was 18 and I just didn't care so I was gonna do it anyway I went to put it on and I blew the mass air flow sensor fuse out or something cuz I tried to like jerry-rigged some other type of MAF sensor in there because the factory air box this thing didn't have the detachable one like the suburban did I needed to put that detachable piece into the vert ramp to make it work and it didn't work blew the fuse and I thought I blew it up because it didn't run for [ __ ] like it sounded like it was blown up when I was freaking out but and I've been a fuse I changed it it was all good and then like couple weeks later I went and got it tuned because I was never able to get the suburban tuned because when the blew the transmission the transmission had a warranty on it and my dad wouldn't let me do it because of avoid the warranty well this time I was like I don't I just don't care so I wasn't kind of tuned without telling him and why would that make a difference I was like that that's really what got me hooked cuz just popping the tune in there made it a whole new vehicle like you would really be surprised how well…

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