A perfect balance between performance, reliability, and visual impact is hard to achieve. Often, looks take a back seat to performance, and the quest for ultimate horsepower is stopped for reliability’s sake. Once in a while, we come across a vehicle that has the perfect balance of looks and performance, and yet it can still be daily-driven. Such a vehicle is Kyle Tate’s ’07 GMC.
The Right Look
Since we know readers will ask, we’ll get to the color first. To stand out in a crowd, Kyle chose his Duramax-powered ride in a bright Fire Red hue. To further separate his truck from all the other rigs out there, he had the front bumper and mirrors painted to match the rest of the truck and installed a Pro Comp 6-inch lift, along with a set of Pro Comp shocks. The package is rounded out with a set of 35x12.50R18 Nitto Trailer Grapplers, mounted on Pro Comp wheels.
The Power to Back it Up
Since a big lift, big wheels, and big tires tend to make a truck slower, Kyle had to balance out his GMC’s new looks with more power—a lot more power. Kyle started down the usual intake, exhaust, and programmer route, and then he got serious. The Banks intake and MBRP exhaust were retained, but the rest of the truck received numerous upgrades. A set of Fleece Performance injectors (that flow 65 percent more fuel than stock) were added, along with a Cheetah 68mm turbocharger, also from Fleece. A FASS 165-gph pump sends fuel to an Industrial Injection CP3 pump, which moves it along to the injection system. A Banks intercooler chills the intake charge that comes from the larger turbo. Pacific Performance Engineering helped round out the engine package with an EGR block-off and fuel rail shim kit, while ARP head studs hold the engine together. Tuning is handled through an EFILive Flash Scan, with five tunes by Fleece.
Impressive Performance
With looks and power, what use is a truck that stays home? Kyle doesn’t know of one, so he drives his ’07 everywhere. The truck gets 14 mpg during hard use and is also sled pulled and drag raced regularly. At the strip, the GMC (which has also made 600 rwhp and 1,100 lb-ft of torque on a chassis dyno) has run an 8.0-second eighth-mile at 86 mph. Kyle thinks with a little better launch and a little less weight, he can get the truck into the 7-second zone, which translates to very low 12s in the quarter-mile.
Sled pulling also comes naturally to the truck, thanks to the beefed-up suspension, traction bars, and added power. Although Kyle has to pull in the ultra-competitive 2.6-inducer class (since he’s running a hopped-up turbo and injection pump), he still finishes in the front of the pack against dedicated pullers. Future plans call for an even larger turbo, dual CP3s, and a built short-block. But for now, Kyle is just having fun turning heads with his truck’s killer looks and outstanding performance.
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The interior of Kyle’s GMC is simple and functional and features a set of Cobalt gauges (b
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During wide-open throttle, Kyle reports the engine will show 45 to 50 psi on his boost gau
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Nitto Terra Grapplers provide traction on all surfaces, while shiny Pro Comp 1008 wheels p
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Despite looking fairly factory except for the Banks intake, Kyle’s 6.6L Duramax-powered GM
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The Pro Comp shocks and lift kit not only make for a cool stance—they offer great ride cap
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Traction bars by H&H Sheetmetal and driveshaft loops keep Kyle’s ’07 safe and planted to t
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In the bed, the truck’s daily-driver utility status is maintained with a bedliner and Chal
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The billet grille that gives the truck an oh-so-smooth look was purchased from Hunters Cus
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Kyle hangs almost 1,000 pounds of weight from the front of his 7,100-pound GMC during sled