Modifications can be seen all over off-road rigs, but do those add-ons do more harm than good? In a world where everything is electronic, even the smallest change could affect the performance in the dirt. We checked in with Hypertech to see how we could help a 2010 Chevrolet Silverado with some of its recent changes and future modifications.

The red truck is off to the races when it comes to modifications. With 35-inch tires and a leveling kit, the big upgrades are just around the corner. One may not think that adding even just these minor upgrades could drastically affect the way the truck drives, but in reality, the mess was just beginning.

Behind The Electronics

Larger tires are the first culprit to any power loss on a truck or Jeep. A larger diameter and more rotating mass are just the start of the issues. We turned to Chris Crecelius at Hypertech to find out more about their Max Energy 2.0 and how it was going to be able to help the Silverado. The solution was their Max Energy 2.0 programmer (PN 2100).

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Fixing What We Broke

Had we physically gone and broken something on the truck, no, but what was being done behind the scenes could be felt in the driver’s seat. Larger tires are the first culprit to any power loss on a truck or Jeep. A larger diameter and more rotating mass are just the start of the issues.

The Max Energy 2.0 was a breeze to install, it was as simple as plugging the device into the OBDII on the Silverado. With the device connected, we were able to start navigating the menu screen to select the proper options. With everything the device could do we were only going to be scratching the surface with what we would be doing.

To get things started we knew that we wanted to dive into the custom tuning of the device. We would be able to select one of the preloaded performance tunes, but also change the tire size, gear ratio, and TPMS. The options were all easy to navigate and select. With just a couple button pushes we were ready to send the tune to the truck.

Overall, the device did not take long to read the stock file and load in our custom tune. We were impressed and knew that if we needed to ever switch to a different tune while out, we would not be stuck on the side of the road long. Once everything was loaded, the truck was fired up and ready to drive.

Conclusion

In the end, the truck was enjoyable to drive again, it stayed in the right gear while cruising on city streets or the highway. Even though the truck may not have all the performance upgrades it needs, the tuner will be able to support the future changes in addition to using the preprogrammed tunes on the device.

Off-roaders need to look at these devices sooner than later. As simple as it is to fit larger tires on a truck or Jeep, that modification can strip away any enjoyment of driving when you are hunting for gears. Overall, the Max Energy 2.0 was added to the build at just the right time and improved the drivability of the truck.

For more information on Hypertech and its products, be sure to visit their website.