ABOUT THIS ACCOUNT

Owner experience and manufacturer descriptions are distinguished throughout. How we document the build.

Record reviewed October 17, 2026.

The airbox came first

The intake story began before the turbo replacement. In June 2025, the owner asked DuramaxTuner whether an intake made sense on a tuned truck and specifically mentioned S&B. The response favored its enclosed design and factory-like fit, and said it was compatible with the files then in use. An October purchase identifies the dry-filter S&B kit as 75-5137-1D.

That history matters: the airbox was an earlier part of the build, while the PPE plumbing arrived with the following spring’s turbo project. The completed setup combines parts acquired at different stages, rather than a single boxed upgrade installed all at once.

S&B: the filter and airbox

The airbox houses the filter at the start of the incoming-air route. S&B describes this kit as using an enclosed box and a choice of filter media. This truck’s recorded purchase is the dry-filter version; a cleaning routine intended for an oiled cotton filter should not be assumed to apply to it.

The purpose of this stage is to supply filtered air to the inlet plumbing. S&B’s flow-bench claims describe its own testing, not a measured power increase on the TorqueHappy truck. There is no isolated stock-airbox comparison in this build record.

PPE Zilla: the route into the turbo

The woven-carbon Zilla pipe is PPE part 115020360, purchased in March 2026. It replaces the factory inlet tube on the route toward the turbo compressor. PPE’s product description identifies compatibility with factory and aftermarket airboxes and describes a silicone turbo-side connection. That makes it a separate inlet component alongside the S&B box.

Reducing restriction ahead of the compressor is the intended role. A pressure-drop figure for a pipe is not the same measurement as additional power at the wheels. This build has no pipe-only test, so it would be misleading to stack a catalog airflow percentage onto a turbo’s advertised horsepower figure.

The resonator delete is on the other side

PPE part 115020200 replaces the factory turbo resonator. PPE places this component at the turbo outlet on the route into the intercooler. It is on the compressed-air side, downstream of the compressor; the Zilla pipe is upstream. Calling both of them “the intake tube” loses that distinction.

This is also a different use of the word “delete” from removing exhaust emissions equipment: the component named here is an air-path resonator. No separate owner assessment of a sound change, spool change or performance gain from this particular part has been recorded.

Where the hose kit fits in the record

The same March order includes a PPE silicone intake and intercooler hose kit, 115930100. The owner’s repair correspondence says the hose kit was to be added during the turbo work. The later installed-parts list expressly confirms the airbox, Zilla pipe and resonator delete, but does not identify every hose. The kit remains a documented purchase with installation intended; the exact fitted hoses still need a close-up check.

That is the remaining visual gap. The current exterior photographs cannot show routing, joints or which original connections remain. The planned under-hood photography will make this chapter a much better reference without turning a generic product picture into evidence of this truck’s installation.

How the combination affects the truck

These parts change the hardware carrying air to and from the turbo; the calibration determines how the engine and transmission use the completed setup. The owner’s July report was positive for the overall VSE-equipped truck. It does not separate the airbox’s contribution from the pipe, turbo or tune.

For a reader considering a similar build, the useful starting point is the exact airbox, inlet pipe, outlet connection and engine version. This refresh LM2 truck is one configuration, not a fitment promise for every 3.0L Sierra. There is no truck-specific intake-temperature, horsepower or fuel-economy improvement to quote yet.

Follow the system.

This component is one part of a connected build. Explore its neighbors to see the whole picture.

Find it on the truck ↗Parts & buying notes ↗