Tow Vehicle

[edgewater1]

What is your tow truck? any Mods?

I have a 1999 Dodge Durango with the 5.9L Magnum engine.
Done a couple of mods: suspension addition, new speaker system and amp.

[thescott]

'04 Dodge Ram 1500 - 5.7 Hemi

Only mods so far - Trans temp gauge. Larger capacity transmission oil pan. Some rear susp mods.

Outside of that - stock.
Does a decent job towing my baby. Though I'm going to look to upgrade to a 3/4 ton in the next year or so. Considering 04 or newer Excursions.

[Sluggo]

2005 Chevy Express 2500, Short Wheelbase, 6.0 liter with 4.10 rear end - Explorer Conversion.

Very similiar mods, deeper trans pan with fins and temp guage. Was using a Cyberdyne digital guage with memory function, but LEDs keep going out. I have gone through three of then via warranty and none last a season. What are you guys using? Digital or analog?

I know this is over kill, but this was bought for pulling a 11k lbs travel trailer. Oh, and the fam.

[iwakeboard]

'04 Ford F-150 FX4 V8 Crew Cab, had to replace the radiator but it was a problem that existed before the boat. Truck does a really good job towing.

[thescott]

What are you guys using? Digital or analog?
.

Analog...I don't remember the brand off-hand. But have had no issues. I don't have any experience with the digital gauges, but my dad and bro steered me toward the analog guage saying they always had issues with the digital ones. What issues? dunno, just went with their recommendation.

[jet]

My 3rd Jeep!! 97' JGC/4.0/42RE, Shift Kit, Bored 60mm TB, cold air Intake, Dynomax muff, IAT sensor moved to cold air intake, 180 degree thermo, coilover shocks/rear, Xenon's, The rest of my money goes to my Wakebording boat!! :blingx2:

06' Nissan/Armada 5.6-v8
05' G35/Infinity:blingx2:
89' Supra/Wakeboarding Boat

[96Comp]

2002 Ford Excursion 7.3L diesel. Can't even tell the boat is back there! Only mod was to upgrade to a 2005 grill/lights. I drove a 2005 Excursion 6.0L diesel in Al Anbar Province for a year. Could not kill that Excursion no matter how much I tried! Great trucks.

[jonyb]

2006 Chevy 2500HD crew cab loooooongbed. 6.6L LBZ Duramax and 6 spd. auto Allison. Mods? Lots of them :D

[03bamaGT]

2006 F-150 Lariat SCrew 4x4 5.4L...Ford HD suspension in the rear, factory tow package, bigger trans cooler, etc. Other then that completely stock, tows fine both the boat or the car hauler. Oh...and tint of course :)

[docdrs]

Chopped black 88 escort gt with a b&b blown 302. HD rear air susp. and oversized cross drilled rotors and 1000lbs of ballast for tracking. The looks I get... priceless

[KG's Supra24]

04 Yukon Denali, 6.0 ltr. Tows great with the air suspension.

Only mods: Tint, lower front grill, double din head unit, sub and amp

Oh, and it has a SUPRA sticker, of course!

[tg0824SSVGG]

I have 2

* Primary: 2002 Ford Excursion, 7.3L diesel -- 4" exhaust all the way back, aeroturbine muffler

* Secondary: 1999 Ford F-250 7.3L diesel -- tons o mods. 4" exhaust, with ceramic coated downpipe, ball-bearing turbo, high performance injectors, custom fuel filtration system, different air intake system, a-pillar guages, 4-position chip with INSANE tunes.
(this truck, at one point in the past could do a 13.1 second 1/4 mile) - it has a BTS transmission, 6" lift, KICK-BUTT stereo system, with custom woofer box in the back seat.

[Okie Boarder]

2004 F-150 Super Cab. Not much for mods except a front level kit, 18" Ford Lariat wheels, tint and a basic aftermarket stereo. I do have a Roll N Lock cover on it which is worth it's weight in gold. It tows very nice...just wish it got a little better gas mileage for the cruising and around town driving.

[cadunkle]

'86 F-250 Supercab. Dana 60 SAS up front, 4" lift, 35" tires. Originally a 351w/C6 truck, built a 425 HP / 550 ft/lbs 460 for it and dropped that in along with a ZF5 trans. 460 has ported heads, 262/270 cam, 750 double pumper, long tubes, etc... On my 5th NP208 transfer case, so at some point it'll get a married NP205 so I stop breaking them, and have a new rear driveshaft made with 1410 joints as I break 1-2 ujoints a year with the 1330 joints and would hate to break one while towing. She manages 10 MPG towing at 70 MPH.

Welded in new cab corners and got one side of the bed patched up over the wheel well. Just need to do the other side of the bed then paint. Should be done some time in spring when it's warm enough to paint. Was debating doing a two tone red/white to match the Saltare. Between the cold and time restrictions on weekends since it's my daily driver I can only get so much done at a time.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/cadunkle/Supra%20Saltare/P1020505.jpg

[TayTay]

2006 F-250 Lariat 6.0L Powerstroke Crew Cab Short Bed. I just bought it a few weeks ago and so far it has been a good truck. Had to take to boat for a spin behind her and you could barely tell she was there :-) The wife isn't a fan of the noise the diesel makes but... its my truck. She thinks it is comfortable so that's the important part.

[KG's Supra24]

Tay Tay .. do you mind private messaging me some info on your truck? I am looking for the exact same thing right now. Either that or a duramax.

[TayTay]

KG, I PM'd you...

[riderite]

2004 Ram 1500 Hemi Sport 5.7
No upgrades other then the custom box for two kicker 12's
And a dent from my girlfriend:mad:

[stinky_1]

There is a thread like this a couple pages back from late last year. Here is my c/p on that one

I currently have only our chev express 3500 extended wheel base 15 passenger for towing. We have 6 kids, so we needed all the space we could get. In the summer I will pick up another safari for when just me and a couple kids go to the lake.

The express has the 6L V8 in it. I used HPtuners to set it up for better fuel economy. I average 19 mpg on the highway when not towing and 14 - 15 mpg when I am towing. That is including heading off through the Rockies to head to our favorite lake in British Columbia.

The safari does a fine job with the 4.3L V6 in it. You have to take a good run at really steep hills, but otherwise it doesn't complain.

[Sluggo]

Stinky, I have the same engine in my 05 Express 2500. I have the 4.10 rear end and am only getting 14 mpg on the highway. Would really like to know what HPtuners you used. Thanks.

[stinky_1]

HPtuners is a peice of hardware that allows you to flash your own tune onto the computer. I have been tuning vehicles for just over 10 years now. Having access to everything on there gives me the ability to change the tune, specifically how much fuel is used.

I changed around the fuel tables, as well as ignition. I switched up the transmission shift ttimes, and how long it stays in each gear. This gave me a nice increase in fuel economy.

I dont recall off hand, isnt the 4.10 rear end supposed to be better for fuel economy?

[Sluggo]

Unfortunatly not. It is supposed to be the higher ratio that allows you to pull more weight. I think the most common is the 3.42 which my 1500 Conversion van before this had, and then there is the 3.73 in between these two. The previous van did not have an issue on most terain, but struggled on long hills. What I did not know until tonight is there are several more choices above the 4.10 that I did not know about that were mated with my model tranmission but not necessarily in my model van.

4L80E 4-SPEED AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
Axle Ratio 5.13 4.88 4.63 4.56 4.10 3.73 3.42

[stinky_1]

mine has the 3.73 rear end in it. So I guess my fuel economy would be slightly better to start with then. But doing a tune for economy is not so hard. You just need someone that is able to do it for you, or be willing to learn yourself. Since I have the hardware I am able to do tunes on other peoples vehicle as well. It just costs me credits to be able to do each vehicle.

If your ever near Calgary Alberta let me know. We can get you setup with something on there. I have recovered the $600 I spent on the system in fuel savings over the last year I have had it.

[dusty2221]

I'm towing with a 2005 F250 6.0 Powerstroke.

Mods:
SCT Tuner with Custom Tunes by Innovative Diesel
-I run the Street tune which puts me right at 400hp and 670tq
Edge Insight CS Guages
2.5" Level Kit In Front
1" Blocks on top of factory blocks in rear
Firestone Air Bags in rear to elimate any sag when tower camper or boat
Icon Adjustable Trac Bar
Rough Country Dual Steering Stabilizer with Bilstein 5100 Series shocks
35" Nitto Terra Grapplers
20" KMC Rockstars

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v235/dusty2221/truck9-2.jpg

[Okie Boarder]

Speaking of tuners...has anyone done the pre-programmed chips like SLR Motorsports or similar?

[jet]

Watch out!! I would only trust the more expensive programmers ($300) or your mfr will have a RE-flash or reprogram you can throw into it but still Its around the $300 mark. The rest are just resisters that fool your computer. I have a Jeep mod on my 97' I just took AIT sensor from the manifold and put it in my cold air box which tricks the computer into thinking its cold and it runs better. But that was after a lot of jeep guys tied it out 1st and ok'd it. Nice mod though. The cheapest and best mods come from cold air intakes, open exhaust and programming. Jet

p.s. a bigger Throttle Body is the best and cheapest way to go. You can find companys that will reman your old or exchnge TB's for cheap. Mine for my Jeep was like $100 but usually $100-$200 for a reman. Good CHEAP performance.

[Okie Boarder]

Interesting. Here's the link to one I was looking at. Seems like it gets pretty good reviews, but I'd love to hear feedback from others I kind of know for personal experience.

http://slrmotorsports.com/?gclid=CKfK9MCguKYCFQQFbAodUnHtHA

[jet]

Not any good reviews here.

http://www.f150online.com/forums/chips-tuners-programming/343138-slr-motorsports-chip-exposed.html

[Okie Boarder]

Thanks for the info! My main objective would be for the engine to run more efficiently whether that means a bit more power, torque or fuel economy.

[stinky_1]

Oh wow, you guys are getting off on a tangent here. I didnt read the forum rules first, so I will assume its ok.

about 13 years ago I cam across some information that implied that altering signals into your cars computer could give you a net positive increase in power. It sounded like garbage to me at first. Then I started doing more research, and realized that there are a few factors that will effect your engines fueling. If we intercept the signal that factors those conditions we CAN manipulate that data to do something we want. in this case we want the vehicle to run a bit leaner, and create more power.

It is important to note that Stoich is NOT necessarily the best place to make power, it is simply the point where we achieve the best burn of the fuel. Manufacturers are NOT inclined to make the most power possible. they are driven by tail pipe emissions. Their goal is to pass those tests. To do that they tend to run richer than normal. Running lean is actually bad for the environment, but good for our wallets and usually has a side effect of more power. There is a point that you will have problems (holes in pistons and such).

By putting a resistor into the AIT sensor of your vehicle you can alter the reading of air temp into the engine. this can make it put in more fuel or take fuel out. This will certainly affect how much power you make, and also your TQ and fuel consumption.

These "resistor" scams were a very profitable business 13 years ago when I first started selling them. I dont need to get into how much money can be made doing it. But it does work.

I will agree that these claims of 90+ hp are wildly exaggerated. I have dyno proof to show a max increase of HP of 17 on a 4.3L V6 chev engine on a S10 truck.

Now, my next step was to get into actual ECU tuning. The resistor trick is simply a hack job to achieve a desired result. It works, and the results are ok. Tuning the actual program on the vehicle itself is the "right" way to do what you want. This is where I eventually migrated into. I do not recommend the resistor trick to people, even though I know it can work. On newer engines with a MAF sensor you will be dissapointed. But if you still run an IAT then have at it!

I started in the honduh scene. there were a lot of tools to tune on there. Later I went into the Nissan Skyline and successfully tuned a couple drift cars, and street cars being used in AutoX all over canada. I still dable in the tuning thing, but do it mostly for my own benefit. The scene is full of skeptics, and nay sayers. with guys like posted above trying to pass their thing off being as good as a full re-tune it is harder to spot the fake and the real. And when a guy posts a REAL result of 40 HP gains it does not look as good as the wild 90HP claim by a resistor.

Most shops will give you options. Usually they are overpriced. But they will work. I bought HP tuners and can write and rewrite as many times as I like. As someone already mentioned, one trip to your local dealer and they can overwrite the entire thing. Then you are back to stock. Unless you have the tuner you wont be going back.

Just a side thought too, Jet performance chips are generally regarded as "works". it is a plug in piggy back system that alters your signals to the computer to create a desired affect. A resistor in your IAT is a similar principle, its just passive though. But the end result is similar. Reprogramming factory ecu, or standalone will ALWAYS be the "best" choice though.

Hopefully that helps you guys a bit.

[stinky_1]

also a side note, Jet, by moving your IAT sensor all you did was the exact same thing as the resistor trick. Other people pull it out, lengthen the wire and tie wrap it to the front of the car somewhere. That way the sensor is reading colder air. The end result was more power.

On my old old setup my resistor was run in series with the IAT so it changed the reading but allowed it to actually fluctuate with different conditions. A lot of these guys would get you to bypass the sensor all together with a resistor, which was a bad idea.

[jet]

Yep..I pulled mine out lengthen the wire and rethreaded it into my cold air box..that way Its sniffing cooler air and runs better. I did see a nice little jump in hp..but not 20-40hp or more. Not bad for a $1's worth of work. Stinky you think I need to plug the sensor back into the intake before I have it inspected?? Will that add more co2's to my tail pipe??

Okie..go with a BIGGER reman throttle body-then exhuast or a real computer programmer. You will be very happy with either one.

[stinky_1]

I would say your emissions would be mostly unaffected. If you fail then move it and try again. Otherwise you didn't change it enough to have that bad of emissions

I recomend to anyone doing tuning to a vehicle to get it tuned. Changing the tb will deff warant doing a tune. The best thing would be to learn how to do it yourself and buy hp tuners or something like it. It's fun and not as easy to blow your motor as people think

[jet]

Welcome to the Stinky n Jet show. lol. Yep Thats what I did. I DIY'd my cold air box and bored my TB to 60 mm by hand and noticed a big difference. But, just found a new 63mm on ebay last week for $100..Im all over that one. Programmer is on the list..after the boat is done. lol

[edgewater1]

odd, but here it goes

If you were to build a tow truck, mashing up other cars

what would it be?


Me:

2010 dodge 2500 body
Chevy Duramax Diesel
CHevy Allison transmission

[dusty2221]

05 F250 Body
09 F250 Dash
Chevy/GMC Interior
Cummins 5.9
Allison Tranny

[mapleleaf]

odd, but here it goes

If you were to build a tow truck, mashing up other cars

what would it be?


Me:

2010 dodge 2500 body
Chevy Duramax Diesel
CHevy Allison transmission

Great idea, reminds me of a saying I heard recently.....
Built Ford tough, with Chevy stuff!

[droberts21usa]

We tow with Jeep Commander Limited with the 5.7 Hemi. It works great and the tandem trailer pulls very smooth. Our Cabin is in Detroit Lakes, MN about 275 miles from our home in Sioux Falls.

We tow in the Spring and Fall and for any routine maintenance the Jeep gets about 9 mpg at 75 mph (straight road towing at the speed limit). Never an issue with the power of the 5.7 more of a balance between fuel consumption and headwinds.

[Gravity08]

07 mega cab dually long bed.
Built bd tranny
Twin turbos
19.5s
My 05 chevy interior

[jet]

Brian..twin turbos. Really?? thats a aftermarket add on right? Where you been, and hows the wife? lol. Did you fix the nose of your boat?

[Gravity08]

I thought someone said dream tow truck...

Ok here is mine now.
07 dodge mega cab short bed dually
Smarty programmer
Stock tranny
Mbrp exhaust
Are intake
Boost cooler
cfm+ intake horn
35x12.5 nitto mud grapplers
Cm flat bed with welder and a crap load of tools

Lorie is doing great. She and I both got a week off from the snow. She was lucky and got to go back today!!! Haha.

[jet]

Well good to hear from yall. I will get back to on the 4th but we are leaning toward the Brostock trip?? Tell Lorie we said Hi. :D