jnovotny27

Gents,
Ive been seaching the forums to see if my logic is right but so far the answer has eluded me.

This whole mess starts with need for new tires. My truck has the stock 235's on it and Ive always wanted to go a bit bigger. either 33's or 35's, but with larger tires comes a loss of power. So I figure my options are

to re-gear from 3.73 to 4.11's or
Add a tuner (smarty) jr or sr?

its been my experience that with tuners you deffinatly get more power but pay the price in higher gets

So my logic was add a tuner for more power, and drop in a turbo to take care of the gets, something like the afe bladerunner, super b, or fleece offers a turbo that looks factory but perfoms better.

So my questions are:
--whats the best turbo for a stock motor?
--Will EGTs increase with a smarty? (no point in having more power if you have to back out of the throttle)
-- is a smarty and a "small" turbo a good combo?
--Am I going about this all wrong?

Like most of you I only have so much money to get this done And part of my budget is heading into the tranny to make sure its up to the task so I cant afford to get this wrong. thanks fellas

jnovotny27

Really, nobody?

RyeThomas

I would not regear, 3.73 are plenty for 33's/35"s. that is unless you drag big weight behind you all the time.
Find a Smarty or Smarty Jr in the classifieds, give it a try before a turbo. Plenty of guys running programmers/Downloaders with stock turbos.
The Smarty will increase timing and actually decrease EGTs when run responsibly.
Save a turbo change for when you need it, or get bored with the truck.

jnovotny27

I pull 10-12k about two dozen times per year, always seems like i need more power going up the grades.

Same advise?

Thanks, i did know timing can decrease egts

jnovotny27

Oopps did not know about timing,

RyeThomas

The Smarty will give you the power to offset any loss by tire size, that said anything more than 35"s and it may be too much.
Advanced Timing in simple terms moves more heat in cylinder causing EGTs to be lower at the manifold, that said you need to run a low tune when pulling 12K on a stock charger but it will perform much better. Keep your rpms up, that's one nice thing about the 06 and later years is being able to lock out OD (if my memory is correct its 06). While empty you can run higher levels and your truck will be much more fun to drive. Just make sure to have gauges, and the necessary Transmission work.

jnovotny27

Got the gauges, got the tranny and i understand and appreciate your help, i have been reading on this site and the cummins forum, there seems to be mixed reviews whether an upgraded lift pump is neccessary for the smarty up to 100hp tunes, your opinion?

jnovotny27

Something else most people dont know is the factory can flash the 05 trucks to lock out overdrive when you hit the tow/haul button. however this replaces the factory shift timing for 1st-2nd gear(tow/haul mode). I had the factory do the flash so i could stop the 3rd gear OD hunt on long grades

RyeThomas

Thes lift pumps (the in tank versions) can go farther than a lot of people give them credit for. If you have the money you can do it up front and its a solid upgrade, but a FP gauge is a great tool to tell ya when to upgrade.


Filtration is key, and my personal opinion is say no to aftermarket electric pumps the failure rate is simply too high. I dont care how good a warranty is, the best warranty is never having to use it.

89dieselkong

With my 50HP sticks and Smarty Jr on any level I could pull my fuel pressure down to 0psi on my stock pump. I would recommend one if your gonna run a Smarty Sr and a bigger turbo. Stay with a Smarty Jr (which is great for towing) and you'll be fine with the stock pump.

cstewart

I would have to echo all the good advise offered above by both Rye and dieselKong...

Personally, I am running a Smarty jr with stock turbo, lift pump, injectors, 3.73s, & 35's.
I did however just upgrade to a complete rebuild of the trans (HUGE diffrence).
Based on what it looks as though you are looking for you might want to consider:
- 2 " leveling kit to fit the 33 - 35 " tires (I ran spacers for years without any problems...however, I did upgarde to a 2" coil kit converstion for a smoother ride)
- Smarty Jr (with the upgraded trans you refer to you can run SW3, the 100 hp tune all day with no problems..towing, I would go to SW2)
- Again, with just the modest upgrades I have done on my truck, it pulls like a beast and will get up and go with the best of them when empty...(even with the 35s...)

As Rye says...I am holding out on the Turbo upgrade and sticks until I absolutely NEED them. In my case, i am still seaching aroud for the best aftermarket turbo with fast spool-up (throttle response for me is the key...)
Good luck!

jnovotny27

What does a stage 2 tranny consist of? and what does a silencer ring delete do?Thanks for your input

cstewart

To answer your question about the Stage 2 Unit you can see all details from the following link:
ADMIN: Please understand that I am NOT pushing Garmon's...simply answering the OP's question...
http://www.garmonsdieseldrivetrain.c...ts-And-Pricing

Further, The removal of the silencer ring proves to add no added performance (that I am aware off and or have witnessed).
It simply makes the turbo sing louder with it removed. Pleanty of info / samples of the removal and diffremce in sound on youtube and the like. Honestly, it sounds a little better than when it was on...but not a huge diffrence in my opinion. However, it sounds just right for as simple as it was to take out ; )

jnovotny27

Didnt mean to get you in trouble so to speak, it seamed we are gonna be running about the same setup, except youve done injectors, and i was comparing my tranny to yours for a durability comparison Since my tranny doesnt have a "stage" designation. As it sits youve got the billet input and flex plate otherwise were about the same. Ive decided to go with 275/85/17's, leveling kit, stick with 3.73's, a smarty jr with UDC, and a lift pump and see how it works for towing/daily driving. Thanks to all you guys for input!

cstewart

Sorry for the confusion....I was trying to say that I am still running STOCK turbo, STOCK injectors, & STOCK lift pump. That said, you will be very happy with the Smarty Jr.
Personally, I am battling between an upgrade to the Smarty S-06 and EFILive. BUT, I have been totally happy with my Jr!! I know EFILive is the BOMB, but I have put little time into the research in it and figure I can run the S-06 until I do some more upgrades (turbo, sticks, fuel filtration, etc...)
These guys weren't kidding...once you start "messing with these things", it's hard to be satisfied ; )