Alright so I lurked for ALONG time when I had my 3rd Gen CR, but as my username suggests I am done with the fancy and going back to cheap and easy....

All that said the truck in my sig is used almost entirely to tow a 9000 travel trailer and I want it to do so VERY reliably for a VERY long time to come so power isn't really my game. That said a GSK kit to allow me to effectively run higher up in RPM and help mitigate that long gap between gears would be nice.

SO Ive been told towing all stock that EGT's aren't a concern so I haven't rushed into buying gauges but should I do so before installing the GSK?? My thought process had been that im not adding fuel just keeping the fuel I have a little longer, but have started to wonder.

Any help is greatly appreciated I am a dangerous combination of NEW and Worry Wart

 

You'll be fine with a GSK and no gauges but it's sure nice to start with gauges so you can see what each engine mod does to the pyro one at a time.

 

Thank you infidel!! I plan on adding gauges and I will do so before the gsk. My real question should have been would it greatly increase egt becuase I dont want to do so..

If I would be safe not to run gauges with the gsk and all else stock then i will take comfort in knowing I am very safe to run it with gauges.

 

A GSK can increase egts but only if you're accelerating fast.
Not flooring it but instead accelerating at no more than about 2200 rpm and you'll be fine.

 

Do you know for sure that the po did no modding like turning up the fuel ? As soon as I got my truck and towed I bought gauges in a pillar pod.I went with PYRO , trans temp , Boost . then the ten plate and 3th governor spring.next will be a fuel pressure gauge . Then I think I can start tuning the 5.9 up to get what I think I need towing 10500 lb fiver .

 

Thanks for all the replies!! Don I am confident the PO didnt do fuel upgrades the pump has all the factory paint tamper caps etc etc an old timer in tx who kept records that made my ocd look like ADD.

I am very pleased with how it tows probably placebo affect of the manual trans but pulls better then my 3rd gen so im not looking to go with any additional fueling at the moment. That said cheaping out isnt always best so I have pyro and boost on the way with the GSK!!!!

Im forgoing permanent fuel pressure I have already done a test gauge up and ill just keep it on hand.

This is why I finally joined this site should have done this years ago

 

You should think about having the timing bumped up to 15-16.
Better fuel economy and the only power increase that won't raise your egts.

 

EGT's go down but in cylinder pressures go up, what are the long term effects??

Would advancing from 13.5 to 15-15.5 net me enough gain to make it worth it?

At this point I am mostly picking your brain of the things I have wondered as I read through hours of posts. The beni's are well documented in the forums but the cons not so much. It is my understanding that in the over the road world then tend to retard timing (different animal I know) to up torque and mitigate melt down.

Could you enlighten me some?

 

Back to Basics... I am so so much on board with you. I had a '96 5spd 3500 2WD years ago and it was a great truck. Bought it with a gearvendors 2 speed and an exhaust brake. Slight fuel mods, gages and that was it.

Fast forward. I just sold an '06 megacab SRW SLTLarriat 6 speed, navigation bla bla bla.. Well the smarty did not program well, the seats were ripped at 50k miles, Did a single mass clutch conversion out of necessity, loose seat hinges, super crappy cruise control went fast up hill and slow downhill. NOW I have a '96 3500 4x4 clubcab 5 speed dually. Perfect. Will add gearvendors and exhaust brake and am now doing a custom interior with the factory carpet delete - rubber floor. Probably will do a cam, maybe a turbo later. It has a small fuel plate someone else put in.

Anyway, the timing advance as suggested is good for your purpose. Easy to do with a few tools. Advanced timing will melt pistons under higher loads because the peak pressures and peak temps are more. But the overall temps are lower and EGT is lower. It's a good mod to go with small increases in power. The stock timing is set retarded to keep NOx emissions low. It is not ideal for economy or power. I used to tow a variety of weight up to 28k GVWR in the hills of Tennessee. What I found is that a mild fuel increase and wastegate boost fooler elbow (35psi max) will keep the temps under 1000 - 1100 preturbo which is good on a long pull. Most of the time I was under 900. And this is taking the bigger grades one gear from the top or two at the most. 50-55mph on the toughest hills with the biggest weight. Although the gearvendors only last around 80-120k + or - they provide a perfect split on the 3rd to 4th shift and give more OD. I love the 4.11 gears because it makes the spacing closer and it gets 1st and reverse overall lower. Then, with Gearvendors there is one more top gear with a gap virtually the same as the existing 4th to 5th. The result is a great 7 or 8 speed. My "new" 96 has 4.11 gears and with a gearvendors OD it should run about 1800rpm at 65 double over. I have 235/85-16 rubber on it without spacers in the rear and not sure if I will keep it that way or not. About 2mph difference over the stock 215 rubber. Engine mods I mention will get you around 300hp and 675+ torque which is a good practical limit for towing without over stressing the engine and getting long life. BTW my '96 has 83,000 miles and the oil does not get black until a few thousand miles :-) Any more horsepower and several things come into play. Big cost for twins to get the air to keep towing EGT down, Cooling system will not keep up and temp will continue rising as long as the pull continues, and you end up watching the gages a lot more and having to control it more with your foot. Acruise rpm of 1600 - 1800 is best economy.

 

WOW those are the posts I like hahaha!

The 3rd gen trucks are AWESOME I sorely miss the interior not so much the quality but the looks... When I sold an 06 Laramie 4x4 for a 97 2x4 my buddies thought I had fallen off the wagon! "Sure the 12V is great but the truck sucks" I will tell you there is nothing on this truck with over 200K that I have had to replace that I didn't have to replace on the 3rd gen with 100K it aint as pretty sitting at the mall but it is way more fun to drive and performs better for my needs power, economy and wallet.

Your last line rings very true with me I DO NOT want to HAVE to drive by gauges, I found myself not really enjoying my 3rd gen because I was constantly rolling out of what was so much more power left to use.

You guys are quickly swaying me back to 15* timing, sounds like the GSK combined with a mild timing advance and I should be fat and happy towing and performance wise, without sacrificing my end goal of one day being the guy that hits the 1 million mark.

I way over think this stuff sometimes hahaha, I am truly of the leave it be and let it run forever mentality but every so often the, **** that guy just passed me comes out and I want more power.