Topper

Hello all,
I'm new here and I'm also new to Diesel trucking. I have a welding / fab business and I just bought a 1998.5 Dodge w2500 (24 valve) to haul my welder/equipment. The truck is great it's my 17th pickup but my 1st Diesel. It pulls strong and the fuel mileage is good around 17mpg. I run about 250 miles per day and like the truck very much. Now for my questions... I would like to put on one of the 4" exhaust that I see all over the place and was thinking about upgrading the air intake system. Is there an exhaust system that you folks here prefer? How about intake mods? I don't want to hurt my fuel mileage. I see claims the the 4" exhaust will improve my power is this true or is it mostly hype? Oh yea how about all these plug in modules that add 100+hp and gobs of tourqe?
Any help would be appreciated
Topper

rockwithjason

4 inch exhause may add a few horses and a few pounds of torque but the main benefit is the reduction in EGTs. There are alot of choices for electronic box add ons, I am looking at the MAD ECM personally. I like the low end response. Alot of guys are running the comp boxes with success too.

JStull

The best thing to do is use the search feature and relax, because you will have hours of reading.

Don't expect any power or even mileage from intake and exhuast mods.

If you own a fab shop, build your own 4" exhaust. I think i did mine for about $70.


Jason

wannadiesel

A BHAF is a good place to start on the intake. The Scotty II has a big following as well.

Airflow and exhaust modifications will not hurt your fuel economy. If your load is heavy, they may help it a little.

Barry St John

The main benefit for breathing mods is to keep your egt down. You won't see or feel much difference but you will be able to pull longer / harder without your egt going up. Bad lift pumps are common with 98.5 - 02 trucks and they lead to expensive failures later. I would suggest that you consider a fuel pressure guage or at least have it checked. MBRP exhaust is what I used and I highly recommend it. Good price with great quality and easy install in my case. As for a box I have a Edge EZ and it really wakes up the truck but I wish I'd gone with a mad ecm. I've read nothing but good things about them.
Good luck - Hope you enjoy your truck as much as I enyoy mine.

Mopar1973man

Well you can start easy and do a BHAF and straight pipe it to see it you going to like it! Some don't like the exhuast noise and turbo noise... Straight pipe helped out in mileage and a bit of power on mine...

I love the note! Turbo sing with the cummins!

Topper

Thanks for all the good input guys!
I find info like this priceless. The main reason that I want to upgrade the exhaust is for the sound. I noticed a few pin holes in the tail pipe and it needs to be changed so I may as well go for a whole system that has a sweet sound. I really like the Idea of being able to plug in a box and get some real benefits.
Barry, you have an EDGE EZ in your truck what was involved in the install. Any tuning trouble?
Mopar1973 Man, what is the BHAF? Like I said guys this kinda stuff is new to me.
Topper

Mopar1973man

BHAF is a Big Honkin' Air Filter... Better breathin' that way...Lower EGT temps are possible...

wannadiesel

A picture is worth a thousand words - thanks to Clunk for the pic. For your viewing pleasure, a BHAF. Part #'s are in the tech facts section of the site.

cumminsdriver635

If im not mistaken an Edge EZ box has 2 connectors you just plug in and go with. Its so easy its not funny. 65 extra hp just like that. It would make a big difference and make it much more driveable. You do need boost(not necessary but handy), pyrometer(exhaust gas temperature/EGT) and fuel pressure gauges if you are going to add a box for power though. You need a fuel pressure gauge anyway because the lift pumps go out pretty often, and as mentioned earlier will cause the injector pump to go out on you. The Edge EZ box and most smaller power upgrade will usually add a nice little kick but not hurt fuel mileage as long as you can still manage to drive sensible Either way. Have fun with your new truck. You wont believe how much extra HP/torque can be had by just small cheap upgrades, but its addictive so watch out!

Eric

snowrodeo

topper,
the edge ez is simple to install - i had the shop i bought it from put it on while i watched. took em less than 5 minutes. two pigtail connectors and velcro it to your fuse box cover. done. just as easy to remove if ever necessary. definately notice the jump in HP and torque. my fuel milage actually jumped up about 4 MPG.
also, i just installed a scotty II intake about two weeks ago. with the hole. love the new sound and saw a 250 - 300 degree drop in EGT's. i already had the 4 inch exhaust on there.
anyway, soon you'll be hooked like the rest of us - hang on and enjoy the ride!!