I made the mistake of going too mild on some of my mods.
I'm down to the last $700.00 of my mod. fund. What upgrade would give
me the most "seat of the pants" difference. This truck is used for
commuting and towing #7000 6-8 times a year.

Swap RV275 injectors for Mach 1.6 injectors $700.00
or
Swap Van Aaken V5 for Smarty $650.00

 

Smarty hands down. Would not only give more seat of the pants feel but would be cheaper after You sold the van aken.

 

Without a doubt get the injectors, sell the 275s to make the jump to Mach 4s..

 

My vote would be for the Smarty.... Will definately notice the difference... much more so than any injectors... including Mach 4's .... which I love!

Plus you can tone down the Smarty a bit, if needed, for your occasional towing.

I have found, with my injectors, I have to drive with one eye on the EGT gauge while towing 7700#'s. 6-speed may be easier to deal with the EGT's, but still ... the Smarty is a big step up from the VA!

RJ

RJ

 

for seat of the pants, and towing performance, it seems that the injectors would be the better route to go. As I understand it from all that I've been reading, the Smarty is great for the ability to support multiple configs, but overall the power gain is similar to that of an EZ and/or VA. I have no experience with the smarty mind you, but this is just the info. I think I have gathered. The smarty allows more fuel at the bottom end, so possibly it would be better for getting a load rolling, but the 1.6's should do that for you when combined with the VA too.

just my humble opinion of course, but I'd say mach 1.6's and the VA would be a better combo than the Smarty and RV275's.

 

I would do injectors. Both the V5 and the Smarty are rated for the same HP so i don't see why you would waste more money to get the same thing you already have.

 

FAR...FAR....FAR from the same!!!! No one I know who has tried both would say that. There are several threads doing comparisons of the two.
Do a search!!

JMHO

RJ

 

I think it was Marco that said (about the MAD ECM) that it is not about HP, it's about drivability and fun.

 

I have to call ya on this one. While I love the Mad/Catcher mind you, there is no way I can agree with your statment... I gained 115HP and 260Tq, going from the 275s to Mach 4s. He will feel the Machs over the Smarty no doubt... Plus he has an HO, so he'll really benefit from the injectors. With the 6 speed he can drop a gear if it gets too warm..

He can always try a Smarty later, I'm sure he'll run into someone who has one. If he really wants one at that point he'll just have to save his pennies.

 

You all have to keep in mind he has a stock turbo. A hx35 is NOT going to support mach 4's and towing.
Dieselcamper, keep in mind with the injectors (1.6) and van aaken your going to need a new clutch. You say you only want to spend 700 more. IMO the smart would be a much better buy. You can run in on the lower settings to save your clutch and turn in down a little more for towing. You may not see huge HP gains from the smarty but it wil make a diff when compaired to the v5. Sell the van and start saving for a clutch

 

I have the smarty now and also had the catcher there is a difference between the two.And I have been thru different injectors and boxes. I say in my honest opinion I would go with the smarty for what he will be doing. (Fuel saver mode for his commuting) and also the other mods he has. Bigger injectors sure, but not enough turbo to really use them. Just my opinion and I have been down that road myself.

 

Get the injectors. People aren't reading your post and signature before answering I guess???

You already have a VA, the injectors are the way to fly.

 

I can hook you up with a guy in vacaville to drive his combination. m1.6's and smarty.

save some bucks and take a free ride

hope this helps

 

And your pricing will be a bit better on both........

(sell the 275's for $250-$300 or the VA for $300-$350) Nice little offset no matter which way you decide.

 

I definately am staying with the stock turbo. If my wife actually added
up what I've spent already, she wouldn't be very happy. I know I can't
do the Mach 4's like some have suggested. I bought this truck to tow our
camper in the mountains, and to me , watching the EGT gauge all the time
is a hassle. My RV275 injectors are supposed to be good for 50 hp in my
HO , so if I went with the Mach 1.6 rated at 85 hp, I would only pick up
35 hp or so. The smarty overall hp gain is about the same as my Van Aaken
60 hp , so overall hp would be a wash ,but I like what I'm hearing about
response and fun "seat of the pants" factor. Also , not haveing a box under the hood seems to me to be a better overall setup. If I had to do it all over
again I would have gone with the Mach 1.6 and the Smarty , but I'm not
going to throw away $700.00 and start over ( $400.00 Van Aaken, $300.00
RV275 injectors )By the way , my clutch already slips in 5th and 6th gear
but I aready set money aside for that