ok guys i will be pulling 20,000-23,000 almost every month. and i need a good set-up on my truck for pulling. what do u guys suggest? here is what i currently have:
my truck is basically stock except for the following:
5" straight pipe exhaust
Heavy duty Exhaust valves for the exhaust brake
new stock injector tips
marine timing
banks power pac OttoMindŽ fuel-calibration plate (all the way forward)
star wheel is almost turned all the way forward also
pump was supposedly turned up by shop (while on truck though)
bottom of air box holes drilled in it
banks power pac Quick-TurboŽ assembly
the turbo is also rebuilt

i have to install the twin ram intake yet. as when we did we found it was warped really bad and leaked air like crazy so we sent it back and now i have the other one and need to get it on.

what other mods would be a good idea for towing and better MPG?? towing i get anywhere from 8-12 mpg. and not towing i get basically 12-14 mpg and thats it.

i was averaging 8-10.5 mpg with the stock air box on the truck on my recent trip to WA and OR. then i switched and put on my AFE stage 1 air system and i went all the way up to 10.5-13 mpg. and that was pulling up through the mountains on the back highways and also the interstate and town driving.

also i have noticed that if i floor it from a dead stop there is very little smoke that comes out and also going up steep grades there isn't any smoke. with the fuel plate all the way forward i thought there would be more smoke than this or am i wrong??

what mods should i do for more power and also not sacrificing the mpg??

thanks

 

what turbo and injectors would u guys suggest?? would 370HP injectors be too big? and also how about a B-1 Steriod Turbo??

thanks

 

There is something basic wrong with that truck. Your unladen milage should not be much different than mine, in the 20-22 MPG range. How is your power? What is your turbo boost? At what RPM? With no smoke, it seems you are not getting enough fuel, but with the 5 inch you could burn a lot of it. Boost must be crappy. What is your EGT on a grade with a load?

I think anything you add to this truck at this point (injectors, etc) will only decrease your milage because the engine is inefficient. The surest way to sort it out is to return it to factory stock and make one mod at a time to see if it helps or hinders. Maybe the tranny is so loose you can't put power to the road? The Allison will help.

You have all that crap on the engine and it is worse than showroom stock. Sometimes adding more crap is the wrong way to go. Try taking some off.

 

What is marine timing? Is the overflow valve good? What do your boost numbers look like? EGTs?

I would see how you like the setup as it is before throwing parts at it. You should have enough power as it sits to tow that much weight, but do you have the brakes/suspension/liscencing/insurance to do it right?

 

why is there a 3 speed auto on the truck?

 

I was actually wondering the same thing...

 

the trans was just built by the georand brothers. i have the billet input and intermediate shafts and also the flexplate. and a billet triple disk TC.

the overflow valve is brand new.

the following numbers are with the new AFE air box and filter put on the truck. before with the stock drilled out box i was getting 2-4 mpg worse. i was average 8-9 mpg and after the box i was getting 10.5-13. fully loaded in the mountains.

-------------flat open ground------------
exhaust-----750-800
boost--------8
rpm---------1950
mph---------70

--------------1-2% slight grade------------
exhaust----------950-1000
boost------------18-20
rpm-------------1950
mph-------------70

----------------3-4% grade--------
exhaust---------1050-1100
boost------------26
rpm--------------1900
mph--------------70

-----------------4-5% grade-------------
exhaust----------1200-1250
boost------------32
rpm--------------1850
mph-------------70

i did notice every once in awhile the turbo would surge and the boost gauge would jump up and down. the turbo was just rebuilt also.

also if i floored it going up a hill the temp would climb to 1,500 and the boost would max out at 34-35psi and hold there. but i didn't have to have it floored to stay at a steady pace up a hill.

displacetexan: yes i have heavy duty brakes on my truck and 6 trailer brakes behind me. i am insured and licensed. and i have the suspension to also handle it.

 

the tires are getting traded for 245/75/16 tires today. i am just walking out the door to the shop to get new ones put on the rims.

joe

also since i just spend $7K into the trans in this truck i am going to hold off on the allison for now and see how i like the 2000 series allison i just bought and picked up. i am putting that in my 97 1-ton dually. should be doing this in the next month. if i like it better than the stock trans i will be putting one in this truck also and selling the Georand brothers trans.

 

If those numbers are with a 20,000 lb race trailer and you can get up to 12 MPG at 70 MPH you are doing better than most. Your power must be excellent to maintain speed with that load on a 4-5% grade. EGT under control. I don't know how to improve on that because I don't have experience at that level. If your mods get this good result with a load yet only 14 MPG empty, how do you explain it?

 

the trailer wieghts 6,500-7,000lbs. but around 20,000 with my truck and car and parts and so forth in it.

i can't explain the MPG empty with no trailer but it drives me nuts. but the truck doesn't feel like it has much power. if someone would like to come drive it they are more than welcome and let me know what they think.

 

1st tank with the stock filter i got 8.75 mpg and that was 75 mph and open country very few hills. from Cresco, IA to North Platte, NE.

2nd tank with the stock filter i got 8.63 mpg and that was 75 mph and open country and slightly more hills. from North Platte, NE to Rock Springs, WY

3rd tank now with the AFE filter/box i got 10.26 mpg and that was 70 mph
and hilly. from Rock Springs, WY to Boise, ID.

4th tank with the AFE filter/ box i got 11.21 mpg and that was 60-65 mph and very hilly. from Boise, ID to North Bend, WA.

5th tank with the AFE filter/ box i got 10.77 mpg and that was 70-75 mph and hilly. from North Bend, WA to Deer Lodge, MT.

6th tank withe the AFE filter/ box i got 10.26 mpg and that was 70-75 mph and hilly to flat. from Deer Lodge, MT to Kadoka, SD.

let me know what u guys think.

 

I figured you were bieng responsible about it, most guys are, but I don't want to encourage those that aren't (I'm sure you understand)

Your milage loaded is good, I don't see why you aren't seeing close to 20 empty though... Your boost and EGTs indicate you have fuel, they look normal. You sound like you have good power, I wonder if the timing may be what is holding you back, as the higher timing makes a big differnece in mileage, and the quick feeling. Lower timing is better for the bottom end.

Is the fuel filter good?

 

I think you have good power, the kind of power that climbs hills with plenty of torque, big-rig power. To most people the feeling of "power" is quick accelleration, what you might see on a dyno. That is not real pulling power. Big rigs also get poor milage unladen.

 

I think your milage on the journey posted above would have been closer to 14 MPG if you drive at 62 MPH. With my camper and boat that's what I get but it's less load than you have. I tune for efficiency and reliability, and I consider 14MPG/62MPH with a load about as good as it gets.

 

yea when i floor it from a dead stop it lags for like 5 seconds or so before it takes off. and is very slow for take off. its the same way when having no trailer. but has the power when pulling through the hills and so forth at speed. i tried spinning my starwheel out to help with the take off and i went out like 30 clicks from where it was when i got the truck in basically stock form.

maybe i won't be able to cure the laggenise off the take off or can i?? also is there anyway to fix the fuel economy when i have a more empty trailer and also no trailer??

i get my best when i am fully loaded.

joe