I've been reading the other threads in the Performance section about the new Quadzilla Xzillaraider performance modules. Just when I thought I was going to stay stock during my warranty period this new product comes along with much promise. Now, I am seriously considering the XZT for it's advertised towing and fuel economy improvements. Before I bite...I have a few questions that hopefully someone with actual use or inside knowledge can help answer:

1) Reliability - I need rock solid reliability! We are moving end of April and will be towing my 3 horse trailer with 2 horses, 1 dog, 2 cats and wife 1,450 miles to Nothern Kali-foreign-ya (no, neither the wife nor the dog have to ride in trailer ). I can't afford any roadside glitches with that cargo! After I get out there the wife will have the truck all by herself when I fly back to Colorado to complete the sale of the house and the move. So, it has to be very reliable as she is not a troubleshooter. I will have a few days before we leave to discover if there are any teething problems with installation, etc. Since I won't have any gauges "just yet" I will be very dependant that the EGT's behave well using the 65HP towing module and there are no sustained hi-way driving gremlins to be discovered while towing with this new product.

2) HP/Torque - I expect that this box is special tuned to deliver added torque at lower RPM for towing purposes. I'm not going to use the 65 ponies and additional 165ft lbs for stop light racing or roll ons. Need it to work well under load and as a normal daily driver at times with stock 48RE. I assume the 65HP/165ft lbs XZT tuning "is programmed different" than the 60HP setting offered on the Xzillaraider models with selector ****. Can anyone confirm this?

3) Fuel Economy - I don't want to open up a whole discussion on HP versus economy but I am always a little leery when it comes to claims of making more HP and increasing fuel economy. I'm kind of under the impression that you have to be slightly de-tuned in order to re-tune to make more HP AND better economy. How does this box improve economy? Is it timing? Does anyone know under what conditions I should see a fuel economy improvement? Are we talking while towing/hauling or unloaded and cruising or both? I would love the advertised 1 - 4 mpg either while towing or not towing!

4) NO On/Off or disable function? - It does not appear that this module has any way to be "switched off" other than possibly unplugging the under dash module and using a jumper plug - I think? So, if it is always on and I am not towing or hauling, how does it affect driveability and fuel economy? Postive I hope!

5) Warranty - since this is just a towing module, I would assume that it never gets radical enough to throw any codes or otherwise compromise any engine paramaters so that it can be detected if everything is removed. Would that be a correct assumption? I'm not looking to cheat the warranty, I just don't want to borrow any unecessary trouble.

6) Any idea what kind of gauges Quadzilla is working on releasing? Are they talking analog gauges or are they talking a digital all-in-one type of setup?

Should I take a leap of faith and just do it? Or, let more time go by to get more real world towing, cruising and reliability data? Please help XZILR8N decide if he needs to get Xzillaraidered!!!

PS: So far, I am really impressed with Quad Performance's customer support from what I have read so far- very impressive - Keep it up guys!

 

You have a lot of legit questions. I suggest taking with the guys at Quadzilla. I emailed them myself for some mileage questions.

Jamie

 

Good suggestion. I was hoping someone in here had towed with it and could give us a trip report on how it performed. I always like to hear and compare owner experience in comparison to advertised mfg. claims before I make the plunge.

Probably not enough units out there on the road to have much actual towing data just yet.

I will give them a call on Monday and run my questions past them.

 

i like to hear from real world experience, thats why i love this site. I get the feeling when i talk to a manufacture they tell me what i want to hear so they can sell a product... but if i talk to someone on here with an identicle truck i can hear what they really think about the box or other product... its great to have good customer service but sometimes you just need to hear real world experience with no affiliations with the product... i hope this sounds clear

i'm also very interested in this box so im keeping a close eye on this thread

 

I recieved the module Thursday and it took maybe 30 minuets to install because i drilled a hole in the clutch rod plug. Even Stevey Wonder could do this in that time . i could tell a difference when I backed out of the garage as this is just silky smooth. When you mash on the gas it is a tottaly different truck but when you drive "normally" you cannot tell any difference from stock. I do not have many miles yet so I cannot tell you milage #'s BUT HP always = better milage IF you can keep your foot out of it. Torque wise I needed about 10lbs of boost to turn the tires now it will do itfrom an idle That equates to more low rpm power. I bought this box because I cannot control my right foot so if I had 140 hp tha's where the switch would ALWAYS be. now I don't have a choice and could not be any happier. Would I like more power? Sure. Do I think it would cause more problems? Sure? So I will live happly ever after ( if I can control urges) with this box. If you have any questions I will be happy to answer, that's what guys in love do. By the way I pull a 37ft kz sportsman.

2004.5 3500quad srwlb phantom guages pillar mount bad Edit truck.
Fred Kenna and Buster the whippet

 

Horsehauler - I'm with you and reading ya loud and clear on wanting to hear real world experience. I like to get the complete picture from both mfg and owners with miles on the pavement under various conditions.

BigSnakeBud - So far it sounds like you are happy and bought the XZT for the right reasons. I would be most interesed if you can report on your towing and fuel mileage experience once you get more miles on the box. Is there a way to easily unplug the module so you can do mpg testing with and without the module? Also, you've got gauges right? So I would be interesed in knowing any before install after install pyro comparisons.

 

I have the same questions as well, but im looking more toward the adjustable one that goes to 100 hp, it seems like choices would be nice.

 

If you mount the box on the kick panel or outside of the dash you can easily plug the jumper in to disable the box but I do not see why you would want to do that. My usual mpg in town is12.8 to 13.2 I did the remap of the ecm on wed. and the box on Thursday so I am assuming (yes I know) that they both helped, even with my foot in it (it is so much fun)I am showing 15.9. I probably won't get a no tow highway before I tow the 5. By the way had a 1500 hemi to play with yesterday, he had me for maybe 2 feet as I did not power brake it but after that it was nooo contest . Love my truck love my box. Oh yea PMK with me choice would not be good, choice would be 100 or nothin. Why settle for 1/2?
The pyro readings are hard to tell because I don't see any difference,My pyro is after the tubo in the elbow and reads 1000 on the mat in 3rd gear. The BIG difference is the boost. Pre box 35 max dropping to 32 post box 42 dropping to 40!! Boost=power,power= happy owner, happy owner= milage IF you drive normal but that's no fun!
Fred kenna and Buster the whippet

 

Since the HP numbers and "seat of the pants dyno" seem to coming in favorably for the new Xzilleraider reports I have read, the BIG question is what are the fuel economy gains if any, or decreases, experienced with/without the new box? With fuel costs still going up I don't want to go the wrong direction if I can help it. A positive increase would just be icing on the cake!

An idea for anyone with the Xzilleraider module, to get some quick MPG testing data would be to:

Quickie BOX ON/BOX OFF Overhead MPG Test

1) First, check tire pressures and make sure they are correct for your tires/truck (make a note of your tire pressures). Also make a note of the ballpark altitude you are performing the test at (are you near sea level or in the rockies) Drive the truck and get it up to std. operating temp. also, note est wind direction (head, tail, cross or quartering) and approx wind speed (none, breezy, gusty, strong, ).

2) With the box activated find a nice stretch of level open hi-way or interstate, check the outside temp reading on your overhead and make a note of it, (make sure your AC/Defrost is off) then set the cruise control to 65 mph if OK. (takes your foot out of the variables) note your odometer reading and with your overhead in the MPG setting, RESET it and see what it settles into for lets say a 3 mile stretch, without having to come off cruise control to get a good a good MPG sampling at this speed.

3) Note the distance you went and the final MPG display reading on the overhead.

3) Now either set the adjustable Quad to zero, or with the XZT pull over to a safe place and jumper it to deactivate the module. Now, immediately repeat same test over same road, same distance and in same direction.

4) Another idea would to repeat the same test and put the transmission on tow-haul mode and repeat the test to see what difference that makes at those RPM's, if any.

By using the overhead you will get a quick baseline MPG number to compare various identical test runs against. It doesn't matter if the Overhead reads high compared to hand calculated, just looking for the Delta between having the Xzilleraider ON and OFF at either the 60 HP or 65 HP (XZT model).

Would be most intesting to find out what effect the 60/65 HP Xzilleraider box has on MPG at a typical cruising speed and speed limit of 65MPH. Of course it would also be valuable to know the same results under towing/load but that is a little more difficult to set up. Just one step at a time.

So, if anyone can do this and report back here with the following information it would help form a trend, either a + positive effect or - negative effect or no real change under these circumstances. This would help us understand what these boxes are doing to our trucks MPG in routine hi-way use mode.

Sample Report should look like this:

Product: Xzilleraider XZT, or RACE (140) setting 60, etc.

Tire pressure / Altitude / Wind speed / Wind direction / Outside Temp/ Test Distance / Test Speed / MPG BOX ON / MPG BOX OFF / Tow-Haul OFF or ON

65 PSI / ~5400' Alt / ~Breezy / Cross Wind / 59 degree F. / 3.0 Miles / 65 MPH / 19.5MPG ON / 18.5 MPG OFF/ TH - OFF


As I said, just a quick sampling, not a scientific test, just to show a trend. Thanks!

 

My box is under the lower dash and not easly accesible. to really do this right you would need to run the trial in the same direction for both test as wind and topoligy would make a difference. For me HP = better efficiency and that means better milage. You cannot get better milage unless your volumetric efficiency is better (more bang per stroke). I don't need to prove there is air to breathe because I am writing this. It's the same with hp and mpg. Most adds say buy this and get x et or x hp but this is the first that I have purchased that did not take much tweaking to get anything. This does what the man says and life is good!!!

 

I have had some feedback from customers, I think I am somewhere around 50 units sold and shipped. Low egts and moderate mileage gains have been the feedback anywhere from 2-3 mpg I have a truck heading up to the BD dyno days this weekend with the 140hp xzillaraider and I will report the HP truck is all stock other than a afe stage 1 and cool blue hose.

 

are any 3rd gens getting any black smoke with this XZT box? especially any of you 03 SO guys?

 

Just got back from Alabama after towing with the Quad towing box, I show a mph gain of 1.2 mpg.I have made the same trip several times before with out the box and with a stock 305 the mpg and where pretty consistent at 12.2mpg.This trip came in at 13.4mpg.I did notice an increase in power especially around 2-2200rpm.the trip was all onI-75 and I-10 with the cruise set at 70 mph.I did hit 1300' on the egt once when getting on the I-10 ramp which is a up hill climb,normally I would hit 1200' on the same ramp at 2500 rpm.I normally shift at 2000 rpm but run it up to 2500 rpm when going on to interstate highways so I don't become a problem when merging into the traffic. The results are hand calculated.

 

Your test has a flaw,The overhead is not accuratewith the box on,my overhead reads .5 mpg low stock and reads 2.3 mpg high with the box connected at 12-13mpg flow rate,at 18mpg flow rate the overhead is 2.1 mpg high stock I don't know what it is with the tow box.

 

I was going to say the same thing as Sherman - the test is worthless because the boxes throw off the overhead. I can say that there have been other threads regarding the mpg topic though, and most that have hand calculated have noted mpg gains with the box on, of 1-2mpg.

XZILR8N - You need gauges. Don't be silly and get a performance box and just hope your egt's are in a good range. When you talk about towing horse trailers from colorado to Cali - which clearly is going to involve some serious grades, you need an EGT gauge. Depending on the weight of your load and the grades/speeds you drive, you could exceed max egt levels STOCK if you were really pushing it, let alone blindly doing it with a performance box.

FIRST GET GAUGES!

After you have an EGT gauge, I will say from reading everything you've written, that you shouldn't worry about most of the things you've posted reliability wise, and the module would be great for you. If I were you I'd consider the standard module for its adjustability... you may find that with your particular load and conditions you can safely add 30hp egt wise, but not 60. You may also find you can use the 100hp setting safely empty and will reap the benefits(holy crap it's fun!) of that setting...