Rookie Advice

[S.CalinaStroker]

Hello everyone. Joined the site today after a tour and I am impressed with all the valuable information on this site. I have an 03' F-250, 7.3, FX4, 4x4 with 52k miles on it. Until now I have all service performed at the dealership. The only performance mod. I have done, is a K&N air filter. My primary use for this truck is to pull a 7000 lb., 32 ft. travel trailer. I have recently upgraded campers and noticing a need for that extra something to make the towing performance better and improve the fuel milage. Looking for some good advice for a gain of performance under $1k. I have only changed the fuel filter one time in 52k miles. I know that is my first step to better performance. Here is what advice I am looking for. Tuners? Superchip - best choice for the $$ ?? Exhaust ?? Upgrade to 4" ? Air Intake? Best upgrade for low budget?

 

[oi8228oi]

welcome
as far as towing
1st - get gauges!!! i cant stress enough (Boost, Pyro, and especially Tranny temp) most important thing for your rig!!!!
2nd - i would get a full 4 inch exhaust preferable 304 stainless steel (Mbrp seems to be the perference around here, i personally love my hog system[if intrested in hog goto http://www.hogperformance.com/p_home.asp])
3rd - i would put a air intake on AFE stage 2 is the best of the best... BUT if ya dont wanna spend 400 bux theres stage 1 (and add the Zoodad mod) or a DIY air intake in wiki)
4th - i would get a chip 6 positions... tony Wildman seems to be the best from what i hear, and when i do a new chip for my truck he will be doing it.
5th - being that your towing and are upgrading you will start to really feel some "Turbo surge"ropeller so i would add a Wickid Wheel & or and ATS quickflow housing
6th - if you want your water pump to last i would add a coolant filter (http://www.dieselsite.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=8)
7th - ITP has a CCV mod if ya wanna spend the money, or in wiki theres a DIY version. this will keep your motor clean and also keep oil from building up in your turbo and intercooler... much worth it in my opinion that my
8th when ready that intercooler should come out (6.0, banks, and several other intercooler are much better and more efficient)


well those are just my suggestions for a little extra umph, ok well a lotta extra umph... well good luck


PS i picked hog exhaust mostly because the hangers were 304 stainless which means they wont rust out before the exhaust does

 

[S.CalinaStroker]

Will any of these mod. void the factory warranty? The engine has a 100k warranty that I do not want to lose. These look like impressive upgrades and could get pretty costly. Right now I want to stay simple and start slow. Do you know much about the Superchip? I have the factory transmission temp. guage. Do I need more? I am noticing some turbo surge. Will the chip help with that?

 

[oi8228oi]

Chip, Intercooler, and turbo would be the ones to void the warenty, with a chip you would have to remove it before bring it to the dealer, the IC would be one of those things that would probably be a problem cause nobody would notice it, and the turbo your on your own with that...

as far as factory tranny gauge... dont believe that liar... it wont go hot untill its tooo late and your already doing damage.. get a aftermarket gauge and try and keep it below 190*, make sure you do the filter and flush every 30k and you should be alright..... but once again DONT TRUST THE FACTORY GAUGE!!!!

people ive talke to with superchips like it, i suggest an adjustable chip because you can adjust it on the fly.
example 1. your at a light and a ricer is irratating you you can turn the chip all the way up and leave em in your dust, making you a happy man (of course theyll probably come back with the Loser Fly By)
example 2 your towing your trailer up a slope and you can see that your Egts are getting very high, you can instantly turn the chip down to drop temps.

if you have superchips you have to pull over turn the truck off and spend about 20 mins reprogramming the truck.

if you use super chips your gonna wanna keep it on the 75-80 hp setting thats the best fuel economy, then turn it to the 50ish hp for towing...
with the chip you just turn the dial to and fro the setting to what ever makes you happy...

 

[WD40]

Hello South Carolina and welcome to SSD.com. Take you time and sat back and enjoy what you are reading on here. We have a good bunch of RV'er on here that will be glad to help you out anyway.
I tow a 35 footer and I go along with oi8228oi # 100% on numbers #1 & #2 in that order. Then take your time on anything else you do to it.

 

[fgtex]

I have only changed the fuel filter one time in 52k miles.

For most of these trucks the manual says that the fuel filter should be changed every 10k to 15k miles. I notice a fuel mileage drop when the filter needs to be changed on my truck.

Air Intake? Best upgrade for low budget?

Check out the DIY Tymar article that Maintain wrote for the TikiWiki. About $50 air intake mod. Look at the very top of the page and click on Tech Article Wiki and then click on index of articles on the page that pops up. The article is called DIY large conical style air filter.

Exhaust? Best upgrade for low budget?

If you are in an area where vehicles do not rust out before they are paid off, then you can look into an aluminized exhaust. Stainless costs the most, but necessary in areas where road salt is often used. The 4" exhaust will get you lower EGT's.

fgtex

p.s. Welcome to the site. Come around often.

 

[black_cloud_stroker00]

welcome, i agree with the intake and exhaust. You only need gauges if you are installing a chip or programmer. Both a chip and programmer will void your waranty, however a programmer is easier to remove and doesn't leave a trail. The advantage of a chip is that you can shift on the fly.

 

[BamaSixGun]

welcome, i agree with the intake and exhaust. You only need gauges if you are installing a chip or programmer. Both a chip and programmer will void your waranty, however a programmer is easier to remove and doesn't leave a trail. The advantage of a chip is that you can shift on the fly.

welcome and yes, what he said!

 

[S.CalinaStroker]

Thanks for all the info. Sounds like everyone is up on the DP Tuner. But for warranty sake, not a good move? I'm not familiar with "shift on the fly" Someone educate me here. I do understand the plug in concept with the SC. What is a good choice for price and undetection by the dealer for warranty issues? I'm not out looking for a drag race. My main purpose is solely for towing enhancement and fuel savings only. I do realize once the extra power is experienced, I will love the extra power for more than towing. Don't get me wrong, I love performance, but not for everyday use.

 

[black_cloud_stroker00]

With a "chip" it plugs into the PCM as opposed to the OBDII port. I have a 6 position chip that lets me change between horsepowers levels while the truck is on and moving. with a Tuner, you have recalib when the truck is off. When I see some ricer with his fart can exhaust at a light, I can switch it to 140hp and literally smoke him! Of course my warranty is long gone!!!

I had a Hypertech and Edge programmer, THe Hyper tuner fried my pcm while I was trying to change programs, so I got rid of that. The Edge worked great, I just upgrade to a chip (more hp)