SCT for towing??

[dagnabit9]

The wife and I (and the dog, of course) took out our new toy hauler for it's maiden voyage, so to speak, this weekend. Truck is a stock 2006 F250 XLT FX4 4x4 CC standard bed. Trailer is a fifth wheel with a GVWR of around 14,500 lbs.

I would like to get more power out of the truck because going up and down grades in the mountains (I live in New Mexico) is a bit tedious - not to mention you get passed by almost every 18 wheeler out there! I would also like to help out the fuel mileage a bit; I got less than 10 mpg this weekend.

I've heard people here talk about the SCT tuners and would like to explore that as a possibility. I only tow about 6-10 times a year, so I would like to have something I can use to dial up the power when needed and then when I'm not towing to return it to a more economical mode. This is my first diesel truck (I've owned all gassers in the past) and it was bought with the intent of using it as an occasional tow vehicle.

Is this possible with these tuners? Do I HAVE to do any modifications to the truck in order to run the tuner? Replacement air cleaner, etc.?

[1lowdiesel]

you can run the tuner by itself on the tow tune w/o any problem, however i would suggest some sort of airflow mods, even for the little bit that you tow. even if it was a cat back exhaust and a drop in replacement filter, it would be better than nothing. while in the mountains i can see your egts getting pretty hot now, it's only going to get worse w/ the chip. feel free to give us a call if you need any help picking some stuff out.

[Rob]

ther are some great programs for the SCT for towing. its not a flip chip but only takes a few minutesto swap tunes. look into it, some of our vendors sell the blank SCT tuner and then you will get free unlimited tuning with the purchase of the tuner. who writes the tunes depends on who you buy it from. DJ's has good tunes, so does innovative.

[dagnabit9]

Who should I take it to for the cat back or is it pretty much straightforward to do myself?

This truck was bought used and I've yet to crawl around under it to see what all has been done to it.

[Rob]

i would save youself some cashola and do it yourself. the hardest part of the whole exhaust is the downpipe. i would recommend a full kit if you are gonna run a custom tuner, a whole day to remove and reinstall the new kit and you will be good to go.

[dagnabit9]

How would one tell if the exhaust has been modded/not modded? What exactly would I be looking for? Is there a good manual to purchase (Chiltons, Haynes, etc.) to tell what is and what isn't supposed to be there relative to how it came from the factory?

I've worked on all my vehicles but diesels are kinda new to me so any help in this area I can get would be appreciated...

[Rob]

can you get a pic of the exhaust?? ill tel ya if it is stock or not. it should be around 3 to 3.5 inches if it is stock.

[dagnabit9]

At work right now so I'll have to take a few when I get home this evening. I noticed the tailpipe is different looking and in a different location than other F250s I've seen, but maybe not. Is it common for someone to do intake/exhaust mods to a vehicle to run with a device like an SCT and then remove just the device to return it to a stock tuning - like say when they trade it in on a newer/different vehicle?

Truck got 9.88 mpg in the mountains but usually get close to 15 in the city. Haven't taken it out on the highway yet just by itself.

[bfloyd4445]

Originally Posted by dagnabit9

At work right now so I'll have to take a few when I get home this evening. I noticed the tailpipe is different looking and in a different location than other F250s I've seen, but maybe not. Is it common for someone to do intake/exhaust mods to a vehicle to run with a device like an SCT and then remove just the device to return it to a stock tuning - like say when they trade it in on a newer/different vehicle?

Truck got 9.88 mpg in the mountains but usually get close to 15 in the city. Haven't taken it out on the highway yet just by itself.

15 is normal city mileage if you are stock. My 07 does the same and up to 22.5 highway. Got 17 last trip towing abot 7,000. Had my tracter hauler loaded with steel shelving and empty 55 gallow drums with about 700 pounds of bee stuff in the truck bed. Have yet to get less than 12 no matter what i tow. If you install a tuner you may void your factory warranty if you still have some of the five year 100,000 mile warranty left that is.

[dagnabit9]

Rob -

I looked at the exhaust and it looks stock from the downpipe to the tailpipe including the cat and the muffler. Opened the hood and saw a silver pipe running from the turbo to the right side of the front end - must be the intercooler tube?? Also took a peek at what type of filter element is in the air box and it looked factory blue so I am thinking the truck is entirely stock.

I am planning a trip at the end of this month to go out to Michigan with our fifth wheel and would like to get more power in the higher gears so that the tranny isn't jumping down to 4th or 3rd gear going up hills. Are there any quick mods I can do between now and then?