50% mpg drop towing 4400lbs-will a chip help?

[Star Gazer]

Hi All,

Just joined and did some searching but did not come up with much on this.

I have a 2000 PSD, Ext cab, 4x4, long bed, 3.73, about 46k miles. I get about 19 on the hwy running at 70 mph. Real bad in town since I only go about 4 miles to work in stop and go traffic.

This past weekend I picked up a small travel trailer that weighs 4400lbs. My trip to get it I got my normal 19mpg. Coming back at 65mph I was showing about 9.5 mpg. Much bigger drop than I imagined. The areodynamics of this box on wheels is most likely the problem. Sucks since I plan on a couple 3000 mile round trips this winter and spring. Every mpg I can get will help.

I am considering a chip to try and help me a bit. Am looking at the TS Performance 75hp as recommended by them and several buddies who tow boats that swear by them. Do I need any exhaust or intake work to go with this? Do I need gauges if I go with the smaller chip?

Any other suggestions would be great.

Thanks

[purduefarmboy460]

I strongly advise having guages if you are going to install a chip. Especially if you aren't going to go with straight exhaust and an intake. If nothing else, at least open up your exhaust so that heat can escape. I have an intake on mine and believe that it helped tremendously. It allowed much better air flow, and cut down on the black smoke, and in your case, towing a trailer, you aren't going to want it to be black by the time you get where you are going When you are pulling something, those EGT's can climb really really fast, and you want to be able to keep an eye on your tranny temp too... Just my two cents on this one, but I think the other guys will agree

[Gear Jammer]

you could put on of thoses ugly wings on your roof to push the air out of the way of the trailer that will help alot but i think it looks ugly as hell.

[powerstrokekiller]

You could fabricate a roof rack and make a removable airfoil. I had been thinking of building an airfoil to put on the neck of our 14 foot gooseneck trailer. But yours is obviously a bumper hitch.

[Star Gazer]

I think the wing would be worth looking into. I have a good friend that does sheet metal and stainless stuff. I'm thinking of something similar to a curved wing like on the old dirt track cars? Satin stainless, not real big, and removable.

It would need to be at the back of the leer topper to do any good. I wonder if the pressure might be hard on the fiberglass top?

Have to be very careful or it would look stupid

Any comments?

Attached Images

trailer.jpg (50.7 KB, 31 views)

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Last edited by Star Gazer : 11-07-2005 at 06:27 PM.

[wesjones]

wouldn't one of those caps that has a steped up roof in the back do a similar thing and look ok? a couple of people near me have one of those stainless wind deflectors; they look ridiculous

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Last edited by wesjones : 12-02-2005 at 01:50 PM.

[Star Gazer]

I think that would look best but I worry about clearance in parking garages, car washes, etc. I am going over to the leer topper dealer and see what he thinks. Maybe I can get a loaner for the next trip and see if it helps.

[turbotime]

I have to say that I am suprised to hear that you are having this much of a change in the MPG when you haul. I have hauled 18,000+lbs of wieght down the hwy at 80MPG and not done that bad. I guess that you could consider that mine was a goosneck though. But still, that seems very extreme to me.

The chip should help, but yes, as the others have stated- get gauges or you'll lose the tranny! One sad-but-true fact is that the trannys just can not hold up to the engines. I would also recommend that you put and intake (preferably AFE) in your truck as I have seen how inefficien those stock intake filter systems are. This allows your truck to breath better, but most importantly it keeps your engine from getting dusted. You would be amazed at how easy it can happen with those ford installed systems.

Good luck to you and let us know what you decide and how it helps!

[super_stroke]

i agree w/ tubotime. somthin else might be wrong w/ your rig (he didnt say that, but) i pulled my mom and dads 35' camper and didnt get that bad. and i got the exact truck you do. if your goin for power and economy, take a look at the predator programmer. that thing is just plain neat. i use the 100hp tune alot for cuzin, just for the tree huggers. and the two tune impressed me. it'll really change your truck. for the good.

[02 ford-toy hauler]

have 02 ford crew cab 1 ton, hau 40' fifth wheel toy hauler that weighs in around 14000 lbs fully loaded and i get 7-8 mpg. Dropped in 4" exhaust, edge programmer, banks trans command, edge juice with attitude and lcd screen with gauges. Done all this and havent hauled since, snowing and very icey, give you update when I do haul for the first time, truck does haul butt