Well i will be heading to Irvine CA the end of Sept for SevenStock, and will be pulling about 13-14K worth of trailer and cars, from Houston to Irvine. 1580 Miles one-way. I am going to try and hit the desert in the evening and night
Specs on Truck, 03 F250 7.3 CC 4X4 3.73, Upgraded intake, 4in Exh, TS 6 position chip (50 75 140 Hi idle) Quadzilla Commander, upgraded comp wheel, 6.0 trans cooler
My questions are....
Will the 6.0 transmission cooler (25 Row) be plenty for the NM,AZ Heat?
Is it better to drive slower (60) or faster (70-75) when pulling a heavy load?
How much does bigger loads drop your fuel econ? I get about 16city 19hwy, and pulling a small trailer 5-6K 15ish.
I am replacing the Rad and coolant, small leak where the rad plastic top meets, and installing a coolant filter setup.
I am just trying to make this trip with a very low number of problems, my truck has been taken WELL care of, just trying to overkill some things.
The 6.0L cooler should do the job.
Drive the speed limit at least... Going faster will just make everything work harder via, creating more heat, and using more fuel.
Coolant filter is always a good idea. Plus think about going with a ELC. That is Cat EC-1 approved. You never have to add any additives. = Red Coolant!
Check your serp belt and your hoses! Might even change your oil and replace your air filter if ya haven't lately. Fuel Filter?
Ok I was wondering about the Coolant, was just going to go back with the Ford Gold, but i will check that stuff out. By the way what does the addictive do, I usually add Redline Water wetter in my other truck. My Rx7 doesnt have normal coolant in it, I use Evans NPG-R Non-water based coolant, but it would cost to much to put it in the truck.
To answer your questions. The 6.0 cooler should be plenty for doing what you are doing. Speed while you are pulling depends a lot upon several factors, including tire size, gear ratio, frontal wind load, weight of your load, % grade of the road,etc. I have found with mine that it seems to do the best around 65-67mph. Any less and when I pull a decent grade the speed will drop off a little, I lose too many RPMs and then wind up having to get out of OD. Any more and I lose some MPG's. Get it lined out on I-10, vary your speed a little and see what works best for your setup. My MPG's pulling a heavy load will vary from 10-12 depending on the factors stated above.
Good luck and safe traveling!!
Yea i just havent pulled that direction before so i just have to do it by feel and fuel LOL. Looking at google earth there are some bad grades on the way.
Thanks
Hey where in Brazoria are you, I am in Oyster Creek
The 6.0L cooler should do the job.
Drive the speed limit at least... Going faster will just make everything work harder via, creating more heat, and using more fuel.
Coolant filter is always a good idea. Plus think about going with a ELC. That is Cat EC-1 approved. You never have to add any additives. = Red Coolant!
Check your serp belt and your hoses! Might even change your oil and replace your air filter if ya haven't lately. Fuel Filter?
To answer your questions. The 6.0 cooler should be plenty for doing what you are doing. Speed while you are pulling depends a lot upon several factors, including tire size, gear ratio, frontal wind load, weight of your load, % grade of the road,etc. I have found with mine that it seems to do the best around 65-67mph. Any less and when I pull a decent grade the speed will drop off a little, I lose too many RPMs and then wind up having to get out of OD. Any more and I lose some MPG's. Get it lined out on I-10, vary your speed a little and see what works best for your setup. My MPG's pulling a heavy load will vary from 10-12 depending on the factors stated above.
Good luck and safe traveling!!
I have found that synthetics run cooler in the motor and trans. My buddy hauls a 14K lb camper with his duramax and said his runs much cooler with amsoil. Might be somethin to consider.
Be sure you have good tires and proper air pressure, especially if you run at high speeds across the desert. You will have to slow to 55 mph when you cross into California --that's the speed limit for any vehicle pulling a trailer. Have a safe and enjoyable trip!
F250 FX: This is a long conversation about the coolant for our trucks. With myself and a few others. Mr Gooch is very educated within the coolant ranks. His advice is very highly respected. You can look into it if ya like? I am one that just takes the cooling system very seriously.
I went with the ELC for the fact it needs not SCA additives. Nor anything else for that matter for 6yrs-->600k miles or 12k hours. They also make a ELC extender, that you can add after 300k to 400k miles.
Have a Safe Trip.
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