Last issue we introduced 8-Lug’s readers to a bevy of products designed to build up their trucks for better towing. There were just too many to contain them all in one article, so this issue we bring you Part II.
In total, we asked nearly a dozen experts in the field how to improve a vehicle’s towing ability. Each has a specialty and gives advice accordingly.
No matter what you choose, you can rest assured that the diesel aftermarket has you covered with products that will boost power, improve performance, and save fuel.
Hypertech
Hypertech offers the Max Energy and E-Con programmers that allow you to change the tuning of your truck. “The E-Con gives you everything you need for power improvement and fuel economy savings,” says Amy Faulk. It can tune the truck and read and clear certain diagnostic trouble lights. Of course, notes Faulk, “If it’s a critical code, like low oil pressure, it’s not going to clear that.” However, she also adds, if there is an intermittent code, the ECU will record it and you can read that with the E-Con programmer. While the E-Con retails from about $380, Hypertech also offers the Max Energy for an additional $50. This adds another level of performance, says Faulk. It gives you the ability to do things like alter shifting and correct the speedometer and odometer if you go to larger (or smaller) tires, for example.
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Some of the features of the Max Energy are geared to high-performance racing, but still apply to towing applications. You can have the cooling fan turn on sooner to cool things down before it becomes critical. It can raise the rpm limit of the engine for those times when you need the extra power at the top.
Faulk also notes that Hypertech likes to tout its “100-percent guarantee to the original purchaser.” She believes this should help make the Max Energy an easy choice when people know they can get their money back if they’re not satisfied. But they get few returns, she says, because most people find it more than pays for itself in fuel savings alone.
The E-Con and Max Energy plug into the diagnostic port. First, the unit will verify that you have the right part number for your vehicle. Units are brand-specific, so you would have one part number for a Chevy and another for a Dodge. Faulk reports, “It makes a copy of the original settings so you can always go back to stock.” It stays married to one truck for this purpose. When making changes, she says all the options are “yes” or “no.” Then you can review the changes you’ve made before you program it. It comes with a USB cord and is Internet programmable for updates. If you convert your truck back to stock, you can take the unit and program a different truck of the same brand.
www.hypertech-inc.com
| products To Add Power For Towing Part Ii e Con Programmer
SCT
SCT produces handheld devices and software to electronically tune your trucks. “We have a handheld tuner that comes preloaded with tune files we’ve created for a generic application,” says Brad Grissom. “For most diesel trucks there is a tow, street, and high-performance file.”
| products To Add Power For Towing Part Ii sf3 Power Flash
The SF3 Power Flash, for example, is offered with one part number that can handle any Ford car or truck (gas or diesel), reports Grissom. “It comes preloaded with 24 applications and plugs into the OBD (onboard diagnostics) port near the steering column.” Prices for the SF3 begin at $379. There are similar units available for GM Duramax, Dodge Cummins, and a variety of other applications.
The object of the SCT device is to modify the fuel injection, timing, spark, and fuel tables to optimize the burn of the fuel, says Grissom. “OEMs use a fat calibration and use a little more fuel than they need to.” The reasoning is to provide one setting that covers the entire market: “It’s a canned calibration to go from Death Valley to Pikes Peak.” The SF3 can optimize settings for current conditions. “This trims out timing, spark, and fuel to maximize fuel economy and power. On a diesel truck, we can tune it to gain from 2 to 5 miles per gallon,” says Grissom.
The number of settings depends upon the application. “For a gas truck, you may have three choices and for a diesel truck, you may have five choices,” Grissom says.
“Once you plug it into a truck, it’s married to that truck,” he adds. “We can download the stock file and keep it intact and then modify the file and upload it. When we return it to stock, it uploads the stock file.” After returning a truck to stock, you can take the SF3 and do the same thing with another truck.
Among the features the SF3 Power Flash has that others don’t, is the ability to tune the transmission to modify shift pressure and shift point. Grissom says, “It can modify line pressure to a preset amount and shift pressure can be adjusted.” There are safety limits that keep consumers from adding too much pressure. “We allow consumers to do things that won’t hurt the vehicle.” In addition to the preloaded settings, you can customize the tune. But this requires the owner to be more knowledgeable. However, if you end up with a poor-running vehicle, you can always go back and use one of the preset tunes. Grissom notes that the custom tune can be useful when adding other bolt-on products. “You can further modify the tune to take advantage of other products, such as a cold-air intake.” If you really want to make elaborate changes, SCT also offers custom software to allow the customer to do everything a full-custom tuner can do. Grissom says a package would typically cost about $350, which is what a custom tuner might charge for one session.
SCT also offers its Livewire Flash Programmer for Ford gas and diesel vehicles. For about $569, it includes gauges, a data log, and a performance calculator. It does much the same thing as the SF3, but remains plugged in and provides real-time instrumentation. According to Grissom, you can choose to look at various parameters—as many as six at a time. Beyond that, you can add additional sensors for items not instrumented by the factory, such as EGT. With its built-in performance calculator, the Livewire also lets you see what’s happening and keeps track of things like quarter-mile times, horsepower, and torque. Grissom reports it has the ability to data log up to 15 minutes and monitor up to 40 parameters. You can plug a USB into the device and download the file into a computer, he notes. “Emulation software shows you what the vehicle is doing. You can drive the vehicle down the road, see what was wrong, and then custom tune it to get things right.”
www.sctflash.com
Elite Diesel Engineering
“What we sell is a tuner,” says Tadd Layton, “a handheld programmer to custom tune.” This meets multiple needs: “Everyone wants fuel economy,” notes Layton. When you’re pulling a load, exhaust gas temperature is crucial, he points out, adding that problems pulling loads uphill are compounded when you add weight or travel at higher altitudes. Altitude is something Elite Diesel knows about, being based in Pueblo, Colorado, a town more than 4,500 feet high, within sight of some of the tallest peaks in the Rockies.
| products To Add Power For Towing Part Ii elite Diesel Engineering
Even if you’re not going uphill, towing is work. “If you need to pass, you want more power,” says Layton. The first step toward that goal is a better-flowing intake and exhaust system. “The cooler the air the engine is ingesting, the cooler the exhaust,” he says. Using the Elite Diesel Custom Tuner in later-model trucks, “We take control of the cooling fan and start it sooner.” Layton says a good idea is a sealed intake unit that pulls in cold air from the outside.
When things heat up under the hood, Layton says Elite Diesel has seen as much as a 50hp loss on the dyno compared to cold outside air. “An intercooler lets you run the turbo harder without risk,” he adds. One more crucial addition for anyone pulling in hills or mountains, says Layton, is the ability to slow down. “An exhaust brake on a diesel is worth its weight in gold.”
www.elite-diesel.com
BD Diesel Performance
Aiming to provide multiple products for the pickup and RV market, BD Diesel Performance has expanded from its beginnings as an exhaust brake company. Brian Roth says, “We’ve continued to develop products. We’ve moved into fuel injection systems, and have become an engineering and turbocharger company.”
| products To Add Power For Towing Part Ii steering Stabilizer Box
The exhaust brake remains BD’s best-known product. The company says it incorporates BD’s patented Variable Orifice Technology, which ensures that maximum retarding power is achieved throughout the engine’s operating range, not just at high rpm like other exhaust brakes.
A recently introduced product is aimed at making your Dodge pickup handle better with heavy loads. BD’s Steering Box Stabilizer eliminates steering wander and wobble caused by excessive shaft play in the steering box of late-model Dodge trucks. Designed for easy, bolt-in installation in about 10 minutes, the SBS virtually eliminates frame flex at the steering-box mounting point, resulting in more positive steering feel.
Not only can BD help your truck stop and handle better, but a Turbo Thruster kit can help you get more power. Designed as a direct, bolt-in replacement for the stock turbo, the BD Turbo Thruster kit can support airflow requirements all the way to 450 rearwheel horsepower, while maintaining driveability on the street, according to the company.
| products To Add Power For Towing Part Ii turbo Thruster
If you do increase power that much, you might need to gain reliability with a BD-built high-torque transmission. Modifications include a deep-sump pan, improved oil circuitry and bearing designs, increased clutch pressure, and additional clutches for higher holding pressure. BD says it’s guaranteed to handle 400 rwhp, but can actually hold much more.
BD practices what it preaches, notes Roth: “We tow our 37-foot toy hauler on the road with a Ford 6.0L that has an exhaust brake on it. It also has our BD Turbo Thruster kit for extra fuel. By adding the extra air, it keeps the temperatures down.”
www.dieselperformance.com
Industrial Injection
It’s all about getting the right mixture going into the engine at Industrial Injection. Before you start to add power, says Justin Askerlund, it’s important to keep an eye on things. “Put gauges on it,” he says, “especially if you’re towing 10,000 pounds and up. That way you know what you can get away with. We sell a three-gauge setup for about $350.” This is important because there’s little point in adding power if you lose reliability.
| products To Add Power For Towing Part Ii injection Turbo
A good next step is to add a tuner that improves the stock configuration. Once that’s done, you have to work on the fuel supply system, says Askerlund. “It supplies your injection pump with pure fuel with a water/fuel separator.” Once you’ve got those things done, “you start looking at a turbo.”
Askerlund says once you turn up a factory turbo more than 50 hp, you’re out of efficiency. Turbos with bigger turbine wheels and shafts are stronger and move more air volume. With an Industrial Injection turbo, he says, price can range from $1,395 to $2,050—and you can expect boost output up to 800 hp. To ensure safe power, he would also recommend a good flowing exhaust and cold-air intake, “so the turbo doesn’t create a vacuum.”
Once you’ve built power in the engine, it’s a good idea to keep it there, notes Askerlund. “Titanium head studs keep everything together well.” Depending on how much power you add, you’ll have to beef up the transmission. At a minimum, Askerlund recommends a good transmission fluid that has a higher boiling point. Another recommendation is a water injection system. He notes this is good “for cooling and cleaning. It knocks carbon out of the engine.” Water injection requires just a bit of caution, he says. “It’s very useful if set up right, but destructive if set up wrong.” Fortunately, he adds: “It’s easy if you follow instructions.”
www.industrialinjection.com
