Getting a new truck

[CogginsP]

I am thinking of selling my 97 and getting a new 04. 5-06. I want a nicer truck that is a four-door and leather interior, basically fully loaded.



What am I looking to pay? I don't mind too much what the milage is at, as long as it's not too far past 100k.



Also what kind of mods are the best for power? I want to go as far as I can without upgrading the turbo. And how much power could I put down before I have to look into upgrading the transmission?



Last, what will I need in order to upgrade my transmission and how much cash would I look into spending?



I own a 97 and have done many different mods, so most of this stuff isn't foreign to me.



Thanks for the responses!!

 

[Bob V]

I went from a '97 5spd to a '05 6spd and am very happy with the new truck. Like you I didn't want to mess with a different turbo so I went with the Edge juice w/attitude and 60hp DDP injector tips. I would recommend a late 04 or newer as it has the higher factory HP at 325. Just about any of the boxes will work though, or a Smarty downloader. Around the Northwest '04-'07 Laramie trucks are $25,000-35,000.

 

[BHolm]

First, I think there are couple unique '06 and up items. The seats are better (for me), they have a longer thigh cushion. I had a Laramie in '05 and '06, I prefer the '06 interior, the suede on the '05 didn't do it for me. The headlights are much improved on the '06 too.



If you look you can probably find a truck like that for 23-28k depending on miles. I found a 72k mile '06 SLT for $26k.



The stock turbo on an '03-'04 is probably reliable up to 400hp, just my guess. The 04. 5 and up trucks can probably do 450. You can sure as heck make more, but probably not for long. There are lots of fueling boxes, intakes exhausts out there to add on. Do some reading to see what works for you. I ended up over 400hp pretty cheaply, love how the truck works. Lots of good luck with the Smarty, Edge Juice, and TST.



The auto trans can take about 100hp over stock. Boxes like the Smarty allow torque management to help save the trans, others may too. The manuals are very durable. I think for the most part they can take more than you can make. Stock clutches are good to about 800 lb/ft



To upgrade and auto trans figure $2500 if you just want a convertor and valve body or closer to $4000 for a pretty HD version.



These third gen trucks are AWESOME, you are going to love it.



Have Fun!

 

[CogginsP]

Thanks for the great replies, I have been looking at some edge products (they seem to offer some of the greatest stuff).

I was looking at the Edge A2 Edge Products: Product

with the GPS and all that awesome stuff.

It says that I need the juice module to operate it as an in-cab controller. Can someone please explain that to me? I was under the impression that the juice box provided one power upgrade, and the Edge Attitude / A2 was a programmer that provided a separate power upgrade. I am kind of new to all these programmers but I still understand the common-rail system and pulse duration, fueling and what not.

If I buy something like the A2 monitor, will I have to drill and tap for my own thermocouple or is there an electronic monitor? Is this an easy procedure to complete on my own?

Also, when I start adding all these mods, will I ever have to start worrying about my fuel pump providing enough fuel? I know like in the 24v motors the lift pump would start to go bad as mods would be added and this would kill the injection pump if you weren't careful. Will I need to get a fuel pressure gauge?

 

[Bob V]

The A-2 is an add on controller for the Juice, it adds about $1000. 00 to the price after you buy the juice. Yes you will have to drill the exhaust for the thermocouple, but that is all that has to be done, it gets the rest of the info it monitors from the computer. The '05 and later have the in tank lift pump and it seems to be holding up well and adequate for up to about 150 hp increase. It is the only factory replacement pump available and might be retrofitted in earlier trucks if the original pump went out.

 

[CogginsP]

I'm not getting the A2... It's pointless I am just going to get the regular attitude.



Just a couple more quick questions, what are my limitations on things as far as boost go? In my dodge over 35 PSI boost will usually pop a head gasket and 41-42 PSI will lose the turbo. What are my similar limitations in an 06?



Also, I noticed that the attitude does not monitor transmission temperature, but rather slip%. Is there a need to install a transmission temp gauge in addition to this slip %?? Will I need to be concerned about any other gauges or should the attitude have all my bases covered??

 

[BHolm]

The CR engines are solid to about 50 lbs of boost. Much over that and you will want studs etc. The stock turbo on the 325/610 engines is reliable at 40 lbs of boost, not much more. The Edge is going to give you that much, about 10 psi over stock, but not much more. It is a pretty good fit.



If you are going to do lots of towing, a trans temp gauge is a very good idea. I had a transmission fail in an '03, the driver claimed the temp light never came on. From then on it had a gauge Otherwise the attitude has you covered.



On the fuel pressure... With my Quadzilla set on 100hp I used to be able to set a fuelling code. Fortunately a new filter (even though the old one wasn't old) cured it and I haven't seen the code since. It tells me though, that beyond a 100hp bump, you are closing in on the stock systems capability.



So just a little thought on how/why I chose my mods. I didn't want to be forced to do the clutch or the fuel system. I wanted adjustability the downloaders don't offer. So I was shooting for the 450/850 mark in power for the least cash. I found the Quad box on ebay, already had the muffler delete. Once that was on the EGTs were too high on the 100 hp setting. I cured that and picked up great response with the air horn, then added the cold air intake which didn't do much but improve the soundtrack. For under $1000 I reached my goal. I didn't feel I needed most of the features on the Edge or Smarty and chose not to pay for them, instead I went for function and found it.