Mach 4s in, DD2s out-- pretty impressed!

[Supermod56]

I'm interested in how they will work with the Catcher also. I tow a lot. Right now it smokes like it's on fire with the Catcher and DD-1's at low RPM. With the 14cm turbo/ATS Manifold it only gets to 900 towing 10K uphill, not too bad!! I'm on the injector "Fence" right now, trying to decide what to put in there. I don't plan on adding a Comp box in the future, due to the "Standard" Catcher which I will NEVER part with!!!



Tom

 

[DWeiler]

Have fun up here in Canada"EH" Neil,if you were in Calgary you could catch some of the the greatest outdoor show on earth(CALGARY STAMPEDE),starts tomorrow and runs for 10 days of rodeo fun and stuff. One another note though Neil,i'm thinking along the same line as you about towing with the 4's'i have the 1. 5s,but can/maybe go for more but i just can't leave well enough alone so i'll sit back on the fence for a little while longer and absorb as much info as i can from other members first. Then maybe someone can knock my lazy _ss off the fence and move up a couple of sizes---who knows

 

[Boondocker]

DW,



Nice truck profile! Maybe you guys in cooler climates can get away with lots a fuel all the time. It was 105-F in here in Vegas today, you can make a stock diesel smoke with air temps like that! At least the low gets down below 80*



The folks with Catchers are sure lovin' 'em. My latest long range plan is shaping up like: Comp, special Catcher, water/meth. injection, and 14cm turbo housing. Or maybe just a cam. No wait... ... ... . fortunately, I have lots of time to think about it while I save my money.



Neil

 

[Diesel Freak]

Towing with Mach 4's



http://www.nwbombers.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=15988



my truck is a 2001 ETH. Elevation here ranges from seal level to 2000 feet.



BOMBs. Edge EZ, Three wire Blue Box, M4's, HX40.



Towing was done with the Blue Box off!





1300-1350F is easy to achieve when running empty with just the EZ... . peak boost is ~ 33 psi



With the Blue Box, I can hit 1450-1500F, and 40+ psi of boost.

 

[Fishin Guide]

While I was not towing with my Mach 4's today, I made a run from Tacoma to Butte, Montana. I averaged 23 miles/gallon and my average speed was 68mph. Nice of the folks on the east side to have 75mph speed limits!



One stop for fuel that was not necessary and I couldn't be happier. I am around 5K elevation I believe and it was in the mid 80's today, gonna be in the low 90's tomorrow. Smoke is there, even with the PRR35-12. I have run the DDUFM on 1x3 the entire trip. I can black out an intersection much worse than at home on 5x5.



Of the towing I have done, I have never had any issues with the setup I currently have. I would like to add some more air, or compound my isssues, so that I can keep the box on a higher daily setting and still limit smoke.



Nothing like surprising a Mustang on a steep grade. The look on that guys face was priceless! He must have been thinking, yeah right, sure it has a diesel in it. :-laf



Dave

 

[Hohn]

Sweet!



The more I drive the truck in its present form, the more AFRAID I am of the CaTCHER. I mean, I can barely control the fuel pedal as it is now. I'm pretty sure that if I went with the Catcher, I would look like an idiot that can't drive his truck.



I also don't want to fog people unnecessarily (y'know, because sometimes it IS necessary). I fear that going to the Catcher would make me smoke everywhere, and rip up my driveline with all the hammering on-and-off the pedal as I was struggling to even drive the dern thing. I can already put a pretty bad hit to the transmission/t-case/axles with JUST these injectors.



I can drive it smoothly as I get more experience with the sticks, but I'm rapidly nearing the point where I'm afraid to let someone else drive it, as they would burn up my clutch, blow a ton of smoke, and hammer the crap out of my driveline with their less-than-smooth driving.



I know Bob Wagner praises the Catcher/M4 combo, but he's got an auto, and driveability is a MUCH bigger concern for me with the 6-speed.



As much as I would LOVE to have the M4/ECM/TST box fueling combo, I have to admit that I fear/respect it a lot, and I don't want things to get REALLY expensive by breaking hard parts (read: driveline stuff). A clutch I can handle-- it's par for the HP course, but a new 5600 or D80 or NV241? NOT IN MY BUDGET!!



So NOW my issues are:

1) Do I go with the TST so that the ECM is a possible future option?

2) Do I go with the Comp and swear off the ECM?

3) Do I tap the wire right away or wait to 100K? I was eager to tap it before, but having just put in a new VP (covered BECAUSE I didn't tap it), I would be SOL if I killed another pump!

4) Because of #3, do I buy a Comp and let the wire dangle, or get the TST, which has to have the wire to do anything useful besides fool boost? Do I want to spend $549 o on just a boost fooler? I mean, if you aren't gonna tap the wire, what good is a TST over a $80 boost fooler?

5) The Edge boxes seem to crap out regularly, while the TSTs are pretty reliable.





See now why I haven't bought a power box? Man, life used to be so simple, lol!



jlh

 

[RustyJC]

Justin,



Regarding the smoke issue, I wonder if your lack of a fueling box isn't making more of a contribution than you think. Even my DD2s are just about smoke-free (and max out at 1100 degF pre-turbo EGT @ 30 PSIG boost, by the way) IF I unplug the data link connection on the EZ. I think the additional fuel that a fueling box throws at the engine in off-boost or low-boost conditions is probably the primary root cause of the smoke issue.



Rusty

 

[Hohn]

Rusty--



I ran my DD2s in the my present configuration (no fueling box of any kind) for almost 2 months waiting on my M4s.



The DD2s would still smoke quite easily. Overall, the threshold of smoke was LOWER with the DD2s.



I find the M4s easier to drive without generating smoke, even in a true apples-to-apples comparison.



When I ran the EZ, I ran it on jumper #1 for the last year or so anyway-- The extra fuel on bottom made the pedal feel like an on/off switch, and I hated that. Jumper #1 was much more suitable to my tastes.



Justin

 

[Luke Warmwater]

There you go thinking too hard again lol. Buy the Comp & tap the wire. Catcher Schmatcher...

 

[RustyJC]

Rusty--



I ran my DD2s in the my present configuration (no fueling box of any kind) for almost 2 months waiting on my M4s.



The DD2s would still smoke quite easily. Overall, the threshold of smoke was LOWER with the DD2s.

Hmmm... . must be an altitude issue. That's really the only substantive difference between the previous configuration of our trucks.



Rusty

 

[Oil Burner]

Here's my $. 02



Get a $70 boost fooler from Haisley and run that for a while. I really don't think your clutch will take a comp even on level 1 with the low end curve and you haven't convinced me that you are going to pierce the pump wire . Also, you haven't decided on the catcher yet.



I would bet that a cheap boost fooler would keep your options open in the future, preserve your pump warranty and give you a good smile for a while. All this for $70. I have run mine with dd2s, jammer 4s and supermentals all with just a boost fooler on the stock clutch. You'll probably gain 15 or more psi at wot with a boost fooler. I hit about 32 psi with just jammer 4s (little 125 hp injectors).



And, you will have time to save for that con FE and head studs and turbo. That way, when you add the comp or TST, you won't have to restrain yourself.



Get the boost fooler, run to 100k, then go nuts.



Jason

 

[Luke Warmwater]

Life is too short to drive your truck 100k miles before having fun. Get the comp and let the tapping begin. I pounded(5x5) my stock clutch for several weeks after upgrading from 2s to 4s. I had a couple light check marks when it came out and the FE went in. Doesn't mean they all will hold but if you don't slip the crap out of them, they will hold a lot more than you think.

 

[paulb]

I like the adjustablity of my Drag Comp. I usually run it at 1x5 for everyday driving, and towing. If I let someone else drive on a hot summer day at high altitude, I set it to 1x1. One of the nice things about the Comp is that you can reduce the low boost fueling. The sub-levels set the amout of fuel (among other things), when boost is less then 10psi. This works even without the pump wire being tapped. 1x3 is about the "stock" fueling level, so 1x1 and 1x2 (only the sub-level is important), are less then stock fueling, below 10psi. I find that it helps people that are not used to hp diesels to set the sub-levels lower. They can be a little more heavy footed with out leaving soot on the car behind.



I can't (and won't ) comment on other options because I haven't tried them. I only know I like my Comp.



Paul

 

[Hohn]

Life is too short to drive your truck 100k miles before having fun. Get the comp and let the tapping begin. I pounded(5x5) my stock clutch for several weeks after upgrading from 2s to 4s. I had a couple light check marks when it came out and the FE went in. Doesn't mean they all will hold but if you don't slip the crap out of them, they will hold a lot more than you think.

This is what I'm thinking, too. I've had my truck for 3 years, and only now have 40K miles on it. Why would I want to wait another 3. 4 years just to be able to do what I want to with the truck?



As for clutch life, I think there's something to be said for driving style. I tend to drive with the clutch as a switch-- it's either in or it's out. I start in 1st gear so I can just pop it.



It makes me CRINGE every time I let someone else drive the truck and the drive it like a gasser, just easing the clutch out! I want to CHOKE them! Get off the clutch already! You're NOT gonna kill this engine if you drive it right.



I'm 90% of the way to the point where no one else will drive my truck ever again. I bet over half the clutch wear has happened with someone ELSE behind the wheel, even though that's less than 10% of the usage.



I'm leaning towards the Comp for now. It will give me some flexibility with tapping the wire when I'm good and ready to do so, yet still be able to be used as essentially an adjustable EZ.



So what if the ECM has more bottom end? I can't say I really feel like I have a NEED more bottom end. This thing is already about to rip the rest of the truck in half on the bottom.



The "lack" of bottom end on the Comp compared to the ECM is a straw man. I mean, what are you gonna do with more output at 1200-1500 rpm? The harmonics at that low RPM are murder on the engine and transmission-- especially with a fairly bombed CTD.



JMO

 

[Luke Warmwater]

Expect that Catcher bigots to weigh in soon now lol.

 

[Boondocker]

I Love This Thread

There you go thinking too hard again lol. Buy the Comp & tap the wire. Catcher Schmatcher...

Welcome to over-thinkers annonymous.

Hi, my name is Neil, and I spend way too much time thinking about this stuff... :-laf



Come to think of it, my truck is not really unresponsive. I spend almost no time driving at the bottom of the RPM band. When I want to move out, I almost can't shift fast enough. When towing, I want the power to be in the mid range - 1800 to 2200 RPM. Much below that when heavy is getting into the lugging zone. When cruising, 1600-1800, I only need about 150 HP anyway.



I'm at 50,000+ miles. If I am my own warrenty station, can I say my warrenty is up

 

[Hohn]

Overthinkers anonymous-- that's funny.



It's not that I'm indecisive--- Or am I?

 

[Big P]

A truck with just a comp compaired to one with just a catcher, feels like a turd on the low end! :-laf



Hohn, I though that my old truck was undrivable at first too with the catcher, but once you learn, you won't want to give it up. I think I would rather use the ecm than tap the pump. I totaly agree though, I believe that the auto is MUCH more forgiving when running the ecm and big injectors. Besides, to use the power of a fueling box, they seem to work better at 2000+ rpms. With the ecm, you could be cruising at 1400-1600, wack it, and you won't have to wait for it.

 

[rivercat]

I am still waiting on my catcher planed on doing a mad/1. 6s combo but now Im leaning towards 4s and a dzilla14 or b1 but being the 6 speed with 4. 10s not sure how this would be to drive as a normal truck in normal situations my question is do they really make the petal that sensitive and does the catcher still have the stalling problems where it wont idle up while you let out the clutch





Just sort of in shock I am still stock besides gauges and my puck and all these members with all these weird combos especially the ones that include the comp seem to be having all this fun, and no ones has ever really mentioned a driving problem. I bet that in fact it is hell to city drive a big single 400-550hp truck what with the sensitive throttle the catcher that wont fuel while you load the SB grabby clutch you had to have to hold the 400-550 hp and then go spinning or jerking around stop light to stop light with your eye so focused on the FP gauge that you almost rear end someone. The wife is on you about spending all the money and then you have to hear her complaints about how hard it is to drive and the whisle SHE thinks is so aggervating. Don't sound to fun to me stop me if im wrong



But is all of it really worth it?





Am I wrong to feel left out with only the puck and a lift, To WANT/ not need 400-450 rwhp on a pickup that won't ever pull, race at least on the track or probobly even dyno?



Hohn,



I have said it before that I liked your slow carefull desisions and I hope the 4s were what you really wanted and hope your better BHAF works out



And that applys to almost everyone on here



I have a friend that got a tst box and some crappy BD sticks and the hx-40 with the bad shaft, and just tore his truck up in a matter of months because he didn't wait to find out what was best and how to drive the mods to not break stuff/ never care about egts never cared about fuel pressure or the bad oil that is in the 5600 that the book says not to change but will eat up parts(IMO)if not after so long especially towing.

 

[Luke Warmwater]

with all these weird combos especially the ones that include the comp seem to be having all this fun, and no ones has ever really mentioned a driving problem. I bet that in fact it is hell to city drive a big single 400-550hp truck what with the sensitive throttle

You would lose that bet if you're talking about a Mach4/Comp/B1 combo