Towing Performance with '03 ETC

[ACerf]

Towing Power

I have an SO and pull a 32' FW that weights in at about 11,000! I installed a Mag Force Intake system and that made a very big inprovement over the stock system. Going from Ontario, CA to Phoenix we can go up and down those hills and maintain about 50-55. On the flat 65 is no problem, but I normally stay at about 60. That is fast enough pulling any trailer in my opinion. When I notice the speed starting to drop off on a grade I take out of OD. This helps to maintain the speed up the grade. Once I top the hill back in OD... . unless I have a steep grade on the other side. One rule a trucker should always follow... "the gear you are in up the hill is the gear you stay in down the hill"! Sure extra ponies would be nice, but it does very well the way it is.

 

[Blakers]

Originally posted by KLockliear

Why do they always change things... emissions and the darn CARB board! The 12v is actually the best.

Do the heads on the 3rd gen actually flow worse than the 2nd gen 24v? Or are the 3rd gen just running higher rpms, therefore having air flow restriction issues that were not seen in the 2nd gen?



I agree about the 12 valve being the best. I sure loved mine!

 

[Steve M]

With our SO towing our 10,400 lb high profile 5th wheel, we lose speed on rolling hills down to about 58mph where it seems to hold ok. Must be the drop in wind resistance lets it hold that speed while going uphill. Over 3% grade and I lock out O/D and run 2900rpm to the top. Won't hurt a thing. Sounds normal to me. My '01. 5 with auto/3. 55 towed about the same as the '03 auto with 4. 10. I also believe power is down compared to the '01. 5.

Higher EGT at higher rpm might be due to the smaller turbo. Quicker response at lower rpm is a trade off for higher EGT and less power at high rpm.

 

[ACerf]

The Afe intake system seemed to lower the EGT's. I was looking at the Torque Tube to see if there would be any benefit. My concern is if I give it more air, and will need to give it more fuel to go! Also looking into the TAG. That appears to also help with lower EGT's and better Turbo performance.

 

[Car_nut57]

Originally posted by ACerf

The Afe intake system seemed to lower the EGT's. I was looking at the Torque Tube to see if there would be any benefit. My concern is if I give it more air, and will need to give it more fuel to go! Also looking into the TAG. That appears to also help with lower EGT's and better Turbo performance.

We have the aFe tubes on order and as soon as they arrive will be looking into how to install a TAG with the aFe tube. The TAG currenly is secured intot he turbo with the molded ridge inside the rubber boot which we assume will not exist on the aFe tube.

 

[ACerf]

Afe filter & Torque Tube

I spoke to AFE about using the Torque Tube in my SO. The answer was that the benefit would only be good if I had the engine pumped up, more ponies! The engine would be getting more air than it could handle, actually being a negative effect. It would require me to add more fuel in order for it to work properly. But I am not ready to jump up to that at this point. The TAG on the other hand might be worth looking at!

 

[LEerkes]

Wow,



How much things can change in a week or two.



1. ) The '03 SO I had is now gone. Turned out the dealer could not verify warranty coverage since the thing was born Canadian. They offered an aftermarket warranty and I offered to return it to them. They ended up taking it back and I lost about $250. 00 on the deal (willingly - I was pretty motivated).



2. ) Am now waiting on the new 04. 5, 48RE, went with the 3. 73's because I only tow about 10% of the miles driven and only tow about 6,500#'s. Funny thing, more time and more research, the new one didn't cost much more than I got for the used one.



Thanks for all the input guys!!

 

[ACerf]

Glad it worked out for you. I guess you should have no problems addressing your towing issues now! Good Luck!