What to do with 03??

[Justin1889]

I recently purchased a 03 HO 6-speed after selling my chipped F-250. I really like the stock power of the cummins but kinda wished it had more. This is my only vehicle that pulls my landscape trailer 5 days a week so reliability is at the top of the list. What should I do to it to make more HP and still be reliable?? I've been reading about the boxes and everything for it and it seems like all the boxes aren't "refined" yet??? How many miles can you get out of a truck with a box and injectors vs. bone stock?? What's a good list of mods and what kinda RWHP & TQ can I expect?? Thanks

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Id' spring for a set of Diesel Dynamics Stage 1 injectors. Not outrageously expensive, and doesn't raise fuel pressure. I ran DD injectors in my last truck and they're top-shelf in terms of quality. Very carefully matched flow-wise. Generally see a slight increase in mileage (I did with my Stage 2s).



www.dieseldynamics.com

 

[Justin1889]

Would I need to run a fueling box in addition to the injectors?? If so which box would be my best choice?? With the fueling boxes for the 03's does the dealer know I have one if I remove it?? What kinda HP figures are people seeing with slightly modded 03's??

 

[krabman]

I would go to a 4" exhaust, get something to replace the stock air filter/intake like an afe or BD X-intake and then wait. The exhaust and intake get rid of two big restrictions, dont reduce reliability, increase mileage, and allow you to better take advantage of the hp you will develop later. The waiting is because a number of folks are getting ready to put new boxes on the market and if your like me your going to want to wait a little and see how things shake out rather than buy a box that simply isnt as good as one that will be hitting in a matter of weeks. It is a bit of a puzzle isnt it? I have been trying to figure out the best upgrade path myself. Im going down to Rips place to get my exhaust on the 23rd and then I will be in the wait mode.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Hey Krabman let us know how the new exhaust works out. I'm curious as th whether it's going to be much louder.

 

[krabman]

Well I should say up front that I am going to be trying to keep it at least somewhat quiet. I dont want ricer sound so that is a consideration as well, I want it to sound good. Rip said he would be willing to toss stuff at it till I was satisfied, course I have to pay accordingly. Im going to take my spl meter and get some before and after measurments so Ill post those when I got em. That should give you something objective to go by. As an aside klock from DD just posted on another thread saying he thought the 5" was actually quieter at part throttle/cruise which goes against what some other prominent folks in the community have told me. I was going to call Rip in the morning and ask him what his take on that was. Anyhow the orignal plan was 4" with the allied muffler and a resonater.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I'm like you in that I wan't to keep it as quiet as possible, I personally hate the sound of the straight pipe. I also don't think our mufflers are all that restrictive. On previous years you could not hear the turbo whine down when listening at the tail pipe unless you installed a free'r breathing exhaust, but on this one it's very clearly audible. I also don't want to get away from the stainless steel. It would be nice to get rid of that drone at about 2K though.