How much is safe??

Estrogen Hostage · Aug 12, 2011

It's time for new injectors and I'm thinking about going with stage 1's with a VERY mild chip. I will be doing a 4" straight exhaust also. My question is how much I can do without having to worry about overheating the piston. I really have no desire to have a pyro or have to watch a pyro and boost gauge, I'd rather leave it stock. I had a chip once before and just took it off the tow mode when I was towing so I didn't have to worry about it, but that's not really what I want to do either.

Any ideas?

Yodersstrokin96 · Aug 12, 2011

well if your goin to leave it stock or a mild chip there is no reason for injectors, just get tunes for your stock truck. . . but guages are nice to know how your truck is runnin and if anything is happening that you should know about

Charles · Aug 12, 2011

Play your cards right and it will run cooler while making way, way more power than stock.

Think about that for a second...

KPSquared · Aug 12, 2011

If you do even a slight upgrade to the injectors and a "mild" tune... you're gonna want to keep an eye on your temps. I thew my Stage 1 Singles in and run DP's 80 Econo tune most of the time and I really have a hard time keeping my foot out of it. It's no rocket ship, but it's hard just to drive around like an old man...

Why not have the option to keep tabs. If you don't want a bunch of guages cluttering up the joint, then just run a monitor and put it somewhere out of plain site. That way when you decide to put the hammer down (and you will...) you can make sure you don't hurt anything...

Estrogen Hostage · Aug 12, 2011

The injectors are necessary for other reasons. I'm actually undecided on whether to even get stage 1's or just stock.

I just don't like all the gear that comes with a chip. You have gauges and a switch cluttering things up.it's just not something I want.

The new injectors and exhaust repairs will probably fix my drivability problems.

OBSWIZ · Aug 12, 2011

If your unwilling to add guages and a IC forget Inj's..No chip either without guages so best bet get remain Inj's, Exhaust and a Tymar intake and enjoy..we have all..if I can help let me know.

Cary

KPSquared · Aug 12, 2011

I "HAD" to do injectors as a repair item. Decided stage 1's were the plan. I was never building for power, just to get it running again.

After driving mine then getting in Dads bone stock rig, I can't even imagine how he drives it. Its a boat anchor.

A 6 position chip doesn't really stand out. If you don't want to monitor your truck then stick with what Ford designed. Stick with the basics and move on.

bad12jr · Aug 13, 2011

A pyro is a must and not a bad idea on a stock truck. It's amazing how much you can tell from a pyro of how efficient and well the trucks running. That will keep you from melting the pistons. No matter how hard you run it. I would mount it beside the wts fuel filter cluster on the dash. Would set flush and a sunpro gauge is only $100 and isn't the most flashy gauge in the world.

smokedout250 · Aug 13, 2011

Op if you want a stocck truck put stock sticks in it. I couldn't immagine driving a trruck with out guages. You can understand alot and learn alot from them. If your against them more power to you... for what its worth.... I wouldn't even do the exhuast and intake if you want a stock truck

Pstroke96 · Aug 13, 2011

you really should get gauges. even stock, i was driving through the mountains in ny with just enough stuff for the weekend and i could hit 1050-1100 at 75mph and about 8lbs of boost stock and nearly empty

4duggan · Aug 13, 2011

Estrogen Hostage said:
The injectors are necessary for other reasons. I'm actually undecided on whether to even get stage 1's or just stock.

Why ? Auto or Manual Trans ?

I just don't like all the gear that comes with a chip. You have gauges and a switch cluttering things up.it's just not something I want.

Seriously ? Maybe you ought not be driving a diesel truck. There are men on this forum operating trucks with 2 and 3 times the rwhp your contemplating, and they are doing it "Safely" with gauges. Not trying to bust on you Man, just listen to these guys , they will save you money and heartache.

The new injectors and exhaust repairs will probably fix my drivability problems.

Maybe these issues of drivability should be the thread title. You have got some intelligent forum members aknowledging your thread so "listen to what they are sayin".
I aint one of them.

Good luck with your decision of whether or not to clutter your cab with gauges and a ts chip knob .

94.5 Stroker · Aug 14, 2011

I don't understand how two gauges and a knob that you could hide somewhere out of the way is cluttering the cab. I have boost and pyro right now with my ts knob mounted next to my WTS light. I am planning on adding two more gauges on the pillar and a scan gauge on the column. IMO that could be considered cluttered, but I will have vital information right there.

smokedout250 · Aug 14, 2011

Ever herd of an over head pod? That place above the mirror is useless anyways. Why own a diesel if you don't care about it? Why not just get a gas pot so its not a bother?

Estrogen Hostage · Aug 15, 2011

You're the second person that's asked me why I own a diesel. I don't understand your line of thinking. I do love my diesel. In the last year I've owned and sold a 2006 GMC Sierra with the duramax that I bought new, a 99 F250 with the 5.4, and a 2000 K2500 with the 350 and nv4500. All were paid for when I sold them. I didn't like any of them as much as I like this truck. I currently own an excursion with the v10, and I prefer driving this truck to that.

I don't understand the equating not wanting some 500 hp fire breathing monster to not caring about the truck. I'd like some more horsepower but am not willing to trade the reliability for the horsepower. I have been on these forums for years and see what the more horsepower guys go through for their trucks. There's a post on the tow forum now from a guy who has 550hp and is having trouble towing a 6500 lb trailer. It's not uncommon for me to tow a trailer three times that size. I probably do it once a month. My 215 hp get me there just fine, and I'm not worried about blowing a turbo from too much boost or burning a hole in a piston from too much fuel when I'm doing it. There's enough other things when towing that can happen to worry about the engine.

Sure, I could get a gauge set. I'm even thinking about it now. But I still don't want enough power to damage anything by hooking up to the biggest trailer I can find and taking the biggest hill I can find in overdrive at 1500RPM all the way up. If the answer is that I need to stay stock then that's fine.

I just don't understand how this is being turned into a discussion of why I even own a diesel truck. I like driving it.

Let me rephrase the question. Let's say I get the pyro and boost gauge, the 4" turbo back exhaust, and a chip. I'll be buying new AC injectors. What can I do to the chip to make it so I'm not straining anything and can just get in and drive it without OBSESSING over the gauges?

StrokerTurbo7.3 · Aug 15, 2011

Talk to the tuner you got the chip from and tell them that. Imo with stock injectors and a chip on an OBS you hardly ever have to watch EGTs if ever. Highest mine has ever been was 1150-1200ish and that was giving it hell.

SoCalPSD · Aug 15, 2011

When I bought my truck it had a f5 Tuner from dp and other than that it was stock. No intake no exhaust no nothing. First thing I did was gauges and running that only tune I never saw over 1100egts. And that was giving it hell towing 9k up the Mountain. Not saying gauges arnt needed, but imo as well as many others any diesel should have egt and trans temp gauges if its towing.

SoCalPsd-Corey

smokedout250 · Aug 15, 2011

Estrogen Hostage said:
You're the second person that's asked me why I own a diesel. I don't understand your line of thinking. I do love my diesel. In the last year I've owned and sold a 2006 GMC Sierra with the duramax that I bought new, a 99 F250 with the 5.4, and a 2000 K2500 with the 350 and nv4500. All were paid for when I sold them. I didn't like any of them as much as I like this truck. I currently own an excursion with the v10, and I prefer driving this truck to that.

I don't understand the equating not wanting some 500 hp fire breathing monster to not caring about the truck. I'd like some more horsepower but am not willing to trade the reliability for the horsepower. I have been on these forums for years and see what the more horsepower guys go through for their trucks. There's a post on the tow forum now from a guy who has 550hp and is having trouble towing a 6500 lb trailer. It's not uncommon for me to tow a trailer three times that size. I probably do it once a month. My 215 hp get me there just fine, and I'm not worried about blowing a turbo from too much boost or burning a hole in a piston from too much fuel when I'm doing it. There's enough other things when towing that can happen to worry about the engine.

Sure, I could get a gauge set. I'm even thinking about it now. But I still don't want enough power to damage anything by hooking up to the biggest trailer I can find and taking the biggest hill I can find in overdrive at 1500RPM all the way up. If the answer is that I need to stay stock then that's fine.

I just don't understand how this is being turned into a discussion of why I even own a diesel truck. I like driving it.

Let me rephrase the question. Let's say I get the pyro and boost gauge, the 4" turbo back exhaust, and a chip. I'll be buying new AC injectors. What can I do to the chip to make it so I'm not straining anything and can just get in and drive it without OBSESSING over the gauges?

There's nothing wrong with not wanting tons of power, even with a stock truck you should have a pyro.

KPSquared · Aug 15, 2011

When I needed injectors, it was just to repair my truck. I don't have a ton of power, I'm not afraid of towing, and its a HELL of a lot more fun to drive than stock. I love how it feels, how it sounds, how it runs.

If you want stock, then stick with stock. If you want a little more HP just to make pulling that next load a little easier, the pony up for some gauges. Even if you NEVER get hot, its cheap insurance... Specially with these trannies we got.

In the DP 60 tow tune, I never get above 1250 degrees, but its nice to know that. Pulls 14000lbs like nothing.

Its a worthwhile upgrade, but it comes with some basic accessories. You seem kind of divided on what your goals are...

You keep saying "I'm fine with stock" but then you say " I want more HP"... Do the intake, exhaust, gauge thing, run some stage 1 single shots and chat with the tuner guy you chose. I promise you'll be very happy in the end.

swamp_ratt · Aug 15, 2011

To the op... If you tow heavy trailers you want to upgrade more. My buddy and i just trailered a truck from utah to wisconsin. The tow rig is a 95 f350 reg cab 4x4. Mods are intercooler, t500 hpop, gauges and it would hardly pull that other truck (no motor) up the mountains out of salt lake. The obs trucks stock do not have enough power to tow heavy! And let me tell you, we are both glad that truck has gauges because egts hit 1100+ on multiple occasions! Towing up the mountains on i80 out of salt lake it hit 1350 and we had to down shift to 2nd to maintain no higher then 1100. Gauges are a MUST!! I dont care who you are!

swamp_ratt · Aug 15, 2011

Without the gauges we would have never known egts were too high so we would have never down shifted and burnt something up. The engine was pulling ok in third, wasnt lugging too bad, but just enough to make egts sky high! Without gauges you might as well never hook up to a trailer