Real smokey

TrickTruck

Member
Joined
May 7, 2012
Messages
976
Reaction score
5
Location
Simpsonville, SC
Truck in my sig, towing this albatross
truckandtrailerLarge.jpg

Heavy, gross 25klbs.
3.55 gears, 35" tires, g3arhead tunes, NL intake.
Max speed towing is 70mph
Turbo has 65kmi on it now

First time I've noticed it being so smokey, stained the whole side of the truck on a 1000mi trip.

Seems worst in 6th, around 1600rpm and making 10-12lbs of boost. Get the revs up into the 2000s and it's clear and clean.

I don't hear any funky noises, it's making a bunch of boost (almost 30psi) when it's needed.

Towing on performance setting, but tried tow as well, about the same, just less power and downshifts earlier.

If it were a gasser, I'd say it was being lugged and was too rich.

What's the 'army's opinion on this? Am I looking at a problem somewhere (like early signs of turbo death) or do I need to contact g3earhead and have them lean out the tune in that range?

Thanks in advance.
 

Profuzz

Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2014
Messages
194
Reaction score
0
Your under the turbo at that rpm add some gearing 4:30


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

dsmracing1

Active member
Joined
Aug 2, 2014
Messages
1,130
Reaction score
0
Location
Alberta, Canada
I automatically lock my truck out to 5th when towing unless I'm going 80mph with a trailer haha. Keeps it from doing exactly this and loading the truck with a bunch of fuel it cant burn efficiently. That trailer is a hog so your truck is overworking in 6th and 5th gear it will be much happier
 

TrickTruck

Member
Joined
May 7, 2012
Messages
976
Reaction score
5
Location
Simpsonville, SC
We've all had the long discussion about ST tires and 65mph so 70 is my max until I wear these out and replace them with something better.

Frankly, 70mph seems pretty fast for something this size with this stupid anti sway setup I've got now. Looking at the 3p, but even if I do get something better, in the hitch / anti-sway dept, 70mph seems like a good max to me.

fyi: averaged a little better than 10mpg on this trip. Quite pleased with that.
 

Profuzz

Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2014
Messages
194
Reaction score
0
Our support your local shop and have 4:30 installed along with/lockers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

CATDiezel

New member
Joined
Dec 27, 2011
Messages
2,221
Reaction score
0
Our support your local shop and have 4:30 installed along with/lockers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No offense but that's old school thinking with weak transmissions and trucks with 250hp at the flywheel factory... re-gearing this truck is as simple as driving in 5th gear. Then when he's not towing 6th gear for cruising.
 

Profuzz

Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2014
Messages
194
Reaction score
0
Your are correct sir !! Ford installs 4:30 in the tow boss for the fun of it !!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

CATDiezel

New member
Joined
Dec 27, 2011
Messages
2,221
Reaction score
0
Your are correct sir !! Ford installs 4:30 in the tow boss for the fun of it !!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's a tow boss designed to be at 26,000lbs gcvw regularly. And if permitted more!

Why would anyone do that to a 3/4 ton.

He's pulling a bumper pull!! (How is it your 25k with a bumper pull anyways OP?)
 
Last edited:

Notneb

New member
Joined
Jun 26, 2015
Messages
1,733
Reaction score
0
That's a tow boss designed to be at 26,000lbs gcvw regularly. And if permitted more!

Why would anyone do that to a 3/4 ton.

He's pulling a bumper pull!! (How is it your 25k with a bumper pull anyways OP?)

Read his other thread on trailer sway... Apparently it doesn't pull well at all...
 

jcain

New member
Joined
Jul 14, 2013
Messages
2,017
Reaction score
0
That's a tow boss designed to be at 26,000lbs gcvw regularly. And if permitted more!

Why would anyone do that to a 3/4 ton.

He's pulling a bumper pull!! (How is it your 25k with a bumper pull anyways OP?)

Gcwr is 35,000 on a tow boss. 26,000 towing.
 

jcain

New member
Joined
Jul 14, 2013
Messages
2,017
Reaction score
0
And that little sst is straight lit at 1600, especially with a load.
 

CATDiezel

New member
Joined
Dec 27, 2011
Messages
2,221
Reaction score
0
Gcwr is 35,000 on a tow boss. 26,000 towing.

Even better!!

And that little sst is straight lit at 1600, especially with a load.

My thoughts exactly, definitely not under the turbo pushing 30lbs of manifold pressure. It's LIT.

Fwiw. I don't disagree with 4:30's. But why? That will flat out stink for a 3/4 ton to have the same ratio as a F450 (or 350 towboss) when not pulling a trailer.

If your at 25k on a bumper pull I hate to say this but its time to get the to tongue weight over the axle and not past the bumper. I just read your trailer sway issue. The sway is most certainly coming from too much balance on the trailer. Now your in a condition of YAW. LIKE A wobbling bullet. I frequently see trucks clean and spec'd out like yours on there side on the interstate from that very same problem.

Trailer manufacturers should not design trailers like that period!! Way to balanced on the trailer. It's either time for a dually conversion of simply a dually. Or a fifth wheel. I know all those options suck, but it's the truth!
 

WHY NOT

New member
Joined
Jun 21, 2011
Messages
3,912
Reaction score
0
Location
Carlyle IL
I was having pretty much the same issues as you when towing, almost same mods as well. NL intake GH tunes 3.55's I was on 37's at the time. I didn't remember the last time I cleaned my filter so I got the AFE cleaning kit and cleaned and reoiled my filter. It took about a week I think for the filter oil to really set in and work just right but after that week the smoke problem cleared up and acted just like it used to. Light haze some times. I know what you feel like though I felt like I was driving a 12v cummins with a flat bill hat when I had my GN behind me. Looked back and black smoke, I felt like a jackass
 

valvetick

New member
Joined
Apr 24, 2014
Messages
176
Reaction score
0
Regardless of how many gears the transmission has the truck will still pull better and more efficient with the ratio ford designed it to do so with. So with 35's and stock gearing the truck is being lugged more then the engineers ever designed. Will it hurt anything probably not but you should see better mileage and better power and temps by changing your gears to get the factory ratio back you had with stock tires. I did a gear swap about 5k miles ago for my 35's and I tow 25-26#'s gcw and it was by far the best investment I ever made to the truck put it back to the exact rpms it ran when it was stock.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

CATDiezel

New member
Joined
Dec 27, 2011
Messages
2,221
Reaction score
0
Regardless of how many gears the transmission has the truck will still pull better and more efficient with the ratio ford designed it to do so with. So with 35's and stock gearing the truck is being lugged more then the engineers ever designed. Will it hurt anything probably not but you should see better mileage and better power and temps by changing your gears to get the factory ratio back you had with stock tires. I did a gear swap about 5k miles ago for my 35's and I tow 25-26#'s gcw and it was by far the best investment I ever made to the truck put it back to the exact rpms it ran when it was stock.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They come with 35's stock if they had a 20" rim from the factory.
 

WHY NOT

New member
Joined
Jun 21, 2011
Messages
3,912
Reaction score
0
Location
Carlyle IL
Some of you guys keep harping on Fords GCVWR. Tires and axle weight is what will mainly determine what you could handle. Hell a guy could stick a 30K lb trailer behind an F-250 if he wanted and as long as it was loaded correctly not to much weight on the truck or trailer have one hell of a load. The trailer brakes will be good for 30K and the truck for the rest.
Also all the guys harping about being legal, how many of you have a de let ed truck?
So give the guy a break he isn't doing anything wrong, PLUS thats not what his question was even about.
 

Latest posts

Members online

Top