Cspotrun

I'm looking for the best setup I can put together that is not only proven but will yield the best results while towing and unloaded. I really would like to beable to to keep her at 70 and roll to my destination with no worries. I live at approx 5800 ft. (Albuquerque) but travel often to sea level (Phoenix). I tow a 30 foot fifth wheel, occasionally with a 19 foot boat in tow behind it. With my previous combo, which consisted of a tapped Edge Comp and RV275s, I ran into some over temp tranny issues and some hotter than normal engine temps but never any EGT issues. It wasn't what I would consider the hot ticket for great towing power though. I've dropped the Comp Box for a Smarty and still have the RV275s. The tranny will be swapped for a GB tranny so right now my power options are a blank sheet. I have another set of unknown injectors to use as cores or to install nozzles on. My gut feeling is to run with a set of twins, 150 hp set of sticks, and stack a TST PM3 Comp with my Smarty, but if a Big Single will get the job done I am all for simpler is better. If a twin setup is the only way to get me where I wanna go then I'd like comments on Rip Rook's HX/HY-35 - S400 setup as I like Rip's service and the ability to piece the kit together myself.

So bottom line, what is your opinion on the best all around towing setup power package.

displacedtexan

For towing with big sticks, I's say twins, a big enough single would be pretty laggy.

But the Smarty, TST stack with 150 hp sticks sounds like it would be great with the right turbo setup. If the 24 experts think the Vulcan kit will deliver enough fuel.

J BODY

Trans temp? engine temp? ....no chance you're radiator fins are clogged up from the puke bottle by chance?

RJF

Why do you want 150HP sticks, a TST, twins, and the rest of that racing crap for towing? You do NOT need all that.
Our 2002 H.O. truck has nothing more than Mach 1 65HP injectors, and I could pull basically any hill I wanted at 80mph with my 27' 7K sled trailer behind me.

Leave the stock turbo on(maybe get a nice Phat shaft 62/14 if EGT's are high), leave the Smarty downloaded, leave the 275's in, get your tranny done, and enjoy cruising over average passes at 70-80mph.

caleb c.

[QUOTE=RJF]Why do you want 150HP sticks, a TST, twins, and the rest of that racing crap for towing? You do NOT need all that.
QUOTE]

Thats what I thought, but it gets old. And why not, I'm about to go to twins and M4's on my tow rig. The way it is now, I have Mach 1.75's and a comp and it tows great... but still not enough!

Bart Timothy

I agree, the expense and complexity of twins aren't necessarily needed for a good towing setup. There are plenty of singles out there which will do it.

Ultimately, the radiator becomes the real roadblock to high horse power, hard, towing, especially on hot summer days on high altitude mountain passes. The stock cooling system is only good to 400 hp, at best, under these conditions. 400 hp makes for a nice towing rig.

Ph4tty

It will. I'm still at min 12 psi with the vulcan kit and the above bombs.

Ph4tty

I'm no expert on towing, but I like Charlie8301's towing setup: smarty/tst, phatshaft, mach 1.6. Or Rebel's: 1.6's and smarty with a hx35

RJF

Why not?
1. Uses more fuel than neccessary with huge injectors and monstor boxes.

2. More complex and more to go wrong when you are cruising across a bare part of I80 at 1:30 AM.

3 It's harder on the motor with trying to make all that power with a load. People don't understand that there is a difference between being empty and jumping up to 60mph from a stop sign compared to pulling 10K behind you up a 3 mile grade.

4. You can't use all that power anyway. The stock cooling system will only handle so much heat, so you will be keeping your foot out of it, the box down, anyway.

I know for a fact that your Comp and injectors is enough power to pull ANY load within factory GCVWR over nealy ANY hill at the speed limit. If you can travel the speed limit, THATS IT. We have laws and you aren't supposed to be traveling any faster than the speed limit up a hill anyway. 400HP can easily break the law with the truck fully loaded. THats all the power you need.

gwhammy

I used to have a 01 HO with an ez and dd2 injectors with a 35-40 hybrid and straight pipe, temps never got over 1200 and it would pull a 33,000 gross in 5th gear with the cruise on. The trick is not to lug under around 2100 rpm's with a big load. It was probably the best setup of all the trucks I have had for controlling heat and pulling good. I would guess the hp at around 315 or so but that was enough. I put 115 hp edm's in and it was worthless the temps would out run the fuel peddle with a load.

getblown5.9

i had an awesome towing combo with DD3's (110hp) and comp, with my modified 14cm housing on the hx35.

it would pull any load, and temps were easily controllable with the foot. i pulled 7k up into the mountains of Pa 150 miles at about 60-70mph with the comp on 3, and got better milaege then when im hot rodding around empty

caleb c.

[QUOTE=RJF]Why not?
1. Uses more fuel than neccessary with huge injectors and monstor boxes.

I agree with most of what you are saying, but the above quote I dont understand. You only use as much fuel as you want too, you can make a set of M4's put out only as much as RV275's. It is not a full on full off thing. As for the Box, I dont even tow with it on anything higher than 1x1. Its just like a stock truck, you may have to nail it up a hill to get to the top, whereas a truck running some fuel will not have to be hammered up the hill, which in my case at least = better economy.


THats all the power you need(QUOTE)

Well, your exactly right. But WANT is the key word! I want a bad tow rig, as that is what I do 90 percent of the time. But when not loaded, I want it to SCREAM

chevota01

Funny how you get negative comments from people that don't or haven't had a high powered twinned setup. https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...e=1&p=1020988#


Three summers ago, I took the family on an 8500 mile trip in 4 weeks. From the Northeast out to Yellowstone pulling 13K of 5th wheel. Averaged 11 mpg going 70++ and no heat issues from the radiator.... my only issue--the tranny temp was up there when stuck in the rush hour traffic through Denver for 2 hours.


Did I mention it dynoed at 610HP on #2 https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...e=1&p=1020988#


The setup was a Piers set of towing twins & cam and stage 2 heads, hot Mach 4s, MAD ecm, Performance VP44, Comp drag...


The "unnecessary" extra power was fun when empty ansd especially nice towing 13K with minimum throttle effort. Go for it if you want. You can have your cake and eat it using the right components.

Chevota

Tiger Rag

I agree, I've got no issues towing 15k with the setup in my signature.

ratsun

___________________

I'll third that!
It seems many opinions are formed from no real experience
There is nothing nicer than towing with a 400-450hp twin turbo truck from my personal experience. Not having to live and die by the pyro or beat the hell out of it on big hills to maintain the speed limit makes the job more enjoyable for me. Each to his own but having towed with both theres no way I will go back to a single.