firehawk

Hello all, I have a stock 99 2500 5sp and tow a 9000lb 5th wheel with it. It is also my daily driver. I am wanting to do some upgrades to improve towing. The problem I would like to solve is power below 2000 rpm, it always seems like Im shifting down to fourth to get the turbo to spool up. I am looking at doing a 4inch exhaust first then a computer. From reasearch it looks like an EZ edge or a Van Aaren box would work best. Know I want to hear from the guys who have made the changes. Should I do the box or exhaust first? Should I go with the EZ or the VA? If I go with the VA which one? I would like to stay between $400 and $450 for the box.

firehawk

I debated for 10 minutes what forum to put this thread in. Accessories, towing, 24v drivetrain Im sorry this ended up getting moved from 24v drivetrain. There has to a few out there that have gone through what I am.

graphitecumnz

I'll get this out of the way and say you probably should invest in some gauges before upping the power, especially since you're towing. You'd only need a fuel pressure and pyrometer to start off with but that's going to eat up your budget pretty quick.

As far as the power upgrade.... you might want to check out the Smarty. I know it's out of your price range but from the hours of reading on this and other sites, it looks as though it is the cats meow when it comes to non wire-tap upgrades. Mine should be here soon and my EZ will be on the shelf.

I don't have any experience with the VA but the EZ was a nice little boost in power. It wasn't too extreme.

firehawk

Im sorry I forgot to mention that I have gauges. With all of the lift pump problems I put a fuel pressure gauge in and because I bought the truck for towing I thought the EGT gauge would also be in order. I do not have a boost gauge. Where can I look at the Smarty online? Id like to check the prices out.

rebal

I had gone with a box the first go round ,if you want to do it right the first time get a smarty you can change the program to suit your driving needs.
with the 01 I have i bit the bullit and got a set of Mach 1.6 injectors with the catcher . it is the perfect combo for trailer towing + it will up you milage. also with the smarty you can set it for max. fuel econ. then reset for towing power. its a win win deal. also you really dont need 4 " exhaust until you start to near 400 HP. http://www.wagnerandassociates.biz/ this is where to get a smarty

graphitecumnz

www.madselectronics.com

firehawk

Rebal said "also you really dont need 4 " exhaust until you start to near 400 HP." Really? I thought exhaust was one of the first things you did, especially in a diesel to lower EGTs. Forgive me Im fairly new to diesel coming for gas drag car mentality.

rebal

its true it will lower EGTs just a tad, more so if you are pushing a lot of fuel, but on a mild mod truck you wont see any HP gain .I install a 4" on my 01 and saw no diff in HP or egts

firehawk

Cool, Id believe some one who has tried it before I believe advertisers. The only reason I was looking at exhaust was to lower EGTs because of a computer. I had also heard it would help spool the turbo up quicker. Anyone else have any experience?

02growler

seeing as you have the 5-speed with more than likely the stock clutch, I wouldn't go too extreme if you don't want to spend 1k on a south bend. I have the van aaken and love it. It has significantly more bottom end than stock, perfect for towing. I bought mine used for 200, which isn't hard to do. I never have to mess with any programming, it took 5 minutes to hook up, and hasn't lowered my mpg. Stock pulling 8k with my truck would start to slow down up some really steep climbs, but with the van aaken, I have yet to even consider downshifting. I would definitely suggest it just because the smarty is very expensive.

firehawk

Which Van Aaken do you have?

02growler

I've got the original va that plugs into the pump, it's a black aluminum box without a boost fooler, so I had to buy a boost fooler for 40. I've read that the older boxes are more responsive on the bottom end, and I occasionally see them posted in the classifieds for a decent price. With just the va you won't have any egt issues with the stock exhaust, but any more modifications and I would go to 4inch. With my stock exhaust I could hit maybe 1150-1200. Now with rv275's and 4 inch i can't hit over 1150. These egt's are well within the limits for continuous use.

wileyc

I would go with the van Aaken R box. It is the best tow module out IMO.

Sixpack

It did for my truck.

scottsjeeprolet

I always thought that the first mods should be Air in = Air out.
the first thing i did to my truck was K&N and 4" exhaust, now i have a BHAF.
just my .02c