So what is the milage your looking for? is it 1 mpg 10mpg maybe a 100 mpg? I traded my Hemi for this smoker because I wanted less worry of pulling problems (lower rpms, bigger beefyier block and mains) Milage is just a plus. If you wanted milage you would ride the horses not pull them! If I wanted milage I would by a smart or a hybrid but the 5vr would probably crush the roof . I hear storys of the class 8 people getting 12 to 14 mpg pulling 60,00 but I have never talked to any driver at any truck stop that really gets that. Milage is like crop harvest numbers, they seem to grow some from the field to the elevator! I will guarantee youthat if you make more power (burn the fuel more efficiantly) you will get better milage EVERYTHING else being the same, the problem is nothing stays the same! If you get 7 mpg and increase that .7 mpg that is 10% if you get 50 mpg and increase it 1mpg that is .02%. If you want fuel milage by a mb 3cyl diesel like they use in the town delivery. but I think there 0 to 60 mph times are in the minutes maybe even in hours but hey you will probably get 16 mpg.
Mash you pedal, feel the rush life is good!!!

 

Sherman - Thanks for the towing MPG numbers. That's definetly in the right direction!

I had no idea that the box would throw off the overhead. Guess that's due to fuel pressure differences between stock and boxed? So you are right, the test would be absolutely worthless given the measurements are invalid.

Lightman - I've seen the light! I had been planning on getting gauges as a first step. Wasn't going to get boxed so soon, but now since I have an upcoming 1400+ Mile trip and with the release of the new Xzilleraider XZT I found it very tempting to use a box earlier than I had planned. However, I think I read somewhere that Quadzilla is coming out with a gauge package so that has caused me to want to wait on guages to see what they will have. Sure would be nice if they could run an EGT output into their box to make necessary engine paramater adjustments on the fly to keep everything copesthetic.

Soooo, I have now decided to NOT add the box just yet and will wait for a look at Quads guages and hopefully read a few more towing reports while I'm waiting. Your point about having the ability to select and back off or even turn off the box for severe towing (mountain passes come to mind) is interesting. However, since the XZT was specifically designed/tuned for towing I was hoping it would somehow monitor critical engine parameters and back off boost, etc. when necessary. I guess it can't do that very intelligently without any EGT info. factored into the equation?

So for the trip to CA. I'm just going to run stock and take it easy on any grades. We will be going the Nothern route (NOT I-70) using I-80 to Reno then up 395 way crossing over 299 through Redding and won't stop until we hit the pacific.

 

I'm trying to quantify the risk/reward ratio. In other words, if I am going to put a box on my $9,000 engine (replacement cost) and run a risk, however small, of voiding my 100k factory engine warranty I want to know all the benefits. I'm not looking to mash the pedal and kill hemi's, been there done that with crotch rockets many years ago. That's why I posted this in the Towing forum and not the Performance forum.

Yep, the mileage and torque are why this is my second towing diesel (had a '95 12V that got 23 MPG on road, but it was only 170HP!). However, with the cost of diesel heading towards $3 I don't want to lose any ground and would like to know which box offers the best gains. So what am I looking for regarding MPG? Anything from 1 - 4 (the advertised gains). Are they acheived during towing, just normal driving or both? Since you haven't towed I realize you can't answer that yet. So far, we have Sherman's report and it looks good. But one is not a trend.

Quote:

I don't need to prove there is air to breathe because I am writing this.

Not asking for any proof. Using your analogy, I'm just trying to measure and quantify how much air you consume when writing versus running up stairs (towing) with and without an XYZ pacemaker, if you know what I mean.

If it was as simple as you say, I should just get the RACE version and just dial it all the way up to 140HP to get the best MPG! I will be the first to admit I'm pretty lame when it comes to the new engines...but don't you encounter more inherent driveline losses in a stock truck with the 48RE as you increase HP over stock? In other words, you can make more HP but how much is really being transmited to the pavement? As the HP goes up aren't the losses proportionally higher if everything remains the same? Aren't the torque converter and transmission decreasing in efficiency, especially under towing conditions, at some increased HP point? I guess that is what dyno's tests are for.

PS: You've obviously never owned a horse - mileage is measured from farrier to vet visits! Your mileage may vary

 

XZILR8N - how much do you estimate your load to be? I wasn't suggesting that you have to take it easy towing when your truck it stock...it's set up to handle most anything you can throw at it. I would just avoid having the pedal mashed to the floor for minutes uphill with 12,000 behind you if you know what I mean...extreme circumstances can cause even a stock engine to get hot.

EGT wise on your trip, again waiting to hear how much weight you're towing, it would be almost safe to say that you wouldn't be nearing any danger zones with the standard box turned to 30. With 4000 behind me, I towed on the 60hp setting last weekend for about 300 miles. Lots of hills (no mountain grades), and a few times I really got on it uphill to see how hot it would get. Empty on the 60hp setting I've been able to hit 1150 peak which instantly drops and stabilizes at 1100. This time with the trailer I was able to peak at around 1200 and stabilized at 1150. That is also a lot harder than I'd ever normally drive with the trailer, or would recommend - it was just for the sake of testing... I'm sure the 30hp level would be just about the same as stock EGT's.

I think waiting to get gauges is probably a smart decision....unless you get the adjustable box and can control yourself. You could easily leave it off/stock for towing until you get gauges, and then crank to 30 or 60 when empty...which are both safe EGT wise.. I know you don't want to stoplight drag race people, but you won' t believe how much more driveable and fun the truck becomes with the extra power. If you drive at the same rate as usual you will pick up some extra mpg. I'd estimate 1-1.5 real mpg gain, that has been my experience.

As far as I know the quad box does not monitor egt and does not defuel (thank you quad - I love the simplicity).

 

Lightman - My 26' aluminum trailer weighs approx 5,800 lbs EMPTY. The two horses combined weight are about 2,600 lbs. With all our tack, water, feed/hay and plus the fact that my wife is cleaning out her closet (this is a move haul for her) we are probably pushing 10,000+ lbs. maybe more if my wife keeps dragging out more stuff to put in the dressing room section of the trailer. My transferflow aux tank in the bed with full fuel and tools is pushing 500 lbs. So we are probably going to be at least 10,500 lbs and counting.

 

Gauges

 

black smoke with the XZT box?!?!?!?!?!??????????????

 

The kids showed buckskin for 10 yrs and the oldest girl was runnerup all around for 2 yrs. Horses or hp I liked them both. Good luck on your numbers. My zxt does not smoke at all!


2004.5 3500quadslt srwlb phantom guages pillar mount westin bars srt scoop bad Edit truck
Fred

 

Bigsnakebud - Hey after all these years we still do measure in Horse Power whether its a Hay Burner or an Oil Burner. Glad you have the full HP experience!

It seems like you are really enjoying your XZT and will put it to some very good use towing that FW.

I think I'm going to not rush it and wait until I have gauges installed. My trip is coming up end of next week and my window is rapidly closing to get everything ordered, installed and road tested before then, so I will probably just wait until post-trip to Xzilleraider myself.

Thanks for everyone's comments. I'm probably just gonna be monitoring this thread and others on and off for any new resports on the XZT. Can't spend too much more time here as the pre-move list is long and the wife says no more "cyber towing" allowed.

 

Horsehauler,

On the 140hp setting I get some smoke when I mash the pedal. With the EZ I could only see it at night in the headlights of the cars behind me. With this box it is a noticeable amount of smoke.. I don't know why we like smoke so much but we all seem to get so happy when we have it... I haven't checked it on the 100hp setting but on the 60hp setting there is no smoke to speak of. I'll check this morning on the 100.......
The higher I set the box the more ridiculous the overhead gets. Mine's on the 100hp setting right now and the overhead is telling me almost 22mpg in traffic. On the 140 setting it tells me 23mpg. I just wish it were true...

 

As far as smoke goes,I get a little puff at low rpm,goes away when the turbo spools up,if you don't look carefully you miss it and that's when I get on it hard.the box does make the truck feel a little stronger with the towing box both empty and loaded.With over 1500mi. now the box has very good drivability,I like the modest increase in power but I really like the 1.3 mpg increase when pulling my 6 horse tr. at 70mph.13.43 mpg is pretty good,the egt's are not out of control,the highest I have seen is 1300 and that is only on a hard climb at 2500 rpm + in high gear.

 

It seems most of you have a manual transmission, is anyone useing this with a automatic? And if so how does the "tow mode"effect it?

 

The real test will be in June. I will pull my 37' kz sportster to Florida and back and at least 1 way will be to KNoxville and up Jellico, I have been pulling race cars and boats for 30 yrs so I know what it's like going both ways, If I can keep 65 or 70 going up I will have done hwat I was after. I had to put a BDS 6:71 on the 85 360 to keep it in 4th gear (stick). The v10 screamed it's guts at 65 because it shifted to 3rd (auto) unlocked. The Hemi kept it there but was at 5800 rpm in 4th (auto) unlocked. I might get a chance to pull something before then but that will be the real test.

Fred

 

Hopefully I will be able to give some feedback on this after our trip pulling the trailer next week. I installed the XZT box on my truck last night. I can say it gave my truck a real kick in the butt (as if it really needed any). My truck is a auto and the trailer weighs in right at 10k loaded. My truck will only have about 1500 miles on it when we leave but I will be keeping track of the mileage and performance. I will report back a week from Sunday.

 

On the 100hp setting I get a nice puff of black smoke when I stand on it but it clears up quick. I checking my mileage now on all settings and will post soon. I will say that mileage on the 100hp setting is higher than on the 60hp setting. That doesn't mean that I gained mileage though. It just means that I got some of the lost mileage back!