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Just pulled through there end of December j20. Fun is one way of describing the adventure. Surprised you don't have any extended mirrors. We use ***** which work out fine. $40 and I take them off when not towing. Not a fan of the OEM "elephant ear" mirrors. Nice rig. I am surprised at that low a weight in an all season package 35'! Congrats!
Nice setup! So what does the tune alone give you? You have any quantifiable results with before and after installation data? I've only seen some company sponsored videos of acceleration tests comparing two different trucks roll on drag racing. Things like improved milage etc. These motors don't have any problem pulling a load but they do suck up the benzene. Your TT isn't a challenge to that truck at all. Just curious.
Yeah, the tuner does make a difference. Surprisingly enough, my "little" trailer is pretty heavy. It's fully loaded and not a "ultra-lite", so it's like 5,200 lb sticker weight - which we all know is probably low (likely closer to 6,000 lbs, plus a family of 4 and a wife that packs the kitchen sink). I'm positive I'm at or close to over payload every time I tow...I think it puts the truck to work pretty good...
That said, the tune helps a lot with the shifting when towing I think. It keeps the truck in the gear a bit more and doesn't search for gears quite as much. With the extra power, it just flat tows better. I don't feel like it's working quite as hard. I did see about a 2 MPG improvement on the short trip we took this weekend, but we'll see. I'm heading out again next weekend...
I've also really enjoyed the performance (non-tow) tunes when I'm not towing. It really livens up the truck and it feels sporty. I don't drive my truck hard, but just the improved throttle response is great. I've also seen some nice MPG improvements when not towing.
I also was a bit surprised how far tuners have come - I was impressed how it can feel aggressive, but very refined still...It's not harsh, jerky, or overly aggressive on my tunes. They all feel smooth and powerful. I don't know if that makes sense, but I remember shift kits back in the day that would 'slam' between gears...this is not anything like that...
EDIT: Also, my trailer is pretty tall and has a pretty flat front. I think the frontal area is almost more of an issue with how a trailer tows vs the weight. Some of these ultra-lites have a fiberglass aero cap I think would really help...
Last edited by RedAggie03; 01-30-2017 at 11:57 AM.
Coming from a carburetor background leaves me pretty much in awe of the advances in today's automotive technology. As long as everything is working like it should I am not going to change anything because I wouldn't know what I was doing. I pick up more in these forums than anywhere else and I like the real world feedback instead of the company ad exec's POV. Thanks for sharing all that with me. I think our wives might be sisters. Family had an epiphany of sorts when I told them to step on the scale as I recorded everything that went aboard before our last trip. No different in the "real" world either. Shuttle astronauts can't pack anything they want to so why should we?
Coming from a carburetor background leaves me pretty much in awe of the advances in today's automotive technology. As long as everything is working like it should I am not going to change anything because I wouldn't know what I was doing. I pick up more in these forums than anywhere else and I like the real world feedback instead of the company ad exec's POV. Thanks for sharing all that with me. I think our wives might be sisters. Family had an epiphany of sorts when I told them to step on the scale as I recorded everything that went aboard before our last trip. No different in the "real" world either. Shuttle astronauts can't pack anything they want to so why should we?
Man, I'd be sleeping outside with the dog so fast if I tried to pull that
Didn't say it went over well. But had to be done. We are way past where I wanted to be in this rig, but she haaaaaaad to have it so those are the conditions. We always travel dry and very closely watch what goes aboard. Come to think of it, when baby girl and I were building her tree house, wife casually asked me if there was room for me to stretch out in there. Wonder what that was all about? Next mod for us is tow hooks on this 2wd. No need to ask why.
01-24-2017, 06:31 PM
Surprised you don't have any extended mirrors. We use ***** which work out fine. $40 and I take them off when not towing. Not a fan of the OEM "elephant ear" mirrors. Nice rig. I am surprised at that low a weight in an all season package 35'! Congrats!
