first tow with 2003 screw and SCT tow tune
03-26-2015, 02:13 PM
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first tow with 2003 screw and SCT tow tune
After having this truck for about a year now, I finally put it to the test this past weekend and can say i am reasonably pleased with how it pulled this trailer. The truck is a '03 screw FX4 w/ 5.4, auto, 3.73 gears with 160K miles on her; tires are BFG F285-65-18 (E rated) on aftermarket wheels. The trailer is a Jayco 27BH; dry but fully loaded, trailer weighs in around 5900-6100 lbs.
I loaded the tow tune on my SCT and we left Texas, headed down the road to New Orleans with wife, daughter and family dog (Rosie). Sticking to the recommendations from this and other forums, and of course Ford's owners manual, I drove with OD off. I was a little leary about cruising 65-70mph turning such high rpms so i kept a close eye on the temperature gauge. I set the cruise at 65mph and pretty much ran this speed the majority of the trip; approx 560 miles round trip. At 65, rpm's were at 2500.
With exception to the Lake Charles and Baton Rouge bridges, the truck took grades well and never seemed to struggle too much. I did attempt on a few occasions and on long flat stretches to run in OD and although I was fighting very little if any head winds, I was unable to maintain speed; damn, if only 4.30 gears were available for this truck!
Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it handled. Engine temperature stayed in normal operating range, tranny shifts were firm and a check of the dipstick revealed no oil usage the entire trip. Just wished I had thought of running the stock tune on the trip back so that i could have provided a comparison of the two. thanks
I loaded the tow tune on my SCT and we left Texas, headed down the road to New Orleans with wife, daughter and family dog (Rosie). Sticking to the recommendations from this and other forums, and of course Ford's owners manual, I drove with OD off. I was a little leary about cruising 65-70mph turning such high rpms so i kept a close eye on the temperature gauge. I set the cruise at 65mph and pretty much ran this speed the majority of the trip; approx 560 miles round trip. At 65, rpm's were at 2500.
With exception to the Lake Charles and Baton Rouge bridges, the truck took grades well and never seemed to struggle too much. I did attempt on a few occasions and on long flat stretches to run in OD and although I was fighting very little if any head winds, I was unable to maintain speed; damn, if only 4.30 gears were available for this truck!
Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it handled. Engine temperature stayed in normal operating range, tranny shifts were firm and a check of the dipstick revealed no oil usage the entire trip. Just wished I had thought of running the stock tune on the trip back so that i could have provided a comparison of the two. thanks
