 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / Dodge / Dodge Trucks / June 2008What can I do to make towing easier with my truck?
I have an 04 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 short bed quad cab with automatic transmission,5.7 hemi and 3.55 rear end. It has a cold air intake and a transmission temp gauge added onto it. I am using E class tires with 33" BFG all terrain T/A tires. I have a prodigy brake controller and load leveling and sway control on the hitch. I am towing a Rockwood 8314ss camper (2007). I have noticed that while I can tow it and stop it safely the temp gauge runs around 195 F degrees. I towed it for the first time about 2 weeks ago. It weights around 6,000 lbs. I have heard that I can change gears(?) or something to increase the towing and make it easier on the transmission and engine. I don't want to cook the transmission although I don't know what the danger level is in degrees. I do check my fluids before every tow both coming and going on trips. A new truck is out of the question right now. And I don't want to spend a fortune on something that will give little back. I have also heard that changing gears will also really screw up the gas mileage which is terrible anyways. Okay now I'll stand down and wait for the flogging to begin. > I have an 04 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 short bed quad cab with automatic > transmission,5.7 hemi and 3.55 rear end. It has a cold air intake and a [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > which is terrible anyways. Okay now I'll stand down and wait for the > flogging to begin. 33" tires are probably hurting your performance and mpg considerably. Drop to 30-31" which is stock size for your truck. I have a Hemi Durango 4x4 3.55 and pull about 5,000 lbs in very mountainous terrain. It does have a factory tranny cooler as well as an auxiliary engine cooler that works great. >I have an 04 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 short bed quad cab with automatic >transmission,5.7 hemi and 3.55 rear end. It has a cold air intake and a [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >the temp gauge runs around 195 F degrees. I towed it for the first time >about 2 weeks ago. It weights around 6,000 lbs. If you upped the tire size then you need lower gears. Since you will be in there may as well go lower than the equivalent stock gears. Mileage will take a dump though. I am running 38" on my 1500 4x4 but I have replaced the axles with 1 ton units off a diesel with 4.10 gears. Cant pull crap though. Howard, I have a '96 1500 with a 5.9 (3.55) and an '04 3500 dually with the Cummins (4.10). Junk the 33" rubber. They may look cool, but they will absolutely trash your ball joints and steering arms. They wear poorly. The extended sidewall makes the whole truck wobbly, ruining the handling. In addition, your effective axle is now about 3.4, effectively making your already poor towing much worse. I am not sure what your factory max towing weight is, but I think if you haven't already exceeded the factory recommendation, you are right at the limit. If you consider nothing else, please consider the inadequate brakes that equip the 1500. If you want to tow, get a 3500 and the Cummins. You won't believe the difference. On my 3500, I use 22.5 alcoas. The 1500 is a toy. The 3500 is the real deal. Steve >I have an 04 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 short bed quad cab with automatic >transmission,5.7 hemi and 3.55 rear end. It has a cold air intake and a [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > is terrible anyways. Okay now I'll stand down and wait for the flogging > to begin. > I have an 04 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 short bed quad > cab with automatic [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > anyways. Okay now I'll > stand down and wait for the flogging to begin.  SignatureWell, there are a number of things you can do to make improvements. But here's the bottom line. The gas engine is pretty good. But it will never be a torque monster, and it will suck gas like there's a hole in the tank. Accept it now and learn to live with it. A bunch of folks will jump in and say go out and buy a diesel Cummins. Yes, that's a great idea. If you happen to have a suitcase full of money lying around with nothing to do. If you don't have that, here's a few things you can do: 1. Reprogram the computer with something like Hypertech. It will run better and shift better. 2. Change the thermostat to 180*. Only do this if you've reprogrammed the computer to accept it. Otherwise, it will probably run bad and get terrible gas mileage. 3. A cold air intake system. Not a drop in K&N flat filter, but something that will actually feed cold air to the engine. 4. Cat back exhausts, headers, true duales, etc, are useless. You'll spend big bux and feel no differance on the Butt-O-Meter or the gas pump. 5. Smaller, lighter, skinnier tires. 6. Drive slower. Nothing wrong with 60-65mph. -------- .boB 2006 FXDI hot rod 2008 Mustang Coupe 2001 Dodge Dakota QC 5.9/4x4/3.92 1965 FFR Cobra - 427W EFI, Damn Fast. I have the K&N cold air intake system. I am wondering what the thermostat has to do with it? I changed my tires thinking that the bigger ones would have stronger sidewalls. I admit that I liked the Michelin stock tires better and the ride was smoother. Does one need to have E rated tires for heavier towing or are the stock ones sufficient? Thanks for your reply. I do agree that the cat back Gibson dual exhaust system is probably a waste of money. Sounds good but there are days I wish I didn't have so much noise. I guess that stock isn't always bad. Howard >> I have an 04 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 short bed quad cab with automatic >> transmission,5.7 hemi and 3.55 rear end. It has a cold air intake and [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >> screw up the gas mileage which is terrible anyways. Okay now I'll >> stand down and wait for the flogging to begin. > I have the K&N cold air intake system. I am wondering what the > thermostat has to do with it? I changed my tires thinking that the > bigger ones would have stronger sidewalls. I admit that I liked the > Michelin stock tires better and the ride was smoother. Does one need to > have E rated tires for heavier towing or are the stock ones sufficient? the stock tires are matched to the truck's load rating. increasing the load rating of the tires does not increase the truck's RAWR. (Rear Axle Weight Rating) and thus doesn't do much to help you. ALTHOUGH E rated tires will be more stable when your pushing the upper limits of C rated tire's ratings. But there again your pushing the limits of what the truck is designed to do in that case, if not already exceeding the design limits. > Thanks for your reply. I do agree that the cat back Gibson dual exhaust > system is probably a waste of money. Sounds good but there are days I > wish I didn't have so much noise. I guess that stock isn't always bad. SignatureChris ".boB" <bobcowan035@comcast.net> >> 1. Reprogram the computer with something like >> Hypertech. It will [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >> >> 6. Drive slower. Nothing wrong with 60-65mph. > I have the K&N cold air intake system. I am > wondering what the > thermostat has to do with it? The two are not directly related. The cold air system is one of the few easy changes that has been shown to increase low end torque. It's relativly inexpensive, and pretty simple to install. A colder thermostat will pulll more heat out of the heads. That helps prevent detonation, and you can use mid grade instead of premium. It also gives you a little more lee-way on hot days with long grades. BUT, only do that if you've re-programmed the computer to accomadate it. Otherwise, you could make the engine run bad, and cut your mileage by a bunch. -------- .boB 2006 FXDI hot rod 2008 Mustang Coupe 2001 Dodge Dakota QC 5.9/4x4/3.92 1965 FFR Cobra - 427W EFI, Damn Fast. > A colder thermostat will pulll more heat out of the heads. That helps > prevent detonation, and you can use mid grade instead of premium. It also [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > -------- My 99 1500 already has a tube pulling air from the fender from the factory. Isnt that taking in cold air? >> A colder thermostat will pulll more heat out >> of the heads. That [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > the fender from the > factory. Isnt that taking in cold air? SignatureThat's a good start. But have you looked at the size of that tube? On my Dakota, that tube was pretty small. Switching to a CAI with a funnel shaped filter has been shown to increas low end torque. The stock set up has to meet federal noise standards, and that makes the whole set up restrictive. -------- .boB 2006 FXDI hot rod 2008 Mustang Coupe 2001 Dodge Dakota QC 5.9/4x4/3.92 1965 FFR Cobra - 427W EFI, Damn Fast. >>> A colder thermostat will pulll more heat out of the heads. That >>> helps prevent detonation, and you can use mid grade instead of [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >> My 99 1500 already has a tube pulling air from the fender from the >> factory. Isnt that taking in cold air? I already installed a 180 thermostat, what chip and CAI should I go to? I am in Houston weather if that makes a difference. 5.9l gas with auto. >>>> A colder thermostat will pulll more heat >>>> out of the heads. That [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > difference. 5.9l gas with > auto. SignatureI used a K&N CAI kit. But I think it's not particularly better than any of the others. I bought that one in 2002 because I got a good deal on it. And, yes, it did make a differance. I also removed the rubber flap from the left side of the radiator. Did that help? I don't know, but it didn't hurt. For the computer, I used a Hypertech programmer. That made a huge differance. I should have done that right off the bat. remarkable improvement in driveability and power. Did I mention the Viper rocker arms? That's an excellent improvement for less than $100. Also, don't forget to check the belly pan on the intake manifold. If that's leaky, it won't run nearly as well. -------- .boB 2006 FXDI hot rod 2008 Mustang Coupe 2001 Dodge Dakota QC 5.9/4x4/3.92 1965 FFR Cobra - 427W EFI, Damn Fast. Does the Hypertech come with set programming or do i have to figure it out? How do i check the belly pan? >> -- >> I used a K&N CAI kit. But I think it's not [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > do i have to figure > it out? How do i check the belly pan? SignatureThe hypertech (and others like it) come with a set program. By the time you open the box, read the instruction, reprogram your computer, and put the programmer away, you'll have spent less than 30 minutes. Piece of pie, easy as cake. Worth every penny. Magnum engines with the "beer keg" intake manifold are pretty famous for leaking - 3.9, 5.2, and 5.9. The bottom of the manifold casting is closed off by a stamped metal plate. Under the plate is a gasket. Over time, that gasket leaks. It's not much, but it does leak. That causes poor performance. Remove the air filter tubing from the top of the throttle body. Open the throttle blades, and look down in there with a flashlight. If the bottom of the manifold is covered with oil, yours is leaking. To fix it, you have to remove the intake manifold. Not a technically difficult job, but a pain in the neck. The only special tool you need is to remove the fuel line from the fuel rail - $8 at NAPA. The manifold bolts are single use only. Also bought them from NAPA, but can't remember the cost - about $40'ish. But the whole job was less than 2 hours, and less than $100. -------- .boB 2006 FXDI hot rod 2008 Mustang Coupe 2001 Dodge Dakota QC 5.9/4x4/3.92 1965 FFR Cobra - 427W EFI, Damn Fast. Thanks. >>> Also, don't forget to check the belly pan on the intake manifold. If >>> that's leaky, it won't run nearly as well. >> Does the Hypertech come with set programming or do i have to figure >> it out? How do i check the belly pan? |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.