Project Built for Towing

[LT.]

As with all things that are new and improved there have been bugs that needed to be addressed with the 6.7. I won't argue that at all. However, the 6.7 has been out for 4 model years now and each year has gotten better than the previous. While driving my 2006 after about 8 hours or so I started to feel fatigued and really just wanted out of the truck. Heck, sometimes it was a quick as just a few hours. This truck is different. I just finished driving 18 hours out and 14.5 hours back and the only time I was ready to get out of the truck was between Clayton and Springer, New Mexico. 84 miles of nothing and only five bends in the entire road, oh, and lets not forget the speed limit of 60 mph to boot. This truck will spin 1600 rpm's while driving 65 mph. This puts the motor at peak torque at 65 mph. The speeds most of us will drive anyhow.

I highly recommend y'all get behind the wheel of a 2010 Dodge. They are expensive but, you will no doubt enjoy the truck.

LT.

 

[gilg2533]

I will admit my bias does come from the first few (terrible) years it was out, I stopped paying attention to it as it was something I would never buy anyways.

 

[jeffsclan]

I purposley stay away from car lots. I seem to get that gleam in my eyes and a brain cloud appears . I can relate to getting tired way too soon on long trips.

 

[LT.]

I will admit my bias does come from the first few (terrible) years it was out, I stopped paying attention to it as it was something I would never buy anyways.

I know what you mean. I was a little leary of this one as well. There are a few things that I am going to do to it to help eliminate potential problems. But, they may also eliminate my warranty as well. I really want to showcase some of the legal products out there but, it seems as though the legal products cause more problems than they fix. More frequent regen cycles and the like.

I purposley stay away from car lots. I seem to get that gleam in my eyes and a brain cloud appears . I can relate to getting tired way too soon on long trips.

I smell what you are stepping in here. I think it happens to all of us. Something about shinny and new makes us all weak. I am hoping to get the chance to go to Idaho for the ITTC this year. It will be a long haul but, it should also be a heck of a lot of fun. So far this truck has been great, except for the dismal fuel mileage.

LT.

 

[LT.]

Update. This project really has not taken off like I would have liked. There really is not much on the aftermarket for this truck yet. Banks has just released a cold air intake as well as AFE. Computer tuning is almost non existent if you want to keep the factory junk on there. I did drop it off to have a goose neck hitch installed. A B&W turnover ball. It was supposed to be done today but, as luck would have it they have the wrong hitch in stock. This after I called to make sure they had the right one. Now I am hoping that the 4" hole that is drilled in my truck is in the right spot. I won't get the truck back until Tuesday at the soonest.

LT.

 

[LT.]

B&W turn over ball installed. I have pictures but, will have to wait until the wife shows me where the cord is. I am a little bummed because they were also supposed to install a 7 pin RV plug in the bed and didn't. I also found that they had left a ground wire loose and did not reground the truck. This was causing all kinds of problems. All is well now and all I am going to need next is the RV plug in the bed and some mud flaps are next.

LT.

 

[mbryson]

I just swapped my brake pads and did some maint. on my Dodge. Fuel filter thingy I like. 1 1/8" ratchet

 

[LT.]

That is one of the things that I don't do on my rig. The fuel filter is always done by a shop. I think I am just too lazy to do it.

LT.

 

[LT.]

I have made another appointment to have the trailer plug installed in the bed for this Friday. I am trying to get it together so I can head up to Idaho for the ITTC on the 16th of October. Truthfully, the truck has a long way to go before I have it where I want it but, I am hoping to have enough money scraped together for some needed improvements for towing.

I had wanted to showcase some parts that would keep the truck legal for all testing that maybe required for reg. But, the problem is that these trucks are so picky about the parts installed on them. Case in point, installing a cold air intake will set off a CEL on the dash. Something so simple still will cause a problem. Stay tuned for the updates.

LT.

 

[LT.]

Trailer plug is in and yesterday I ordered a Mini Maxx from H&S Performance and I also ordered a 5" turbo back race exhaust. I decided on the 5" because I may want to reinstall the stock exhaust back in the truck if I ever needed to have testing done. The 4" was just "test" pipes that would have to be installed and the filters would need to be cut out. I'll update when the parts are installed in the truck.

LT.

 

[LT.]

Project BFT version II is well underway. The mini maxx is installed and the 5" turbo back exhaust is on and sounds great. I started my old 2006 with the dual 4" exhaust and the 2010 with the 5" straight pipe and the 2006 was still louder even though the 2006 has a flow through muffler. So, I think I will keep the straight piped tubing and forgo the muffler on it.

LT.

 

[LT.]

Okay, now that the deletes are done I thought I should share what they were worth. I drove the same test loop and noticed a 2 mpg gain while towing 12,000 lbs. Driving while empty had gained me 2.5 mpg without adding any power to the truck. This translates into a 20% gain while towing and a 18.43% gain while empty. This is done with only deleting the emissions equipment. More can be had if the power is turned up on the truck. This is really exciting for me because I have a long trip planned for next week. I will be driving to Idaho for the Idaho Top Truck Challenge.

If we break this down into total money invested at this point and money that can be saved on fuel fill ups it will look like this. Assuming that the truck will be driven 20,000 miles a year. I would have used 1,212.12 gallons of fuel to go that distance. Now I will use 1052.6 gallons to go the same distance. A savings of 159.52 gallons of fuel. Todays prices are just a tick over $3.00 a gallon. Meaning a savings of $478.56 on fuel for the same 20,000 miles. At this rate it will take me not quite 2.5 years to break even. Now we could also factor in that the price of fuel is only going to go up and the fact that now the oil will stay cleaner longer (due to the removal of the EGR valve) I will break even much sooner. Also, if you factor in that the truck tows much more than is driven empty I will break even much sooner.

So, was the overall investment worth it? That question is difficult to answer but, I would say it will be. The problems that any of the big three are experiencing are mostly due to the new emissions equipment. This removal will now extend the life of the truck. Add to that the extra MPG and the extend oil life it will quickly add up. Remember that the calculations were done with out adding any power to the truck. Extra mileage can be had if the power is turned up. So, for me the answer is YES! It also brings a big smile to my face when I do turn the power up and crack the throttle.

LT.

 

[LT.]

Here are the pictures.

LT.

 

[LT.]

Last one.

LT.

 

[SLC97SR5]

That GN hitch isn't going anywhere! Looks good.

 

[LT.]

That GN hitch isn't going anywhere! Looks good.

Thanks. This is the second one that I have had on my personal trucks.

LT.

 

[LT.]

I just got back from a 2,080 mile run from my home town to Rigby, Idaho and back. On the way to Idaho I was running between 70 and 80 mph and averaged 18.0 mpg. On the way home I was only traveling between 65 and 75 and was able to average 19.8 mpg. 65 seems to be where the motor likes to run and it puts the rpm's at 1600. 75 mph puts the motor at 1800 and although the Cummins likes to run somewhere in the neighborhood between 1600 and 1800 I noticed my best mileage at 1600. I did have one tank that was at 20.5 and I also had one that was at 19.4 mpg's on the way home. The truck did great and I am now wondering how much better the mileage would be with a cold air intake.

LT.

 

[LT.]

I just got back from another long haul to Idaho Falls and back. Same great mileage on the way up, I was empty. And on the way home I towed my Big Tex flat bed trailer with my pop up camper on it and my Beater on it. I averaged 10 mpg loaded on the way home. Not bad, I was towing somewhere in the neighborhood of 18,000 lbs.

LT.

 

[LT.]

Well, Project BFT is waiting for a couple more upgrades that are on their way. The first thing I ordered was a 2" lift for the truck. Then, this morning I ordered a cold air intake from Banks Engineering.

I know that most of y'all would think that lifting a tow rig is just stupid. I have a few reasons for wanting to lift mine. First, I need the truck to fit my gooseneck trailer better than it does now. A 2" lift should be just about perfect. Second, with a lifted rig you gain better vision of the traffic ahead of you. This makes it easier to watch traffic lights and keep the load moving at all times. You waste so much effort and fuel getting the load moving after a complete stop. Third, I really can't stand having a rig that looks like everyone's. I wanted it to be different than any other rig that has driven off of the lot. Forth, there are sometimes when you need to go off the paved road to pick up your broken off road toy. The lift and slightly larger tires will help if called upon.

I will post up some pictures when it is all done.

LT.

 

[LT.]

I got a call from Banks Engineering this morning. Seems there was a problem with the CAI that I had ordered. I guess I will hold off for a while until after the holiday season. Hopefully by then Banks will have the problem sorted out.

LT.