I'd like to pose the question to 7.3 powerstroke lovers only; what power upgrades have you done to your truck, what gave you the best gain for the money, are you finished with upgrades or do you still have more to do?

Thanks,

deranger

I had a very early production 2000 F350 SRW with the 7.3L.  I pulled a 3 horse aluminum with a mid tack and dressing room. I added a Superchip tow chip ( they didn't have the programers back then, You bought a chip fixed at a certain hp boost, mine added 50hp)  I also added a Pyro, which you will absolutely must do if you add any kind of a chip. I put a K&N air filter on that truck.  I ran that truck for almost 100,000 miles and sold it to my good friend for his excavation company. He tows a skid loader or mini excavator or something with it every day. The truck has over 250,000 miles now and is still going strong, although the sheet metal looks like heck from all the dents his employees have put in.

I then bought a 2003 F350 with a 6.0L ( built the first week of production) and it was stronger than my 7.3L but it did have a few problems  ( EGT, ICP, VGT )  Once Ford got those things cleaned up it ran with out any problems.

I now have a 2006 F350 again with the 6.0L and this one has the Edge Evolution, B&D Exhaust Brake and has performed flawlessly.

With toda's technology in chips and programers, I'd buy a good programer like the Edge Evolution and select the tow choice and just drive it.  ( with the gauges of course)

Forgot to mention, we did add a pyrometer, boost guage, and tranny temp guage in a handy strip on the upright to the left of the dash.  Also a scorpion engine brake....this is a 2000 model F350.

1) 1997 Ford F-350 crew cab dually 7.3L stroker, auto,4.10 gears, 170-k miles and still looks new.  TS Performance 4 bank 6 pos module, K&N intake kit, 3" downpipe 4" exhaust 5" SS tip.  Before any upgrades I would avg. around 14 empty and 11 loaded (18-klbs)  after upgrades avg. around 17 empty and 13 or so loaded.  Cost around 650.00!

2) 1999 Ford F-250 regular cab 2wd, 7.3L stroker, 6 speed hand shaker, 3.73 gears, 195-k miles.  Quadzilla chip, K&N INTAKE KIT, 4" exhaust 5" SS tip.  Before only checked empty would avg. 16 and after mods would avg. 20.  cost $450.00

3) off topic but still a stroker 2006 Ford F-250 regular cab 2wd, 6.0L, 5 speed auto, 3.73 gears, 141-k miles.  K&N intake kit, 4" exhaust (no cats) 5" SS tip, egr delete kit, no chip.  Before the upgrades I would avg. 15, after I am getting 17+ all day long.  cost $300.00

4) off topic 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 C/C 6.7L, 6speed auto.  no mods yet and POOR mileage 12?, but I can pull a house down!

5) Starting another 1996 Ford F-350 I just bought with 47-k actual miles.  Will be the same as number 1 on my list but will have stacks and I am going to try the S&B intake kit this time.

I think the exhaust system is the best upgrade for the money.  I like the plug in modules better than the regular old chip, because it adjust timming, fuel and air.

Mike, the 7.3L powerstroke started as an option in 1993 and was taken out of production in 2003.  I didn't want to limit contributions from PS owners by telling them a certain tranny or year.  I wanted everyone that has experience with PS's, good or bad, to feel free to contribute what they wanted to share about upgrading their PS.  I also wanted to find out what works best, gives the best results for the money and cost of operation per mile.  With fuel costs rising sharply last year and OPEC dancing the cost of a barrel of oil up and down like it's riding on a see-saw, I wanted to see if we could find power upgrades that also offered some increase in fuel milage.

Seriously though, since you couldn't resist bashing the PS by promoting your Dodge, that means you don't follow instructions well.  So how many years did it take for you to pass kindergarden? 

deranger

hogtownboss, that's exactly the kind of info I was hoping to see on this thread.  Thanks so much for contributing and good luck with your next 1997 project.

deranger

I had heard that the Edge Programmer was a good bang for your buck.  I used the Super Chip on my 2001 F350 SRW 6spd and really like it!  I was looking at a purchasing an Excursion a while back and the owner had done a LOT of modes to this truck.  He had the latest version of the Edge and in "economy" mode it would do about 22 mpg hiway.  I thought that was REALLY impressive for an Excursion with auto/tranny and started getting curious about other types of modes that would help the PS and make it a better performer in all areas of driving. 

I like the Super Chip as it has 3 settings.  I keep it on the middle, 80 hp setting, and it does a great job.  EGT's and TIT's stay within limits even on long pulls and loaded.  Where I live we have some hills with some steep grades and there have been times that I was in 4th gear on a long pull @ 2550 rpm's for a while and the EGT's and TIT's stayed well within limits on the middle setting. 

deranger

farmbabe, what are you comparing your PS to when you say it was a bit doggy?  Hopefully not your ZL-1?

deranger

My cousin graduated only once too, but he was 7...........

deranger

Your fuel mileage will really vary with what you do with your truck.

Since the price of fuel went crazy last summer, I have really watched what my 6.0L does.  If I get on the highway and set the cruise at 70 and leave it there with an empty load and the tonnuea cover closed, I get 22 mpg.  If I chase around town, 30-40 mph with lots of stop and go. I get 13-14 mpg

If I hook up a trailer and get on the highway, I'll get 11  to 14 mpg depending on the trailer and the mountains I climb. And it doesn't matter if I hook up a 20 foot flat bed bumper pull or a 26 foot box 7.5' high Gooseneck Just pulling that extra set of axles changes my mileage.  I got 11.2mpg pulling a 16,000lb LQ Salt Lake to Yellowstone and I got 11.5mpg pulling a 6,000lb empty gooseneck, Bosie to Salt Lake the next week. I mean 10,000lbs less weight, I thought I'd get better mileage.

Also the seasons make a big difference.  Summer grade fuel has more BTU's than Winter Grade diesel. So you will always get better mileage in the warmer months.

I really don't see much difference in fuel mileage whether I have the chip in Tow mode or Stock mode. Mileage is about the same.

Try a real truck forum http://www.thedieselstop.com/ There is no horse or tailer talk on that site if I'm not mistaken.

I agree with you Mike, if I slow my PS down a tad, it does better on fuel.  I've found that 68mph is a "sweet spot" for my PS whether it's empty, fully loaded for a long weekend, or pulling my flat bed GN tri-axle with a load of lumber on it from the sawmill. 

deranger

houddog, you are right, the ratio will make a difference.  That's why I like reading your posts, you are always sharing the info in a more technical way than some of us.

Here's a question for you hounddog; have you had any experience adding a turbo to 6.9 or 7.3 IDI diesel?  I've been doing a lot of thinking about adding a Banks or ATS turbo to one of my work trucks.  Do you, or anyone else have any thoughts to share on that subject?

deranger

As you say, in several trucks with SuperChips base chip, mileage seemed to tank at over 2,000RPM. So the 3.73 trucks gave me about 3 MPH over the 4.11. But in the DRW, I believe Ford hasn't offered the limited slip in the 3.73, only the 4.11. I've been more impressed with how the Superchip altered the AT shifting than anything else. It really helped overall driveability.

You know what I'd really like is to have the '08 F-450 4x4 (that I gave up on the 6.4L and sold) with the 7.3L engines that I enjoyed in my '99-03s. Now that would be a truck!

I hate to be boring or dissappoint you "power" trip guys; but I drive an '01 model 350 CC 4x4 auto.  Never done a thing to it; strictly stock.  I use it to tow LQ trailers for our dealership; and also haul and deliver 15 round bale loads of hay (run a hay business) on a constant basis.  The truck has just shy of 250,000 miles on it.  Never touched the engine or the auto trans.  Just routine service. Maybe there is something to the fact, that if it didn't come from the factory that way; don't mess with it !!  This truck still has about the same power as it had when it had 50K on it.  It has definetely been a good one !!

Good for you jim bob!  I left my 01 super duty F350 4x4 srw stock until around 80k and wasn't disappointed with the performance in any way.  My diesel mechanic sort of sold me on the idea of installing the Super Chip and it took him a while to do it too!  I finally decided to give it a try, but it was strickly a try.  He had to take his truck to the dealer for a service bulletin on the cam sensor and downloaded the Super Chip.  He asked me to come by the shop and loaded his Super Chip in my truck on the medium or middle setting for an 80 hp gain.  At first I couldn't tell a lot of difference since I don't hotrod or cowboy my truck around at all.  I finally got a chance to tow with it a few days later and was amazed at how much difference it made while I was towing!  That same week, I ordered a Super Chip for my truck and have been happy with it since.  Gained a couple of MPG and a lot more torque for towing. 

deranger

I've got a 7.3 SD with a 3.73 axle ratio and on one particular hill of 11 %, I used to run out of power in second gear pulling my larger GN. I did the usual mods, and now I can exceed the speed limit at partial throttle in third gear. On the open road in our hilly area, my torque converter rarely unlocks when my module is selected in its lowest setting. I routinely cruise at 65 -70 mph at about 1800+ rpm.  I use only synthetic lubricants, and observe proper warm up and cool down cycles. This has  been going on now for 8 years with no reliability or maintenance issues, engine or transmission. For me, this is a perfect combination.

Gard

hounddog, I agree with your logic and the logic of the proffessional delivery guy.  All my work trucks are basically stock under the hood.  The most I've done to any of my work trucks is upgrade tires and wheels since we are off road on jobsites quite a bit.  Even my daily driver for my company is a stock unit.  However, my personal truck for towing our LQ trailer is a little different.  When I call on it, I want it to be there!  I don't want to be grinding up a hill in second or third when I can pull that hill in fourth at 55 and have all the gauges in the green.  A lot of times I'm the lead truck for a camping weekend and I'd rather lighten up on the throttle a bit to make sure everyone is keeping up rather than wishing I wasn't looking at everyone bunched up behind me waiting for me to get to the top of the hill.  I take good care of my blue oval truck and want it to last a long time because of the investment I made when I bought it new.  I'm not well off enough to trade trucks every couple of years and not worry about it.  The 2001 super duty I own right now has got to last a long time towing my LQ 3h slant.  Regular peeks under the hood and regular maitenance help make sure that will happen.  I enjoy flippin the power brake off and setting the cruise control on the interstate.  Without my Super Chip, I was not able to that as much as I can now. 

deranger

hogtownboss, by any chance is that a 4x4 truck?

deranger

Here are some old sayings .Gauges first! You play you pay! Now I will also mention that on the diesel forums be it which ever brand 90% give or take of the failed engines and trannys are modded trucks.(except 6.0s)Even if all facts point to a mod NOT causing the failure its still modded trucks with the burned pistons,dropped valve seats and transmission issues.Then all the squabble starts about the manufactures looking so hard at these failures and dening warranty.Iwonder why the manufacture looks so hard? Maybe because modded trucks make up the majority of the big failures?

hounddog, all that might be true, but I have conflicting information.  My local feed supplier, gate supplier for my business bought a brand new F450 a couple of years ago.  In less than 40k miles, the truck had a blown head gasket and this truck had only pulled an Exiss 3h LQ.  It had not been driven hard at all. I also remember when Ford startd putting the 6.9 in F350 Rollbacks the first year and then later in anything from a F250 on up, they had problems with dropping valves, blown head gaskets and lost compression. 

Let's look at it from a different angle.  When you bought a 426 hemi from chrysler back in the 70's, it came from the factory with no warranty.  When you bought an LS-7 corvette or chevelle it came for the factory with no warranty.  Because the factory knew how they were going to be driven.  School teachers and accoutants weren't buying that kind of car with that kind of motor.

I think this falls back on the 80/20 rule?  Out of 100 people that make modifications to their trucks for more power, 20% of them are going to be show-offs!  The other 80% are going to use the trucks as they were intended, but with better driveability and a little more power.  But no hot rodding!  I've seen some local red necks that have installed dual turbos on their Dodge Cummins, over sized studs in place of head bolts, big injectors, open air intakes and producing phenomenal horse power. When they leave a stop light you can't see for the black fog and blue smoke off the tires.  I've had them pass me on the interstate and stomp it when they go by and if fogs the area with black smoke.  Those are the guys that are melting pistons, blowing head gaskets and having all the problems.  Over 50% of the trucks that my local diesel mechanic works on have some sort of power mode and the majority of them come in for repairs that would be required even if they didn't have a hp mode installed.

deranger

I think another consideration would be the owner's reason for the modifications. Many of the " failed" engines were used in conditions, for which they were not designed; four wheel burnouts, lower ET's etc. The fact that large ipower improvements can be made, easily and relatively inexpensively to diesel motors, lends them to be abused and stressed beyond their capabilities. Many of these failures were involved by drivers, whose main considerations were speed and acceleration.

If a review of the previous threads is made, you will find that most owners whose primary concern is towing, use modules in a midrange or low power setting. This is to ensure reliability, by keeping the cylinder head and EGT temperatures low enough to prevent damage. They are not concerned with extracting every ounce of horsepower. They are more interested in mileage, additional torque, and overall driveability while towing.

I would venture to say that if a survey were taken of modified diesel motors used for towing, you would find few failures. Most horse owners would not subject their pets to violent accelerations, slammed shifting and high speeds. Most like me, are unwilling to commit $10,000 to a new engine for this act of behaviour.

There are many levels of modifications that can be effected. The extreme changes are to extract the maximum amount of power at any cost. This results in a potential hand grenade, and the owners know this when they start the modifications. Most haulers are using a very low power improvement. Instead of doubling or trebling their horsepower, they are routinely adding only 40 - 80 HP, a small fraction of the total.

The fact that most owners have enjoyed reliable drivetrains for many years after the modifications were made, is a testimate to their driving techniques and the quality of the modifications that were made. These owners cannot be grouped or compared, to those whose primary interest is high performance.

Gard

Gard, very well said.

deranger

Just the facts again? Please reread the threads post by people who own and use this equipment on a daily bases. They are the experts and know best how their trucks behave. Those are the FACTS

hounddog, I think of myself as pretty typical when it comes to truck ownership, care and maintenace.  The barometer I use to measure that is what my peers, neighbors, co-workers, horse buddies, sub-contractors, vendors, family and so on are saying works for them when it comes to everything we talk about on these forums, from horses, to trailers and trucks.  Especially the trucks!  As I said in an earlier post, it took me a LONG time to install a power mod in my truck.  I was finally convinced by my diesel mechanic that it was safe, a good bang for my buck and would ADD drivability to install a Super Chip on the middle setting.  Not SHORTEN the life expectancy of my motor or my truck.  I did the exhaust a LONG time ago and installed a system from the CAT back.  Then did the air filter by changing to a K&N, but not the cold air package.  I also installed an engine brake that closes the waste gate on my turbo to take some load off the brakes on long downhill runs loaded.  I did a tremendous amount of research before any of the mods were done and before I spent the money for the mods.  The only thing I can think of that has been a negative concerning any of these mods is I'm going to replace some u-joints in my truck before some of my friends do.  I can live with that since I have a little more power and 90% of the time when that truck leaves the farm, it's towing or hauling something!  It's not a Sunday driver, it's a hardworking truck with enough power to make me smile when I call on it to do what I bought it for.

deranger