Quote:
Originally Posted by perryt
So on my 1999 F350 DRW 6 speed 4x4 if I spend the dough on a new intake will I see any benefit in increased MPG ?
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Probably not. The purpose of improved intake (and exhaust) is to allow you to go faster without exceeding 1,250º pre-turbo exhaust gas temp (EGT) when towing up the mountain.
So the first step is always to install gauges. Pre-turbo pyrometer and turbo boost (a.k.a., intake manifold pressure). I'm a fan of ISSPRO gauges from
Diesel Performance at DieselManor, Inc. - Taking the Mystery out of Diesel Performance™
Then next step is intake and exhaust.
The best value for intake is the Ford Severe Duty Air Induction system (AIS). It will allow you to tow faster up the mountain while keeping the intake air squeeky clean. About $200 street price.
Much higher racket (NVH) will come from the less-expensive
"Tymar" clone intake, which is a huge Donaldson air filter element connected to the turbo inlet. It works if you can stand the racket.
For exhaust, the least expensive is to simply replace the stock muffler with a Walker Big Truck Muffler (BTM) performance muffler. About $60 from
Summit Racing - High Performance Car and Truck Parts | 800-230-3030 - search on part number 21470 then you'll see WLK-21470, Dynomax RV muffler. That's it. Local muffler shop will charge about $50 to $75 to install it if you also provide two 3.5" muffler clamps. (Most muffler shops and auto parts stores will not have muffler clamps larger than 3". Get them at a big-truck parts store.)
The Walker BTM will give you about 80 percent of the benefit of a full-blown 4" turbo-back performance exhaust system. But if you just gotta have the last tenth when going up the mountain, then spend $300 to $700 on a 4" turbo-back mandel-bent exhaust system instead of a hair over $100 for the installed Walker BTM.
After gauges, intake and exhaust, the next step is a towing tune. The guru in tuning right now is Jody Tipton at
DP-Tuner . There are several ways to install a towing tune in your main computer (PCM). Flash the PCM, or a programmer/tuner, or a multi-position chip, or a module. surf around on the DP-Tuner website to see the cost of each approach. (I have the programmer/tuner with Jody's tunes in it.)
