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Planning a few upgrades... Looking for some guidance

6K views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  DonWarkentin 
#1 ·
Hello all. I have a 2011 6.7 stock. I'm planning on purchasing a truck camper and do some traveling. Before this I want to upgrade the suspension to air ride, shocks, better tires, tuner, air intake, sway bar, and maybe an exhaust. Not sure where to start or what all is justified. Goal is horse power, fuel mileage and stability. I'm not interested, at this time, in dpf delete due to the emission laws and so forth.
 
#2 · (Edited)
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#3 ·
#4 ·
Dont waste money on air shocks get air bags instead. also get the compressor to go with it. Are you pulling a trailer or camper that slides into the bed? You didn't give to much information on your truck. camper package came with a rear sway bar. If not you can get one from Ford but they don't sell it in a kit. So stupid. So you would probably have better luck going after market. You will enjoy the power the truck has so leaving it stock would elevate any problems from aftermarket things like tuns CAI's and things like that. Not sure why 400 HP and 800# ' torque isnt' enough. I think they have a speed limit of 100 mph LOL.
 
#5 ·
My truck is a 2011 6.7 f250 super crew short bed. I am planning to replace the shocks and do the airbags. Would love a tuner but not sure which one to buy. The truck has tons of power and runs great. Would a cold air intake help? As for the camper; it'll be an Arctic Fox 811 slide in.
 
#6 ·
There is always a debate on CAI's. Personally I don't think they do as much as they say. Do you thin k you would get a 5 H.P. increase from a air filter is enough of a deal to spend that much money on.
Same goes for a tuner. The truck will pull the camper just fine. You may be able to still spin the tires with the camper in the bed of the truck. These trucks don't benefit much from a tuner because they are made for the masses just like the truck. only way to get the best tune is to take it to a tuner shop and put it on the rollers. Every truck is different and canned tunes are generic because they are made for lots of trucks not just yours. save your money for camping and just enjoy your truck for what it's made for.
 
#7 ·
Turner,s MPG increase is usually comes from an improper MPG gauge readout. If you do get one hand calculate the MPG before and after and let us know the results. The first 5-10 % of power increase is pretty easy so a cold air intake might help but any change can cause issues if not done right. I have Airbags on my trucks and love them. I also lower the rear by deleting the F350 blocks. It lowered my tailgate hight by 5 inches. Arctic Fox is a nice unit!! Have fun.
DENNY
 
#8 ·
Tuning can and will effect MPGs in a positive manner. Just depends on your foot.
@Jesse C110700: For suspension and tires there are easy answers. Can you post some more details about the truck? Pics of the rear axle area and suspension?? This would show what you have from the factory.
 

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#9 ·
truck pics

Here is a pic of my truck, LR wheel/tire and SRW axle. I've continued to do research and although the warranty has long expired, I'm finding that shops tend to not guarantee repairs if there is a tuner on the truck. I may just leave it stock, engine wise, add the CAI (maybe) and the air bags. As for the tires, I may upgrade to something with 5ply sidewalls. I've read that helps minimize the side-to-side role.
 

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#10 ·
Since that's an F250 you are going to need to add a bit of rear suspension stuff to help with the in-bed camper. First determine what brand/weight of camper you will carry. Then the rear suspension can be addressed.

Those wheels look like 17" wheels. I would suggest looking to Method Wheels as they have some 18" wheels that are rated at 4500lbs each. There's quite a few brands that carry 18" tires under 35" tall that can support a tad over 4k each. So at the ground your are easily covered.

Look at Hellwig sway bars to assist in some control.

Since power/MPG seems like it's not really your starting point don't worry about it for now.
 
#11 ·
Thanks H. A. for your input. I've already found/priced the Helwig sway bars, which I plan to add along with the Air Ride air bags with the wireless pump. I've decided on a S&B CAI and heavier duty shocks. I've considered bigger wheels /tires so since you have a similar opinion, I'll look more into that as well. I value everyones input! It's certainly appreciated.
 
#12 ·
Bigger in a sense over what you have now. If you stay within the tire height specs as the truck was built you will be fine. Otherwise the "max" OE tire height is rounds in from 34"-34.5" overall.
 
#13 ·
Just make sure when you get new tires that the tire has a weight rating you are comfortable with. Bigger tires doesn't mean they can carry more weight. Also make sure you buy the correct wheels for your truck. Some are not made to carry a lot of weight. I have seen slide in campers weigh more than you think. Thats why I see lots of DRW's with slide in campers.
If you go bigger on your tires you have to replace the spare tire also. The roll out needs to be the same because of the traction control system and the ABS.

You are right about the truck being tuned and dealers not wanting to work on them. I have also seen where guys take there trucks in for service and the dealer updates the tune and the truck won't run. What a mess. Tuner uploads new tune into the truck and downloads the stock tune into the tuner. The tuner doesn't keep both at the same time. Sure you can return to stock but the tune you had paid money for is gone and the truck will set all sorts of codes.
Going with a Cat Back exhaust may not improve the truck much. I have seen where people put to big exhaust on there trucks and they lose H/P and torque. Best to ask a diesel mechanic what he would recommend.
 
#14 ·
‘Great answers here!
I’m kind of funny about power upgrades & probably in the minority here, but I decided to leave my ‘13 F-350 dually bone stock. I was more concerned with longevity & warranty than any additional horsepower & torque. I think that I’ve towed our 16,400 pound 5th wheel over almost every mountain pass in the western US & I don’t think that I’ve had my foot to the floor yet. Having said that, I would possibly consider deletes & upgrades now that my extended warranty has expired, but only if I experienced some kind of major failure & had to get into the engine for repairs. We’ll see.
Be careful about getting larger tires. Be sure that the diameter of the new tire is the same as or very close to the stock tires. Larger diameter tires will affect towing & hauling in a bad way thus negating your goal of towing/hauling ability. I suggest that you & everyone else here read my article, “Tires for Towable RVs & Tow Vehicles” which is published on www.thisoldcampsite.com.
Also, air bags are wonderful for leveling your load. DO NOT fool with air shocks! Shocks are not designed to be a load bearing component. My Firestone Ride Rite air bags do a wonderful job of leveling out my truck while towing.
Good luck & let us know how this all works out for you.
 
#15 ·
" My Firestone Ride Rite air bags do a wonderful job of leveling out my truck while towing.
Good luck & let us know how this all works out for you".

X2 I got the wireless remote model LOVE IT! we pull a 21,000 5er and have a very heavy slide-in camper I can't imagine going back to no air.
 
#16 ·
UPDATE: I finished the upgrades on my F250 in preparation for the truck camper. Installed S&B Cold Air Intake. I added Bilstein 5100 series shocks. 2 I pulled off we're bad. Not surprising, given these were the 2011 factory installed. I went with Hellwig F & R sway bars and the Airlift Load lifter 5000 ultimate plus air springs. Took a 600 mile round trip to look at the camper I'm buying. I chose a Northwood Wolf Creek 840. Fits great. Thanks everyone for the guidance as the input was very helpful. Truck rides and runs great with much more stability.
MPG is 18+ running empty.
 
#17 ·
I know this is by now old news, but....I have a 2012 F-250 6.7 that I am quite happy with, and my only complaint, as I tow alot is the poor performance of the exhaust brake. Would this system improve that?
 
#18 ·
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