[canucklehead]

Okay, my original post was flagged and removed because I didn't realize I was in the taboo zone by asking what I asked, so now I've cleaned up the taboo references. And I got two minutes in the box for my violation.:icon_mad:
Considering the stuff I see other guys talk about like how to make black smoke, speed issues, etc....., I thought my indescretion was pretty harmless and mild. BUT now I know!:thumbsup:

I have an '05 F350 dually, 6.0L (duh!! :icon_wink. I am hauling around 12,000lbs with a toy hauler and quads. I recently installed a 4" MBRP exhaust. I also installed an edge juice with platinum, mainly to monitor my temps and see what's going on. I bought this truck and did these mods as I was hoping to improve on my towing performance over my '99 7.3.

I run level 1 econo when I'm empty and I don't need a drop more power. I'm not looking for a race rocket. I just want to tow the big hills with limited speed loss and not ruin anything. I run level 2, "tow/haul" with the trailer. It seems to have slightly more power than my 7.3, but barely noticeable.

So I was told if I run higher settings on the Platinum (while towing), I'll start to do some damage.I was told to put in ARP head studs. I'm still under warranty and would like to get this done now. But WOW:shocked: are they EXPENSIVE! Like close to $750 (cdn, w/tax). The Ford dealer claims their head bolts are fine, and that I'm wasting my money. So is this money well spent and worth it? After doing a search here on ARP, it seems like some people are still having issues, but that may possibly be from the head being warped. WHat's the difference between ARP & stock? Do i need to tell Ford tech anything special to make sure they're torqued right and installed properly?

I know these questions get asked a lot, but I tried a search and couldn't seem to find specific answers to what I'm asking. THANKS for your patience and help!!

 

[Smiley1]

Here is my opinion.

ARP's are worth the money if done right. Otherwise its just a waste of money. Get the heads and deck checked. AR's will not fix anything that might be warped.

I love my ARP's. My dealer told me that they have not had a truck come back in when they installed ARP's. That was not the case with the stock bolts.

 

[jwoodard]

The new, improved Ford Head bolts are good for a stock truck. Since you are running some after market equipment and tunes, the arp studs are the way to go. My dealer told me the same as Smiley1 when my truck was in for Head Gaskets. They recommended I go with the ARP's and said we would never have to discuss the HG issue again if I did.:thumbsup:

 

[canucklehead]

thanks. any others, please feel free to chime in. I'm getting the work done tomorrow.

I guess there is no noticeable performance difference; you're just buying peace of mind??

 

[Lightningfast01]

I prefer the H11 studs from ATS over the ARP alloy. I would only install them with new gaskets and head check. The EGR heat and poor coolant circulation is the hardest thing on the 6 liter for making power while towing etc.

 

[canucklehead]

I prefer the H11 studs from ATS over the ARP alloy. I would only install them with new gaskets and head check. The EGR heat and poor coolant circulation is the hardest thing on the 6 liter for making power while towing etc.

funny you say that. the poor cooling was also mentioned by the ford service guy as the biggest issues with the 6.0L. He said there's nothing that can be done to improve the cooling. I asked if I could put in a bigger/better rad, or tranny cooler and he said no.

any other coolant improvement mods available? I was hoping my 4" exhaust might help that.

 

[Lightningfast01]

No, help for the 6L. That is why Ford made the 6.4 water pump 3x's larger. I think it moves 150gph.