Don't drive like that often. At least I know my limits. Was an invigorating ride. Would rather drive 70-75, but felt safer driving WITH the traffic and not fighting it.
I doubt it. Besides, you are exceeding the limits of your equipment. Your limits, real or perceived, won't matter in an emergency situation. You have probably never tried to regain control of several tons of unstable mass at those speeds. You have probably never performed emergency maneuvers with your trailer setup at any speed.
Have you checked the speed rating of your truck tires?
>Would rather drive 70-75,
Try 55 - I believe that's the recommended limit while towing.
>but felt safer driving WITH the
>traffic and not fighting it.
Then your concept of "safe" is askew. Try the right-hand lane. It's easier than you think to let others pass you. Those other fools driving 100mph were probably trying to get away from you! I tend to not drive along with anyone that is towing and give them wider berth and extra consideration when passing them.
I doubt I will help you be a safer driver, but perhaps others will think twice.
I apologize for digressing so far off-topic.
'01 350 PSD CC 4X4 LARIAT / '00 LAND ROVER DISCO II CCP SRP ACE
I have a 2001 F-250 SD SuperCab V-10 4.11 rear AT.
I have been looking for more fuel economy than performance. I have been watching Hypertech for their Power Programmer III for gassers. I think they are having problems modifying the ECM's. They do have one out for the PSD and I hear half good and half bad for results.
My problem is transmission shift points and MPG. I don't think 4.11's belong with the 10 but it is a monster off the line and pulls like a dream, it feels pretty topped out on the freeway so I don't push harder than 75.
I did recently do dual exhaust with a cherry bomb (yes cherry bomb) muffler. I was hesitant at first but when I saw that it was solid steel and every seam was welded I gave it a try. The guy that did my exhaust had done a few before so he was pretty good, I noticed that he crossed the pipes before going back to keep the length equal. It does not sound like the V-8's! It sounds like a quiet 6 with a deep throat. DO NOT DO THIS FOR SOUND! The cat is way too restrictive and it can not be modified as per The Federal Government (I tried). I did see a faster response off idle and it seemed to climb gears faster.
I guess the final test was to run a PSD and all he saw was my chrome exhaust tips!:-]
The V10 is only available with 3.73 or 4.30 gears. The 4.10's are used in the 5.4L V8. I've run with and without my cat. The only difference is that without the cat it is loud as hell. Very raspy and annoying. There was no power difference! The cat is not as restrictive as you may think. You can see right through it.
For those experiencing tranny problems, both in the shift points and torque convertor slippage, try the Banks TransCommand. I installed one in my '95 F250 w/ the E4OD and it is an entirely different animal now. The shifts are firm and acurate and the torque convertor will lock up way before it used to, I can now spin my tires on dry clean pavement with my 4:10 gears because the troqu convertor isn't slipping. They make a model for the 4E100 also. They cost about $230- $250, worth the price if you ask me.
I've got a 1998 E-350 Club Wagon with the V10 and 3.73 with an automatic. First was the K&N and I noticed an immediate throttle response improvement. Then, I went with the SuperChip. Awesome. Took care of my transmission complaints, soft shifts. I don't mind spending an extra $6 per tankful on the premium gas. I tow a 31 foot travel trailer several thousand miles a year. I do notice that I have to keep the RPMs up around 2000 to keep rolling without lagging. This puts me at around 65-70 mph. It might rolling along okay on level road no headwind at a lower speed/rpm but almost immediately downshifts when starting a hill. I find if I approach hills at around 2200 rpm, it will almost always make it up and over without downshifting or loosing too much speed. I'm talking smaller/shorter hills. I've also done a lot of towing through the mountains of West Virginia and had to leave it in 3rd for most of the hills, up and down. I get 15 mpg empty and a very consistant 10 while towing - fully loaded. My next performance mod is cat-backs. Don't know which mufflers yet though. I also can't wait to get rid of those rotten Goodyear Wrangler factory tires. Don't know what tires to get either. I've done a lot of handling mods - Rear sway bar, complete set of KYB MonoMax shocks and a Heckethorn steering stabilizer. Oh, yeah - I want to replace the factory plugs with Bosch +4 but am not to anxious about doing the work. Bottom line is that I love the van. It makes a fantastic tow vehicle.
snip
> Trailer Life
>magazine did an analysis. 100,000
>miles is the break even
>point.
snip
I read that article also. They also did a calculation with higher diesel fuel cost and the break even came to about 188,000 miles. Here in south Seattle, diesel is almost always more expensive than unleaded. This is comparing the cheapest diesel to the cheapest unleaded. I find the $4000 PSD premium a little hard to swallow, when I don't need it. Most people probably don't need the PSD either, but buy it 'cause it's "cool". Whatever floats your boat.
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2000 F350 CC DRW Lariat 4x4 LWB 4R100 V10 4.30ls with Torklift tie-downs/Superhitch and Rancho RS9000 and Ride-Rite air springs.
1998 Alpenlite Pendelton 11'10" Slide-in camper with all options.
__________________
Harald
2000 F350 4x4 CC DRW V10 4.30ls Lariat LWB.
Firestone Ride-rite airbags, Rancho RS9000 shocks and Torklift Superhitch.
1998 Alpenlite Pendelton 11'10" camper held on by Torklift tie downs
If you really want performance, check out this site:
www.vortechsupercharger.com
There's a guy over at www.ford-diesel.com in the gas forum that works for Vortech and he's posted some impressive figures on his truck with the supercharger.
Personally, I'm more than happy with my V10 in stock form. If I want really fast acceleration or high speed, I get on my CBR1100XX. My truck is made for hauling cargo, not racing.
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2000 F350 CC DRW Lariat 4x4 LWB 4R100 V10 4.30ls with Torklift tie-downs/Superhitch and Rancho RS9000 and Ride-Rite air springs.
1998 Alpenlite Pendelton 11'10" Slide-in camper with all options.
__________________
Harald
2000 F350 4x4 CC DRW V10 4.30ls Lariat LWB.
Firestone Ride-rite airbags, Rancho RS9000 shocks and Torklift Superhitch.
1998 Alpenlite Pendelton 11'10" camper held on by Torklift tie downs
