I'm looking into new sticks. I am leaning on going towards a Hybrid 205. Am I off my rocker? Are they durable? I have read good things about them on other sites, but not here. Would they hurt my truck?

 

As I see it the #1 disadvantage to going with something that's not stock, or at least common and normal, is fixing it if and when it goes down. It has been shared by others on here and I agree, that if you go with a bigger version of an international (I think) stick you can at least get one most anywhere you are in short order. If you start getting into hybrid, custom, etc and you have a problem you're not only down you're down until you can get that thing back and forth to that shop that worked it. Unless you get a couple of spares to keep in stock.

 

That "big" of a stick with your stock turbo certainly wouldn't be taken full advantage of, but it all depends on the guy/gal tuning your truck as to how they run. You get a good person tuning them, you will love them and there will be a noticeable performance gain. If you get a bad one, you will not like them so much. You certainly would have room to grow with them.

 

Good point here. That is why AC codes (160cc) are so popular. You can get them pretty much wherever you are in the country. 160cc injectors are definitely the most popular injector that we sell.

To the OP... What do you do with the truck? Also, what other mods do you plan on doing?

If you do a lot of heavy towing, I would say to stay away from Hybrids. If you just use the truck for play, and plan to do an applicable turbo upgrade, then Hybrids might be an alright choice for you. And by applicable turbo upgrade, I mean more than just a 38R. The 38r is good for stock injectors to 180cc injectors, but anything more than that and it is not enough.

 

I tow a 40' fifth wheel. Weighs between 13k and 15k. I go through some monster hills. Upgrades planned are t500, sticks and turbo.

 

Stage one rosewood injectors is your best bet( not only will you gain more power but also your egts would be more manageable if keeping your stock turbo. Hybrids will at least require a trip to the Dyno, not 100% on that bup hopefully justin will jump in.

 

There is a lot to address here that you should know prior to spending a ton of money on the above.

How much HP do you really want to have on tap?

How much reliability do you want to have with that HP?

How much do you want to spend prior to getting that HP so that you can have reliability whilst towing your stated 13-15k up those monster hills?

Is this for work, pleasure or both? Can you afford to be broken down if you don't prep the truck for the HP that you will be making?

Are you going to play any? If so, that is going to put wear and tear on the stock components and they will fail, probably whilst working.

How about getting that load rolling on a steep grade?

Tuning, if the tune writer is savvy, can address many things as far as HP is concerned; however, are you going to be like most of the guys and a few girls I know that when they see that newer Cummins pulling that GN or 5'er up that mountain in your side mirror and it is gaining on you.......are you disciplined enough?

We are now talking about suspension and drivetrain mods: Tranny at least $4k, ladder bars, $1k, etc. that needs to be done prior to big sticks and a turbo. If you are tuned correctly, you may not need the T-500.

Many have gone down this road before you. Ask for some specific advice and the people here will help you. We may save you a ton of money and quite a few headaches as well.

 

I mainly would like to maintain the speed limit going up hills. I go from 75 to 45. I have also looked into all the trans updates. I will be doing those also when I have the time to drop my trans out. Most people here say John wood down in Cali is good to go. I have been talking with him.

 

Drive train first, then the engine mods. Don't put the cart before the horse!!!! Until you have a tranny and torque converter that can handle the power from the upgraded sticks and tunes, forget about sticks and tunes.

 

Absolute #1 most important question in this thread. This is a MUST for anyone considering injector upgrades.

I will, however, completely disagree with this statement. Sorry Justin

My old truck with 250/200 hybrids and a little 38R would out-tow anything, and I mean anything, that tried to keep up.

That said, the tuning was a PITA to dial in. So it's a double-edged sword.

Hybrids with a decent nozzle can deliver more fuel in an extremely short window. This bodes well for towing if, and only if, the tuning keeps the fuel in check and under control 100% of the time. If that is achieved, you'll have a tow machine that can't be touched by anything else out there.

And the 38R kept up perfectly fine the entire time. Never once did I even have as much as a hiccup out of it.

That said, go back to the questions that Justin asked. How you plan to use your truck, and what other modifications you have planned are most important. Next question after those is..... who is doing the tuning and do you have access/time for live tuning.

If you can get someone to sit down for a long period of time with your truck (and who knows what they are doing), you can have pretty much any injector dialed in, so pick your poison based on your goals and matching upgrades. However, if you're going to be limited to having tunes emailed to you, best bet is to stay conservative and pick injectors that are easy to get right on the first try. This includes 160cc A-codes... and on up to say 238/80 hybrids at the very biggest (depending on supporting mods). Anything beyond that and it's going to take time to get the tuning to where you are happy.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents worth about a half penny.

 

Just a note for the poster. I have a complete build, hybrids with 500hp. I have many tunes and tow many different trailers, some 18000 lbs empty. I have professional tuning, and my tow tune for 18000lbs has only 20hp more than stock. Its the transmission shifting and rpm ranges in the tuning that make it happen. I can use my 500hp tow tune, but its a waste of power and fuel economy to use it. Not only that, the chance of breaking the drive train is very possible at that hp. Most heavy rigs don't rely on hp, but gearing to get going. Maybe try some 4:10 gears and stock injectors. Save some money.

 

I think you make a pretty good point here Curtis. If someone is able to drive down to Jody and have him sit in the truck for a few hours, they can run almost any combination they want (within reason). The key thing for them to understand is that all these trucks react different to mods, and the tuning goes with that. The further you sway from stock, the more room for changes and differences. I have seen many happy guys run 250cc injectors with a 38r, but only after having Jody in the truck with them for a few hours.

I still think the conservative route is the way to go when towing heavy, for simplicity and reliability. 160cc injectors and a 38r work great together and will have no problem keeping the truck at speed with a load behind you. You also can't get crazy with horsepower and cause a bunch of damage to other components.

 

Could not agree more with this statement. Big injectors are not for everyone, and not just because of mechanical limitations. For some guys, it is like handing them a grenade with the pin already pulled and telling them to go about their daily business. At some point, they will relax and really wreck things.