Towing with Edge?

[Dick]

OK, all you younger guys that are using these performance modules. I,m thinking about putting one on for towing a fifth wheel trailer. I have a stock exhaust,I don't want to change it. The Edge people say that I should because of the temps.Are they trying to sell me an exhaust I may not need? This would be for a 2001 Duramax.


Thanks

[Bill Voitel]

Dick they are trying to sell you exhaust system for a good reason when you turn up the power IE: tuners be it the edge or predator or banks six gun more power means more fuel more fuel means more heat more heat bad if you can't get rid of it fast enough hence bigger exhaust or free flowing (No Muffler just pipe) dont have a D-max but most generally the turbo will cut out lots of exhaust noise. Did straight pipe my f**d B-4 the predator tuner but have not turned it up all the way cause no gauges yet dont want to melt stuff.
Another tip from the DARK SIDE :eek: :eek: :eek:

[richp]

John Kennedy will probably chime in much more authoritatively on this, but I'll offer my two cents worth anyway.

I put about 75k miles on my '01 K2500 DMAX with an Edge Juice -- more than half of those miles towing a 32', 12k pound fifth wheel. I had an aftermarket air filter, stock exhaust, and Banks EGT and boost gauges. I set the Juice at level one for Tow/Haul, and even over the passes on I-70 and I-80 in the Rockies, never had an overheating problem (per the EGT gauge). The truck pulled strong and I loved the extra power from the chip under all conditions.

Having said that, I'm sure I would have run a little cooler and a little stronger if I had installed an after-market exhaust. The physics of that seem undeniable. But functionally I did OK without the enhanced flow.

On balance, I'd say you would get some benefit from the Juice (but certainly urge you to have gauges), and would probably get even more if you added a better-flowing exhaust.

For what it's worth.

Rich Phillips
Member #27

[JeffsTowTruck]

FREEING UP THE AIR GOING INTO THE MOTOR AND FREEING UP THE AIR (EXHAUST) LEAVING THE MOTOR IS A CHEAP WAY OF GAINING A LITTLE MORE HP AND NOT SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY.. I PUT THE K&N AIR FILTER AND TOOK OFF THE STOCK EXHAUST AND WENT TO A FREE FLOWING 3" AS MY 1ST CHANGES I DID TO MY TRUCK. NOT EVEN DUAL EXHAUST I JUST KEPT THE SINGLE. I FEEL ANY VEHICLE WILL BENIFIT THE QUICKER YOU GET AIR IN AND OUT. I DID NOT WANT TO READ GAUGES OR TWEEK CONTROL KNOBS THAT MIGHT DO HARM IF I WENT TO FAR. NO CHIP FOR ME. - MY TRUCK IS A 97 6.5 TURBO 2WD EXT CAB LONG BED AND I PULL A 37' TRAVEL TRAILER AND A GOLF CART IN THE BED (11000 LBS +/-)

[Jerry Arnold]

richp hit it dead on, I have 03 D/A exhust temp has got as high as 1260 when towing 36'Raptor in NC well below 1350 which is when I would start to get concerned,also get 23mpg hwy with out 5r. and power is unlimted.

[Jerry Arnold]

I guess I should give more detail
I got 03 Chevy 2500 D/A
3612 Raptor Toy hauler and 2 bikes
Edge Attitude
Stock exhaust
to the limit on rated weight, but heat not a problem,

[Rollingon]

Dick -- The limiting factor in towing with an uprated engine appears to be EGT, and an exhaust system certainly lowers EGT. See Kennedy's dyno tests http://www.kennedydiesel.com/photogal/pages/4-5exhaust.htm


Last fall I tested my 2002 with Juice while towing up the Grapevine in California. The results helped me understand limits that are safe. See http://forum.thedieselpage.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=008415

[Brian DMT]

Although I only WANT to get a 5th wheel to tow, I do have an Edge Juice with Attitude. I highly recommend adding the Attitude display/control, which goes great with the aluminum overhead console panel with aux switches (got the entire package from bigdawgperformance). I bought it after months of research, & reading a lot of reviews and seeing posts from other owners, & finding a great price.
A key advantage of the Attitude display/control is that you get 4 gages in one: just pick what you want to see. No need to add/mount other gages around the cockpit! Except for the EGT pyro (which can be installed later, at your convenience), the installation is about as easy as anything can get.
As far as the exhaust question, I was an engineer for a Tier 1 exhaust mf'r for 5 years. My opinion is kind of a blend of everyone else's: if you're pushing the performance in terms of increased fuel/air, a bigger exhaust is a good idea. And it should add a bit of mpg economy (approx range 1/4 to 1.5 mpg, depending). However, I don't feel a need to upgrade my stock exhaust because I only run the Juice/Attitude at Power Level 1 for Towing/Fuel Economy, and I set my upper EGT limit at 1250F instead of 1350F. If I was going to tow in Level 2 in the summer because I'm in a hurry and want to run fast, then I'd go for an exhaust upgrade. Still, the EGT limit is a wonderful feature, and putting it at 1250 takes all the engine-temp danger out of towing, regardless of exhaust size - except for engine shutdowns, which is why I recommend the Turbo Diesel Life Saver cool-down timer system as the best solution.