Tow Vehicle Improvements

[Indy317]

I'm a little concerned about pulling our travel trailer out west and being able to pull up steep grades. I have a 2010 F-150 5.4L and was considering making a couple of power improvements like a cold air intake system and a cat back exhaust system. Has anyone made these modifications? If so, do you think it was worth the investment?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Indy317]

Just got back from our 3 1/2 weeks out west and am pleased to say my rig did great pulling up grade and down. The only thing that gave me any trouble was the side winds we encountered a few times during the trip. But, I understand that side wind conditions plague most TV and TT combos and it was tolerable. Worst of it was 35-40 mph winds for most of the trip across Kansas.

Thanks again for everyone's advice and information!

[Racine96]

Motorweek had a program recently where they reported the results of "power improvements like a cold air intake system and a cat back exhaust system." They reported that there was no gain in fuel economy or power. You can google it.

[doublenot7]

I had the same vehicle, I did a major modification and swapped to a F250 6.7L. WORLD of difference.

[peirek]

LeBout wrote:

Indy317 wrote:
Which interstate was that on? We are taking 90 from South Dakota through Wyoming up to Billings, Montana.

He was referring to non-Interstate roads. I-90 from South Dakota up into Montana doesn't have any horribly steep grades at all. I just took that route a few weeks ago although in the reverse order. I find that route easier to traverse than across the southern part of Wyoming on I-80 which has some LONG grades.

It was route 16, not the Interstate.

[no-logic]

Here's my $.02 - I tow a 4800# 29' TT with a 2003 Chevy Tahoe with a 5.3L rated at 285 hp and 3.73 gears. It had a cat-back exhaust on it when I bought it so I can't speak for that before/after. I had the same concern as you. It struggles on the hills. I tried a cold air intake and between that and the exhaust the noise was almost unbearable. I took the intake off. Didn't notice any difference in power anyway. I did install a low restriction air filter though and opened up the air box a little.I had the ECM tuned and that made a noticeable difference. That was definitely worth it. But here is my take on it......it's going to slow down in the hills. Just let the motor do it's best and take your time and accept the fact that everyone is going to pass you. Sometimes I find that easing up on the throttle a bit helps rather than planting your foot in it all the time. With that said.....my next truck WILL be a diesel.

[Indy317]

LeBout wrote:
He was referring to non-Interstate roads. I-90 from South Dakota up into Montana doesn't have any horribly steep grades at all. I just took that route a few weeks ago although in the reverse order. I find that route easier to traverse than across the southern part of Wyoming on I-80 which has some LONG grades.

Thanks for the info! We leave in less than a week. Looking forward to the challenges and seeing the sights.

[LeBout]

Indy317 wrote:
Which interstate was that on? We are taking 90 from South Dakota through Wyoming up to Billings, Montana.

He was referring to non-Interstate roads. I-90 from South Dakota up into Montana doesn't have any horribly steep grades at all. I just took that route a few weeks ago although in the reverse order. I find that route easier to traverse than across the southern part of Wyoming on I-80 which has some LONG grades.

[Indy317]

peirek wrote:
The only time I was ever uncomfortable coming down a mountain was across Wyoming and going through the Big Horn mountains. 2nd gear would not keep me going slow enough and it was the only white knuckle event I have ever had.

Which interstate was that on? We are taking 90 from South Dakota through Wyoming up to Billings, Montana.

[peirek]

LeBout wrote:

Indy317 wrote:
Just to clarify: TV vehicle is a 2010 F150 FX4 crew cab, 5.4L, 6 sp tranny with cooler, 3.73 rear axle, tow pkg, trailer brake control, sway control, and 7350 lb GVWR pkg. Trailer is 28 ft with a dry weight of approx 5400 lbs. Fully loaded I figure we'll be around 6500 lbs.

You'll do fine! 🙂

Indy 317. You will have no problems with this setup. Remember to use the gears coming down the hills. If you are hitting the brakes you need to slow down and select the next lower gear. Going up the steeper grades expect 40-45 MPH in 2nd gear, but as someone else has mentioned, the 5.4L will hum nicely at that RPM.

As for non-Interstate roads having less grade than Interstate. This is simply not true. The only time I was ever uncomfortable coming down a mountain was across Wyoming and going through the Big Horn mountains. 2nd gear would not keep me going slow enough and it was the only white knuckle event I have ever had.

[LeBout]

Gdetrailer wrote:
It is not the Indy500 and you don't need to act like you are in a race.

Hahaha! So true...but I STILL have to keep reminding myself of this all the time. 🙂

[Majja13]

I was talking to our fllet mech. about the same thing on my GMC 1500. He basicly saod that if I wanted to do it for the deaper sound to go fir it, but in real world performance I probably would not see any real gain. May be a few HP. Like statede above gears to more then boltons.

[Passin_Thru]

I like the cold air and K & N because it helps prevent overheating on long pulls, not for any power gain. They put aftercoolers on big trucks for that reason.

[2012Coleman]

I have found that using premium gas when towing on camping trips makes a big difference over low grade fuel. Costs more, but IMO, worth it.

[Gdetrailer]

LeBout wrote:

Indy317 wrote:
Just to clarify: TV vehicle is a 2010 F150 FX4 crew cab, 5.4L, 6 sp tranny with cooler, 3.73 rear axle, tow pkg, trailer brake control, sway control, and 7350 lb GVWR pkg. Trailer is 28 ft with a dry weight of approx 5400 lbs. Fully loaded I figure we'll be around 6500 lbs.

You'll do fine! 🙂

X2

This is a wise move on your part.

None of those aftermarket mods will provide any noticeable power or mileage improvements.

For the most part the folks who "claim" performance and mileage improvements have never ever really put the money where their claims are. They tend to "FEEL" an "improvement just because of a difference in what it SOUNDS LIKE.

I challenge these folks to do a before AND after dyno test. A dyno test will prove or disprove that they gained anything in performance.

Most if not all intake and exhaust mods IF they provide any improvement generally effect only the HIGHER RPM range which would be well above typical towing RPM.

I will say the BEST MOD is to simply lighten up on the gas peddle a bit. Folks tend to BURY their foot when climbing steep grades. With a 5.4 just let it do it's thing, YES you WILL SLOW DOWN some. YES you WILL downshift some, that IS the CORRECT way to go about it.

Even big rigs slow down on the steep grades and you can too, that is what the slow lanes are about. It is not the Indy500 and you don't need to act like you are in a race.

That 5.4 is a very happy engine even if you run 4000 RPM, it can do that all day.