DrJupeman

Any recommendations on which turbo back exhaust? I've been pondering "chipping" the truck for 100k miles, I'll add this to my list of things to more seriously consider...

Thanks!

Veloce Raptor

Found On Road Dead.

Charlie and Sean, talk to Wally Ruiz. He and Brooke have all the goodies on their diesel Excursions, and they work well.

ltc

Fix Or Repair Daily.

Sorry, none of those apply to HD Ford pickup trucks.....IMHO, they're pretty damned near bulletproof, at least based on my ownership experiences over the years.

Even my lowly Ford Escape Hybrid (daily driver) has been pretty much perfect.

Tim

I pull a 26 foot Haulmark with a F250 PSD Supercab is which basically an Excursion. I use load leveling bars... It pulls great and get pretty good mileage while towing...12-14 mpg.

I think one reason you have heard about problems when chipping the 6.0 is the fact that Ford already tweaked the engine a bit.. The same Navistar engine is only 275hp and 400 tq(I may be a bit off on the numbers)... Ford put there own tune and strategy in place and pushed the engine to 325hp and 560tq.. Then people add aftermarket piggy backs and chips and stress the engine even further. Thing will let go.

Ive always been happy with the power from the stock engine... unloaded I get 21mpg @70 on the highway..it tows greats... pulls up the grades on 17 w/o problem..

amondc

My exhaust guy does Flo-Pro its was like $400 installed and the chip was $725, I did all this and the cold air intake in the same week. Man what a different truck, I dont "race" my truck but the power gains were amazing plus it has a fuel mode that i run in 99% of the time and get about 18 around town and 20-21 towing the open trailer at 65. The biggest difference i found in mpg we slowing from 75 to 65-68, almost a 25% gain on a 300 mile trip down to TWS, sure it takes a little more time but the savings is worth it not espically at 4.60+per gal!

Gary R.

Ford.. BAH

I get 29.3 MPG with my CHEVY Silverado LT Duramax w/6 speed Allison all day long, 19.7 towing at 91 MPH.... pulling a 76' stacker. I run the OCTAGON chip!

joel-cs

For those of you running air bags, is there a preferred brand? I have seen Firestone and Hellwig. I would definitely go for onboard compressor and in-cab settings

Gasser

I have the firestone bags and have had no problems. I don't have the onboard compressor. Maybe I don't know what I am missing. Anyway, use the motorhome now and it does have on board compresor and it self levels

Wow amondc, 18 in town. Thats great. I may have to do the exhaust and intake as well. I did that on my old 7.3 crew cab but have not bothered on our 05 excursion. We just have the chip. We also run in the fuel mode most of the time. Our down fall is probably the new tires. we are paying for vanity I guess. The 305s just look awsome and right at home on this truck. They are also much better in the snow and we spend a lot of time up in the mountains durring winter holidays.

DrJupeman

Why are wider tires better in the snow? Did you also change tire type when you went to fatter tires?

jakermc

I have the Edge Evolution. Install is just as Chris described. Drilling the header is easy as the truck has high ground clearence so all you have to do is crawl under it. Hardest part for me was figuring out where to run the EGT temp cable into the cabin so that I could hook it up. I ended up drilling a hole in the driver's side floor behind the pedals to get it through. Its hidden by the carpet and invisible and while not the most elegant solution, it seemed OK for a towing mule with 160K+ on the clock.

I also agree that the tranny should bot be an issue on the 7.3L unless you are abusing the truck. I don't have any experience or knowledge of the other engines other than the fact that the first couple of years of the 6.0L were a disaster. Lots of mechanical issues posted on that website and I can tell you that our own truck fleet at work got hammered hard with maintenance costs when we switched to those vehicles.

Sean F

what PSI do you guys set your air bags to? Is there a formula? Do you run different PSI for towing versus not towing?

SundayDriver

The transmission on the 7.3 is the weakest link in the truck. There have been plenty of failures, with or without towing, at around 100k miles. You may be one of the lucky ones and make it to 200k, maybe not. The trans is rated at 525 ft-lbs so it is run pretty much right at the limit. Regular fluid service and a trans temp gauge to know when to back off will help.

TRAKCAR

It's all about temperatures.

If you have a regular chip like the Superchip and you leave it in tow mode the truck is much nicer to drive with better MPG and no problemw with tranny or anything else for that matter, just don't go stupid and it will last long.

I can't imagine running a 7.3 without chip, perfect engine for it, they left a lot on the table.

If you go higher performance, Imo the Edge is the best, you can get more performance out of the truck and as ling as you watch the display and nothing overheats you are good to go.

I never added a down pipe or exhaust, they will add a little performace as your temps stay lower longer, so you can back out later. But if you keep en eye on the temps, you do not need it.

Most problems I see are the guys running on max boost , drag race etc.

Gasser

The advantage in the snow was the tire type not the width. I did a wider tire for looks only. Looks awsome. Its actually wider and taller. We did new wheels as well. Believe it or not, it was my wifes daily driver and the wheels and tires were her idea. I was happy to help her out. The tires had a better weight rating as well with out compromising ride quality. Ride quality was much better because of the larger side wall and tire construction.

FWIW

Gasser

When unloaded I keep mine right at the min which is 5psi. When loaded it depends on the tounge weight and also just me eyeballing how level everything is sitting. I usually don't need more than 25 to 40 psi but they are rated up to 100 I think. I have a sticker next to the valves that remind me of the range. If you had a full load, full load of people over the rear axle then you may need more. There may be a better way but that is how I set mine. Not very scientific I know. It does not take much air at all to get the pressure up. Just a tap from my compressor and you can watch the rear of the truck rise up.