TRUCKS WITH 15-INCH LIFTS, CHROME SHOCKS AND $30,000 PAINT JOBS LOOK COOL AND HAVE A PLACE IN THIS WORLD-LIKE AT A CAR SHOW. BUT NOT REALLY IN YOUR DRIVEWAY WITH A 35-FOOT FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER HOOKED ON.
THOSE KIND OF TRUCKS JUST AREN'T PRACTICAL IN TODAY'S WORLD. JUST BECAUSE IT'S GOT A DIESEL ENGINE DOESN'T MAKE IT WORTHY OF A `DIESEL PERFORMANCE' ARTICLE IN DIESEL TECH MAGAZINE. WE'LL LEAVE THAT TO THE "PRETTY TRUCK" MAGAZINES.
HOWEVER, ALSO WRITING FOR VARIOUS WINTER RECREATION MAGAZINES REQUIRES US TO DO A LOT OF TRAVELING DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. MOST OF THE TIME THAT MEANS TOWING A 30-FOOT ENCLOSED TRAILER WITH FOUR OR FIVE SNOWMOBILES INSIDE. WE USE TRUCKS FOR WHAT THEY WERE BUILT FOR, NOT FOR SHOWCASING METICULOUS OIL-FREE UNDERCARRIAGES AND ARMORALLED TIRES. OUR TRUCKS ACQUIRE ABOUT 30,000 MILES EACH YEAR AS DAILY DRIVERS AND WEEKEND TOW RIGS. WE TOW. WE TOW OFTEN. AND WE TOW HEAVY.
WITH THAT IN MIND, WE SET OUT TO FIND AND TEST SOME AFTERMARKET PRODUCTS THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO TOW BETTER-NOT JUST ADDING MORE POWER SO YOU CAN TOW UP THE HILLS FASTER, BUT PRODUCTS THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO TOW FARTHER WITH COOLER EGTS, BETTER FUEL MILEAGE AND BETTER HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS.
SO HERE THEY ARE, AFTERMARKET PARTS DIESEL TECH TESTED AND APPROVED TO MAKE YOUR TRUCK AN OVERALL BETTER TOW RIG.
ZYLSTRA AUTO FUEL TANK TOOLBOX COMBO
SO YOU'VE GOT EVERYTHING YOU'LL EVER NEED LOADED IN THE TRAVEL TRAILER FOR THE LONG ROAD TRIP ACROSS AMERICA WITH THE FAMILY-THREE OR FOUR COLORING BOOKS, A BOX OF HALF-EATEN CRAYONS, ENOUGH TREATS TO ROT THE TEETH OF AN ENTIRE FOURTH GRADE CLASS AND A STACK OF DVDS, ALL TO KEEP THE KIDDIES ENTERTAINED WHILE ON THE ROAD.
NOW THAT YOU'VE MARKED `KEEP KIDS FROM STRESSING ME OUT' OFF YOUR FAMILY VACATION TRAVEL LIST, YOU CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT THING: FINDING A GOOD FUEL STOP EVERY 200 MILES. AHH YES, FINDING A GOOD FUELING STATION WITH GOOD DIESEL AND TRAILER ACCESS, ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING PARTS OF A ROAD TRIP TO DISNEYLAND. WHAT IF WE TOLD YOU WE'VE GOT THE FIX TO YOUR PROBLEM BEFORE IT EVER STARTS?
STEP IN ZYLSTRA AUTO OF VISALIA, CA. WE SPOKE WITH JOHN AND RICK AT ZYLSTRA ABOUT FUEL RANGE ISSUES WHILE TOWING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR AUXILIARY FUEL TANK OPTIONS. ZYLSTRA BUILDS AND PRODUCES SOME OF THE NICEST IN-BED FUEL TANKS ON THE MARKET TODAY AND WITH SIX DIFFERENT MODELS TO CHOOSE FROM, THERE'S BOUND TO BE ONE TO FIT EVERY DIESEL OWNER'S NEEDS.
WE ORDERED THE FTC-44 FUEL TANK AND TOOLBOX COMBO FROM ZYLSTRA, ALONG WITH ITS INNOVATIVE AUTOMATIC FUEL CONTROLLER TO INSTALL IN OUR '02 7.3L POWER STROKE TOW RIG. THE FTC-44 IS A 44-GALLON AUXILIARY FUEL TANK WITH A 9-INCH DEEP TOOLBOX ON TOP OF IT. OUR 7.3L POWER STROKE AVERAGES AROUND 11.5 MPG WHILE TOWING, GIVING US ABOUT A 300-MILE RANGE ON THE FACTORY TANK. WITH THE ADDITION OF THE ZYLSTRA TANK OUR RANGE IS NOW EXTENDED WELL OVER 800 MILES, MORE THAN DOUBLING OUR DISTANCE BETWEEN FUEL STOPS. GRANTED, OUR CONSTANT MOUNTAIN DEW REFILLS STILL REQUIRE STOPS EVERY 200 MILES, BUT AT LEAST WE DON'T NEED TO WORRY IF THE SERVICE STATION HAS DIESEL.
THE ZYLSTRA AUTO FUEL TANK IS A TOP-NOTCH PRODUCT WITH SOME OF THE BEST CONSTRUCTION WE'VE SEEN ON ANY TOOLBOX OR FUEL TANK. OUR UNIT CAME IN ALUMINUM TREAD PLATE BUT IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN FLAT STAINLESS, EITHER OF WHICH LOOKS GREAT. IMMACULATE WELDS, HIGH QUALITY CONNECTORS AND A WELL THOUGHT-OUT DESIGN MADE FOR AN EASY INSTALL THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH IN AN AFTERNOON IN THE DRIVEWAY.
WITH THE ADDITION OF THE ZYLSTRA AUTO FUEL CONTROLLER (AFC) YOU CAN WATCH THE FUEL LEVEL OF THE AUXILIARY TANK FROM IN THE CAB AND FORGET ABOUT KEEPING AN EYE ON YOUR MAIN TANK WHILE TRANSFERRING FUEL INTO IT FROM THE AUXILIARY TANK. THE AFC MODULE IS MOUNTED ON THE DASH AND TAPPED INTO THE MAIN TANK'S FUEL LEVEL SENDING WIRE SO THAT IT CAN MONITOR YOUR MAIN TANK'S FUEL LEVEL. AS YOUR MAIN TANK NEARS 1/4 TANK, THE AFC WILL AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGE THE TRANSFER PUMP AND BEGIN FILLING YOUR MAIN TANK UNTIL IT REACHES 3/4 FULL. AT THAT POINT THE AFC WILL AGAIN AUTOMATICALLY SHUT-OFF, MAKING FOR HASSLE-FREE FUEL TRANSFER WITH NO WORRIES OF ACCIDENTALLY OVERFILLING YOUR MAIN TANK AND SPILLING LIQUID GOLD ALL OVER THE GROUND.
THE INSTALL KIT AND AFC CONTROLLER SUPPLIED BY ZYLSTRA HAS BEEN VERY WELL THOUGHT-OUT AND MAKES FOR A SIMPLE STEP-BY-STEP INSTALL. IT'S APPARENT THAT ZYLSTRA HAS PUT A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT INTO MAKING THE HIGHEST QUALITY AND BEST PRODUCT THEY CAN, SOMETHING YOU TOO WILL APPRECIATE WHEN IT COMES TIME TO INSTALL THE TANK IN YOUR TRUCK. WHILE ZYLSTRA OFFERS A 60-GALLON TANK OPTION THAT WILL FIT IN SHORT-BED MODELS, WE OPTED FOR THE 44-GALLON VERSION DUE TO OUR NEED FOR A LITTLE MORE STORAGE SPACE.
WE SHOULD ALSO MENTION THAT ZYLSTRA ALSO OFFERS A TRANSFER PUMP SYSTEM THAT WILL WORK WITH ITS TOOLBOX TANK COMBOS TO ALLOW YOU THE OPTION OF TRANSFERRING FUEL FROM THE AUXILIARY TANK TO EQUIPMENT ON THE FARM OR JOB-SITE. THE 12V POWERED 15 GPM PUMP AND NOZZLE SYSTEM MAKES FOR A GREAT SYSTEM FOR YOU GUYS WHO NEED THE ABILITY TO TRANSPORT FUEL TO MACHINERY IN THE FIELD.
FIRESTONE RIDE-RITE AIRBAG SYSTEM
FREQUENTLY TOWING OVER 10,000-POUND LOADS CAN BE TOUGH ON YOUR TRUCK'S SUSPENSION AND MAKE FOR A VERY ROUGH RIDE. DEPENDING ON YOUR VEHICLE, TACKLING THOSE HEAVY HAULS CAN SOMETIMES BE MORE THAN YOUR TRUCK WANTS. YOU'D BE SURPRISED HOW MANY TRUCKS WE'VE SEEN DRAGGING REAR BUMPERS AND BOTTOMING OUT SHOCKS FROM THAT TONGUE-HEAVY TRAILER THEY'RE TOWING. NOT ONLY DOES A SAGGING REAR-END LOOK BAD, BUT IT CAN HAVE SOME POTENTIALLY DAMAGING EFFECTS TO YOUR TRUCK AS WELL.
FIRST OFF, AS WEIGHT IS ADDED TO THE BACK OF THE TRUCK THE SUSPENSION WILL COMPRESS, LOWERING FACTORY RIDE HEIGHT, THUS CAUSING DRIVELINE ANGLES TO CHANGE, WHICH COULD CAUSE PREMATURE WEAR ON U-JOINTS, DRIVELINES AND THE REST OF THE DRIVE TRAIN. ON INDEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSION TRUCKS, THE SAGGING REAR-END CAN ALSO CHANGE YOUR WHEEL TOE, CAMBER AND CASTER ANGLES, LEADING TO PREMATURE TIRE WEAR AND A WANDERING FEELING THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL.
SECOND, AS YOUR STOCK SUSPENSION BEGINS TO SQUAT UNDER THE LOAD FROM YOUR FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER OR BUMPER-PULL UTILITY TRAILER WITH THAT SKID STEER SITTING ON IT, YOU LOSE SUSPENSION TRAVEL. ALSO, BY DESIGN AS YOUR REAR LEAF SPRINGS COMPRESS, THEY NATURALLY GET STIFFER, CAUSING FOR A ROUGHER RIDE, SOMETHING WE'RE SURE YOU'VE NOTICED IN YOUR OWN TRUCK WHILE TRAVELING DOWN THE POTHOLE-COVERED HIGHWAYS OF AMERICA.
THIS IS WHERE THE RIDE-RITE AIRBAG SYSTEM FROM FIRESTONE COMES IN. THESE MOUNTING SYSTEMS THAT PLACE AIRBAGS BETWEEN THE FRAME OF YOUR TRUCK AND THE REAR SUSPENSION WILL IMPROVE ANY TRUCK'S RIDE AND HANDLING ABILITIES WHILE TOWING. AS YOUR LOAD INCREASES, AIR PRESSURE CAN BE ADDED TO THE BAGS, ENSURING A LEVEL TRUCK UNDER EVEN THE HEAVIEST OF LOADS.
THE KIT WE RECEIVED FOR OUR 2002 F350 INSTALLED IN JUST A FEW HOURS AND REQUIRED NO DRILLING-JUST A SIMPLE BOLT-ON APPLICATION. WE ALSO OPTED TO ORDER THE AIR COMPRESSOR KIT FROM FIRESTONE, WHICH ALLOWS US TO MANUALLY ADJUST THE PRESSURE IN OUR AIRBAGS FROM INSIDE THE CAB. WITH A CAB-MOUNTED GAUGE AND SWITCH WE CAN ADD OR RELEASE AIR FROM OUR SYSTEM TO ENSURE THE BEST RIDE FOR EACH SPECIFIC LOAD.
BEST OF ALL, WHEN TRAVELING UNLOADED THE RIDE OF THE VEHICLE IS NOT AFFECTED AT ALL; BY RUNNING THE MINIMUM OF 5 PSI IN THE AIRBAGS THE TRUCK RIDES JUST LIKE IT DOES STOCK. WHILE TRAVELING LOADED WITH OUR TONGUE HEAVY ENCLOSED TRAILER, THE ADDED FIRMNESS FROM THE AIRBAGS OFFERS A STEADY, CONTROLLABLE FEEL TO THE TRUCK AND NO MORE SWAY THROUGH THE CORNERS. THE AIRBAGS NOT ONLY IMPROVED THE LOOK OF OUR RIG CRUISING DOWN THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE OF THE LEVEL STANCE, IT ALSO IMPROVED OUR CONFIDENCE BEHIND THE WHEEL.
SNOW PERFORMANCE MPG-MAX BOOST COOLER
WORKING WITH SNOW PERFORMANCE WE INSTALLED ITS NEWEST BOOST COOLER SYSTEM, DUBBED THE MPG-MAX. WITH SPECIAL MAPPING AND THE MOST SOPHISTICATED 2D DIGITAL CONTROLLER AVAILABLE, THE KIT ALLOWS YOU TO INJECT SMALL AMOUNTS OF WATER INTO YOUR INTAKE TRACT, COOLING THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, WHICH MAKES FOR BETTER FUEL ATOMIZATION, MEANING YOU'LL SEE COOLER EGTS AND BETTER FUEL ECONOMY WHILE TOWING OR CRUISING EMPTY.
THE MPG-MAX SYSTEM ALSO COMES EQUIPPED WITH A SET OF LARGER NOZZLES, WHICH ARE USED TO ACTIVATE A POWER MODE. SNOW'S SOPHISTICATED MICROPROCESSOR CAN INTRODUCE AN INDEPENDENTLY MAPPED SECOND STAGE OF WATER INJECTION WHEN EVEN MORE COOLING IS NEEDED. MORE FLUID INJECTED MEANS MORE POWER AND EVEN COOLER EXHAUST TEMPERATURES. THE SYSTEM COMES WITH EVERYTHING NEEDED FOR THE INSTALL. A 7-GALLON RESERVOIR IS SUPPLIED ALONG WITH CAB-MOUNTED LCD SCREEN THAT DISPLAYS BOOST, EGTS AND INJECTION PUMP OUTPUT. THE KIT WAS SIMPLE TO INSTALL AND TOOK JUST A FEW HOURS.
WE'VE BEEN USING STRAIGHT WATER IN OUR TEST VEHICLE FOR COOLING PURPOSES ONLY, BUT SNOW PERFORMANCE SAYS THAT A MIXTURE OF 50/50 METHANOL AND WATER CAN PROVIDE UP TO 70 MORE HORSEPOWER. WITH RUNNING 100 PERCENT WATER WE'VE SEEN AS MUCH AS 250-DEGREE COOLER EGTS AT PEAK.
OUR TEST RESULTS
OUR KIT WAS INSTALLED ON A 2002 FORD 7.3L POWER STROKE AND WE ARE MORE THAN IMPRESSED WITH THE IMPROVEMENTS THE SNOW PERFORMANCE KIT HAS MADE. THE DAY AFTER IT WAS INSTALLED WE MADE A 100-MILE ROUND TRIP UNLOADED WITH THE WATER OFF TO SEE WHAT KIND OF EGTS AND MILEAGE THE TRUCK WAS GETTING IN ITS CURRENT STATE. MAINTAINING A CONSTANT 75 MPH, EGTS RANGED FROM 700-775 DEGREES AND GETTING UP TO SPEED ON THE FREEWAY ON-RAMP EGTS PEAKED AT 970 DEGREES. OUR FUEL MILEAGE FOR THE TRIP WAS HAND-CALCULATED OUT TO JUST MORE THAN 13.9 MPG (YOU'VE GOT TO LOVE THOSE BIG INJECTORS).
THEN WE TOOK THE SAME 100-MILE STRETCH OF ROAD JUST 30 MINUTES LATER, THIS TIME WITH THE SNOW PERFORMANCE KIT TURNED ON. RUNNING JUST THE SMALLEST MILEAGE NOZZLE, THE SYSTEM WAS SPRAYING A CONSTANT STREAM OF WATER INTO THE MOTOR FOR THE ENTIRE TRIP; THE TRUCK USED JUST LESS THAN TWO GALLONS OF WATER ON THE TEST DRIVE. THIS TIME EGTS WERE A CONSISTENT 75-100 DEGREES COOLER AT CRUISING AND PEAKED AT 835 DEGREES ON THE ON-RAMP. THAT'S 135 DEGREES COOLER THAN OUR FIRST TEST. SO EXHAUST TEMPERATURES ARE DEFINITELY COOLER WITH THE WATER KIT ON, BUT WHAT SURPRISED US THE MOST WAS THAT IT ACTUALLY DID IMPROVE FUEL MILEAGE-1.3MPG TO BE EXACT. WITH FUEL PRICES NEARING $5 A GALLON, EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS.
TOWING HEAVY IS WHERE THE WATER INJECTION SYSTEM REALLY PROVES ITS WORTH. EXHAUST TEMPERATURES AVERAGE A CONSISTENT 150-175 DEGREES COOLER. WE'VE NOTICED AS MUCH AS A 225-DEGREE DROP IN PEAK EGTS DURING OUR TEST. AGAIN, WE EXPERIENCED A 1 MPG INCREASE WHILE TOWING WITH THE WATER SYSTEM INSTALLED AND RUNNING. THE ADDITION OF THE SNOW PERFORMANCE BOOST COOLER SYSTEM MADE AN OVERWHELMING IMPROVEMENT IN EGTS. WITH THE HELP OF THE MILEAGE MAX KIT WE WERE ABLE TO PULL A 38-FOOT ENCLOSED TRIPLE AXLE TRAILER AT 75 MPH MORE THAN 400 MILES IN A PERFORMANCE TUNE THAT DYNOED MORE THAN 500 HP IN OUR TEST TRUCK. EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATURES ARE NO LONGER AN ISSUE.
EDGE JUICE WITH ATTITUDE
IT MAY NOT SOUND LOGICAL, BUT THE ADDITION OF A PERFORMANCE PROGRAMMER OR CHIP WILL ALSO HELP WITH FUEL MILEAGE AND MAKE THAT TRAILER FEEL A LITTLE LIGHTER ON EVEN THE LONGEST GRADES. WITH MORE POWER AND BETTER FUELING MAPS, AN AFTERMARKET CHIP TAKES SOME OF THE WORK OUT OF TOWING; IF YOUR TRUCK CAN DO THE SAME JOB EASIER, FUEL MILEAGE SHOULD INCREASE.
THE EDGE JUICE WITH ATTITUDE IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR AFTERMARKET CHIP UPGRADES OUT THERE AND FOR GOOD REASON. WITH FIVE POWER LEVELS AND ON-THE-FLY ADJUSTABILITY FROM INSIDE YOUR TRUCK IT IS A TRUE PERFORMANCE MODULE THAT'S EASY TO USE AND SAFE FOR YOUR TRUCK. WITH PERFORMANCE TUNES FOR FUEL ECONOMY, TOWING AND EVEN ALL OUT PERFORMANCE, THE EDGE JUICE CAN IMPROVE YOUR TRUCK NO MATTER WHAT YOU USE IT FOR. THE ATTITUDE SCREEN WILL DISPLAY ALL THE INFORMATION ON A COMPLETE SET OF GAUGES, ALLOWING YOU TO MONITOR EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATURES, BOOST, TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE AND FUEL PRESSURE. BUILT-IN SAFETY DEVICES WILL DETECT TRANSMISSION SLIPPAGE AND CAN DE-FUEL THE ENGINE TO HELP PREVENT EXCESSIVE EGTS. THE EDGE JUICE WITH ATTITUDE ALSO DISPLAYS 0-60 TIMES, QUARTER-MILE TIMES AND ACTUAL SPEED IF YOU ARE RUNNING LARGER THAN STOCK TIRES. THERE IS ALSO A BUILT-IN TURBO TIMER WHICH CAN HELP PROLONG TURBO LIFE BY ALLOWING THE TRUCK TO RUN AFTER SHUT-OFF FOR A PREDETERMINED TIME OR UNTIL A SPECIFIC EGT IS REACHED. THE EDGE JUICE WITH ATTITUDE IS A NICE PACKAGE CAPABLE OF DRAMATICALLY IMPROVING YOUR TRUCK'S DRIVEABILITY, TOWING, MILEAGE AND POWER. THE FACTORY-STYLE CONNECTIONS MAKE FOR AN EASY INSTALL THAT MOST BACKYARD MECHANICS COULD ACCOMPLISH IN A FEW HOURS.
Contacts:
Zylstra Auto
www.thefuelbox.com
559-739-0818
Edge Products
www.edgeproducts.com
888-360-3343
Snow Performance
www.snowperformance.net
866-365-2762
Firestone Industrial Products, Inc.
www.ride-rite.com
800-888-0650