I have an 05 F150 Super Crew 5.4, 3.73 LS, factory tow package. I use a Equal-i-zer hitch for WD and sway control, I use a Prodigy BC so stopping is no issue. I tow a 25 ft travel trailer about 6,500 lbs loaded. The truck does an "OK" job towing except in hilly country you really know it's there. I tow with OD off so to it seems to struggle some to maintain hiway speeds.

What can I do to to boost the power/performance?

Will dual exhaust get me anything?

Will an after market air intake upgrade help?

Oh, does anyone use a synthetic trans fluid?

I really would hate to trade it for a deisel, I love the truck otherwise. I don't owe that much on it and it has less than 15k miles on it so it would be a real shame to trade it off.

Thanks in advance.

 

Define highway speeds. 60-65mph? 75-80mph?

You will likely not get much seat of the pants towing improvement without changing the gearing of your truck. Few exhausts provide increase torque @ 2000-3000rpm. Likewise, intakes. Some, yes, but not more than 10lt-pounds which you'd hardly notice.

Do you have 2wd or 4wd? For 2wd, changing gearing to 4.10 for about $500 is the single best improvement you can do. For 4wd, it's more like $1200-1500.

Do you have OEM tires or larger aftermarket ones? That will affect gearing as well, so sticking to stock (or smaller) could help and be cheaper than new gears.

 

I tow with my 04 Screw also. I tow alot more weight though! 8500 loaded ready to camp. I am running an Edge Evolution programmer and dual exhaust. It definitely made a big difference when towing. My trailer is 33'-4" tip to tail. I can maintain speed just fine. The truck is going to down shift because it is only a 4 speed. If you tow with OD locked out then the only option is to go to 2nd. I live in NC. I have been in the mountains with the trailer and it does OK. It does work on the hills, but maintains speed and tows great. I would love to get a SD truck with a diesel but the amount of time I am not towing does not justify the extra price of the diesel nor does it offset the maintenance costs. I would like a new truck but I do not need a new truck. When I do it will probably be a Diesel just for the option to upgrade to a 5er in the next few years. I am due for a trans fluid change right now. I am debating on the syn also. The good thing about the Edge is that it has built in gauges. My trans temp rises a little but rarely goes above 190. The synthetic fluid is gonna cost major $$$. I think the trans holds 17 qts! Diff fluid will be syn as well as transfer case. I don't see a need for syn engine oil. I change my oil every 3000miles and I have never had a problem. I have pics of the camper in my gallery. The dry weight is 6385 as listed. It is actually closer to 6500 with propane, and batteries. It tows great!

 

I had the Troyer package and couldnt tell any difference with it on/installed then without. I used the AF1 intake and the XCALII running tow mode, all I got was a lot of noise from the intake, I took it all off and towed again same route and it felt the same just a lot more quite running stock intake with a drop in K & N filter and no program.

I was disapointed with its help towing. In town it was fine and noticable power gains but hook a 7000 lb paperweight to it and you wont feel any change.

 

APT,

It's 2WD and stock 17 in tires. P255 75 R17 I beleive.

 

Synthetic fluid is worth it, even if you change it frequently. Reason being is synthetic breaks down at a higher temp than regular versions do.

For example, let's say you change your transmission fluid every 15,000 miles, and you changed it right before a towing trip. 100 miles into the trip, if your transmission fluid hit above 230-250* (can't remember the exact value) your fluid is toast, despite having only 100 miles on it. That's 14,900 miles on burnt fluid.

Same goes for motor oil.

 

I also inquire what you define as "highway speeds". I tow a larger/heavier travel trailer than you (7300 lbs loaded & 34') with basically the same truck. I have no problems maintaining "highway speeds" of 65-70MPH. Yeah, going up steep inclines makes the motor rev high, but that's what it's supposed to do. And yes, I am running an Xcal2, and yes it does make a little difference in towing performance, but nothing to write home about. I agree that the Xcal2 is more noticable when NOT towing.

If you're solely looking for more umphh when towing, you should seriously consider a gear swap. 4.56 would be awesome, it would keep your RPM's up in the power band. But it would probably suck for doing 80MPH down the hightway.

 

I say the samething about my Edge. When I pull hills it seems the same with my boat.

 

Hiway speeds towing my travel trailer I like to average 60mph.

Not towing when the kids are not with me.... well I won't go there, but shes fast!

 

I have the EDGE EVO, Banks Monster Exhaust, and the K&N FIPKII intake all of this makes a slight difference. I had just an exhaust and the intake on my 04 and the chip gave me the little bit more I wanted. Now I just put my intake on my 06 and have yet to tow any large load, but I have towed with the Banks and the chip. And the ole 150 don't do to bad, it is not no PSD. For me it does the job up here in the thin air of Colorado.

 

So, spend $1000-1500 on intake, exhaust and tuner to get almost unnoticable power (while towing) or spend $500 for gears and you'll notice the improvements.

What is your axle code as listed on the driver's door sticker? Probably 3.55, but it could be lower which hurts performance. going from 3.55 to 4.11 would be wise.

 

Adds up to 140hp/140 ft. lbs. torque


www.magnacharger.com

 

So, you add all this extra HP/TQ and what does it get you??? You pass me on the hill, and get there a couple of minutes before me.... Yes, you can claim "king of the hill" I suppose....

Then, I pass you at the next gas station, because you are out of gas and I still have a 1/4 tank to go.....

Ok, that's not really how it's going to happen, because I get gas when I see an opportunity once I get below half a tank!

The thing to realize is that you are dragging a 3+ ton brick behind you and you start going up a 5% grade and it's going to slow you down! It'll slow down that Big, Bad Diesel as well!

If your truck drops down to second gear and you slow to 50 mph, what's wrong with that? If you are pushing the pedal to the floor and you are still losing speed, then you have reached the max your truck can handle and YOU have to adjust to compensate for it.... Yes, that means dropping down into first and probably limping up the rest of the hill going 20 mph....

At that point, you have to ask yourself "do I have enough truck for this trailer?".

Adding hp/tq might get you up that grade in second gear next time, but what other part are you going to have to beef up to handle that extra power? Did you do anything with the trans? If not, then it'll be smoking pretty quick!

All of this is totally 'subjective' as towing performance is 'subjective' as well... What I feel is adequate towing performance, you might think as being gutless... I think that reving an engine over 3500 rpms when pulling a good size grade, towing a trailer is how the truck was meant to run.. Have you ever tried pushing a loaded wheelbarrow up an incline? Big difference from running the same load on level ground...

Mitch

 

Edge Evolution...less than $400 and will give you about 30+ horses. Plus you get a tranny gauge (part of Edge's package of vitals it monitors).

 

I go 45 up cajon pass......85 down it