I have a 5.4 4x4 with 20" rims and tires and 3.73 gears that I pull my 21' bass boat with. I am not happy with the towing performance due to a lot of downshifting on almost all hills. I would estimate the boat weight at around 3500# to 4000#. Would changing the gear ratio to 4.10 make a big enough difference or should I consider going higher? I have already installed a cold air intake and a Magnaflow muffler to try and help on the power side, but I'm still not satisifed.

 

If you are not happy with 3.73's, going to 4.10's won't help very much. You gotta go higher. In the meantime, don't tow in overdrive.

 

Try the gryphon it helps alot with towing and shifting. I tow a 26' TT and have no problem towing and going up hills.

 

x2...

 

The intake doesnt help the shifting. since I put one in my 05 5.4, it shifts way too much when going up hills. i'm waiting for my custom tunes to fix it.

Definitely try custom tunes before you change your gears.

 

Custom tunes, such as a specialized towing tune from VMP or the likes, will be the best cost vs. towing performance upgrade.

 

This is an easy one...

Whenever you strap the boat on, click off the O/D.

No more feeling of tranny hunting for right gear, plenty of power on those inclines.

 

Is anyone here towing with a supercharger/turbocharger? If so........how does the blown engine handle towing duties????

 

A buddy of mine tows with his Lightning all the time and never has any trouble... He's done it for quite a while, too.

 

Who is VMP?

I'm interested in getting a tune done for my Expedition but wasn't sure where to go. Do they have a website you could link me to or something? Thanks!

 

No idea who they are but Troyer has been around longer than anybody working on Ford trucks I believe. They set me up with a very nice package. Check them out:

http://www.troyerperformance.com/

 

VMP is competent. Quite a few people have gone over to them because Troyer takes forever to write custom tunes. Troyer is the best, but there comes a point where the wait is just ridiculous.

 

Get a custom tune from bill at www.powerhungryperformance.com

 

They're a custom tuning company. I ordered my tunes and an XCal3 from them last Thursday and they're getting here Monday. I can't wait.

Look in the Tuning section and you'll see some threads about it, or do a search. Here's their website: www.VMPTuning.com