so i moved from PA to colorado and i can honestly say that my 0-60 went from about a 9.2 to probably a 12. i moved to the outskirts of peyton close to falcon and according to my gps it is 6800ft above see level. my home in PA was 1450ft or so. i also noticed a difference when i put 85 octane in so i put 87 back in. but now am thinking about buying a tuner to get back what i lost. plus it is possible that i will be moving back into PA anywhere from a month to 1.5 years from now. but if its gonna happen it will most likely be about 6 months. but getting a tuner now, when i got a $1.55 raise just for moving here from transfering, would be nice so that when i move back, it will have even more power than im used to in PA. but i would just like it to be close to what it is in PA at least while living here.
also something weird, might just be the air/fuel ratio or something but, if i really get on the gas for a few seconds, then slowly back off to like 3/4 or 1/2 throttle, i actually feel it pick up speed like its burning the gas a lot better. i noticed it while towing the u-haul on the way here but it only started doing it in higher elevation. with the trailer on it i could have the gas pressed like 3/4 going up a hill and it would start slowing down, so i start to let off to downshift and it would pick up a little. it was like it was working a lot easier with less gas. so like i said, its gotta be the elevation or something.

 

I was waiting for a post like this! I knew it was going to happen.

One positive thing - you are probably getting better gas mileage than you were back in the flatlands. A tuner is not going to get back what you lost, you need a turbo to get that.

I'm going to be out your way around September 9th or 10th, by the way. I'm planning on driving up Pikes Peak.

 

What kind of work do you do, that $1.55 is significant enough for you to move? Is it just that the minimum wage is higher in one place over another?

 

My guess is that was a cost of living increase. I don't know...Peyton is pretty out there. I sincerely hope that you can find a way to get your truck back the way you like it.

What do you do? I moved here from Indiana as part of what I call my "quarter-life crisis". My work pays more than it did in IN and when I shopped around I found a mortgage that was comparable to what many of my friends have there.

I hope that if you're "stuck" here for a while, you find joy in the mountains. I spend enough time in the mountains (camping, wheeling, motorcycling, hiking, etc.) that I don't think I could handle moving back to the midwest for even a $15/hr raise.

Anyhow...welcome!

 

I thought I should also add that when I moved here, I too had a 2WD 4.2L F150. (There are pictures in my profile) So, I feel your pain. Hell, mine was an automatic! At sea level (and at 21 years old), I liked nothing more than to do a power-brake, peg-leg burnout at the end of a long day. I guess getting a V8 was my way of dealing with the mile-high power thief! I just never thought about it that way.

 

yes i think i am getting better gas mileage. just cleaned my filter today and felt a pretty good increase in power. it was looking pretty bad. mostly it just doesnt bog down as much on takeoff and i dont notice the acceleration while letting off the gas anymore. also while i was waiting for the filter to dry i figured id use the back to black stuff for my front bumper(had pics in a thread awhile back with the white residue from teh wax) and it seems to be about 80% better now. this time i used a hard nylon bristled brush to scrub it. i left a part of the bumper, that wasnt too bad, untouched to see the difference once the back to black wears off. so maybe in a week or so ill see how it worked. also it sucks you are coming up here because i wont be here. i am leaving on the 6th and coming back on the 18th or so. going back to PA for my dad's 50th birthday.
actually i work at walmart unfortunately. but i got a 1.55/hr raise for a cost of living/overnight differential. my last store in PA paid an extra $1 per hour to work 10pm to 7am, this store pays 1.75 per hour and i also went up a pay level or 2 to make up the rest. i came out here because the economy really sucks in NW PA. i planned on going to school out here for either auto body or auto mechanic. but the schools are farther away than i thought they were. i still have to look into the schools better tho.

 

Wasn't wal-mart rated like the #3 worst place to work or something?

 

i am not sure but i wouldnt doubt it. my last store kinda sucked except the people i worked with were awesome. the one im at now seems to be better in most areas but worse in some. my last one, the store manager was trying to make more money for himself without it being illegal. he basically cut down the people until we could barely handle the freight coming in. so paying less people would bring in more profits, or so he thought. the one im at now has about 3x more people with a store that is maybe 1.2x what my last one was and the frieght is close to the same as my last store. the new one most everyone does 1 department or isle of grocery. my last one was 1 person for every 2 isles in grocery and most people had 3 departments on the general mechandise side. my point being, i am getting paid more to do less since i no longer have hitler for a boss.

 

yeah it is pretty. i actually live really close to Falcon. but it is still considered Peyton. but either way...the mountains are cool but i am used to the trees and the weather in PA. not used to all the cloudiness. ive been waiting for a good morning to take a pic of my truck with the mountains behind it. i think that would be an awesome pic. i am living with my brother for now and the veiw from the front of his house is pretty sweet. the midwest, i dont blame you. i took I70 over here and it was boring as all hell. ONLY cool part was a jet fighter parked beside the highway next to an American flag in what i think was Kansas. i took a pic of it on my cell phone but was slightly too late where i didnt get part of the nose. and i REALLY hope i can get some power back in my truck. after i get back from PA i will be saving for a tuner. then after that, i am not sure. but i think i will try to get a custom towing tune and a nice power tune for the thin air and maybe a power tune for more dense air for when i take a vacation back to PA or move back.
also a Q for anyone who has a 93 performance tune in CO, will a 93 performace tune work with 91 in CO?

 

Tim, the best gas mileage I've ever gotten in my truck was between Durango and Colorado Springs, taking 550 to Monrose, 50 to Poncha Springs, then 285 and 24. I got 23.2 mpg on 85 octane and I wasn't babying it.

You need to discuss the octane issue with a tuner such as Troyer, VMP, or PHP.

 

Motors will tolerate much lower octane fuel at high altitude. You can probably find lots of info on the topic with google.

I'm not a pro tuner, but I'll guess if a 93 tune for sea level does not work with 91 octane at altitude, its probably due to other factors besides the octane.