for those who've used either one or both, i'm curious as to your opinion what would work best. i've ruled out the plug in chip, since a few seem to think it doesn't work for towing. since i use my truck for towing and some weekend driving, not much daily, i have my trusty 4 banger for that. i usually tow once a month to local race events and about once or twice a year to distant events about 600 mi one way. one thing i didn't like was the hill climb, the grape vine on the 5 fwy. once i lose speed it's hard to gain back at least from what i notice. maybe i didn't drive it right, i usually turn off over drive and floor it until it drops a gear and it still seems to struggle maybe i should have manually dropped it into 2nd. any thoughts would be appreicated.

 

Who do you race with in SoCal? I field a PTD/E car with NASA SoCal.

For the grapevine with my setup (open trailer, 5.4L 2wd 3.55:1, ~4000lbs towed weight), I can usually maintain 60-65mph without needing to floor it. The key is getting a run on it to start out. I try to start the bottom at at least 70-75mph. Keep your foot down (not really flooring it, but in it) when it flattens back out again to get a run at the next hill.

Coming back, it'll get down to about 50mph in 2nd. Again, I try not to floor it and just deal with the speed.

The best thing (and what I plan to do) for towing would be switching the rear end to 4.10:1, which should also help your trans last a lot longer. I also plan on buying a chip from my buddy, not so much for the HP (I still plan on running 87, and I don't think it'll gain anything) but to firm up the shifts. The way the 4R70W shifts, I can just hear my transmission getting hot/dying every time it shifts...

 

hello steve, i don't race with any sanctioning bodies since autox, i guess i can never keep myself within the rules. mainly i just like tweaking with the car. more power more fun. i do alot of open track events, time trials etc. with different groups. though this past summer i did 24 hour of lemons. i'd have to say it was alot of fun and possibly my team will do the next event at thunderhill. when you have an event @ california speedway drop me a line resuper3@hotmail.com. i'd like to try and make it out and watch
as for my truck it's pretty much the same setup, i was thinking of gears probably 3.73 or maybe 4.1 i haven't decided yet, but it won't be anytime soon. though i'd still like to get more insight on that seperator plate by factory tech. wondering if that would be worth my time and money.

 

What gear do you have now? What size tires? 2WD or 4WD? I don't recommend changing to anything less tha n4.10, and depending on what you say above, maybe shorter yet.

 

it's pretty much stock 3.55 w/lsd, 275/75 r16 tire, 2wd. it does fine on the flats, but when it comes to grades like to i-5 (grapevine) it's not great. especially when i lose momentum due to a slow big rig, it had a tough time trying to pass and get up to speed. so i was looking at my available options to see what was best for my needs.

 

That's a big tire for stock 2wd. Anyway, if you don't plan to DD the truck, I recommend 4.30 ratio with a locker.

 

? hmm i thought that was a stock size. my truck came with bfg all terrains w/ some aftermarket wheels. and i assumed that they were the stock size. i'll probably go back to the stock size once these go out. if i go back to stock maybe i'll gain back some towing performance. i mainly use the truck to tow the toys, so looks is the least of my concerns, but i do appreciate the truck, it's probably one prettiest trucks i've owned.
btw what's DD?

 

Look at the sticker on the door. It should tell you what the stock size was.

 

4.30 seems like a lot since he is talking about doing lots of highway driving. how heavy is your trailer loaded down? a locker may not be needed either

 

He's got a daily driver, so truck = work machine. Go for a shorter gear. FWIW, I wish I had 4.56 gears with my truck, 4x4 5.4L 33" tires. I cannot justify the $1500 gear swap, though. I'll just get smalelr tires next time.

A locker is beter than LSD, and they are reatively cheap if you are already replacing the gear.