F 250 Upgrades

[charlie.leverett]

Any suggestions on upgrades to a 2009 F250 diesel to improve towing?

[Hunter757]

What are you hauling that you would need to upgrade anything? If you have a heavy trailer you could install air bags. good luck.

[Bigpuddie]

If you really want to upgrade, drive it to Dodge dealer and trade it on a 3500 Laramie with the Cummins, add a Bullydog, delete the DPF exhaust and EGR valve, and enjoy a great truck and great fuel mileage.

[hankpage]

Originally Posted by Bigpuddie

If you really want to upgrade, drive it to Dodge dealer and trade it on a 3500 Laramie with the Cummins, add a Bullydog, delete the DPF exhaust and EGR valve, and enjoy a great truck and great fuel mileage.

Let's not start a "Who's truck is better" thread here. .....
Dave, I never heard of anyone naming their Bullydog before. (Frank)
charlie.leverett, The F250 does a pretty good job towing what it is rated for just the way it is. JM2¢, Hank

[Festus2]

The forum has had the "Which Truck Should You Buy" debates before and the outcomes are always the same (in no particular order): Ford, Dodge, Toyota, GMC/Chev.

"If you have a heavy trailer you can install air bags." (Hunter757
Installing air bags may improve your ride, handling and the level of the TV and TT, but won't increase your towing capacity.

[msp2jxr]

I have Ford 2008 F250 and have the Spartan programmer. Pull the DPF and the Cat off and watch your truck run... I have Cougar 326 MKS which is roughly 11,000 pounds loaded. The truck rarely down shifts unless the hill is very steep or not a gradual climb. I went from well under 9mpg to 10- 11.5mpg hand calculated and that is running at 65MPH.

[Bigpuddie]

I agree...get a programmer...delete DPF and cat...and roll!!

[THedges]

Originally Posted by Bigpuddie

If you really want to upgrade, drive it to Dodge dealer and trade it on a 3500 Laramie with the Cummins, add a Bullydog, delete the DPF exhaust and EGR valve, and enjoy a great truck and great fuel mileage.

Dang it Bigpuddie you beat me to it! I was gonna tell him to got to a Chevy dealership.

[Bigpuddie]

lol

[cumminsdad08]

i run edge. i have seen a few mpg increase. turbo spools a little higher and a little faster with it. i can change lanes in traffic a little faster, and catch up with the traffic flow. throtle response was increased quite a bit. i also like it, because i can adjust it very easy while i am driving. i can "add" a little more snot when i need to and back it off on the cruising. This is all on a dodge tho, hope it helps a little bit.

[RCrawler]

H&S and Spartan are the hot ticket for 6.4 Ford upgrades and delete equipment. With the big Spartan tune, there isn't a Cummins or DMax around that can keep up with the increase on tuner alone.

Even though I own a Dodge, the Ford is still the better truck overall of the big 3. I've owned several Fords but with the recent history of Ford diesel issues, I decided on the Cummins. Plus the '08 up trucks are pretty ugly. Kinda remind me of the Griswold Family Truckster.

My advice for upgrading is keep the transmission cool. Extra capacity oil pan and external oil cooler will help prolong fluid life and help the transmission last longer.

Another good idea, even on a stock truck, is a pyrometer. When you're pulling a steep hill with a heavy load, its nice to know when you need to back off a little when the exhaust temps are getting into the unsafe piston melting range.

Jason

[Jim W]

Originally Posted by charlie.leverett

Any suggestions on upgrades to a 2009 F250 diesel to improve towing?

Hi,
What are you looking for? More power,better fuel economy or more lower end towing torque?
After you answer these questions, than you can decide what you want to do.
I have my truck set up for towing a 5er, I am not out for speed but relieabilty.
First I installed gages EGT,Boost and Transmission tempetaure. I then added a deep dish Mag-Hytec Transmission pan with both front and rear Mag-Hytec covers. I then went for better fuel economy by adding a programmer (Smarty). This is optinal not required but a nice up grade.
I then added air bags to level out the truck along with Michelin Tires for longer life and better fuel mileage.

What you do depends on your budget and what you want to spend.

One area of improvement that is required on Ford diesel is a better EGR Cooler. These have been known to fail and cause issues with the cooling system on a Ford.

Jim W.

[game warden]

Here are some real secrets for all of the diesel owners.Use a good fuel treatment with a cetain booster in it year round not just once in a while.keep the filters changed every 30k at min.use the oem filters not the aftermarket stuff thats fits a bunch of different apps.Ford owners that have a 6.0 or 6.4 and have to have headgaskets put in use a stud kit not bolts!http://www.xtremediesel.com/search.a...FWJd5Qod2HAgNg or arp bolt/stud kit worth every penny! buy a egr cooler delete talk about cleaning up the driveability issues and better performance and mpgs best money you will spend.

[Hunter757]

What fuel treatment with a certain booster are you using? I have never used anything never had a problem. I have the 6.4 my first diesel, I keep the oil and fuel filters changed when the dealer says to. The only complant is the clatter has gotten louder after 12,000 mi. Was nice and quite when it was new only after the first oil change and bingo: nice and noisey dealear says all good not to worrie.

[game warden]

Improve Your Performance —
With Power Stroke® Diesel Fuel Additives.
Ensure Your Diesel's Fuel Quality With These Ford-Approved Additives.




Poor quality diesel fuel can cause rough starts and poor engine operation, as well as dramatically reduce your fuel economy.

Guard against poor quality fuel by adding Power Stroke® Diesel Fuel Additives to your tank with every fill-up.

Sizes available:
Single Shot – treats 35-gallons of fuel,
Medium Size – treats 125-gallons of fuel,
Bulk Container – treats 1,000-gallons of fuel.

Power Stroke® Diesel Fuel Additives from Motorcraft® keep you running clean and strong.


Improve your fuel mileage, engine performance and save hundreds, even thousands of dollars each year with Power Stroke® fuel additives.

Cetane Booster & Performance Improver
•Reduces EGR Valve soot contamination
•Boosts power
•Improves fuel economy
•Improves starting ability
•Smoothes engine operation
•Reduces 6.4L DPF Regeneration
•Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) compliant
•Adds lubricity to fuel for reduced engine wear

Anti-Gel & Performance Improver
•Helps prevent fuel gelling in fuel lines, filters and tanks
•Improves fuel economy
•Improves cold-weather starting
•Smoothes engine operation
•ULSD compliant
•Adds lubricity to fuel for reduced engine wear
Attachment 598