Moving from travel trailer to 12,000 lb 5th wheel.
Maiden voyage this June (potentially hot) for 1 mo.
Illinois to California & back, so... long/steep inclines (CO, UT, CA, OR, WY).

QUESTION: Do I NEED an EGT guage? I'm imagining myself going up a 6% grade for (say) 10 miles, the truck perhaps revving high in 4th gear with 265 tires, and I have no clue what the EGT is. I back down from 65 MPH to (say) 50 MPH... but is that enough? To much (i.e. am I now going slower than I need to)? Is there some "rule of thumb" for those that do NOT have an EGT guage (i.e. an RPM range or something)? Or... experiences of those WITH EGT guages (i.e. "when I do THIS, the EGT's do THAT...")?

QUESTION: Typical cost of EGT guage, mounting pod, and labor time? If that's all I added, or perhaps added a boost guage also, what would this typically run?

QUESTION: How have your heavy towing experiences been with Edge Juice/Attitude? I eventually would like to get this setup, but am not sure about finances right now. But... I really don't want to install a seperate EGT/boost guage, only later to pitch them and replace with Juice/Attitude.

Thanks in advance,
Paul.

An LB7 towing a heavy load, especially at high altitude, can get the EGTs above 1,300 degrees. That's high enough to justify monitoring. You can get a dual pod "A" pillar mounted EGT and boost set up for a little under $250. A Juice/Atitude combo will run considerably above that, but if you are likely to go that direction anyhow, it might be worth biting the bullet now. I didn't. I have the Juice and "A" pillar gauges. I'm happy with the arrangement and don't intend to get the atitude. My first priority was getting gauges before getting the big trailer. The Juice came about a year later.

TC

After seeing the EGT on my stock trucks, I would never haul without the gauges.

You could rationalise the purchase of the OJ/*** by reduced wear on the truck by not over heating and the fuel saved because of the additional power produced. The gauges will also help you find the sweet spot for better mileage.

What RVC said! JJ :)

What RVC and JJ's Dumax said,

I haul a 33ft 5th wheel in Arizona and although the stock set up was nice, the Juice w/ attitude just gives that much more umph to take the strain off. The built in guages and ability to change on the fly is a definite plus. My next project will be exhaust. Currently not sure if I will remove the kitty or not. No one has proved to me that I will have any major benefit other than allot of time putting things back together if I need to go to the dealer.

tabatasu,
How about 150-200 degree drop in EGT's when towing? At least that's what I saw! Well worth it if you ask me.

what happens when the egt gets too hot?..does it start cooking the turbo and stuff??
i am only pulling under appx 9500..will this keep me out of the red zone on temps??

I'm with Bob. When do you need to be concerned about getting to hot as I'm towing a 10,200lbs 5th wheel without any "Juice"?
what happens when the egt gets too hot?..does it start cooking the turbo and stuff??
i am only pulling under appx 9500..will this keep me out of the red zone on temps??

Currently not sure if I will remove the kitty or not. No one has proved to me that I will have any major benefit other than allot of time putting things back together if I need to go to the dealer.

Pardon my ignorance, but is "kitty" in reference to the OEM exhaust system? Why is it called "kitty?" Because it just purrrrrrs, as opposed to growling (as something BIGGER woudl)?

Thanks,
Paul.

I tow a 15,000" 5th wheel over these high passes every summer with Juice+Attitude, and believe the gauges (and the EGT limiting feature) are really worthwhile. Before I got Juiced I didn't have problems but now I know where things stand and I can control the limits. If you are considering Juice I'd strongly recommend getting it before your trip so you'd have the gauges and limiter, plus the performance advantages. You would climb faster and you'll be downshifting less. A little better mileage too. Stock going up a 6% grade you'll be in 3rd gear stock at 3100 rpm, 52 mph. With Juice in Level 2 - 4th gear, 2300-2500 rpm, 55-60 mph with better mileage. Been there, done that. Many times.

You might also consider a 4" exhaust system, or at least a replacement muffler. John Kennedy ran dyno tests that proved a system lowers EGT and give a little more power, even with a stock engine. http://www.kennedydiesel.com/photogal/pages/4-5exhaust.htm

All it takes is money, but I bet you'll like it. The rest of us do.

The 'KITTY' reference is to the Catalytic Converter.

The reason for moinitoring the EGT's is more for the pistons than turbo. NOT to make the turbo irrelevant. The pistons are of an Aluminum alloy construction and have a melting temp somewhere shortly after 1300 degrees (don't know the exact number). For short bursts above that, it has been typically found to not be a problem. Some have hit 1600+ while sled pulling, drag racing, etc. If maintained for say 30 seconds while pulling 10,000#'s up a hill though, Your asking for trouble. The second reason for it is to see your temp before shutting down the motor. Many believe (I'm one of them), that allowing the turbo to cool to around 300 degree's before shutting off the motor just helps to prolong turbo life.

I'd consider it wise to monitor the EGT's on even a stock motor (especially if towing).

If any of this is wrong I'm sure some of the more knowledgeable ones will correct me (no offense will be taken).

Terrain Twister: That's quite a load you are towing... do you have 2500HD or 3500HD? What is your pin weight? Just curious... --Paul.

2500HD. Pin weight is around 4000#'s-4200#'s. When I ordered the truck the trailer had been picked out and it was my understanding that the weight should have been around 3000#'s. But as myself and others have found out, Manufactures tend to stretch the truth (ALOT!:mad: ). I'm getting ready to upgrade the tire/wheel assembly to 19.5's, load range F. With those and the Aribags I'll feel much more comfortable. I've actually cancelled a few trips this year since my comfort level with the current setup is not that high.:( I've also put the trailer on a diet and it's lost close to 1000#'s. The tanks only get filled 1/2 way unless we're doing one of our week long trips. And then I drive like an old lady on Sundays!:o:

If GM ever releases a 4500/5500 that has a similar body style to ours, I'll be the first in line. Until then, I'm comfortable that the changes I'm getting ready to do will safely get me thru until we purchase the next trailer in a few years. That one will be smaller and lighter or I'm not pulling it off the lot!

RVC, this may seem like a silly question but I don't have much towing experience with diesels so here goes. I have a set of boost/pyro guages on my truck. Other than a swiss cheesed airbox, the truck is stock, when you mean sweet spot. Are you talking about boost or pyro temp? Or are you refering to rpm's. I have towed with this rig only a few times, once with guages(Trailer in sig). Set cruise at 70 in TH and let the truck do what it wanted. Typically, where is the sweet spot for these trucks?

Hi Newtorving,

1. Love the sig and you're going to love the rewards of owning an RV. It will have it's moments but overall I personally think you have found the greatest thing you can do with a family and take into retirement. I grew up with it and have no intentions of ever stopping!

2. No questions are silly around here!

3. The 'sweet spot' is where 'your truck' likes to be in the RPM range to pull 'your trailer'. Each setup will be a little different but generally, you'll find that it should be somewhere in the range of 1600-2400 RPM. Perhaps others with a setup closer to yours will give a better RPM range to pay attention to. This range will also be where the fuel comsumption seems to be lowest while pulling a trailer.

Hope this helps,
TT

Newtorving

What TT said! The EGT and boost will also assists in finding the best place for the truck to tow. You will also notice that there is a difference in where the truck runs best, loaded vs. empty.

RVC