First off, I would like to say I am a Chevy guy born and raised, but i really want to know the real deal on the 5500 and 6500 series trucks. I expedite goods out of my area into a 700 mile radius thoughout the Southeast. I have a International 4900 with the DT466E that is rated at 190 hp and 485 ft lb. I have a 20 ft dry van box and need a truck that will at least handle that long a box. I normally haul around 3000-11500 in the box on the trip out and I am normally unloaded on the way back. Loaded or unloaded, my truck get no better than 9MPG, with an average in the low to mid 8's. This is with it governed at 67 MPH also.

My big questions are
1. Will this truck cruise at 70-75 loaded and unloaded pretty easily?
2. What kind of mileage can I expect loaded and unloaded running at say 72 or so?
3. Do you think it will be a big upgrade in power over the DT 466E, as this thing will barely get out of it's own way unloaded.?
4. What did you guys pay approximately for your trucks, with just the Duramax Allison combo and AC and say cruise. The ones i am looking at are stickering at around 48-49 with no box?

That you for your time and all answers are appreciated.

Dont get the duramax in the medium duty,there light duty engines.The injectors will not hold up .The cabs are poorly built,they handle poorly ,very few people know how to work on the engines.I made a big mistake when i bought mine .Buy frieghtliner,sterling,kw or international. Save yourself alot of down time and money dont buy a chevy. animal 4500 rv transporter

Dont get the duramax in the medium duty,there light duty engines.The injectors will not hold up .The cabs are poorly built,they handle poorly ,very few people know how to work on the engines.I made a big mistake when i bought mine .Buy frieghtliner,sterling,kw or international. Save yourself alot of down time and money dont buy a chevy. animal 4500 rv transporter

So even if i got the cat engine in the 6500, you would suggest i stay away. I was in your neck of the woods the other day, i delivered the turf for the new Assumption high School field.

I would do some research on the small cat engine,Ive read cat is having trouble with the smaller engines. I would stay with a major truck maker,not gm or ford.I travel thru georgia alot ,I run southern deliverys most of the time. animal 4500 rv transporter

My big questions are
1. Will this truck cruise at 70-75 loaded and unloaded pretty easily?
2. What kind of mileage can I expect loaded and unloaded running at say 72 or so?
3. Do you think it will be a big upgrade in power over the DT 466E, as this thing will barely get out of it's own way unloaded.?
4. What did you guys pay approximately for your trucks, with just the Duramax Allison combo and AC and say cruise. The ones i am looking at are stickering at around 48-49 with no box?
1. Mine is limited to 73MPH. Thats with a 5.13 rear gear ratio. It will not hold that speed on hills, unless it is empty.

2. 7-10 MPG. Thats pulling my 40 Carriage 5th wheel loaded. 10-12 is about the best I get empty.

3. Spools up faster, but it is not what you could call "fast".

4. Booked for 49,760 for my 05 Kodiak 4X4. Ended up 37,000 after all the daling was done.

Hey Animal.....what are the issues with the injectors?? I have noticed that anything over 63MPH, they hammer like he11.

I really hate to say it, but my old 99 F-350 would out pull this truck by a mile. I did have the powerstroke chipped, but crap!, I thought the chevy would atleast be a puller with the gearing its got. Feels like the Kodiak I got needs about 60-80 more HP. Pulling on ANY type of grade, is a automatic shiftdown, and hold it to the floor while topping the hill at 50 MPH. Same hill on the Ford, never shifted out of 6th and topped grade at 65. And thats with 3.73 gears!

Um .. guys.. why DID you by a very expensive truck that does not do what you got it for?? and if a freightliner was what you really needed for your application how did you end up with a GM product?? MY truck does exactly what i want it to do .. day in and day out ,strong and dependable. It plows spreads,dumps,hauls and tows just like i want.. every time. And when some guy in a 2500 or a 350 looks UP at me .. its well worth the payment.

My 4500 does what I bought it for far as hauling goes the average load on the truck is 5-8K .
I like the looks of my truck, how sharp it turns, the fact you can see just about everything around the truck, Everything feels familar since the inside is darn close to my 3500, not as loud as a true med duty trucks with the big inline 6's, ride is ok but mine has air ride seat

With that said I will tell you why I WILL NOT buy another one.
1.A/C stayed screwed up & took a week to fix still not that great
2.can not keep front tires on the truck no matter how many allignments & diffrent tires I try, they still seem to cup out really bad. at 245.00 a tire that really kills your profit line.
3. LiL air comp under the cab step wont quit leaking. runs alot had to put a toggle switch on it.
4. the empty weight on my truck with a 17'bed is 12,350lbs I honestly think that its just too much weight for the lil duramax to handle 100% of the time.
5. Gets 10-11mpg no matter what empty or loaded A buddy of mine has a low profile M2 freightliner with the 260hp Mercedies /10 speed and gets the same mpg as me and his truck will just plain out work my 4500 in every way. The worst part about it he didnt pay but about $8000.00 more for his truck than I did for mine. I bet his M2 will still be going strong long after my 4500 is dead.

GM underpowers their larger trucks IMO. At least with the Sterlings, KW,... you can order the powertrain you want/need. Down side is you will pay up front for the privledge. Payback on bigger GM trucks is about 3 years steady use, Heavy duties (KW and such) more like 5-7.

Cost mainly..... $37,000 Kodiak VS $109,000 Showhauler....and the banks in my area, will NOT finance a Freightliner. "They consider it a commercial vehicle." They weren't thrilled about financing a C-4500 either. But, It did say Chevy on the front. Although, a person can go to Freightliner and get 12-20 year financing....I just cannot stand having a truck payment for THAT amount of time.
Granted, the Kodiak is fun to drive, and with a bit more umpfff, I feel it will tow good enough to pull my 5th wheel without getting a ticket for impeding traffic. Towing the 40 footer, I didn't have enough braking power and I feel the Powerstroke suspension is not up to the task either. I know the ZF6 tranny was making some strange noises when I pulled it in to the Chevy dealer, so I am sure that after 300,000 miles on it, it was time for retirement.

People say that truck looks good,and I say ALL SHOW AND NO GO. When I bought the truck I thought i was the SMARTEST GUY IN THE ROOM , MAN WAS I WRONG. GM geared most of the trucks with 4.78 and 5.13 because they knew the engine DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH POWER.We all know the injectors SUCK,with the rpm we turn the failure comes on faster.In a year or two this sight will be full of unhappy consumers,when they start putting alot of miles on these trucks. If your only comment is BUY ANOTHER TRUCK,keep it to yourself. animal 4500 rv transporter

I was trying to say very simply get rid of it now before it breaks and really costs you money. So how can we fix the high gearing,low power, poory assembled chassis and injector issues? Maby the morons putting 110 hp of undesigned power into a "little" motor may effect its longevity. How about people using it above what it is desined for ? Towing tons over GCW ? Gross overload? I got my best milage IN town this last tank.. 9.8 mpg.. and i never went above 45 mph!! maby we all bought glorafied UPS trucks:eek: Really i cant fix any of this.. my scale leans to the "+" side so untill it is firmy in the "-" i will keep it.

roidmam81 My views are for high mileage users of these trucks. If you us the truck for weekend trips or vacation i see no problems.These trucks have no trade in value,I was offered 20000 Dollars on a trade,on my 2004 4500 chariot conversion with 98000 miles. Now let's do the math. Payed $55,000, including tax 18 months ago, now that's a 35,000 depriciation in 18 months. That's a big hit to my wallet! And the truck looks like new!!! If it had any wear and tear, I would probably have to pay the dealer to take it off my hands.
animal4500rvtransport

GM geared most of the trucks with 4.78 and 5.13 because they knew the engine DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH POWER.


Damn I must have got lucky...... mine came with a 4.44 gear and the top speed limit comes in at 85mph. I will say this from 50 to 65mph she is a dog. When she hits 70 I guess the rpms get in the sweet spot, cus she really comes alive and hits 85 pretty quick. The only thing I dont like is the rattle from the engine at that speed. I guess the pilot injection takes a walk around 70mph.

COLE99 My sweet spot is 65mph at 2300rpm with 4.78 gears.I was thinking about a gear change ,but i run alot of mountain routes and I dont want to run out of power.I talked to a guy doing hotshots with 4.44 gears he complained about the lack of power.If your pulling into a headwind with a 40 foot trailer,youve got to have the gears because you dont have the horsepower.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b48/ponch29/TRUCK002.jpg

If your pulling into a headwind with a 40 foot trailer,youve got to have the gears because you dont have the horsepower

I totally agree with you. I think the main reason I'm not running into these problems is I use my C-4500 in a straight truck fashion ONLY.

I wanted to put a 40' goosneck behind my truck till I ran across a ol boy who had that set up. Just plainly said "it aint gonna last long" that was about all I could get out of him.


Oh yea I love that bed on your truck...Sweet... Hell the way I designed my bed I'm always getting flagged down cus people think its a rollback wrecker.

since we are showing pics, "funny how they are all white", figured I'd throw my hat in the ring. 5.13 gears in mine. Still looking for a decent flatbed with huge underboxes.

Hell lets have a truck show,because they look alot better than they work. animal 4500

Buy the cat or the inline 6 Duramax Animal if your such an expert why did you buy it to begin with should have told you something if you thought you were the "smartest person in the showroom" If your dealer is that bad go to another one but I guess all you want to do is compalin about it. Research + Weight = is this right for my application??????????

ur12

Turbo 6600 Here we go again,trying to educate the consumer.Iwould hope people dont make the same mistake Idid.GM rated this truck for the application,not me.The cat does not come in the 4500.Now to the MYSTERIOUS INLINE 6 nobody has seen one,bet that wold be a hassle trying to find parts for.What hppend to FREE SPEECH INTHIS COUNTRY IS IT DEAD ANIMAL4500

Mine seems to work for its application, plowing snow, spreading mag chloride and Type 3 contract Forest Service wildland truck in the Summer. and Yep its white. 5.13 gearing is nice for my application. I had no misconceptions that it would only get 10-13mpg. Hauls the weight fine. Is speed governed at 75mph or so, but that is because of the Goodyear traction tires. I live at 10,000 feet above sea level and it has plenty of power. Only wish they made it in a super cab.

http://chtucker.home.bresnan.net/newtruck1.jpg
http://chtucker.home.bresnan.net/lunch1.jpg

Have any of the "disgruntled" users tried putting a small tuner on them? Even a 40HP tuner changes the width of the powerband a huge amount. I'd experiment with something like an Edge EZ LLY on the lowest setting.

No, not a "Race Tune". A small tune.

i thought that when the d-max was worked hard it had less injector failer? also mcrat is right get a small tune for the trucks! i alittle extra power wont hurt and you guys might change your minds about how under powered these motors are!

I would really like to bump up the power a tad. I just need to find a decent level that does not require beefing up the transmission. Also, does modifying the exhaust system have any adverse effects? Losing the muffler and cat doesn't bother me. BUT, I don't want the truck to go into a "limp home" because of lack of backpressure. "I think I saw that somewhere in the forums." Any suggestions???

It won't go into "Limp Home" because of EGR codes, which is what EGR equipped Dmaxes sometimes throw if you remove both the cat and the muffler. If you get the codes, a "Finger Stick" normally will stop them. The codes do not affect performance, but on some trucks it sets the Check Engine Light.

40-50RWHP has been shown to be safe for the stock Allison. The drivibility goes up, and you might even see 1 mpg improvement.

Thank MCRAT. I did a google search on edge ez and it looks as though it will add about 200 FT LBs TQ. THATS what I am looking for. The article also said that it would safely add the power without high EGT's. Is it the muffler or the cat that is the most restrictive? I will add the guages just to be sure though. Where is the "Vendor's section"? I would rather buy from a forum sponsor as opposed to a sight unseen like eBay.

The Edge EZ LLY will "shift-on-the-fly" between 3 power levels. I tested one on a round trip to Missouri, and it worked very well on a light truck towing ~7000lb, which would be about your empty weight. No downshifting up the steepest grades at 75mph.

I got mine from John@DPS. He has excellent service and prices IMO. So do the other vendors as well that I've dealt with on this board. It takes 5 minutes to install the module, and if you want the 3-position toggle in the cab, it will take about an hour.

Edge has a very good customer service record as well. There are other tuners I'd recommend also, but from your needs, I believe the EZ will do what you need without breaking the bank.

There might be a problem with uping the horse power,I dont know. These trucks weigh 4to 6k more than a pickup,and we have the same transmission.Idont think GM uped the hp to 315 on the newer kodiaks,there has to be a reason.Iam sure somebody will let me know if iam wrong. animal 4500

Oh, and the muffler is probably the most restrictive. The cat is actually a pretty good design on these. I'd just get the tuner and see how you like it first, then worry about the exhaust.

There might be a problem with uping the horse power,I dont know. These trucks weigh 4to 6k more than a pickup,and we have the same transmission.Idont think GM uped the hp to 315 on the newer kodiaks,there has to be a reason.Iam sure somebody will let me know if iam wrong. animal 4500

There is not a whole lot of data on the medium duty trucks concerning modifications. If people are running mods, they aren't talking much.

Yes, to compare the medium duty to the light trucks is apples to oranges. Even when the scale weight of the two rigs are the same, the frontal area is different. We have 3.73's and are capable of 115mph with the speed limiter removed. So the actual hill climbing RPM is different as well.

There are heavier duty transmission parts available to rebuild the Allison should you decide you need more power.

I think ill stay stock for now ,ill let somebody else be the crash test dummy.animal 4500

Your choice. I will say that the Dmax takes to mods well, and it appears that mild tunes are showing no higher trouble rates than stock trucks. Very few "serious" engine problems are happening with the Dmax, it's mostly injectors on a portion of the trucks.

I appreciate all the opinions, i was really set on getting one until I heard what you guys said. The thing that kind of lures me back in though is the 3 yr unlimited mileage warranty. I never like to think that I could be broke down on the side of the road, but now with the International one big breakdown (ie turbo or transmission failure) would cost me around half a months to a full months profit. With the 5500 or 6500 being warrantied, it would not at least be a big hit. With rebates and deals I could probably get a 5500 or 6500 for around 10K less than a Freightliner or another new International. My truck, the International 4900, only has 108K on it and i owe a lot less than what it books for, so i wouldn't be going upside down anyway I traded. The big thing is fuel mileage. I am running anywhere from 1000 to 1800 miles per week now and just one MPG difference would save me tons as right now I am averaging 8.5 governed to 66 MPH.

Do you think with half of my miles being unloaded (12-14K) and the other half hauling normally 5-9K more could I break 9.5 to 10 MPG. If i had the 5500 and set the cruise at say 70, what kind of RPM's would i be pulling. with the 4.44 gears.

I think ill stay stock for now ,ill let somebody else be the crash test dummy.animal 4500

:exactly:
You read my mind.......I got too much riding on this truck being a reliable performer to start messing with programmers. 2nd I put a driver in this truck now, so giving him more power is the least of my worries. I think that if you need 200 tq than what you got now you should have bought a bigger truck. Plain and simple 200tq extra through the stock Alli in these heavy trucks is commiting suicide.:badidea:


(CGREEN
Do you think with half of my miles being unloaded (12-14K) and the other half hauling normally 5-9K more could I break 9.5 to 10 MPG. If i had the 5500 and set the cruise at say 70, what kind of RPM's would i be pulling. with the 4.44 gears)

I average 10-11mpg with mine and I do have the 4.44 gear & LB7. Biggest thing to remember it seems like the LLY gets worse MPG than the LB7 which is no longer avaliable. Im saying this due to the fact there are too many posts on the LLY board concerning this exact problem. Me... I think its just all the emissions crap they installed.
If I remember right rpms@ 70MPH is 2400rpms its been awhile since I drove the 4500 I mainly drive the 3500 I ask my driver tomorrow.

I think superchip has a tuner for them you just have to call them to get it .
ANIMAL I Just seen 5 -INLINE SIX DURAMAX DIESELS They were in 6500's but they do exsist THey have been out for at least three years So they are not a mystery engine here is the info straight from the chevy site Engine options include DURAMAX™ 7800 diesel, Cat® C7 diesel, and Vortec 8100 MD V8 Not trying to start anything and never said anything about Free Speech that is what I'm expressing to. Turbo6600

It's not 200ftlb on the lower settings, and it's not "programming". It is a harness box. It snaps into the engine harness.

Most bigger diesels are available in different HP configurations, and so is the Duramax. For most of them, they only change the tuning to acheive it. It's true with the Dmax too, as the engine is available with 250, 300, and 310 power levels, and soon to be 360HP.

You hear alot about the pickup guys roasting the Allison with tuning. It's not 200ftlb that's the problem. A stock truck will push about 440ftlb at the tires. They are boosting that by 600ftlb or more, past 1000ftlb, or more than double the factory rating. Not to mention they are sledpulling and dragracing them.

The biggest problems with these performance tunes is how easy they are. You get 50HP, and you love it at first, truck runs flawlessly, but you get jaded. You think, "if 50 is good, 100 is BETTER!!", and at that point, the Allison is living on borrowed time as you end up with 200+ HP gain. If you have the self control to keep it at 50HP, everything lasts a long time. There are lots of Dmaxes running small tunes that tow at >20,000lb combined weight without problem.

Should you go overboard and slip the Allison (it doesn't break, it warns you to knock it off way before it leaves you stranded), it will take $2500-$4500 to beef it up to handle any reasonable HP you want to run. But if you stay at 50 over, you can just skip that expense.

I believe PPE is running a 4500 (5500?) and a couple of others that I know about that are running way more than 50HP. That doesn't mean squat, as their usage might be alot different.

But I figure if some people are so dissappointed that they hate their trucks and want to get rid of them, what do they have to lose?

Cgreen What type of engine are you getting. animal 4500

animal in the 5500 I would get the 6.6 Duramax, or in the 6500 the Cat inline 6 or Duramax 6.

cgreen The reason I ask you mentioned the 3 year warranty,the only one that has three years is the inline 6 dmax.The 6.6 has 100000 miles the cat 150000miles
.Just thought youd like to know. animal 4500

You are talking about apples and oranges. The 4500 is a medium duty truck sold by light duty dealers. Why I don't know. the 5500's up are real medium duty trucks. The in line 6 duramax (ISUZU) has been in G.M.'s medium duty trucks for over 20 years. Do not put chips in the 6500's up you will HAVE a warranty concerne. If you want to tow a lot of weight and carry a lot, you will need a REAL truck. G.M. medium dealers, the good ones ask you what you do and when you do it. They will sell you what you need, not what you want!!!!!!

The 6500 has a duramax that goes up to a 230 HP if you go to a 7500 you can go higher in horsepower. The 7.8L duramax now has a 3 year unlimited mile warr on it. You can gear them to go 70-75 if you like. I sold a 2006 chev 6500 with a 24' van body and liftgate, 200hp, 5 speed, ac, cruise, stereo, 25950 gvw, geared at 72 MPH for 43000.00 last week. more avail. Just need to go over specs to make sure it works for you

The 6500 has a duramax that goes up to a 230 HP if you go to a 7500 you can go higher in horsepower. The 7.8L duramax now has a 3 year unlimited mile warr on it. You can gear them to go 70-75 if you like. I sold a 2006 chev 6500 with a 24' van body and liftgate, 200hp, 5 speed, ac, cruise, stereo, 25950 gvw, geared at 72 MPH for 43000.00 last week. more avail. Just need to go over specs to make sure it works for you

Well since you've sold a few of these trucks, have you gotten any feedback on fuel mileage? 5500's with the 6.6 duramax, 6500 with the 7.8 Duramax, and cat diesel. Have you gotten to drive any of them personally? What kind of RPM's did the truck you just sold turn at 70 or so? I know a lot of questions, but I want to make a thorough evaluation before I buy anything.

The truck will be going at 2200 RPM at 72 MPH, this one had a rear axle ratio 3.90 to 1 and it had 10R22.5 Tires, the trans has a final drive of 1 to 1. Fuel milage on the 6.6 has run in the area of 12 hauling a load to 15-16 running running down the highway without a heavy load depending on driver and conditions. I have driven both the duramax and the cat engine and I would say one is as good as the other, warr is better on the duramax 7.8 which in my mind makes the duramax a better deal, also it has a b10 rating of 410000 miles . I have had a few comments on the 7.8L and they are running about 10 MPG or so, depending on usage and driver. They do offer both automatic and a 6speed trans with overdrive in high gear also.

I really don't know what everyone's problems are. I just know that my Duramax is nice and quiet while towing my 16K# 5th wheel. When using level 1 on my Edge Juice unit, the transmission hardly ever has to downshift when pulling hills and tranny temp gauge has never moved while towing, starts @ 160. I have air ride seats and suspension. Have a nice smooth ride. I am very happy with my 4500. John

:cool2: Now there an unbiased opinion... at least sombody is happ.. so am I !

The more miles you put on THESE RAGS the trouble begins,I will show proof of the 10 times this so called medium duty truck has been in for major repairs.I hope you guys have better luck than me. ANIMAL 4500 RVTRANSPORTER

im up tp 4k today and leave on a 1300 mile haul this weekend. I have a few things going on it tommorow. A turbo timer, pyrometer, and a aux fuel tank. SO far so good except fuel capacity which is being adressed

Hey Animal, sell that rag and stop your whining. Mine has 22K miles and purrs like a kitten. I heard rumors that the 2006 5500 will offer a Cat engine, is this true? That will help you heavy haulers. Remember, you get what you pay for. A Chevy 4500 will not do the work of a Freightliner or Peterbuilt, but it is alot cheaper. If you are doing over the road hauling, get the right equipment. If you haul locally, you might get by with a Chevy. My Chevy 4500 hauls my 37' 5er just fine. But if I go bigger, will look for a bigger truck too. Can't we all just be friends. John

Not whining just trying to enlighten the consumer,90 PERCENT of the trailers I deliver are 30 ft down to 24ft so im not over working the truck.And I deadhead back.Some would say the truck is to big for the job. I

Not whining just trying to enlighten consumer.90 percent of the trailers I deliver are 30 ft or below,so the truck is not being over worked.Because the smaller ones take less fuel,and they all pay the same.I guess this is my last thread,because people cant handle the truth. animal4500

in understand what you are saying animal to a point. I know i overloaded and overworked all my f350 powerstrokes and the one i own is still ticking. I have a buddy with a 04 4500 lb7 truck that has over 82000 miles on it and it has had 0 problems besides the bed cracked on @ 78,000 and that is due to his truck has springs all the way around and no air ride in the back.

Hey Animal, sorry about the whining bit. It sounds like you got a lemon. Everyone I have talked to love their truck. It seems to happen to about all makes and models of cars and trucks. Hope you can get your problems corrected and get your intended use out of the truck. Good Luck, John

Guys keep an eye on your rear axle seals,the failure rate is high.GM had to redesign it because of the high rate of failure,if yours start to leak demand the new type of seal.Dont let them sleeve the axle and use the old type seal. animal 4500

Hey animal, I am with John. I have 13,000 miles on it an not a problem with the truck. My 2cents, the truck is a different truck with a mild tune. 3600 miles on this vacation trip towing the 15k+ 40' 5er. I can tell you that I can 't stand towing without the tuner on. Uderpowered, especially from the start. Top end is even worse. With a mild tune, passing the big rigs up the passes is not a problem. I am seeing some abnormal wear on the inside edges of the front tires. I don't like that. But other than that, love it.

One interesting observation. From sea level to about 3000 feet above sea level, the EGT never....I said never go above 1300 with the tuner on level 1. 3000 and above, I have to watch it constantly. Not sure why, maybe someone has some answers. I live at 7000 feet and I had had to watch it since I put the tuner on it. However, going up the pacific coast no problems. Going through Yosemite was a bit of a tug. That climb I had to watch the temps quite a lot.

Tech

i have two gmc 5500 , and one 4500 and i love them they have plenty of power compared to other trucks in same price range the 2 5500 are rollbcks and will tow 2 cars with no problems at 85mph dowm highway hills or not my 4500 is a snatch truck used for impounds and repos i have a edge juice on it and i love it the most have towed a 26 ft international uhaul truck with it and no problems at all 21000 troublefree miles and 28000miles onthe 5500 no trouble

i have two gmc 5500 , and one 4500 and i love them they have plenty of power compared to other trucks in same price range the 2 5500 are rollbcks and will tow 2 cars with no problems at 85mph dowm highway hills or not my 4500 is a snatch truck used for impounds and repos i have a edge juice on it and i love it the most have towed a 26 ft international uhaul truck with it and no problems at all 21000 troublefree miles and 28000miles onthe 5500 no trouble

What kind of mileage did you see hauling the International?

I found the problem with my truck,I PUSHED THE SELF DISTRUCT BUTTON BY MISTAKE.These trucks run stronger and cooler when they get broke in. animal 4500rvtransporter

techprof1,

What type of tuner are you useing?? I am getting the "edge-attitude" to see if I can make this thing a better puller. Going uphill, towing a 40' 5er at 45 MPH on the interstate is just plain dangerous in my opinion.

techprof1,

What type of tuner are you useing?? I am getting the "edge-attitude" to see if I can make this thing a better puller. Going uphill, towing a 40' 5er at 45 MPH on the interstate is just plain dangerous in my opinion.

Kodiak,

It is obvious you don't understand the situation. Going from 3500 foot elevation to 7000 foot elevation in 15 miles is a steep grade. Every semi/big truck and any rig towing a heavy load is going 45 or slower. Some as slow a 25 or so. Pretty standard. Right lane is limited to trucks and slow travelling rigs. Left lane, no rigs with trailers. So don't jump to conclusions unless you know the situation. It just doesn't look good on the forum. Too many people make judgment without knowing all the info. Thanks!

BTW, I am using the Pacific tuner. It is the only tuner that has been able to remove the speed limiter. It works really good. It is not as user friendly as the edge or other "on-the-fly" type of programmers.

TechProf

Kodiak, I tow in level 1 on the Edge/Attitude unit. I noticed that I pull hills better with little downshifting than before. Edge recommends towing in level 1 or 2 only. But like the others have said, you may be limited by the flow of traffic. I have passed some trucks in the left lane but only when there is no traffic in the left lane. John

TECHPROF1

My 2cents, the truck is a different truck with a mild tune. 3600 miles on this vacation trip towing the 15k+ 40' 5er. I can tell you that I can 't stand towing without the tuner on. Uderpowered, especially from the start. Top end is even worse. With a mild tune, passing the big rigs up the passes is not a problem.
Tech

Actually, all I did was ask what type of tuner you were useing. I was refering to the above statement you made. Your condecending tone is not appreciated and is probably more harmful to the forum than my simple request as to what tuner you use.

Just what is the "Situation" I do not understand? You don't know me nor should you have the ability to judge. I pull coast to coast with a 40' trailer at close to 80,000 miles per year and am aware that the signs that say {trucks use right lane only} means, just what it says.

Evidently, you must have read something into my post that was not intended. Then again, you just may be one of those type of people. But, who am I to judge???

And JOHNOH327, Thanks for the reply. I want to see what other members here are doing with different tuners on the Topkick and Kodiaks. Which levels are safe to use towing and the problems, if any, anyone has had.

I am not interested in roaring up the side of a mountain pass running the full 75MPH speed limit. But, If it is possible to hold a decent speed without impeding traffic......THAT INTERESTS ME!

5. Gets 10-11mpg no matter what empty or loaded A buddy of mine has a low profile M2 freightliner with the 260hp Mercedies /10 speed and gets the same mpg as me and his truck will just plain out work my 4500 in every way. The worst part about it he didnt pay but about $8000.00 more for his truck than I did for mine. I bet his M2 will still be going strong long after my 4500 is dead.[/quote]


And what was the price on his M2?

braz

Kodiak,

Sorry, did not intend to send a "condescending tone" to you. I was just stating the situation of going 45 on a freeway.

TechProf