i read all the stickys and i still have a few questions. pretty sure my truck has the t bars cranked so ill have to lower them. do i lower as low as i can? and i am running an edge evo. it has economy, tow, performance, and extream. obviously i have most hp and tq in extream so im guessing thats what setting i want to run on. am i right? if not what do you suggest? thanks

also, what PSI should i run in my air bags?

another question. what about tire pressure? havent read anything about that.

what are you running for a steering setup? what size and kind of tires are you running?

steering setup is all stock, tires are just bf goodies commercial ta 265/75/16, nothing extream. i know im not going to do well at the pull but still wanted to hook up and see what itll do.

I would never pull with a stock steering setup. this is why dodge guys make fun of us gm guys so much.

if you do pull I'd get an alignment after if your tierods make it through.

so i should get sleeves or just aftermarket tie rods? and what about the programmer and air bags? what do you think i should have those set at?

sleeves work fine. look into the cognito steering supports. turn the tuner on high. clamp the springs. and bags are hard to say without traction bars. my buddies set them at 80psi. they do well around that setting. tow haul and 4lo and u will do fine.

In your opinion should I not pull until I get the sleeves and steering supports. I know a couple of guys that have pulled numerous times without any of those mods and they didn't break anything. And they beat the hell out if their trucks. This is my daily driver and I have nothing to prove so ill be taking it easy. Just wanted to get some opinions from someone that has experience. Because these guys would roll the dice no matter what.

without sleeves I wouldnt run full power. have you seen truck without sleeves, braces, and an upgraded centerlink pull? it's not pretty.

if you pull I'd run 40psi in the rear tires 25psi ip front
lower the torsion bars all the way and just floor it and hold on because it will most likely hop all over the track

From what I've read and what I've been told if it starts hopping I should get out of it because that's when the carnage starts. Yeah I think you have scared me outta running until I do these mods. But I don't plan on making this a sled rig. Just wanted to hit the local fair and see what kinda power it had. Because everything I pull with it, I don't even notice its there. So I don't think I need the mods as a daily driver. Guess ill just stay in the stands. Thanks guys.

I would strongly suggest getting the sleeves and braces at minimum. I did however run my 04 completely stock with the tuner all the way up. No damage, nice smooth run. I only had the hitch height at about 20" or so to save the front end. That will be the key to keeping it together.

[QUOTE=Sledheadxp800r;4342350]I would never pull with a stock steering setup. this is why dodge guys make fun of us gm guys so much.

you guys crack me up everybody just throws on some sleeves and thinks there set.. but really nobody understands the way the front suspenion works

Any advice romig?

i never said sleeves were the answer to keeping these front ends together

From what I've read and what I've been told if it starts hopping I should get out of it because that's when the carnage starts. Yeah I think you have scared me outta running until I do these mods. But I don't plan on making this a sled rig. Just wanted to hit the local fair and see what kinda power it had. Because everything I pull with it, I don't even notice its there. So I don't think I need the mods as a daily driver. Guess ill just stay in the stands. Thanks guys.


Sleeves and ratchet straps to pull. If you do some searching you will find instructions on how to strap the front end.
Sleeves and Ratches straps < $100. Back your torsion bars down to the bottom and let er eat.

Tire pressure depends entirely on track condition and your going to have to pick a few veterans brains to read the track. You want to adjust your tire pressure for a good balance of bite and wheel speed.

[QUOTE=Sledheadxp800r;4342350]I would never pull with a stock steering setup. this is why dodge guys make fun of us gm guys so much.

you guys crack me up everybody just throws on some sleeves and thinks there set.. but really nobody understands the way the front suspenion works

The tires want to tow in, first the tie rods bend, then the idler arm, next comes the center link. The greater the tie rod angles the more they want to push up instead of in. Its not rocket science.

Dont be afraid to strap that centerlink. Most super duty guys are strapping there front ends also to keep that "bullet proof SFA" from chattering around and breaking stuff.

the core of the problem is the the design of the centerlink.... it rolls because of the trucks front end coming up.. keep the front end from coming up and the tiny tierods will hold up forever sleeves are just a band aid... a proper set up truck will not toe in Some guys hang 1000 lbs on the front with stock tie rods

So if I lower my t bars, strap the front end, air up the bags, throw four jd tractor weights in the bed (that's all I have access to) and keep my hitch at or below 20", are my chances of carnage low or high? Because if I pull at the fair next week, that's the setup ill have. If I bend the Tie rods thats an easy fairly inexpensive fix, I just don't want total carnage of my front end. Or busted tranny, blown head, bust a driveshaft things like that

So if I lower my t bars, strap the front end, air up the bags, throw four jd tractor weights in the bed (that's all I have access to) and keep my hitch at or below 20", are my chances of carnage low or high? Because if I pull at the fair next week, that's the setup ill have. If I bend the Tie rods thats an easy fairly inexpensive fix, I just don't want total carnage of my front end. Or busted tranny, blown head, bust a driveshaft things like that

Do all of that except air up your bags!!!!!!!!!!! Do not do this unless you have traction bars and the front end braced up. Let it drop in the back, it will save the front end parts.

Otherwise you will be fine with what you have listed. Would not recommend doing it too often but for the first time hook you will be ok. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Where are you located at anyways?

Thanks. Toledo, OH. I'm hoping to pull at the wood county fair on the 4th. But my wife is being induced on the second, so its looking like ill be at the erie county on the 10th or Henry county on the 12th.

Sounds good. Remember that this is not going to be a winning setup but rather a safe one for the truck. I'm sure you'll be back looking to see how to make it better after you first hook, it's addicting. Congrats on the new little one also!!

Thanks its our first. Oh I'm sure ill get bit by the bug. But I really don't want to make my daily driver a pulling rig. Too much to risk. I need to make sure I can get to work the next day. What are the advantages to beefing up the front end other than pulling? I guess I'm trying to justify spending the money haha.

the core of the problem is the the design of the centerlink.... it rolls because of the trucks front end coming up.. keep the front end from coming up and the tiny tierods will hold up forever sleeves are just a band aid... a proper set up truck will not toe in Some guys hang 1000 lbs on the front with stock tie rods

Isn't that more or less what i said? Front end comes up, tie rod angles increase. Hanging weight is all fine and well, and i do it often, but when you run a class where you cant hang weight, tie rod sleeves and strapping the centerlink will add 5-10 feet to your pull.

So if I lower my t bars, strap the front end, air up the bags, throw four jd tractor weights in the bed (that's all I have access to) and keep my hitch at or below 20", are my chances of carnage low or high? Because if I pull at the fair next week, that's the setup ill have. If I bend the Tie rods thats an easy fairly inexpensive fix, I just don't want total carnage of my front end. Or busted tranny, blown head, bust a driveshaft things like that

You should be just fine, i ran 8 or 10 pulls last year at my current power level with straps and sleeves an did well.