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Comments
BTW - anybody got any mpegs of Dakota exhaust tunes (mmm, sounds), you might just e:mail them to me so I can just take a 'quick listen' and validate them for the group. Yeah, that's it. Then I'll just send them on over to a_j, bookitty and 'others' for their opinions. And get back to you.
ALL the aftermarket folks offer the same warning... Not only because the rear pipes are going to eventually leave whatever it is you're towing shrouded in soot, but also to protect themselves from liability in the event of exhaust gas blow-back to the cabin.
I won't pretend to know the odds of that happening... But I'm not about to volunteer my services as a guinea pig.
Well I like my neighbors now (one is a cop), still go to work early in the AM and my ears have finally stopped ringing. Do I really want to do that to my Quad?? Say would you mind routing those mp3s my way too? Rick
Allen-
make the engine "back off" with that loud familiar guttural sound (I love it!).
Bookitty
thanks. Dave.
P.S since you are retired are you going to the "MEET" in OK! (thats assuming you have free time)
is, but one never assumes that someone else knows something.
Bookitty
Bookitty
Say, did they ever fix all those holes in the Penn Turnpike?
You do know I'm kidding don't you?
Okay, okay we'll just have to do the' Michigan thing' at Warren or something later in the summer and cut 700 miles off your (butt's) trip (each way). How bout that? Or do we uns need to mosey on over to the edge of the earth there at that retirement center in Langhorny, PA and scope a knot on yore head?
And that makes this an 'accessory' comment that's suitable for the Topic Cops. :-P
to Longhorn? Will that help
in the wool Mid Westerner. Now it turns out that you are actually from "The City", where we spend a good deal of our time seeing shows etc. I used to scuba dive from boats that sailed out of Point Pleasant and my buddy (whom I visited yesterday) lives in Brick Township. Small world. I also spent a good deal of time in Springfield, VA (Back Lick Road) and other parts of Northern VA and the District. They never actually repair the road on the PA turnpike, but they do square the edges of the potholes to make them look better. I was thinking of selling shovels equipped with chin rests to the PENDOT workers who perform that task. Hey, if you get close to here, give me a holler.
Norm (Bookitty)
I need to hook up a trailer lite attachment, I think it's a 4 pin. I looked under the truck, there is an electrical line for both tail lites as well as the license plate. On the passenger side is a wire with a tag with the letters CHMGL, (or something close to that). These wires are crimped and tie wired to the tail lite wires. The crimped end is exposed as if it is ready to be wired to something.
Are these the wires I need to attach to the trailer light hook up?
Is there anything else I need to know about hooking these up or should I leave it to an "expert"
thanks!!
Bookitty
Allen-
Publish any solutions.
The boat I would pull is a 14' aluminum and with the trailer can't weigh more than 1,000 lbs. max.
The trips are very short. 30 minutes or so at speeds up to 50 mph.
Still think there is a problem with a bumper hitch?
and goes from the OEM 7 pin light/brake connector to a 4 wire flat plug connector. The other type used where there is no factory tow package, is a pair (I think) of "tee" connectors that plug into the existing factory wiring harness. The existing harness connectors unplug, and the tee connectors are inserted between the OEM connectors. You may have to move spare to help get to the plugs, as I have not looked due to the fact that I have the tow package. While I am certain that the load you are towing is well within the capacity, I personally do not have much faith in bumper mounted towing. I always use a receiver (2") if for no other reason than versatility (bike rack,
carry platform, pintle hook etc.).
Bookitty
By the way, the bumper is rated for a 2000lb towing capacity but I believe hitch weight is limited to 100 lbs? Someone may wish to clarify that. For what you're pulling, the hitch mount should be just fine.
I do however, concur with Bookitty. The receiver hitch can be much more versatile and I have one on my Quad. It's nice to be able to remove the ball when not being used AND your license plate doesn't get all banged up backing up to a trailer.
fat_fenders
Good points also on the bumper mounted hitch. I'm still on the fence on this one although I am leaning to a bumper mounted ball.
Thanks again for all your help. This is my first truck and I just want to make sure I'm doing things the right way.
Dan
I ordered a Stockland Tonneau cover from them on Aug. 4th. Was told it would take 10 days to get it out of Calif. Two weeks went by - no tonneau. Went in to check on order and was told "truck leaves CA thurs night and gets in Monday morning - check back." Checked back the next Monday (Aug 23) and no tonneau. 4W.P. called Stockland - no record of order @#$*! Reordered tonneau - 10 days to get. Checked back the 4th of sept. (one month now) and was told it missed the truck! Next week they promise. Got a call Monday Sept 11th - tonneaus in! NO-REALLY!! Picked it up, took it home and my quad cab now had a tonneau---------FOR A CLUB CAB. As I reached for the chain saw I thought I had better call 4W.P. They thought I was joking -- NO-REALLY-I'M-NOT!!! 4WP called Stockland that day and they said it WOULD BE DELIVERED this week. I called Stockland Thurs. to see if it had shipped. Got three different answers over two phone calls. From missed truck to wasn't bowed yet to being repainted because of run. Another week (THEY PROMISE-YEA RIGHT). I'm not sure either company cares. Money has changed hands so?!? My truck was built faster than this.
Sorry so long, but just wanted to post to vent and let others beware of these two companies. (and to give boo and Iowa someone new to pick on)
I'll let ya'll know when my XMAS gift comes in!
Keith
I've now gotten into a reasonably effective habit... Once you have an approximate delivery date on a part, add a week, and send a letter (or e-mail) of understanding, giving them a "drop-dead" date to deliver, call with an order status, or face a "decline" on the credit charge. It's no guarantee of any action, but at least it's on paper (or printout as it were).
FYI- Got it at www.atlantaauto.com $438.00 delivered. (3 days) Can't say enough good things about them.
By the way it is the same place that sent me my nerfs in 46 hours. $206.00 at my door step. I know someone else was asking about those.
Allen-
Received email today that item will be shipped today.
Asked vendor via email for tracking number as I like to know where my "money" is. They responded within a few hours with tracking number and indicated it was shipped FedEx. Checked FedEx website. Item scanned for pickup this afternoon and it was shipped 2ND DAY! For free? Am I dreaming?????
Atlanta Auto was one of a number of vendors authorized by Westin on their web site. Checked 'em all. Most said something about the best prices on the net, BUT didn't include shipping. Atlanta Auto is the cheapest @ $199.93.
This place rocks!
fat_fenders
I whish all the others could be 1/2 as great with their service.
My .02$
Allen-
Bookitty
Another that I would publicly recommend is Quadratech. All I ordered was a lousy $50 K&N filter element, so my order was obviously not the mother lode... Ordered on a Wednesday, the FedEX tracking number showed up on Thursday, and my filter arrived via FedEX on Saturday morning. Considering I paid only for UPS Ground, I was more than impressed that it arrived via 2nd-day FedEX!
It's important to pass on the negative experiences and cautions about suppliers to other "members of the board" (as I myself have done). But perhaps it's even MORE important to pass on news of the POSITIVE experiences!
You are right 2 beers and only 1 skinned knuckle! My neighbor 4 beers and 2 clean hands. In a strange way we both ended up happy.
Allen-
Armed with that info, I'm CERTAIN you could find a suitable plug-in. I personally have gone with the entire Borla cat-back. However, Borla just came out with a plug-in muffler line called "Boomers." If you want a stainless steel unit, you might check them out... I'd either call them or e-mail direct for copies of their Main Catalog (Form #21174) and their Fall/Winter (or latest) Catalog Supplement (e-mail me for a direct e-mail contact at Borla).
If stainless steel isn't an issue, I'm sure there are other reputable makers (Flowmaster, Gibson, Edelbrock, etc.) who could fill the bill.
BIGAL & OTHERS -- Not to hammer an issue to death, but I broke down and picked up a copy of the Peterson's 4-Wheel issue from which you cited the rather negligible HP gains with a Borla cat-back system (Toyota V-8). And now, there are not one but TWO information gaps I see in the test as documented.
FIRST, the article shows HP gains of 2-1/2 to 13 HP with a marginal "sweet spot" between 50 and 75 mph and greatest gains in the illegal 80-90 mph range. HOWEVER, no torque numbers were given. This seems odd, since in another dyno test 5 pages later, both hp and torque numbers were listed.
SECOND, the Toyota test methodology seems to fly in the face of "run-in" information listed in the Borla catalog.
In the Toy test, the stock exhaust was pulled, the Borla cat-back installed, and the truck strapped immediately onto the dyno for testing.
Here's what Borla has to say in its factory catalog.
(Quote) "Late model cars and trucks are computer controlled to such an extent that it may take a period of time (600-800 miles) before the computer reprograms to reflect the improved flow characteristics of a new Borla exhaust system." (Unquote)
Why that factor was not mentioned in the Toy test (particularly with a Borla tech present!) is beyond me. A graph in the Borla catalog (adjacent to that qualifier) shows a more respectable gain from 184.9 rear-wheel hp to 193.1 (presumably after the run-in period) on a stock '97 Ford Expedition. The "sweet spot" was consistent from 3200 - 3800 rpm.
Again, not trying to hammer this... Just suggesting that while numbers don't lie, missing data and questionable test methodologies can significantly alter numbers.
BTW... Did your bumper-to-body line up well after the brush guard install? I'm still envious here!
(To all... Sorry to hog space... Promise I'll go cold turkey for a few days! Honest! Sincerely!!!)
(IMHO... the $prices$ are pretty steep for some bent metal tubing...)
http://www.intenseperformance.com/products/products.html
Towcrazy: I am not sure I disagree about the learning curve with the computer on that Tundra cat back. I would like to see (hope) Petersen's would do the right thing and retest (dyno) in 4-5000 miles. That would be extremely useful information to say the least.
That said the computer would have to get really smart to change "my" mind. I guess one has to weigh price to horsepower against one another. $300.00 for 5 hp no way. It is a little early for me to spend that much hoping the computer learns to my satisfaction. Which means at least a certain 15-20 hp from top to bottom..
BTW- It all (Westin sportsman grill/brush guard) lined up to an 1/8". Fixed that with 1 washer.
Towcrazy, maybe you need an accessories fiend like myself to help you install all these goodies.LOL..
Allen-
I know I promised not to post again... But about the Westin bar? Three days after grovelling in the gravel under the truck, my wife still complained of pebbles popping out of my back in bed... Time to move the bikes out of the garage and get serious about the Quad???
Allen-
Taken directly from their email, they told me the following:
<< We do have your info, the filter you need for the 4.7 motor is not done yet, we are looking for it to release next month, as soon as it is we
will send it to you. Sorry for the delay. >>
I told them a number of people on the Edmund's web site were using the 33-2084 on their 4.7s and that's where I got the number from. If there was a problem with that number, I had asked them to respond so that I could post the "why" and provide the right number. Here's K&N's answer:
<< THAT FILTER IS NOT THE RIGHT FILTER, #33-2175 IS GOING TO BE THE RIGHT FILTER TO USE. WE FEEL 33-2084 DOES NOT SEAL PROPERLY. >>
Just to play devil's advocate...For those running filters not approved by K&N for 4.7l application, I'd wonder how DC would view that should a problem occur???
Fodder for thought.
fat_fenders
that is why i didnt get the pe top and electric lock, i could have gotten a manual lock but then i would have needed 2 keys to open the tailgate and the r-n-l could do the job with one key and at about the same price (v series) it was the best choice for me. now if i could do it again i think i would get the fold a cover but thats another story.
sorry so long everyone but its something to consider
good luck,
robert
dave.
robert
Found a nice fiberglass topper by Eagle that blends pretty well with lines of the truck. If you're looking for a topper, you'll want to consider this one. (I paid about $900 with typical tinted window, rear slider package)
Bad experience with Finnegan RV (Beloit, Wisc.) in mounting the unit. Shop elsewhere. They scratched the first one up, and managed to blow fuse on all my rear brake lights during installation. (I enjoyed tracing this problem on the side of the highway. Lesson learned, always check every darned thing before you drive away.) The replacement topper they gave me had a 2" crack in the fiberglass. I insisted on new unit or repainting the first one. Owner complied, but repeatedly feigned inability to see scratches I pointed out. Owner did not express concern about my cap problems, and was more concerned with getting me out of his hair. If I hadn't needed the cap badly, I'd have gone elsewhere and ordered again.
Thanks to all of you who steered me into my QC with your excellent postings and honest feedback. I'm really enjoying the truck.
4WD -- As mornings are now dipping below freezing here, I just realized that I haven't even tried 4W high or low in the 5 months I've had the truck! Guess it's time to go outside and play!
EXHAUST -- The Borla cat-back system has arrived, and installation is scheduled for Monday. For anyone interested, I'll shoot some "before" (stock) and "after" (Borla) MPEGS and make them available via e-mail. If the sound is a bit too aggressive for me (I'm not a big "noise guy"), my contingency plan is to switch from the stock tip to Borla's "power-tip" (a slick carbon fiber unit that quiets down the exhaust tone).
The Mopar cover appears to have a mounting rail on the tailgate, and the Mopar brochure indicates that you can lock both the cover and the tailgate.
The Fold-a-Cover does not appear to have any mounting rail on the tailgate, and their web site indicates that, while the cover can be locked, the tailgate cannot.
I recall someone in the past saying that Fold-a-Cover may have made the folding cover for Mopar, which may be true, but in this respect at least, the covers do not appear identical.
FIRST... They are one-and-the-same. The Mopar cover is, in fact, a standard Fold-a-Cover.
SECOND... There is no tailgate mounting rail on either unit. The photo in Dodge's "Red Book" is deceiving in that it "looks" like there's a mounting rail for the cover along the top of the tailgate. In fact, however, that's simply a tailgate rail protector that is NOT a part of the cover system.
THIRD... Mopar states in its literature that the folding cover "secures" both the cover and tailgate. In a VERY LOOSE SENSE, it does. That is, the locking latch on the cover section has a "lip" slides under an "ear" on the tailgate... sufficient to "secure" the tailgate in the "up" position, say, in the event that the gate were not securely latched. HOWEVER, there's a HUGE difference between "securing" the gate and "locking" the gate. With the gate "secured" by the lip on the cover's locking latch, popping the tailgate open would require nothing more than a hearty "jerk" on the tailgate latch.
This is why I suggested the use of a secondary lock for the gate, separate from the cover's "security lip." (I selected the "Pop-n-Lok" unit that slips right over the tailgate latch)
In spite of that drawback, I'm still thoroughly pleased with how the Fold-a-Cover performs (so far!)
Say HUH? Everybody who looks at graphs of HP and torque should understand the importance of HP vs RPM instead of HP vs SPEED. This is ridiculous. Unless the transmission was locked in high gear for the whole test, the test results are truly incomprehensible. I suspect the transmission was locked in high gear, because the results are linear, but WHY oh WHY would anybody bother to post results in MPH instead of doing the simple conversion to RPM?
I know the dyno test is measured at rear wheels (instead of flywheel of old days) to account for rotational and frictional losses in the drivetrain, but still, it's not like you are actually going to realize the posted HP at real driving MPH because there are still other inefficiencies unaccounted for.
And finally, in my tirade, who the heck cares what the horsepower at 70MPH is? It's not like you are trying to accelerate quickly from 70MPH. Maybe you care for climbing steep hills without bogging. But in general, you have plenty of excess HP to maintain 70MPH.
I'd much rather know the HP vs RPM, and TORQUE vs RPM, after computer-adjusted breakin. Or 0-60MPH times, to give an indication of improved performance.
The way the test was performed and presented, at least on this forum, leaves me with little faith that a meaningful test was run.
Sorry to vent, its not anybody's fault here, but HP vs MPH ... I'm still bristling at the idiocy of how the results were presented.
Hey, great discussion on this, though, about reasons why or why not newer engines may not see the significant performance gains of older engines.
I've been debating that with friends as well, wondering if any significant performance was left.
Personally, if any gains are to be made, I'd run a whole new exhaust (headers to tailpipe) if I wanted to be sure of substantial gains. Along with an appropriate intake mod. Any improvements in the path of airflow only result in improving to the next weakest link.