Opinions on traction bars
 

I have a 2005 f250 6.0, I tow my Phantom with . I never had any complaints with it. Its well maintained intake and has treated me well... until I screwed with it of course. I've had 33 nittos on it till I wore them out at about 60k. Towed great. I replaced them with 35s which I regret and a 4" lift, which I also regret. What I gained in style I lost in towing. Little did I know till recently that my 33s were actually smaller than the stock Harley edition tires 34's, hence the great towing. Now it struggles at the top of the Connecticut hills as the heat builds. I'm hoping a tow tune will help a bit, which I just installed. Now , I'm concerned with the axle twisting with the lift blocks in it. As I'm trapped into making chicken soup out of chicken poop, are traction bars a thought? I don't really want to blow my brains out on super fancy stuff. Or should I change the rear springs instead of the lift blocks. I wish I could go back, but I can't, so I have to make it as good as financially feasible.

Get a gear venders under drive.

Them diesels sure can turn cant they. Regear and traction bar or fabricate something you can weld to axle or clamp to existing spring perches. Do those 35 tire wander around with the extra side wall or do you have taller rims. I like staying low. Less wind resistance and I'm old to be falling out of the truck

20" rims. Not much for side sway but it was much better with the 33s

I run 6 inch lift on 37 toyos . 22 inch rims . pull my 38 top gun slug . with no issues . something is set up wrong .or youre making bigger issues than you have . I don't see a towing problem with lift kit and 35s; keep youre pressures in tires high , also pull 43 foot rv 22k with no issues . truck is a 17 ford king ranch .on 22 American forces on 37 toyo mts ..

My boy is running a 14 ford kr. Same lift n tires. With spartan tuner. Full delete. 250 tow tune , he's added traction bars , seemed to help with the increased tranny pressures on shifting with the tune . So I guess they help . But I m not running out and buying any . Good luck.

Temp has spiked twice in the last 6 months on the same highway. To the point of push the coolant out the cap.. How fast are you going? How steep and long are the hills if any . And yes, the intake is tight and clean. New coolers, radiator etc. I'm more concerned with the axle twist anyway.

I think your pushing at least a hundred more horsepower and 350-400 ftlbs more torque

05 6.0 was like 325hp 560 tq?

Take it out of overdrive and let rest. Piss on rehearing. Let the trans and motor run a little higher. . 35s are by no means a big tire shouldn't effect that diesel that mutch ,

ugh pushing coolant out of the overflow bottle is never a good sign. Hope you haven't popped a head gasket. Also I'd be careful with a tune on that truck if it isn't head studded.

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Everything is tight. It's only a 50 hp tow tune. I have a spare engine in the wings , regardless.

Traction bars help a TON on the Ford superdutys.

One Up Offroad makes an adjustable set for these trucks - they are the best quality and work great!

Or there are many other sets out there but I will tell you from experience, many sell junk joints, poor geometry and junk hardware. OUO bars don't bang, clank and rattle like many others eventually will.

I cant tell you enough how great of a modification this is for any power level superduty!

Nice stuff

I'm looking at going with taller rims ,possibly wider. Just to get more stability. But not overall Dia. My Cummins pulls pretty hard I want to keep it that way.

I went with a 20" 9" rim . The shorter sidewall worked terrific but I overdid it a little when I didn't have to. With the type of driving I do from site to site from Boston to sarasota I wish I had just replaced the nitto 33s I had with the same and left the stock height. But yes, the larger rim is a good way to go if it's a street truck.

You don't need traction bars for a 4" lift. I had a 6" lift with 35s on a superduty, never had any issues towing. The engine running hot and puking out coolant is probably more related to it being a 6.0 than to the lift and tires.

My 6.4 was pushing coolant and lifting the heads. I decided instead of investing a small fortune in a motor that has a lot of flaws anyway, to just go ahead and bite the bullet and invest a small fortune in building a cummins for it. Almost have it back together.

At least with the 6.0 trucks and a little time and money you can fix most of their issues and make them damn reliable. There is just no unf*cking the 6.4

Well, my truck and equipment mechanic assures me , again, that my 6 is running perfect. There is no evidence of a head problem, at least not yet. I should always pay attention to the gauges on big long hills, especially after driving 7-24 hrs straight, towing the boat, in July, when it has been 90 in the shade. Yes , he and some others people I trust, think that there is a limit to what a 325 hp diesel can do" A diesel engine is like a good Labrador retriever, they will keep running till they drop so give it a rest. ease up a bit on the big hills instead of rushing to get home only to save 10 mins." The conscensus is that the larger tires don't help any. The smaller 33's were perfect for what I was doing with it. The 50hp tune and the trans reprogram for the tires will help but it could take some life out of the engine, so drive it like I care about it. Also get moving on the new engine so its waiting , ready to go. As for the lift kit, opinions say get rid of the lift blocks and get the springs for the kit. I cheaped out in the beginning. The lift blocks cause unnecessary twist and strain on the stock springs. The new rear springs will do the same thing traction bars will do for half the cost. Seems logical when I look at the geometry from under the truck. After all, I put new in the front , why not the back. end of story, thanks Brian

Cool, so you ignored all the advice you asked for and answered the question yourself haha :drink:

Instead of new engine .trade up to around 2010 2013. The big three were having diesel power wars. They all went up in size and huge jump in power. Find one down south that hasn't been exposed to salt water and you will have your self a BEAST. mine is an 08 dodge Cummins 6.7. Think that is around 360hp and 650ftlbs hrs. A couple years newer and they were all pushing like 800torque. Now over 900

Financial it doesn't make sense to do anything but stay the course. It's not a daily driver .i like the truck. I'd much rather have a spare motor and tranny which I have. It drives well and is comfortable . A 2012-13 , ha I can't imagine spend 40 k for something that sits in the yard most of the time. It is a nice idea but I'd rather put it into the boat or house. A buddy in cocoa just bought a new one at 75? Ha ha. Couldn't imagine. These things are pricey. Happy to have what I have.

Don't let anybody kid you about a diesel motor. It's happiest running all day in the heat.

very pricey. Mine was north of 87 k from Lewisville auto plex. But dam is it nice. Ha

Oof

I've seen quite a few used trucks down south in autotrader for around 32k. I did a 500 mile search from North Florida. Still a chunk of change a nice truck no rust. 2wd is quite a bit cheaper. That's what I have now.its a basic truck but it doesn't give up. Picked mine up for 13500 with 130k on It down in Louisiana about 3 years ago

I'm perfectly happy with mine. Not a rattle in it. I'm just trying to make the most from what I got after a mistake.

How much are you thinking it is going to cost to put your Cummins in the Ford? Just curious as I was considering that too.