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Towing with a 91/93 Octane Tune? Worth it?

Ezekiel2517

By Ezekiel2517
in Engines & Drivetrain

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Ezekiel2517 Enthusiast

Ezekiel2517

Posted
Posted

Hello all. Ive tried researching this and cannot find a clear answer so I thought I would ask it more directly.  Does anyone have a Black Bear or Diablew 93 Octane tune that is used for towing?  I have a 2014 GMC 5.3/3.42/z71 and tow my 4500lb (empty) RV and it feels very anemic.  It can do the job, but it is a struggle, especially in a headwind.  6mpg at times.   I know that one should expect this to an extent, but I long for more oomph.  And better shifting  Even in manual mode the transmission sucks.   Will the 93 tune provide any tangible benefit for towing?  Or is it more for seat-of-your-pants feeling driving fun? 

 

Im considering getting the tune as a stopgap between this truck and my next.  Hoping for some less chromey trim options to be released on future 6.2 models.  Right now the LTZs and SLTs are too shiney for my taste. 

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Yondu Enthusiast

Yondu

Posted
Posted

I don't have any experience with a tune on a 2014+ truck..but I'm wondering, do you have stock wheels and tires? 2wd or 4wd?  I assume 4wd because of the Z71 but I'm not sure if that was 4wd only. 

 

I think your best bet is 4.10 gears with a tune.  Hopefully others have more experience towing in a tuned truck. 

Ezekiel2517 Enthusiast

Ezekiel2517

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Yes, 4wd.  I have 33" tires so that effectively reduces my axle ratio a little bit.  I would love to do 4.10s or 3.73s but the cost just does not seem worth it.  have to do both differentials I have heard. 

aseibel Senior Enthusiast

aseibel

Posted
Posted

Due to your increased tire size, your truck now feels like it has 3.08 gears.

Going back to OEM size tires would boost your truck back to feeling like 3.42.

 

That would be the easiest thing you can do. But I suppose that is not an option for you?

wforrest08 Senior Enthusiast

wforrest08

Posted
Posted

I’ve got a 015 Silverado crew LT 5.3 3.42s like yours mines leveled 285/70/17s

 

I’ve towed before and after with my Blackbear tune I’m running a 91 tune and a tranny tune.

 

  Before with stock wheels/tires not leveled after with current set up.

 

The biggest difference is how the tranny shifts loaded and unloaded. Way better.

 

I notice minimal power gains while towing. Definitely more “sporty” unloaded.

 

Loves summer blend E85 definitely feel in the pants will break the rears loose on 91 it won’t.

Supposedly a well tuned 5.3 on 100% E85 gains 30+ horses.

MPGs take a major hit running E85 so I have to figure cost per mile between the two.

 

Played Mr.Rescue for my buddy he lost a tire on his 79 T/A couple hours North of home. My 20’ tilt bed weights a good 1800+ with toolbox, ect. Car weights 34-3500 so we’re in the same ball park trailer weight wise. According to the DIC I was well North of 10mpg and even up over 12mpg loaded on the two lane black tops running 65-70. I didn’t hand calculate but DIC is usually fairly close. So I’m guessing you’re really buckin the wind.

 

I pulled close to 10k home 40 miles that trip sucked btw I was way down in the single digits then.

 

My plow/tow/work/farm truck is a 01 reg cab 2500HD 6.0 4.10 4L80E 285/70/17s horsepower and torque wise it’s close to a stock K2 5.3 minus all the obvious reasons why I’d rather tow with it and not comparing 1/2 to 3/4 ton stuff I will say it gets moving ALOT easier from a dead stop and maintains speed on a incline better. Comparing towing the same load on the same trailer on the same roads.

 

I’d venture to say if you talked to a driveline specialist they might even recommend a steeper gear for a K2 with the 6speed than a non K2 with a 4speed do to final gear ratio?  New F250/F350 even offer a 4.30 from the factory now. 

 

 

Jacoby Enthusiast

Jacoby

Posted
Posted

Those mpgs when towing seem awfully low. I have a 17 CC 4x4 5.3 with 7” lift and 35’s and I pull my toy hauler at close to 9000lbs regularly and I can get close to 10mpg going up hill against the wind. Mine to has 3.42 gears. I got a 89 Diablo tune from Diablew and it completely changed the truck. So yes a tune will make towing much better for you. Not sure you need to go with the 93 tune unless you absolutely want to. Lots of guys stick with the lower octane tune to save on gas money and because the differences in performance arent that significant. 

 

With that said though I am getting my truck regeared on the 27 of this month. I do a lot of towing and hauling and it will be a huge benefit to me. Worth every penny imo if you tow a lot

Ezekiel2517 Enthusiast

Ezekiel2517

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I would love to get 10mpg towing.   I can only do that on the flat with a tailwind it seems.   It seems worse in the winter but I don't really know if they change the gas in Texas or not.  

 

with an 89 tune can u run 87 for day to day driving or will it mess up your engine?  

 

I'm not sure if the $2k+ for new gears would be worth it on 33s.  seems like it would be better to save for my next truck, since this one is going on 6 years old.  i  really want a 6.2 max tow.  if only it could be had with trailboss package...

Jacoby Enthusiast

Jacoby

Posted
Posted

Yeah my gas mileage has taken a hit since it’s gotten cold. 

If you go through Diablew for your tuner just tell him you wanna run 87 and he’ll tune it for that octane. I run 89 so that’s how he tuned it. 

If you’re thinking of getting rid of your truck then gears is a waste. 

Ezekiel2517 Enthusiast

Ezekiel2517

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for all the info.  I may try the tune.  Its a minimal investment to add a little fun and maybe capability to this truck.  If it doesnt work for towing, at least it will be more fun to drive.

FlipZ71 Enthusiast

FlipZ71

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, TexasGMCZ71 said:

Thanks for all the info.  I may try the tune.  Its a minimal investment to add a little fun and maybe capability to this truck.  If it doesnt work for towing, at least it will be more fun to drive.

I have a 15 , 5.3 , 3.42 , bbp tune ,headers , custom exhaust,  

 I dont tow as much as I did before but it does decent . The tune is helpful and can be customized 

Ezekiel2517 Enthusiast

Ezekiel2517

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Damn!!!  I was about to buy the Intune i3 on ebay refurbed for $189 and they just sold out :-(

 

 

Cnadianff Enthusiast

Cnadianff

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the post. I was also wondering the same thing. Have a Denali with 37's and just bought a 7000 pound dry trailer. Was going to use my Bully dog to tune for 94 octane but at $1.52 liter/$5.74 gallon not sure it's worth the change.

Donstar Senior Enthusiast

Donstar

Posted
Posted
On ‎2019‎-‎03‎-‎13 at 10:14 AM, TexasGMCZ71 said:

Hello all. Ive tried researching this and cannot find a clear answer so I thought I would ask it more directly.  Does anyone have a Black Bear or Diablew 93 Octane tune that is used for towing?  I have a 2014 GMC 5.3/3.42/z71 and tow my 4500lb (empty) RV and it feels very anemic.  It can do the job, but it is a struggle, especially in a headwind.  6mpg at times.   I know that one should expect this to an extent, but I long for more oomph.  And better shifting  Even in manual mode the transmission sucks.   Will the 93 tune provide any tangible benefit for towing?  Or is it more for seat-of-your-pants feeling driving fun? 

 

Im considering getting the tune as a stopgap between this truck and my next.  Hoping for some less chromey trim options to be released on future 6.2 models.  Right now the LTZs and SLTs are too shiney for my taste. 

Your 5.3 (3.42) should have more than enough power to pull your trailer.   I pull a similar load with my 4.3 (3.42) and appreciate that higher speeds and headwinds will burn the fuel and play havoc on performance.  I am not provoking debate about engine size.  I'm suggesting that a tune may not be the answer to your towing concerns.  The challenges of pulling a 8'X10' sail behind you increases dramatically with speed and wind. Get a tune to tweak your performance but don't be disappointed if the challenges of towing on a windy day haven't improved.

ic3man5 Enthusiast

ic3man5

Posted
Posted

I get anywhere from 8.5-10MPG towing my trailer and SXS. Its about 3500lbs. Towing 7000lbs I got about 8MPG @ 65-70MPH. This is all with tow/haul mode, I wouldn't tow without that mode enabled as it slows down the shifts and gets rid of the lock up in most points.

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