Best engine upgrades for the cost?
- Thread starter Rob T
- Start date
Ahhh....K&N filters.....
I put one on my '03 Duramax when it was young. At the next oil change I pulled it out and had an oily slime going down the tube toward the intake.
That could be expected from an oiled filter, what I don't expect was the oil to be contaminated with dirt!
Been running Delco (well rated independently) since.
I put one on my '03 Duramax when it was young. At the next oil change I pulled it out and had an oily slime going down the tube toward the intake.
That could be expected from an oiled filter, what I don't expect was the oil to be contaminated with dirt!
Been running Delco (well rated independently) since.
Last edited:
I've had great results using Seafoam in place of Sta-Bil to keep gas in small engines from going bad.
Small engines like lawn mowers, outboard engines, etc. commonly need some kind of an additive to keep old gasoline from turning to varnish. Which is not a problem for Jeeps unless they don't get driven. It's not something that is needed for a Jeep that is driven often enough so that's not a problem. It certainly hasn't been a problem for my TJ that sometimes sits a month without being started.
Old gas is also less of a problem in fuel injected motors. The gas sitting in a carburetor bowl evaporating and leaving the heavier additives behind tends to gunk them up.
For small carburetor engines that get used infrequently, shutting off the gas and running the carburetor dry is a decent compromise instead of fuel additives. Not saying don't use fuel additives for sure but I make a habit of not leaving gas sit in the carburetor for anything that will be sitting unused for a while with or without additives.
For small carburetor engines that get used infrequently, shutting off the gas and running the carburetor dry is a decent compromise instead of fuel additives. Not saying don't use fuel additives for sure but I make a habit of not leaving gas sit in the carburetor for anything that will be sitting unused for a while with or without additives.
Terminal velocity in neutral on the long downhill into Silverthorne is about 73mph, last I checked.
I have no doubt you’ve measured this more than once! I’ll try it next time I’m up there as another data point. I’ll need to get a rotate/balance by then since I’m starting to get some shakes.
I haven't tried Seafoam for stabilizing gas, but Sta-Bil has let me down. I now use Star Tron for gas stabilization. I treated my daughter car with Star Tron, let it sit for 2 years, and it started and ran no problem. I'm a believer.
Hey @Jerry Bransford since you brought it up (and not to thread highjack) what are your personal gear recommendations for 33’s? I currently have 33’s on 15” rims. I may eventually move to a 17” rim but will be sticking with my current set up for awhile. Lift is 4” and power is a stock 4.0.
Need to know what transmission you have, that information was not in your Profile when I just looked.
I believe a tune is the best and easiest mod. I have been playing around with mine and must say the difference in performance is obvious. Short of forced induction or internal mods, I believe a good tune is the most significant of mods. I am basing this on results others have seen on various bolt ons.
Here is my inquiry to Flyin Ryan's tune. It was a bit more expensive than I remebered. I bought the Syked software for $365.
Here is my inquiry to Flyin Ryan's tune. It was a bit more expensive than I remebered. I bought the Syked software for $365.
One route to take if you are looking for significant increases.
Thanks. Due to that particular transmission's stupid-deep .69 Overdrive ratio you need to gear the axles to a lower ratio than would be typical for a given size tire. At a MINIMUM 4.88 would semi-work but 5.13 would be the best all-around highway and offroad ratio. 5.13 would just get the rpms up to where they should be for cruising at 67-70 mph. It'd lug much of the time with only 4.88. With my 35's and 42RLE, my TJ was an absolute dog with 4.88 gearing the previous owner had installed. I regeared to 5.38 last year and it's now at the bare minimum of good acceptable highway rpms... and of course those lower ratios are awesome offroad. With my previous 4.88 gearing I never quite saw 12 mpg, it was always right at 11.8, 11.9 or so. Once the 5.38 gears were installed the engine was just plain running better and it showed it was happier with an >2 mpg boost to right at 14.6 mpg. Everything is much better now with the 5.38 gearing, the engine and transmission just work better. The reason for all that? Don't make the mistake of undergearing when you have a 42RLE. If it were my TJ with 33's I wouldn't hesitate to go with 5.13. I'm loving my 5.38 with 35's.
Awesome Jerry, thanks! If I were ever considering 35’s (I have plenty of room for them) would you say go ahead and go with the 5.38’s (even though I’d be running them w/ 33’s for now) or stick with the 5.13’s? If I’m gonna do gears I’m gonna go ahead and do lockers at the same time...do you recommend a certain gear/ locker combo (brand/size wise) or a spool, welded etc? My LJ is NOT a Rubi.
Similar threads
