2018 Power Wagon - I need some ideas for better performance

[Mace Peveler]

I think it's definitely worth it. Where I live is called, "Up-Country," for a reason.
From sea level, where most of the civilization is on Maui, everything is up.....without the Pedal Commander, the Power Wagon just kind of lugged it's way up the hill.
I know that I could have just stepped on the gas pedal more, but the PC seems to give me more range of usable gas pedal if that makes sense......

Up-country in Maui? You wouldn't happen to know Chad Saigon and Randi Schnider, would you?

 

[Down the Tubes]

Up-country in Maui? You wouldn't happen to know Chad Saigon and Randi Schnider, would you?

No, sorry.
What town do they live in?

 

[62Blazer]

Thanks! I am definitely stepping on the pedal when going up hill.
Even when I floor it though, sometimes the truck does not downshift.
The dealer said that they "Calibrated the speedometer," with the Hypertech unit that they sold to me with the truck.
How would I go about checking the ECM? I bought an OBD scanner, but have not had time to check out what it can do.

I think my biggest issue is that the truck doesn't downshift when I need it to.

Before any more discussion of increasing power, I think we need to talk about the underlying issue here and that appears to be downshifting. The transmission should downshift as needed in an attempt to keep up speed on a hill, or if you have to accelerate more than a small amount. So if you are saying that while climbing a grade on the road you are applying more and more throttle input but the transmission does not downshift and you are losing speed? Have you tried setting the cruise control just before reaching the grade and see what the transmission does? You shouldn't lose more than a few mph before the trans starts downshifting.....again, if you keep giving it more throttle but you are losing speed and the trans does not downshift something is wrong. Keep in mind that at 5,500 rpm the truck will go 70 mph in 2nd gear, so if you were for example pulling a heavy trailer up a steep enough grade with the cruise set on 70 mph the truck will downshift all the way to 2nd gear and run close to redline in an attempt to maintain that speed.

On my 2016 with 35's the transmission will downshift from 6 to 5 in a heartbeat when cruising down the freeway with the cruise control on if you come up on a mild/moderate grade (no mountains around here, only rolling hills) and when towing a smaller trailer it will downshift to 4th regularly if needed to maintain speed.

 

[Oilbrnr]

Plain and simple you need to put AAM's 5.13's in and use tow/haul to keep the MDS from engaging. (I actually put a tiny dot of the fuzz side of velcro on the button so I can feel it without taking my eyes of the road) You can also hit down once on the manual shift button to limit it to 6th and no MDS.

Don't waste money on intake / exhaust (unless you want a different note).

I'm at 9,450lbs dry on 35's and more than satisfied here in AZ where elevation changes of thousands are normal. When 37's go on later this year, the gears will go in. No way around simple math.

 

[JS4024]

Question must be asked.... did you test drive it??? Before I lay down a penny on a new ride I take it out and run it like I stole it. I pull hills, pass, 0-60 acceleration and tow a load.... just to see how it does.... why put 60,000 dollars into a truck only to be pissed off because an F 150 dusted you with an eco boost. If this is your problem you bought the power wagon for status not for what it is capable of doing. I have a 2019 2500 Tradesman, has what I want, 6.4L, 8 speed and runs like a ***** ape! 0-60 in under 6 seconds and keeps diggin the whole time. Chirps tires in first and second gear.... MHO you over bought now you will overspend trying to make it what you really wanted....

 

[Down the Tubes]

Before any more discussion of increasing power, I think we need to talk about the underlying issue here and that appears to be downshifting. The transmission should downshift as needed in an attempt to keep up speed on a hill, or if you have to accelerate more than a small amount. So if you are saying that while climbing a grade on the road you are applying more and more throttle input but the transmission does not downshift and you are losing speed? Have you tried setting the cruise control just before reaching the grade and see what the transmission does? You shouldn't lose more than a few mph before the trans starts downshifting.....again, if you keep giving it more throttle but you are losing speed and the trans does not downshift something is wrong. Keep in mind that at 5,500 rpm the truck will go 70 mph in 2nd gear, so if you were for example pulling a heavy trailer up a steep enough grade with the cruise set on 70 mph the truck will downshift all the way to 2nd gear and run close to redline in an attempt to maintain that speed.

On my 2016 with 35's the transmission will downshift from 6 to 5 in a heartbeat when cruising down the freeway with the cruise control on if you come up on a mild/moderate grade (no mountains around here, only rolling hills) and when towing a smaller trailer it will downshift to 4th regularly if needed to maintain speed.

Thanks! I hadn't thought about the MDS. I honestly forgot all about it, and have never seen the "Eco," dash light come on. I have noticed, over the last week, that the truck shifts much better when I set the top gear to 5 or 6.

Plain and simple you need to put AAM's 5.13's in and use tow/haul to keep the MDS from engaging. (I actually put a tiny dot of the fuzz side of velcro on the button so I can feel it without taking my eyes of the road) You can also hit down once on the manual shift button to limit it to 6th and no MDS.

Don't waste money on intake / exhaust (unless you want a different note).

I'm at 9,450lbs dry on 35's and more than satisfied here in AZ where elevation changes of thousands are normal. When 37's go on later this year, the gears will go in. No way around simple math.

How would 4 Low act with 5.13's?
I've tried the Tow/Haul, but the downshifting when I press the brake got annoying.
I'll try Tow/Haul and setting the top gear to 6 today on the way home from work.

Question must be asked.... did you test drive it??? Before I lay down a penny on a new ride I take it out and run it like I stole it. I pull hills, pass, 0-60 acceleration and tow a load.... just to see how it does.... why put 60,000 dollars into a truck only to be pissed off because an F 150 dusted you with an eco boost. If this is your problem you bought the power wagon for status not for what it is capable of doing. I have a 2019 2500 Tradesman, has what I want, 6.4L, 8 speed and runs like a ***** ape! 0-60 in under 6 seconds and keeps diggin the whole time. Chirps tires in first and second gear.... MHO you over bought now you will overspend trying to make it what you really wanted....

No. I tried a stock Tradesman Power Wagon that a friend of mine at work has. His truck is pretty zippy, and I really liked it.
I went to the local Ram dealer here and the guy was a total tool. I wanted to test the Raptor and the Power Wagon that they had in stock. He kept pushing Ford Rangers on me so I left.
I would have had to fly to the Mainland to try another Power Wagon. I live in a very isolated area.
You are absolutely right that I should have driven this truck before I bought it, it just wasn't possible at the time unfortunately.

 

[boblonben]

So.....Now that I've recovered from Christmas and buying a Power Wagon......
I love everything about the truck, except for how slow it is on the highway and in town.

2018 Power Wagon
Fully loaded, with every option
4" BDS lift (some people crap on it, but that's what the truck came with)
37" Nitto Trail Grappler tires
XD Custom Wheels (too pretty still, not enough scratches yet)
-24 Wheel Offset
Pedal Commander (without this, I would have sold the truck already.....)

I've been reading a lot of forum threads about exhaust, gearing, and one guy suggested a torque converter change.

I don't need a dragster or hot rod, but I definitely need to be able to pass people going uphill.
Currently, the truck doesn't downshift very well, which I understand is part of the problem with the 6 speed transmission........

Here are my questions:
1. Gearing - If I re-gear, does this affect the high end speed (occasional freeway driving)
- How badly does this affect fuel mileage

2. Exhaust - I've been reading about Cat Delete/long headers voiding the warranty
- Do short headers and Cat Back exhaust actually make a difference?
- I don't even have 5,000 miles on the truck yet so I don't want to void the warranty yet
- What is the best bang for buck setup

3. Torque Converter - How much power/proper shifting is gained?
- I don't have the space or tools to drop the transmission, so I would have to pay someone to do this

4. What else should I think about

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Ditch those 37 tires and you'll be much happier, or go the big expense and change the diff out. good luck

 

[Down the Tubes]

Ditch those 37 tires and you'll be much happier, or go the big expense and change the diff out. good luck

I don't think I can......The videos that show the installation of the lift kit show that the lift is somewhat irreversible. Not to mention, I don't have the original suspension parts.

 

[Oilbrnr]

4lo with 5.13's and 37's? Meh, it will be a bit lower then stock on 33's. But that is what you want, and you could push to 39-40's and be fine in the future if you wanted to.

Doesn't matter how many speeds a transmission has. You've altered what FCA spec'd for their powertrain to operate at, at any given RPM, by changing the diameter of the tires. (not to mention a lot more rotational mass) Re-gear it and you'll much happier and so will your transmission. Use AAM gears. Probably going to be tough to find a good diff shop there though huh?

 

[Down the Tubes]

4lo with 5.13's and 37's? Meh, it will be a bit lower then stock on 33's. But that is what you want, and you could push to 39-40's and be fine in the future if you wanted to.

Doesn't matter how many speeds a transmission has. You've altered what FCA spec'd for their powertrain to operate at, at any given RPM, by changing the diameter of the tires. (not to mention a lot more rotational mass) Re-gear it and you'll much happier and so will your transmission. Use AAM gears. Probably going to be tough to find a good diff shop there though huh?

It's tough to find anyone that is open right now......
I finally got in touch with a guy that has an off road shop. He is supposed to call me back this afternoon.
There are a few places here that deal with a lot of 4x4's. Most people here just have show trucks/mall crawlers......I work on a ranch and use my truck a lot off road. I think that I have the dirtiest truck / trucks on the island......

 

[62Blazer]

Thanks! I hadn't thought about the MDS. I honestly forgot all about it, and have never seen the "Eco," dash light come on. I have noticed, over the last week, that the truck shifts much better when I set the top gear to 5 or 6.


How would 4 Low act with 5.13's?
I've tried the Tow/Haul, but the downshifting when I press the brake got annoying.
I'll try Tow/Haul and setting the top gear to 6 today on the way home from work.

I honestly don't think the Eco mode or MDS has anything to do with the situation. With the 37's and lift I would be surprised if the MDS ever kicks in, except maybe when coasting down a hill. If the truck does have the MDS engaged (4 cylinder mode) it will kick off immediately if you call for more power (pulling a grade or accelerating).

Again, if you are going up a grade and losing speed and engine RPM because the trans will not downshift even if you are pushing the gas down more and more something is not right. The oversize tires would be my first suspect, but regardless the trans should still downshift at some point in time if you push the gas pedal down more.

 

[MoPowered]

Side mounted supercharger with a complete tune or a complete head, cam, lifter, intake, exhaust upwards 8k or so.

 

[Down the Tubes]

I honestly don't think the Eco mode or MDS has anything to do with the situation. With the 37's and lift I would be surprised if the MDS ever kicks in, except maybe when coasting down a hill. If the truck does have the MDS engaged (4 cylinder mode) it will kick off immediately if you call for more power (pulling a grade or accelerating).

Again, if you are going up a grade and losing speed and engine RPM because the trans will not downshift even if you are pushing the gas down more and more something is not right. The oversize tires would be my first suspect, but regardless the trans should still downshift at some point in time if you push the gas pedal down more.

The truck seems to shift much better when I take it out of Drive and put it in 5 or 6 for the top gear. It starts acting like a truck should!
In Drive, I have to floor it all the way to the bottom to get it to downshift sometimes. It depends on the speed, RPM's (lower RPM's suck for this), and the incline.
Basically, if it's cruising along in 6th, minding it's own business, and I need to all of the sudden pass someone on a hill, I just can't do it.
I know the tires and lift are contributing to this, I was hoping that people had insight on the effects of all of the add on stuff like Cat Back, Gearing, etc..
So far, it's gearing for the win. Unless I find a quick 8K or so for the supercharger, exhaust, and tuning.....

 

[olyelr]

The truck seems to shift much better when I take it out of Drive and put it in 5 or 6 for the top gear. It starts acting like a truck should!
In Drive, I have to floor it all the way to the bottom to get it to downshift sometimes. It depends on the speed, RPM's (lower RPM's suck for this), and the incline.
Basically, if it's cruising along in 6th, minding it's own business, and I need to all of the sudden pass someone on a hill, I just can't do it.
I know the tires and lift are contributing to this, I was hoping that people had insight on the effects of all of the add on stuff like Cat Back, Gearing, etc..
So far, it's gearing for the win. Unless I find a quick 8K or so for the supercharger, exhaust, and tuning.....

The tires and lift are certainly contributing to some sluggishness...however they are not the reason your trans isnt downshifting when it should.
You have another issue.

 

[62Blazer]

The truck seems to shift much better when I take it out of Drive and put it in 5 or 6 for the top gear. It starts acting like a truck should!
In Drive, I have to floor it all the way to the bottom to get it to downshift sometimes. It depends on the speed, RPM's (lower RPM's suck for this), and the incline.
Basically, if it's cruising along in 6th, minding it's own business, and I need to all of the sudden pass someone on a hill, I just can't do it.
I know the tires and lift are contributing to this, I was hoping that people had insight on the effects of all of the add on stuff like Cat Back, Gearing, etc..
So far, it's gearing for the win. Unless I find a quick 8K or so for the supercharger, exhaust, and tuning.....

I'll have to experiment with mine some more but so far have never noticed any difference in shifting or drivability between the shifter being in drive or in the 5 or 6 (obviously in 5 it only upshifts to 5, but other than that no difference). Wouldn't think that putting the shifter into 6 is even supposed to do anything else in regards to shift tragedies.

I would highly recommend verifying the speed signal was actually calibrated correctly for the tires. One way to do this is to get some sort of GPS speed signal and compare it to the speedometer readings at several different speeds.

The other thing I'm starting to wonder about is you said you have a pedal commander and then talking about the transmission not responding correctly to throttle input??? What happens if you unplug the the TC?

For modifications, gearing is really the only thing that will help with low speed acceleration or giving you that passing power when you are lugging around at say 35 mph and 1800 rpm and step on it. Most bolt on engine modifications, including the superchargers, generally provide the boost in the higher rpm ranges..........so again, if the transmission won't downshift and let the engine run in the higher RPM range all the power in the world is not going to help much.

 

[Oilbrnr]

Yeah, I'd toss that Pedal Commander, get AlfaOBD (for other reasons) and make sure the final output signal is correctly calibrated for those tires.

But for driving around on Maui, I'd have mine in tow/haul all the time. I can only think of a couple of places where I might not. Heck, even here in rural AZ, I use it a lot unless I know that i'm in an area that would actually benefit from MDS which has to be fairly flat with consistent load. I see little to no hit on my milage, which as PW owners we know that is a oxymoron anyway.

If I recall correctly the Pedal Commander do-dad was pretty much shot down by the guys on PWR. It's just changing the TP mapping, but I wonder how well that works with the TCM.

Hey, Down the Tubes, if your governor lifts the quarantine, I'll be over there in July. Happy to drive it and give you my .02 Maybe I could throw a set of gears in my suitcase. Kudos for actually using your PW over there and not going BroDozer Island Style (err whatever the moniker is).

 

[LeesEvoX]

People see my truck all the time and say the same thing: “man, that thing looks awesome, and it has a big Hemi! I bet it’s fast!” I respond the same way every time: my truck was built to be a lot of things, but “fast” was never one of them. If you thought these trucks were fast, you’re going to be disappointed, and unless you are prepared to spend thousands of dollars, nothing will change that. I had a power stroke with bro wheels that stick out with stretched tires try to race me last night. I didn’t even respond, because I knew I’d smoke him. I also know, that unlike his truck, mine is built with quality parts and my daddy didn’t give it to me, so I had that going for me at least lol

OMG i had this happen to my last night.... Wife said to me, what is this guys problem, He is just hanging out next to you. He was so busy constantly looking over at me, he almost side swiped my truck!

So i put the foot down a bit, moved over a lane, and kept going. Next thing i hear is this powerstroke ramping up and the turbo making tons of noise. He goes flying past me, only to slow down, and just wait next to me again. Didnt put his window down, didnt give me "the look".. nothing..

So i just put my window down and yelled "its not a Cummins *******, **** off".. Which obviously got me a pretty dirty look, and tons of coal from daddy boy being dissapointed.

 

[Down the Tubes]

Yeah, I'd toss that Pedal Commander, get AlfaOBD (for other reasons) and make sure the final output signal is correctly calibrated for those tires.

But for driving around on Maui, I'd have mine in tow/haul all the time. I can only think of a couple of places where I might not. Heck, even here in rural AZ, I use it a lot unless I know that i'm in an area that would actually benefit from MDS which has to be fairly flat with consistent load. I see little to no hit on my milage, which as PW owners we know that is a oxymoron anyway.

If I recall correctly the Pedal Commander do-dad was pretty much shot down by the guys on PWR. It's just changing the TP mapping, but I wonder how well that works with the TCM.

Hey, Down the Tubes, if your governor lifts the quarantine, I'll be over there in July. Happy to drive it and give you my .02 Maybe I could throw a set of gears in my suitcase. Kudos for actually using your PW over there and not going BroDozer Island Style (err whatever the moniker is).

Not sure who the guys on PWR are, but the Pedal Commander definitely makes driving my truck more fun!
I'll give Tow/Haul a try today. I have to go down the hill, so I can get about 40 miles with it.

Hit me up if you make it here!
We bought tickets to go to Idaho at the end of July back before the ridiculous travel restrictions.
I'm considering cancelling the flights and spending the money on lead honestly.......
I would like to be in Idaho when I turn 50 at the end of July though. Nothing says Happy Birthday like a day in the woods with several firearms!

OMG i had this happen to my last night.... Wife said to me, what is this guys problem, He is just hanging out next to you. He was so busy constantly looking over at me, he almost side swiped my truck!

So i put the foot down a bit, moved over a lane, and kept going. Next thing i hear is this powerstroke ramping up and the turbo making tons of noise. He goes flying past me, only to slow down, and just wait next to me again. Didnt put his window down, didnt give me "the look".. nothing..

So i just put my window down and yelled "its not a Cummins *******, **** off".. Which obviously got me a pretty dirty look, and tons of coal from daddy boy being dissapointed.

That's funny!

 

[ALRedneck]

Have you tried locking out 5 and 6 gear so using no overdrive going up the hill? Sound like the incline is significant enough that overdrive shouldn’t be used anyways. If it doesn’t accelerate well in the first four gears then something is definitely wrong.

 

[Down the Tubes]

Have you tried locking out 5 and 6 gear so using no overdrive going up the hill? Sound like the incline is significant enough that overdrive shouldn’t be used anyways. If it doesn’t accelerate well in the first four gears then something is definitely wrong.

I'll try that this afternoon.
The truck definitely shifts well on the lower gears, it just doesn't seem to want to shift out of 6 when I try to get it to downshift.