2011 Dodge Cummins Build

[sdwhip]

I did my first tweaking on the truck today by removing the baffle from the intake tube. It wasn't much but now you can here the turbo a little more and from the looks of the baffle it should pull more air in but it probably won't make much difference. Mods will be a little slow until next spring when I graduate college but I've got parts from other trucks to sell to bring in some extra money for the build. So far out of twenty something trucks I've owned this is by far the best and that some how makes waiting for mods a little easier.

 

[my1stcummins]

I did my first tweaking on the truck today by removing the baffle from the intake tube. It wasn't much but now you can here the turbo a little more and from the looks of the baffle it should pull more air in but it probably won't make much difference. Mods will be a little slow until next spring when I graduate college but I've got parts from other trucks to sell to bring in some extra money for the build. So far out of twenty something trucks I've owned this is by far the best and that some how makes waiting for mods a little easier.

I did the same on my intake tube, gotta love the whistle. Did you also remove the turbo silencer ring? Not sure if your turbo has that but I would imagine it does.

 

[sdwhip]

No I didn't mess with the silencer ring because it is riveted in on the 6.7s and I didn't see the gain in removing it.

 

[CCH]

Hi, I've been a long-time lurker here through a few vehicles but my latest 4x4 is a 2011 Dodge 2500 ST Cummins Crew Cab so I'm keen to see what mods come about for your vehicle. Mine is a daily driver/camper puller/backwoods explorer so I'm real interested to hear about tires that will stand up to heavier duty use towing a trailer on the highway but still suffice for rough road use as well.

 

[sapper]

My 2010 is in the sig but I am still lookinf for tires other than toyo's. I really like the Goodyear wrangler duratrac for an all round tire. The downside though is that they don't offer it in load range E in the size I want. I want 295's also. I may end up going to 35's or 315's if I add a leveling kit.

Still considering all my options. I may call thurenfab and see if his radius arm kit would work with a 3 inch lift in front and then just a spacer for the rear if I need one at all.

Looking forward to seeing how your truck changes. I have had mine over a year now but I have been away for most of that year.

 

[sdwhip]

Thanks for the posts CCH and sapper. I'm going for an all purpose truck for street, towing, camping, with some mountain trail use as well. It won't change a whole lot until next spring when a graduate college but so far my plans are the carli starter suspension kit and maybe the long travel air bags if I feel I need them. I'll be putting an ARE topper with yakima roof rack on it as soon as i get the one from my other truck sold. I ordered a b&w gooseneck hitch today and I'll pull a 38' fw toy hauler a couple times this summer and even though the hitch may not get used a whole lot I like having the option of being able to pull gooseneck and fifth wheels if I need to. My biggest problem is trying to decide on a tire. I would like to go with a 315 or 35" but for a 17" wheel the only e rated tire I have seen is a bridgestone and it looks more like a street tire. I am considering going with the 295 hankook even though it seems some are hard to get balanced I have a few friends that haven't had any problems and really like the tire. Another tire I am considering is the 255 (80 or 85?) BFG km2 which is about 33.5" and priced really well. There a couple people on here with them. It will be next summer before I get tires so keep me updated with what ya'll decide if you make the swap before then. I have pictures from memorial day weekend in the mountains I need to post but have been busy lately with a 6 week calculus summer class. I'll also get some pictures with the toy hauler hooked up to it.

Sapper, I have read through your thread as well and like what you have done with your truck.

 

[CCH]

Sapper, awesome rig.

Have either of you looked at the Nitto Grapplers? They have a 305/70/17 E rated AT that looks promising. Seems to be a problem finding tires that hold up to heavy duty use (truck/towing weight) and offer good off road traction. I'm giving them some thought. Wish I could pull it off now. Not only did my truck come with tiny 245 All-Seasons, but they are actually very good Michelin LTXs that based on my prior experience are going to last WAY longer than I want them to.

 

[Snafu]

I wish I could give a comparison but I had the truck for 2 days then took it to the shop to throw on the CAI, Edge Mileage Max chip, and exhaust before I put it on a barge and shipped it to Alaska. My intent has been efficiency rather than power. There is no way I need more than stock power numbers but I wanted this Diesel to breathe easy. I also took out the intake baffles and turbo silencer ring... I love turbo whistle.

My friend runs a 2005 3/4 ton with the 5.9. It still has the paper air filter and stock box along with a catback magnaflow exhaust at around 4" - 5".....she pulls low 20 mpg figures all the time out here in West Texas at around 4000'

I love her truck a lot...just helped her find a set of 285/70's for it and the truck looks much more capable...But I'm still happy with my 06 Ram 1500 with 33x12.5 DC FC II's. I've had it in just about everything you can find between here and Colorado and it just keeps plowing through it all!! Love these Dodge trucks and these new ones especially. Good luck!

 

[sdwhip]

Sapper, awesome rig.

Have either of you looked at the Nitto Grapplers? They have a 305/70/17 E rated AT that looks promising. Seems to be a problem finding tires that hold up to heavy duty use (truck/towing weight) and offer good off road traction. I'm giving them some thought. Wish I could pull it off now. Not only did my truck come with tiny 245 All-Seasons, but they are actually very good Michelin LTXs that based on my prior experience are going to last WAY longer than I want them to.

I've never really cared for the Nittos and I feel the 305 may be a little wide. My truck came with the 245s also but they're the BFG rugged trails. They did pretty good in some deep mud I went through in NM so they'll work ok till next year.

 

[sapper]

Yes I looked at the Nitto's also but their cost made me lean away and that I would have to special order them. I have also really been considering a set of 19.5 rims with 265's that measure almost 35". I am just not sure about the ride quality with them. I would really like to drive a truck with them equipt first before I spend all that money on a set.

I am hoping that the Goodyear duratrac's start to come in a few more sizes aimed at use with the need for load range E. I wouldn't run anything less than an E rated tire for my needs, but I am also trying to be realistic and find a tire that can match all my needs which currently this truck is over 75% highway.

 

[sdwhip]

There's actually a lot of e-rated options for 18" wheels and I'm pretty sure most oversized tires for 18s and 20s are e-rated. My dad has 18s on his jk with duratracs that are close to 34" and are rated for almost 3700lbs a tire. If I were going to swap wheels I would probably go to an 18 and no bigger but I was really wanting to stick with my stockers, for now anyway.

 

[CCH]

I like the tall and narrow tire on trucks as well and at 12" wide, the Nitto is wider than I'm shooting for. Options just seem very limited but I've just started looking myself so I'm sure there are choices I just haven't found yet. I'm finding mixed reviews on the Duratracs and big trucks. They do have a 295/65/18 E rated tire though. I have the stock steel wheels which aren't so bad other than being a bit narrow and that really tacky plastic hub cap. If I end up changing wheels, maybe going to 18s will open up tire options as sdwhipkey notes.

Mine is staying pretty stock for the time being (a rear cupholder is the only major upgrade planned at the moment). I'm most in need of a cap so the tires will wait. I'll have to live vicariously through you two so keep up the good work.

 

[sdwhip]

I finally got around to getting some pictures posted from Memorial Day weekend in Sipapu, NM. The truck did great and I got an overall avg of just over 18mpg including driving on the mountain roads. I also got a best of almost 21mpg coming home but that was dropping almost 6,000 feet in elevation with a tail wind. I was happy with that and normally around home I get 14-16mpg and that is at least better than my half ton and I love the Cummins power. I have been away working on some oil rigs and go back at the end of the week until school starts back up. The good news is I have a good chance at a great job when i graduate next spring with my Geology degree so plenty of money for mods. First up will be Carli suspension and tires which I am looking forward to, to smooth out these rough ranch roads.

And a couple extra

 

[sdwhip]

I also got my gooseneck hitch in and pulled a couple trailers for a friend and the job. This toy hauler was weghing in at 15,000lbs and the truck did great.

Then there was this 12,000lb brick

And some random pics

 

[CCH]

Nice shots. Looks like a fun trip. I'm jealous of your mpg. So far I'm running about 12-13 around town. We did 10 from Denver to Grand Junction over the Continental Divide (some long, big pulls) and 11 coming back while towing about 7,000 pounds which actually isn't all that bad. It's the empty mileage that is bugging me. Just broke 2,000 miles so hopefully it will get better. They do pull, don't they?