ok, so I recently bought a 2002 2500hd with an 8.1/ally combo. this truck really did not impress me from the get-go. my last truck was a 2wd reg cab 2500hd 6.0 and was significantly faster than the 8.1. don't get me wrong, the 8.1 tows my trailer pretty good and I can still get 10.5 mpg pulling 9k on back roads, but it still struggles on hills at times and I tow quite often.
so far, I've installed a 180* t-stat to slow down oil consumption (was 1 qt per 1k miles, now down to less than 1/2 qt), installed delco iridium plugs gapped to .045, I've replaced the air filter with a k&n, replaced crank and cam sensors as they are known to shit the bed and cause lack of power. it just seems like this truck should have WAY more power than it does. especially considering off the line my buddy can leave me in the dust with his crew cab long bed 454 with 250k miles.
now I talked to someone this past weekend who has owned 2 8.1 trucks, 1 tuned, 1 not... needless to say he convinced me to tune mine. I found somebody local who will dyno tune my truck for $450 but he cannot touch the Allison.
Now as far as Allison tuning goes, I Just want to know if it's worth finding someone who can tune my TCM along with the PCM. I HATE how the Allison downshifts. in 5th gear, I punch it and it unlocks the T/C, wait a second... then downshifts to 4th, wait a second.... then 3rd, and finally by the time it drops to the gear I want, I can't pass that car doing 35 in a 50. Shifts also seem way too soft. it just feels like it slides into every gear and i'm afraid all the bands and clutches will burn off as soon as I get it tuned
any tips and tricks from somebody who knows these trucks, on how I can get more power and better shifting out of this truck will be greatly appreciated. and don't say ZF6 swap.... that's on the to-do list
so far, I've installed a 180* t-stat to slow down oil consumption (was 1 qt per 1k miles, now down to less than 1/2 qt), installed delco iridium plugs gapped to .045, I've replaced the air filter with a k&n, replaced crank and cam sensors as they are known to shit the bed and cause lack of power. it just seems like this truck should have WAY more power than it does. especially considering off the line my buddy can leave me in the dust with his crew cab long bed 454 with 250k miles.
now I talked to someone this past weekend who has owned 2 8.1 trucks, 1 tuned, 1 not... needless to say he convinced me to tune mine. I found somebody local who will dyno tune my truck for $450 but he cannot touch the Allison.
Now as far as Allison tuning goes, I Just want to know if it's worth finding someone who can tune my TCM along with the PCM. I HATE how the Allison downshifts. in 5th gear, I punch it and it unlocks the T/C, wait a second... then downshifts to 4th, wait a second.... then 3rd, and finally by the time it drops to the gear I want, I can't pass that car doing 35 in a 50. Shifts also seem way too soft. it just feels like it slides into every gear and i'm afraid all the bands and clutches will burn off as soon as I get it tuned
any tips and tricks from somebody who knows these trucks, on how I can get more power and better shifting out of this truck will be greatly appreciated. and don't say ZF6 swap.... that's on the to-do list
