Everyday trailer towing, chip query?

[crankskee]

I tow a braked tandem work trailer everyday, total weight comes in around 1600/1800kg with an 07 turbo with 32" tyres. Average total klms per year are 45,000 towing the trailer.

My question is that if I was to install a chip to improve performance and economy, could it infact destroy my engine, that is because it is under constant load day in day out. Towing everyday for a full year is a little different to towing for a trip up the coast and back, or not towing anything and being unloaded to and from work everyday.

I am really keen on a chip, but don't want to blow the stuffin out the vehicle,

Cheers
Steve.

[bloke&tackle]

In your case, my main concern would be the longevity of the bottom end.
There has to be a trade-off.
Under normal conditions a D4D might get XXXX Kms out of a set of big end bearings, make it develop 30% more power and you must surely shorten the life of the bearings if not other components.
It depends on how long you intend to keep the vehicle I guess.

[VMN]

Whilst I am quite happy to sell you a VMN chip, another alternative would be regearing your diffs. At a guess, that will save you about 1000 litres of fuel a year which is a big cost saving.

I tow a 1700 kg caravan since December and with 32's and regeared diffs, the Hilux pulls it nicely either with or without the chip running. I have an auto so I tow in third as per the manual.

I can fix you up with a set of 3.9 gears and rebuild kit for the rear, you need to source a factory front. Noidea has gone down this path and it worked out well. Your car will drive like it did with the factory 29's.

As far as the VMN chip goes, it certainly makes it easier to tow something and if it is work around town, the EGT's will remain at a safe level but I'll let others comment on engine longevity as some argue that you can sacrifice life for extra power which is basically what bloke&tackle is saying. Here is an independent article you might like to read about chips http://www.lcool.org/technical/elec_die ... uning.html

I also have another gadget I am trialling which might also be of help to you to get your load rolling but not quite ready to announce it.

[crankskee]

Bloke&tackle, VMN thanks for that. These explanations help a lot, and that was a well informed read VMN.

The day will come when ill have to part with the car, but owning the car from new can sometimes freak me out especially when I hear a new noise or the opposite and make ya feel good, to know the history of a vehicle gives a fair bit of insight into how to handle it. The day I drove out the dealership with the vehicle in stock mode, I near pooped my panties at how quiet, fast, smooth the car was, I even stuck my face in the tail pipe and couldn't get over how clean it was.

My plan when increasing the tyre size was to do the gears, but that job keeps gettin put back. It seemed like everything else around me was more important. But since joining this forum and running out of warranty my mind has gone back on the hilux.
At around 110,000 klms on the clock, I've got a lot more drive time in this car.
The gears are a must. The injectors are also a must, especially since the tank was cleaned and filter replaced.
VMN Are the chips able to be turned off on the fly? I understand there are a lot out there and all work differently. Working around an hour away most days can have the car towing at 80-100klm/hr for most of the driving. It would be good to be able to switch it to suit the driving I understand heat is an issue,
When ya ready, feel free to let me in on the secret, I'm rather intrigued.

[VMN]

Bloke&tackle, VMN thanks for that. These explanations help a lot, and that was a well informed read VMN.

VMN Are the chips able to be turned off of the fly? I understand there are a lot out there and all work differently. Working around an hour away most days can have the car towing at 80-100klm/hr for most of the driving. It would be good to be able to switch it to suit the driving I understand heat is an issue,

crankskee, pleased to help. Yes, you can turn the chip on and off by fitting an additional switch to earth on one wire. I do this on the fly with the foot off the pedal in my car as I have fitted the switch in the glove box. The manufacturer recommends not to do this as the ECU can get confused. I think this relates to the way the ECU memorises current tune parameters but I have not had any major problems.

I'd definitely look at fitting an Exhaust temp gauge. All of these chips run hotter than the normal factory regardless of brand from the temps I have seen posted on various forums. It won't be an issue on the flat, just on long hills.

The gauge I run has a relay built in that I use to trigger a piezo alarm and I must get my finger out and bring a couple in to put on my store. Other chip manufacturers use the same gauge as I am running in my car to switch in another tuning curve, but lifting the foot in response to an alarm achieves the same result.

When ya ready, feel free to let me in on the secret, I'm rather intrigued.

Ooops, I decided to let the cat out of the bag
http://newhilux.net/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=8670
I think on a towing rig, these would be handy as it would get the truck rolling quicker even without a chip, but then you will probably need one of Brendon's heavy duty clutches. When does it end ?