Should I turn up my mx-13 from 435 to 515?

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by scoobertdoo, Sep 14, 2021.

  1. scoobertdoo

    scoobertdoo Road Train Member

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    Love the engine, 0 problems, but I would love a bit more power when running 80k in the hills.

    Has anyone had their turned up? (Factory tune)
     
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  3. Arctic_fox

    Arctic_fox Experienced mx13 execrator

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    Depends on your engine age, transmission and drivetrain. Your going to lose a bit of MPG. Just how much will depend on how much you press your foot into it. However if your transmission is only rated for 1650 torque there is a potential to cause damage if you have leadfootitus. Also will depend on the age of the engine, driveline and so on.

    As i said the age of the truck matters too. A truck with say 700k miles on it getting suddenly tuned to 510 may cause old worn parts to break as new stress is put on them. So you may wish to pair the turnup with an overhaul. Especially as many lower powered MX engines may be paired with a smaller radator and cooling system.

    I have a 2017 579 with a MX-13 at 455 and thats what i was told when i looked into getting it tuned up. Also of note is the quotes i have gotten are between 5 and 10K just to do the tuneup on its own which puts a like for like swap (i.e a brand new MX-13 factory tuned to 510) at not a lot more then an overhaul+tuneup
     
  4. scoobertdoo

    scoobertdoo Road Train Member

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    I have the Eaton 10 speed manual. The tune for me would be about $300. I'm just over 500,000 miles so I've been thinking about maybe even doing a turbo at the same time. I also have some minor exhaust modifications that allow it to flow cleaner...
     
  5. GYPSY65

    GYPSY65 Road Train Member

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    I’m not sure the juice would be worth the squeeze

    And these motors are not designed to run that hard and even though they are up to 510hp they are built as a unit
    Motor. Tranny. Etc and designed for MPG not big HP

    Not saying you wouldn’t get something out of it but I’ve seen more than a few guys do the same type of stuff and the gain was minimal and in most cases they ended up doing in frames shortly after
     
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2021
  6. Long FLD

    Long FLD Road Train Member

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    Going to 510 won’t do anything for you unless they also bump the torque to 1850. Horsepower doesn’t pull the hills.
     
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  7. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

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    Do a dyno first to see what the power you’re getting out of it now.
     
  8. scoobertdoo

    scoobertdoo Road Train Member

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    What does that cost?
     
  9. ZVar

    ZVar Road Train Member

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    A lot less than getting a tune only to throw a rod because the engine couldn't handle it.
     
  10. Magoo1968

    Magoo1968 Road Train Member

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    I’d be very scared of a 300 $ tune unless it’s done by Paccar especially if the exhaust modifications omit certain parts.. a few guys on this site lost engines with tunes that cost way more.
     
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  11. scoobertdoo

    scoobertdoo Road Train Member

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    The man who tunes, has a paccar account. He sends the request to them to make changes. You even need an account to remove the speed limiter. Pretty stupid that you need an account to change computer parameters.
     
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