Hi guys, Im a new be to diesel. I have a 2004 f350.6.0 w/110,000miles,sct , new turbo, egr delete , bullet proof oil cooler,ficm replaced, Bought it for 15,000 and already put 10,000 into it for oil cooler and some misc things. Its my dailey driver. Tuner is in tow haul mode. no hot tunes yet? I plan on towing trailer about 6x a year.11,000lbs. If i leave tuner turned down,will i have head stud problems? My mechanic says its just a matter of time before head gaskets go. i want something very reliable! Can i put it in economy mode and still be ok w/head studs. If i need to put preventative arp head studs in, how much will it cost me? Hope this makes sense, Im new at this!!! signed FNG PS Ive heard a lot of different views on this. So confused. Please help!!!

 

I myself am fairly new to the diesel community. That being said, my understanding of upgrading head studs is for preventative measures, one of the problems with the stock setup is with added compression to the heads the bolts stretch causing head gaskets to blow. I personally am going to install the ARP 625+ because as far as I have been told (and personall research has turned up) they are the most durable on the market. Everywhere I have looked they run approximately $1,500, however I have been told you can get them cheaper. The only cheaper ARP headstuds i found are the 250's for approximately $550 however they are not rated at the same pressure. Hope this helps!

 

Already spent $10k on it and that didn't come with studs?! You could be fine or could go. Typically your at lower risk when your not running race tunes. If you have the cash go ahead and get arp studs, ford oem gaskets and the heads decked and tested (check for cracks .etc) Ive already been through the headache of having a cracked cylinder head

 

Id say go ahead and get them and save yourself the trouble of blowing your head gaskets and potentially cracking a head in the future. The amount you will pay having them done will be a fraction of what it will cost to repair future head damage if you don't get them and something happens, not saying that it will but its good preventive measure.

 

I spent ~$3,000 on head stud installation, EGR delete, and flow testing of my heads. Best money I ever spent on my truck. If you are going to run hot tunes you must upgrade.