10 Towing Tricks

Good diesel oil, such as Shell's Rotella T, Brad Penn's multigrade diesel, or Sunoco's SuperC, has antioxidants (which prevent corrosion), antiwear additives, antifoaming additives, and a multigrade additive that will prevent the oil from experiencing premature breakdown when it is put under high shear.

In a nutshell, diesel motor oils are much more heavy-duty than motor oils for gas engines. It sounds simple enough, but make sure you're using oil made for a diesel in your diesel and oil made for gas in your gas motor.

When you change the oil, don't forget to check the air filter. Diesel engines are unthrottled, so they take in a lot more air through the air filter; that's an opportunity to accumulate a lot more debris. A dirty air filter can wreak havoc on the engine because it allows debris to move past it.

"I've seen piston rings get worn out in a very short time because the air system was dirty," says Granger. "So it is very important to make sure that air system doesn't get overwhelmed. The same goes for the fuel filter; always keep that clean and ensure that it doesn't get overwhelmed."

Oil changes as well as oil, air, and fuel filtration are all critical to keeping your racing program on the road to success.

This may seem almost as obvious as the oil change, but when you come right down to it, improperly inflated tires can cost you lots of money. Beyond blowing a tire and having to replace it, or worse, blowing a tire and having an accident, improperly inflated tires cost you money at the gas pump. Studies indicate that keeping your tires properly inflated can improve gas mileage by more than $1.50 every time you fill your tank. If you gas up once a week, that's $78 each year. You pay so much attention to the tire pressures on the race car, you should not forget to maintain the proper tire pressure on your truck and trailer, too. While you're at it, make sure the tires are properly balanced, the vehicle is aligned, and the tires are rotated periodically for even wear. It's money back in your pocket.

Lastly, here's another one of those often-forgotten items that you may want to consider: towing mirrors. Like proper tire inflation, having the right mirror is a key to towing safely. Towing mirrors provide wider visibility and definitely make seeing what is on either side of you much easier. Generally, they are easy to install and run the gamut when it comes to options. You can get mirrors that simply slide over or clip onto your existing mirrors for under $20. Or you can go all the way up to a $400-plus set, such as the Telescopic Trailer Tow Mirror made by Schefenacker (pictured below). This mirror sports interchangeable covers, built-in turn signals, and a separate, wide-view, adjustable spotter mirror.

Whatever style and price range you choose, they're an important item to have on your truck. Remember, you can't avoid what you can't see.

If you're an astute reader (and we know you are), you probably noticed something missing in this top 10 list. While we talked about induction, exhaust, and oil changes, we largely ignored the internal engine itself. That is a subject for another story, so naturally, we are going to write one. Keep an eye out, as we are going to put several different computer tuning tools, as well as other upgrades, to the test. We'll bolt them up to Don Parrish's truck and then head to the dyno to see what kind of gains we can make. We haven't told Don yet, so don't say anything, OK?