Hey guys, any suggestions for additional security or alarms for when my Tremor arrives? I was originally planning on using this truck as my go-to for back-country/trailhead access for multiple day/week backpacking trips. Completely rethinking this now that I see how coveted these trucks are. (F250 7.3L)
Ravelco is definitely one solution, but they're only legendary on internet forums... The real world has very little knowledge of the company, despite the fact that it's been around for three decades. There just isn't any verifiable documentation of their effectiveness aside from a single news story from like 2009. The company is literally one guy out in California and the product hasn't changed even one time since it was launched before the advent of the internet in the mid-nineties - not even to offer a different color plastic. The installers are independent contractors, each behaving in his own way; some ask for gas money, some will only take cash depending on your address. Many prefer to meet in box store parking lots, some will come to your home.
The kill switch itself is a well proven concept and this take on the technology is an interesting one. I would love to see an analytic review of the system, but they don't exist. It's always a guy on a forum who knows loads of cops who all swear by the unwieldy grey bottlecap; it's always very emotively defended by those who paid to have it installed, and it always seems to be a defense spurred by a perceived insult to their personal investment and decision-making abilities more than it is about the product itself. The byline is that it's never, ever, been defeated when properly used... Okay, that's awesome! Can we source that? Is there any record at all to back up these claims?
Nope.
That said, kill switches, using traditional toggles, RFID, or hidden magnetic switches work well. Ravelco being nothing but a pinned take on the kill switch concept likely works well too. But so do engine and system bus immobilizers, particularly if they are uncommon implementations. Honestly though? Layering differing solutions works even better and despite the 'nothing really matters' crowd, these trucks - once properly hardened - become exceptionally hard to steal. Once you've tackled the common means of theft, including removing the tumbler, swapping the drivers handle, installing Jimmi Jammer door plates, covering the front grille wiring in steel tubing, setting police options in ForScan, installing security film on your glass, storing your keys in a Faraday box when not in use, (to defeat relay attacks) and finally implementing some form of immobilizer solution - you're more likely going to have to deal with damage caused by the failed attempt and the attacker's anger taken out on the truck. Even the Go Jack crowd can't seriously claim it's likely thieves are going to be able to push your 7500 pound truck around on roller skates without a wrecker - even if the jacks themselves were rated to this weight - and they're not.
I'll be honest, I kind of want to get one of those viper alarms, just so the truck will talk with a very stern sounding transformer voice when prompted... I think that might be cooler than my wolo air horn.
Anyway.
While anything can be stolen if it's wanted bad enough, consider that by the numbers - and living where you do, it is unlikely Memphis Raines from 'Gone in 60 Seconds' is going to be jacking your ride. I lived off of Silverbell and Grant for over a decade, elsewhere North of Oro Valley for about as long... Most car theft in Southern Arizona is explicitly paint by numbers, known exploits, targets of opportunity committed by exactly who you would expect, in exactly the areas you would expect.
Just make sure that if you perform the tumbler delete, that you provide yourself an external charging solution just in case your battery ever dies and you need to put a charge on before you can unlock your cab. I used Noco, linked below, but there are others - home-brewed solutions too. Just make sure there's a firewall between the shore power and your system to protect against surge attacks, and you'll be fine.
www.fordtremor.com
accessories.ford.com
www.tascaparts.com
www.fairwayfordparts.net
