best heater system for pioneer 1000's compare

[dale5740]

So for me I think I have narrowed it down to the summit racing heater or the Firestorm, Inferno. I know that right now for black friday the firestorm heater is on sale on amozon for $279 from $350. Can anyone way in on this issue witch one to go with, and how well they work? The firestorm has more vents but not sure witch one has the most heat output or BTU's Thanks

inferno $399

 

[Bighat]

I used the inferno but I looked hard at the summit. The summit had a much higher btu and blower. I kind of wish I'd of tried it. It was cheaper but not a whole lot by the time you got everything you needed to complete the install. I will tell you, if you have a windshield you should mount some type of defroster vents to blow on it or you'll be ragging it all the time. I heat works OK if your going slow. If your moving down the road and it's 20 out, you can't seal all the air leaks in these things the way they're designed.

 

[Scoop]

I can't speak for either one, but I'm reasonably pleased with my Ice Crusher heater. It installs in an otherwise unused area under the hood and turns your cup holders into windshield defrosters. I documented the install in my build thread.

Whatever you end up with, temper your expectations relative to performance. None of these are going to keep you warm enough to drive around in a tee shirt in the winter months. The Pioneer has too many holes that let the cold air in and trying to seal them all is a lesson in futility.

 

[HBarlow]

I'm satisfied with the Inferno installed in my Pioneer.

 

[Remington]

🤣

 

[dale5740]

I used the inferno but I looked hard at the summit. The summit had a much higher btu and blower. I kind of wish I'd of tried it. It was cheaper but not a whole lot by the time you got everything you needed to complete the install. I will tell you, if you have a windshield you should mount some type of defroster vents to blow on it or you'll be ragging it all the time. I heat works OK if your going slow. If your moving down the road and it's 20 out, you can't seal all the air leaks in these things the way they're designed.

I was thinking that defrost is going to be the most important part as when u add heat then all the moisture evaporates and gets the windhield fogged!

 

[HBarlow]

I can't speak for either one, but I'm reasonably pleased with my Ice Crusher heater. It installs in an otherwise unused area under the hood and turns your cup holders into windshield defrosters. I documented the install in my build thread.

Whatever you end up with, temper your expectations relative to performance. None of these are going to keep you warm enough to drive around in a tee shirt in the winter months. The Pioneer has too many holes that let the cold air in and trying to seal them all is a lesson in futility.

That's true.

Prospective heater buyers should also realize the temperature of the heated air is not created by the accessory heater but by a relatively small 1000 cc liquid-cooled engine with coolant temperature controlled by a thermostat and fan. The heater won't provide the volume of hot air your car or truck HVAC system does.

If you understand a heater in a Pioneer will take the chill off, make it more comfortable than without, you'll probably be satisfied with your heater installation.

 

[Remington]

Does anybody know a good heating guy that can help us here with thermal dynamics?
@Russ989

 

[Russ989]

So for me I think I have narrowed it down to the summit racing heater or the Firestorm, Inferno. I know that right now for black friday the firestorm heater is on sale on amozon for $279 from $350. Can anyone way in on this issue witch one to go with, and how well they work? The firestorm has more vents but not sure witch one has the most heat output or BTU's Thanks

View attachment 410085 View attachment 410086 View attachment 410107inferno $399

Take the cover to the steering rack out of the firewall and let that heat roll in the cab. That’s all I’ve ever done.

 

[dweber23tr]

I have the inferno in mine. I've not had a chance to get it out in the winter but it was 20 out yesterday and it kept me warm on low with a hard cab.

 

[Vikes79]

No matter the heater you use, you will need to block at least 1/2 of the stock radiator and seal up your 1/2 door bottoms. I use pool noodles to seal up the top parts of the cab. For the 1/2 door bottoms, truck tailgate seal works great and stops the door rattling for awhile till the hinges wear. I got five years of wear on my door seals and they aren’t coming off anytime soon.

Blocking the radiator will ensure the motor gets up to operating temperature faster and help to burn the condensation outta your oil. I use a simple piece of cardboard long enough to go across the radiator and the fan shroud. Has to be long enough to reach the other side or it will catch in the fan. I simply insert it from the passenger side and leave enough ear to pull it out as needed.

When I’m plowing snow, the heat output plus the gap closing it’s quite toasty in my cab. Sweatshirt and and a hat are all I usually use depending on weather and if I had the pioneer in my heated garage or not depending on when I started.

As far as defrosting vents….I learned the hard way you don’t want them if you’re mounting the heater core under the seat. They don’t work worth a dam anyway because of the huge pipe run ( if mounting heater under the seat) and you risk the duct getting wrapped up in the drive shaft and taking out the subtrans seal ( happened to me). You’ll get way more heat output if you put all 4 vents on the floor. Maybe the in dash version is better as long as you’re not passing ductwork under the floor.

I’ve never had a fogging issue when plowing snow…..only when running to and from my ice house in the fog. I use a simple 12v fan to resolve it and it really keeps the cab circulating much better.

Just my experience fwiw.

Btw this is a well traveled topic. Many ideas on this…just gotta search.