Chipping Diesel trucks

[Levi the Tile Guy]

Any of you diesel drivers out there chip your trucks? What did you use? I am going to do mine, but can't decide what to go with. I tow a lot of weight. 8k lbs for my work trailer, and 12k lbs in my 30 ft. 1985 camper. Most of my driving will be over Colorado mountain passes.

Yes I have asked this question on a few diesel forums and get as many opinions there as some people will get when asked about brands of tile saws on here

[Tool Guy - Kg]

So you're gonna take the advice of tile guys instead of truck guys so you have less opinions to wade through?

[evan1968]

Lets get this out of the way now...

IF YOU HAVEN'T OWNED A TRUCK WITH A DIESEL ENGINE, YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT!

Get ready Levi..all the expert tile guys will now become expert diesel mechanics cause they heard from a friend or knew about a guy...blah,blah,blah

So i will start! (yes,i have owned 3 diesels)...

Levi, most tuners or power packs on the market all do the same thing,make more H-power and more torque.

The inherent problems that are associated with chipping or tuning the motor happen down the line as in high EGT and the strain on the drive trains. So beware how much H-power you want to get out of your oil burner. Keep it reasonable and you wont have to upgrade other components to handle the new power.

I have had 3 different tuners on 3 of my diesels. Got the tuners for the towing power i needed like yourself.

Banks-7.3 2002 Powerstroke
Bully Dog-6.0 2004 Powerstroke
Edge-6.0 2007 Powerstroke
Cant go wrong with any of them IMO.

I even have my 2009 5.4 Gasser on a Superchips Module and i cant wait to grenade that POS. Im trying everyday.

Good luck and let the opinions fly!

[tilejoe]

No opinion, not gonna chip mine, I want the warranty. That said, I can't wait to see how it works for you!

Go into a local shop and talk to those guys. See what they run and why. IMO

[MudMaker]

Yeah... I haveta stay with the Manufacturer's recommendations on the diesel.. Too many things could go wrong down the line that ya just can't see at the beginning... There is a lot of engineering ya don't see that went into those engines..... Nother vote for leave it be...

[jvcstone]

Ditto to Mudmaker

The drive train in my 2000 F450 represents a lot of engineering time and money, and even though my neighbor owns a diesel shop and has offered to chip it at cost, my thought is why fix something that isn't broke for a possible 1-2 miles per more fuel efficiency. Haven't found anything the 4.80 rear end won't pull yet.

JVC

[John Bridge]

My 5.9 liter Cummins pulls more than any of you guys have mentioned and without a chip. I had occasion to weigh my fifth wheel only yesterday. 15,940 with only a few things on board and maybe a half tank of fresh water. I know on the road we have to be hitting about 8-1/2 tons -- plus the weight of the truck.

I have no problems at all going up hills. It's coming down that has been my bane. I've burned up a few brake pads and calipers.

I have a six-speed manual transmission and a 3.73 rear end. Over the course of 17,000 miles pulling this summer we averaged around 12 mpg.

Why mess with the engine?

[evan1968]

The thing about diesel engines is that they are made for lots of power from the factory. Way more than when they come off the line. They are detuned to meet emission standards. There are some programmers that will get some of the power back with out killing the warranty.

John...you have a exhaust brake for going down hill?

Originally Posted by John

Why mess with the engine?

Because you can!

[John Bridge]

Yes, we installed an exhaust brake, but the weight still pushes you. Didn't burn any brakes this year, though.

[Levi the Tile Guy]

I have the same truck John, 5.9l with 6 speed manual tranny. I would love to gain 1-2 mpg plus I like the power. Think about it like this I generally drive 50-100 miles per day. I average filling up once a week. On Monday morning in fact for the last month since I have owned my truck. If I get an extra 2 mpg that will give me another 68 miles until I need to fill up. That is another day. If I go from filling up every 7 days to every 8 days that would be 7.5 less times I fill up in a year or approx. $900 per year savings(not counting road trips which I would gain on also). I know I probably won't get that good of gains, but even 1mpg will save me a good $300-$400 a year. That is how I am selling it to my wife anyway

You were just here in CO. a few months ago John, you know the passes I drive over regularly. I know my truck can pull them, but why not make it easier.

Like Evan said these motors (especially the Cummins) are made to be power houses, but then are tuned down for emissions junk. Think about it, why would adding more horsepower also help with fuel economy? It is because it is allowing the motor to run how it was built to run. The system I will go with will have an on board computer that I can use to monitor my gauges and make sure I am not running to high of egt's or anything else than can be fatal to my truck. I have the best motor out there, but the problem is it has a dodge built around it.

[evan1968]

So Levi...what your sayin is you would rather be Cummin than Strokin?

If i could build a truck..
Motor-Cummins
Frame and Tranny-Ford
Ride and Interior- Chevy

Real trucks dont have sparkplugs!

[Levi the Tile Guy]

Evan mine would be

Motor - dodge/cummins
tranny - chevy/allison
frame/interior/underbody/looks - ford

But yes I would much rather be cummin than strokin

[Davy]

Im not sure about the newer Cummins engines but the older engines would take 25% more fuel to drive 70 than it does to drive 55. Even slowing down to 60 helps alot.. I'm usually not in a hurry, no matter where I'm going. Mine still averages between 21 and 22 MPG and has 354K on the engine. From what I hear the newer 6.7 Cummins aren't getting that good mileage. Back to chipping, mine is stock, could be why it has lasted.

[muskymike]

Hi Levi, I have the Bully Dog on my 2002 F350 7.3. I don't pull anything heavy, my boat is like 3500 and it pulls it like nothing. Also the truck flies like a raped ape. I average bout 16 to 18 with the chip.

[evan1968]

Originally Posted by Muskymike

truck flies like a raped ape

Thats funny!
They do giddy up and go!
My 6.0 with the Bully Dog was craaazy fast.