randallb wrote:
There have been some piston failures due to reprogramming of the 8.1 ECM. GM used a hypereutectic piston, higher silicone content, and these pistons do not like any detonation. If GM had felt comfortable running additional timing and fuel in this engine they would have done so. No engineer leaves HP on the table unless there is the downside of significantly reduced reliability.
Randy
Since I have put over 60,000 miles with the Ultra ECM tuning, I am pretty much convinced of the reliability issues.
You parrot what a lot of people say about a STANDARD engine in a STANDARD vehicle.
In reality, when GM built that engine that went in the W chassis, they had ZERO idea of what was going to be put on that bare chassis. They did not know the total weight of the FINISHED coach, or if it was to be used on flat lands or mountains. Consequently the ECM was programmed for COMPROMISE conditions.
Brazel's will send out a package to be plugged in to your OBDII port so that you can drive around for awhile and input the specifics of your particular vehicle. Once they receive that info, they tweak the ECM to produce the best performance and mileage for your SPECIFIC application, which GM DID NOT know when they built the engine.
Since I monitor my engine continuously with my ScanGauge I can see if my Air/fuel ratio varies from 14.7 to a lean condition. It does not happen and all of my other parameters are well within specs.
Please provide an internet link to those piston problems with a reprogrammed ECM.
