Chipping Your 6.7litre Dodge Ram

12V Cummins wrote:
what's a programmer/chip/tuner?

Flat head screw driver

Doug,

I'm just curious as always.

I know that you recently had a 3/4 ton model GM Chevy truck that you hauled your truck camper camper with. Was it chipped and why, or why not?

Your soon to be previous truck camper looks very good on your new truck.

I'm looking forward to seeing your new Truck Camper on your new truck.

I think most people would be thrilled to have any combination of your TC's and trucks.

Will you be selling your Chevy with the the truck camper that "belongs" on it?

Some visiters to Australia would love to "rent" it. I'm reminded that Subconsulting can drive to Africa... he tried to find a TC to rent in the USA... I've never read about RV rentals in Australia.

Goodnight

Sleepy

what's a programmer/chip/tuner?

In August TS Performance in Kentucky is release an inline tuner that will add power and can be removed easily without leaving a trace. You wil be able to keep all the EPA******connected.

Im waiting for this...

Once you've driven a properly programmed diesel you cant go back.

Nearly everyone I know with a CTD - and it's a lot of people - have programmers.
Everyone but me. My truck has all the power I need, and I value reliability over all else...plus my 48RE tranny is a weak link and I don't want to kill it prematurely.

The various forums noted above will generally state (I'm on all of them):
Smarty or H&S for "canned" tunes, relatively safe and easy to use.
EFI Live for "custom" tunes for your specific truck. Best when tuned on a dyno, but you can get canned tunes as well. EFI Live controls way more parameters. I've driven in a 6.7 with 37 inch tires and a canned EFI live tune, and the power and response was absolutely ridiculous.

An EFI Live tune will only be as good as the guy who programmed it.
There are good guys, and not so good guys, writing programs for it.

(Canned tunes just mean its set up for you without putting your particular truck on a dyno...a custom tune is done with your truck on a dyno)

A hot tune that makes big power won't work for towing...egt's get too high.
Drive a hot tune like an idiot and things break.
Drive it like a sane person and you can have a lot of fun with reliability.

msiminoff wrote:

JumboJet wrote:
You might want to re-read the Smarty disclaimer. On the newer model trucks, the Smarty IS detectable.

Good point, thanks... I just looked at the Smarty FAQ and I stand corrected. I was only familiar with the one in my '05 5.9L which is not detectable. This would be reason enough for me not to program my late model truck if it were still under factory warranty.

RZAR66 wrote:
There is what we in the industry call a tattle tail...

True there is a counter, but this doesn't provide any indication about what was done or by whom.

-Mark

All the dealer needs to know is that it was changed and if there is no record of it being changed by a dealer then it is unauthorized. There is a tattle tail for every changeable parameter. If that change is not in the dealer repair history then you are most likely on your own.

JumboJet wrote:
You might want to re-read the Smarty disclaimer. On the newer model trucks, the Smarty IS detectable.

Good point, thanks... I just looked at the Smarty FAQ and I stand corrected. I was only familiar with the one in my '05 5.9L which is not detectable. This would be reason enough for me not to program my late model truck if it were still under factory warranty.

RZAR66 wrote:
There is what we in the industry call a tattle tail...

True there is a counter, but this doesn't provide any indication about what was done or by whom.

-Mark

msiminoff wrote:

Sheriffdoug wrote:
What are your thoughts on chipping my 2012 Ram 3500 diesel 6.7ltr?
What chip upgrades are you using?
Are there negatives & positives?
Can I increase my fuel economy, apart from less pressure on the right foot?

Negatives;(note that the Smarty program can be removed and once that it done it is undetectable by the dealership)
-Mark

You might want to re-read the Smarty disclaimer. On the newer model trucks, the Smarty IS detectable.

msiminoff wrote:

Sheriffdoug wrote:
What are your thoughts on chipping my 2012 Ram 3500 diesel 6.7ltr?
What chip upgrades are you using?
Are there negatives & positives?
Can I increase my fuel economy, apart from less pressure on the right foot?

Hi Doug,
The answers to your questions really depend on what you mean by "chipping"... there are several ways to change the fuel delivery and boost settings for your Cummins diesel. The products to avoid are are the "pressure boxes" that only increase rail pressure. Boxes or "tuners" that adjust the injection timing and/or duration and can monitor other engine parameters are much safer.

As others have mentioned, there are online forums dedicated to Dodge/Cummins trucks. I suggest you ask these same questions on the Diesel Truck Resource forum.

IF you decide to upgrade your truck I highly recommend that you get a Smarty tuner. The Smarty Jr. J-67 is a good place to start. The EFI Live tuner has also gotten very good reviews.

I use a Smarty and I absolutely love it, but also run an exhaust temp & boost gauges, and my transmission has been extensively modified to handle the additional torque. I'll add that I'm very cautious about how hard I push my truck.

Negatives; You could void your warranty (note that the Smarty program can be removed and once that it done it is undetectable by the dealership), you could quickly & easily cause damage to your transmission and driveline components. If you increase rail pressure you risk damaging your fuel injectors. You can burn through tires quickly. Depending upon where you live, modifying your truck may not be legal.

Positives; More power, better drivability, more power, faster turbo spool-up, increased fuel economy, much more power :)

It looks like you have already answered your own question about fuel economy... It's all about your right foot! Ask yourself this; If you had more power, would you use it? If the answer is "oh heck yes", then you are not going to see any MPG gains, as a matter of fact you're likely to use a lot more fuel. If you are willing to drive like a grandpa' (I do!) then you can easily see MPG gains of 10-20%. The Smarty has a setting called PoD (Power on Demand) which reduces the throttle sensitivity. Around town I keep my Smarty on "Economy" mode with the PoD around 75-80% and my fuel economy is excellent. When hauling and/or towing I increase the power setting and the PoD.

Cheers,
-Mark

There is what we in the industry call a tattle tail. Anytime you change a parameter on an ECM like a tune or changing things like timing or fuel rate it leaves a count. Even if the dealer does something it leaves a count. For example if you changed your tune with a programmer it will read 1. Meaning changed 1 one time. When you change it back to stock it will read 2. Meaning changed 2 times and there is no way to reset the count.

Sheriffdoug wrote:
What are your thoughts on chipping my 2012 Ram 3500 diesel 6.7ltr?
What chip upgrades are you using?
Are there negatives & positives?
Can I increase my fuel economy, apart from less pressure on the right foot?

Hi Doug,
The answers to your questions really depend on what you mean by "chipping"... there are several ways to change the fuel delivery and boost settings for your Cummins diesel. The products to avoid are are the "pressure boxes" that only increase rail pressure. Boxes or "tuners" that adjust the injection timing and/or duration and can monitor other engine parameters are much safer.

As others have mentioned, there are online forums dedicated to Dodge/Cummins trucks. I suggest you ask these same questions on the Diesel Truck Resource forum.

IF you decide to upgrade your truck I highly recommend that you get a Smarty tuner. The Smarty Jr. J-67 is a good place to start. The EFI Live tuner has also gotten very good reviews.

I use a Smarty and I absolutely love it, but also run an exhaust temp & boost gauges, and my transmission has been extensively modified to handle the additional torque. I'll add that I'm very cautious about how hard I push my truck.

Negatives; You could void your warranty (note that on trucks with the 5.9L motor** the Smarty program can be removed and once that it done it is undetectable by the dealership), you could quickly & easily cause damage to your transmission and driveline components. If you increase rail pressure you risk damaging your fuel injectors. You can burn through tires quickly. Depending upon where you live, modifying your truck may not be legal.

Positives; More power, better drivability, more power, faster turbo spool-up, increased fuel economy, much more power :)

It looks like you have already answered your own question about fuel economy... It's all about your right foot! Ask yourself this; If you had more power, would you use it? If the answer is "oh heck yes", then you are not going to see any MPG gains, as a matter of fact you're likely to use a lot more fuel. If you are willing to drive like a grandpa' (I do!) then you can easily see MPG gains of 10-20%. The Smarty has a setting called PoD (Power on Demand) which reduces the throttle sensitivity. Around town I keep my Smarty on "Economy" mode with the PoD around 75-80% and my fuel economy is excellent. When hauling and/or towing I increase the power setting and the PoD.

Cheers,
-Mark

**Edited to indicate that the programming cannot be detected on vehicles with the 5.9 L engine but it can be detected after removal from the 6.7L engine