Power Chip in tow vehicle

[Transplanted_Ca]

Considering putting Econo Mind Diesel Tuner & Banks IQ 2.o in my 2004 Dodge 3500 Dually. Has anyone ever done this and did you get satisfactory results with power and increased mileage?

[kampinguru]

There are chips available that allow you to switch between different programs based on what you are doing with the truck. I have a DP Tuner chip and have 6 programs in it. No Start, Stock, 40 HP Tow, 80 HP economy, 100 HP race, Drive-thru, and decel. This allows me to run the tow tune when pulling the 5ver, economy when running empty, Race when I want to have fun and can quiet the cackle of the Ford 7.3 when going through Timmies for coffee. I would reiterate the need for guages as a minimum. I also have a BTS transmission in the truck as the Ford 4R100 tranny is weak and the additional power will shorten its life considerably. I also have a new Turbo housing that stops the Turbo stall that can happen with additional fuel. The chip is just the start of the process. Stock air intake should be fine and exhaust should also be fine until you get up to serious performance levels. This chip does make my truck easier to drive with the additionl horsepower and does provide some addtional fuel savings. My Chip prevents downshifting on hills which is hard on the transmission as well as uses more fuel. A friend and I have identical trucks with his being 1 year newer but more miles on it. We both pulled our RV's on a 4000km trip to the east coast. My trailer is 2000lbs heavier than his and I was using $12-17 less in fuel at each fillup. That trip paid for the chip. The additionl power can cause things to break faster but my philosophy is that you have to pay to play. I am not hard on the truck at all but I have taken the steps to ensure I will have no issues with the tranny.

[boogie_4wheel]

msiminoff wrote:
Smarty is THE way to go for you '04 5.9L CTD!!! You can make a lot more power and do it more safely than with most other programmers. You can improve fuel economy considerably too... but doing that is entirely dependent upon the performance of your right foot. :W

I would not consider any tuner that increased rail pressure (e.g. the Economind)

If you don't already have them, I suggest adding EGT & boost gauges. As other people have mentioned, more power can be tough on the stock transmission so you may want to think upgrading the tranny first.

Before you spend a penny on engine upgrades you may want to spend a few days reading through the forum archives on the Dodge-centric sites like Diesel Truck Resource and Turbo Diesel Registry.

Cheers,
-Mark

Agreed!
Smarty is the best route to go. I would have one with UDC tuning, but my truck already had the Edge when I bought it.
You need to somewhat know what you're doing with the Smarty, because you can get stupid with it and cause damage. It isn't just plug it in and mash on the throttle. You get the options to adjust rail pressure, timing, fueling, adjust torque management, turbo wastegate control, power levels, read error codes, adjust for tire size changes (and the list goes on).

Adding a little bit of timing will get you some better fuel economy, but don't go wild with it. Too much timing can increase combustion chamber temperatures without showing up on the EGT gauge!

With my Edge, my fuel economy has improved ~0%. Removed vs installed, I only feel more power.

[Bill1374]

Ran an Edge EZ set at 40 horse on a 2000 Dodge dually for about 20k miles. Satisfactory increase in power but no change at all in mileage. Did have to watch the EGTs on hills as the temp tended to get higher than I liked.

Bill

[HiTech]

If you chip a diesel you really want to watch exhaust gas temps.

Jim

[Likes_to_tow]

sch911 wrote:
Sorry for the tough luv.

More power on a diesel = more fuel. There is no magic chip. Save your money, slow down 5 MPH and save some fuel...

I hand calculate mileage very often and under different conditions. I agree with this post!!! There is significant improvement in MPG with a reduction in speed. My 05 does much better at 60 MPH verses 75 MPH. If I could only get the nerve to drive 50 MPH it would be even much better, of course under certain traffic condidtions this will cause you to become very unpopular.

[msiminoff]

Smarty is THE way to go for you '04 5.9L CTD!!! You can make a lot more power and do it more safely than with most other programmers. You can improve fuel economy considerably too... but doing that is entirely dependent upon the performance of your right foot. :W

I would not consider any tuner that increased rail pressure (e.g. the Economind)

If you don't already have them, I suggest adding EGT & boost gauges. As other people have mentioned, more power can be tough on the stock transmission so you may want to think upgrading the tranny first.

Before you spend a penny on engine upgrades you may want to spend a few days reading through the forum archives on the Dodge-centric sites like Diesel Truck Resource and Turbo Diesel Registry.

Cheers,
-Mark

[path1]

As a happy 5.9 owner; you have to have the metal (transmission) to back it up.

[eldondo]

I do not have personel experience with this but, I was visiting with a man that is envolved in agriculture and he was telling me about some short of chip or something that can be put on and taken off the engine that increases horsepower and increases mileage, both by quite a lot. If I can remember the name I will put it here.

[ScottG]

More power yes but not usually more mileage.
I run an extra 100 HP and my mileage has remained the same. To say more power = more fuel just isn't necessarily accurate. More timing, more pressure, different fuel curve mapping and duration can all result in more power with the same amount of fuel. But usually people use all the extra power so FE gains are negligible.

A perfect example;
my 93 Dodge/Cummins 2WD got 24-25 mpg hiway unloaded (w/LSD fuel). Stock Dyno = 125HP
My 2003 Dodge/Cummins 4WD (much heavier) got 24 (w/LSD fuel) unloaded. Stock dyno = 256 HP.
More efficiency = more power from the same amount of fuel. This is because we only use roughly 20% of the fuel we burn to propel the truck. The rest of the 80% is mostly heat and admissions.

Bottom line is don't count on any significant gains in FE. Also, budget in some trans work so it will hold up to the increased power.

[Old-Biscuit]

Double post......twitchy finger/slow connection

[Old-Biscuit]

So you are saying your 5.9L CTD doesn't have enough power?

Power for what?
And at what cost?
Even IF it improved mileage........how many years (gallons of fuel) before you break even?

Nothing that increases power will improve mph.

That 'tractor motor' stock is more than adequate.

[sch911]

Sorry for the tough luv.

More power on a diesel = more fuel. There is no magic chip. Save your money, slow down 5 MPH and save some fuel...