Diesel Tuners

[Bob_Vaughn]

I received an email and video from Trailer Life about Bully Dog GT tuners for diesel engines. It all sounds good but I have been warned that the warranty would be voided if I use a tuner. Now I wonder if this is true. If so then I guess I will have to wait until my warranty is up. It is 699 bucks and I wonder if there is enough of a fuel economy savings to ever break even?

[wintersun]

The heavy trucking industry will spend thousands of dollars on fairings and TPMS to improve fuel economy as even a 1% gain will result in many dollars in savings.
None of the fleets use tuners for their engines. The only difference is that the fleet managers decide based on facts and not advertising claims.

Want a guaranteed 15% increase in fuel economy. Drive at 55 MPH instead of 65MPH. Or even at 65 MPH instead of 70 MPH.

RVer's as a whole are the least conscious group of people in terms of doing anything to maximize fuel economy of any group I see motoring down the highway.

[AH64ID]

The biggest difference I saw in fuel economy was towing, and one look at my OEM fuel map showed me why! 10-15% increase is pretty good if you ask me.

The second biggest place I saw an improvement was any cruising above 2,000 rpms, for the same lame retarded OEM timing. I don't cruise up there often but I have seen a gain of 5-10%. Cruising at 1800-2000 I don't see much of a difference, but those rpms at low load are the only place that OEM timing is about where it should be.

[wintersun]

I have yet to read of a tuner that provided measurable gains in fuel economy. They will increase the horsepower and in so doing add to the stress on the engine and on the transmission. There was a recent article in a diesel magazine that claimed a 0.5% improvement but the test was so short that it was not valid.

Even with the wildest claims for improved fuel economy (and none of the tuners are guaranteed on this) I figured the break even point with a $700 tuner would be at 100,000 miles.

There is a way to greatly improve fuel economy that is guaranteed to work for any vehicle. It is to slow down. Air drag increases with the square of your speed.

It is silly when you think about it that some guy in a shop somewhere can develop a program that will do what hundreds of diesel engine engineers at Ford, Ram, GM, Freightliner, Peterbilt, Volvo, Izusu, etc. have not been able to provide their customers. There are millions of dollars spent by the engine manufacturers to improve fuel economy by even 1% and these people are the experts.

Tuners remind me that PT Barnum was right.

[transamz9]

45Ricochet wrote:
LMAO
What happen to Bob Vaughn (OP) anyway :W
Must be DOTR with a high tune! or out of fuel :B

My tuner stays on the highest tune 100% of the time and I have never had an issue. My fuel mileage went up also. It really depends on how you use the power.

[45Ricochet]

LMAO
What happen to Bob Vaughn (OP) anyway :W
Must be DOTR with a high tune! or out of fuel :B

[AH64ID]

rhagfo wrote:

2013 Duramax I would not be installing a tuner to pull a 14,000 GVWR 5er. I pull a 12,360 GVWR 5er with an 01 Ram CTD, and still have less than 300 hp and it does very well, leave it stock.

I agree, anything new doesn't really get as big of a benefit, from a towing standpoint, as the older trucks. The mileage is good, especially considering the power.. yes it could be better with less EPA but that's a different topic.

I am right at 415/850 to the ground but never use it all, even up 4-8% grades running 55-70 mph at 20K GCW with a LOT of wind resistance. Once I drop to 5th and settle at 55-65 I don't ever seem to go over 80% load and usually run around 60-70% on a 6-7% grade.

The OEM power, combined with the ratios of the double OD (what I really want is a double OD 7 speed manual) there is PLENTY of power for nearly every load.

[Hank85713]

As I stated I have the hypertek economiser tune installed. We have emissions as a boondoggle here and no I do not go back to stock. Last test had less than 11% opacity and they said better than a lot of newer trucks! everything else was fine also.

[jayco302fk]

The older diesels accepted a tuner very well, I have friends with 99 model f350s both have ran a tow tune for nearly 200k and were tuned around 100k. So that is a total of 300k on the engines with no failures. The one newer engine that really benifits from a tuner with delete capability it is the 6.4 psd. The emissions kill this engine and many fail with under 100k. If you run a (no power) tune that only deletes the problem equipment than the engine will last far longer. The post 2011 psd have much better emission systems and have no need for tuners with delete capabilities. I can tell you the 6.4 is very thirsty and the tuner if driven normal will add 3-4 mpg. (Hand calculated).

[srt20]

I don't have to do emission tests, but I use a Smarty SR, and it has a tune just for emission tests, if you have big injectors and such. Also stock tune is still there. Takes a min or two to change tunes.

I have a stock trans 48RE, and have had the Smarty for about 100k miles. It has improved my mpg significantly. Average of 3 mpg better. BUT I didn't buy it for MPG. I don't beat on the truck much, but if I break something, which I haven't yet, I won't be crying how my DOdge is a POS.

If I had a new truck, I wouldn't bother with a tuner, but then again, I wouldn't bother with a diesel either.

[calewjohnson]

45Ricochet wrote:
I sure see a power difference but at what cost to items downline :W Been lucky so far on the lowest setting, on the high setting ( 100HP) would surely destroy my tranny.

I ran EFI Live on my 05 LLY Duramax. I used a respectable tuner (Kory...), and within 6 months of putting it on, I was limping the transmission (with the heavy tow tune). Luckily, I had asked for turbo breaking to be turned on in all tunes, so I had the benefit of that in the base tune. With my 2015 F350, it will stay stock. I am the first owner, so I will know the history and will be able to maintain the truck like I want to maintain it.

I know a lot of guys over in the Duramax world would get the EFI tuner with the known requirement that they would need head gaskets and a tranny fix after they got done beating on them. I agree with he others, a lot of money was spent on R&D to make these things powerful and EPA compliant. I would also imaging that as more R&D is performed, the manufacturer can flash their own compliant tune to get more power and still be safe for the components in the end.

Question, for those of you who went the tuning route, assuming you have state inspections, are you able to pass with your tunes or do you need to reload to stock?

Cale

[rhagfo]

Bob Vaughn wrote:
I received an email and video from Trailer Life about Bully Dog GT tuners for diesel engines. It all sounds good but I have been warned that the warranty would be voided if I use a tuner. Now I wonder if this is true. If so then I guess I will have to wait until my warranty is up. It is 699 bucks and I wonder if there is enough of a fuel economy savings to ever break even?

2013 Duramax I would not be installing a tuner to pull a 14,000 GVWR 5er. I pull a 12,360 GVWR 5er with an 01 Ram CTD, and still have less than 300 hp and it does very well, leave it stock.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

rxr wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
Your about 30 years off you your EGR date rxr. They had EGR on diesels in 1978. 🙂

This is what you choose to pick on????

I know it's been used for a long time in many application but most HD trucks (since we are in the Tow Vehicles thread) for the past 10 years or so have been using tuners to either delete those systems or modify how they are used.

Yes exceptions abound

I understood the OP to be asking about tuners and the thread went into ?????? with a lot of partial or missed info.

Sorry.....

Leave it stock or do the research and get as much info as you can before tuning.

Sorry you took it as picking on you. :h

GM has had EGR on their diesel truck since 1978. No exception. 5.7 yep; 6.2 yep, 6.5 yep; Dmax, yep. All engines available in their towing trucks since 1978 has had EGR. In fact, every single diesel GM has made to go into their trucks has had EGR.

Like I said, sorry you felt picked on.

[rxr]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
Your about 30 years off you your EGR date rxr. They had EGR on diesels in 1978. 🙂

This is what you choose to pick on????

I know it's been used for a long time in many application but most HD trucks (since we are in the Tow Vehicles thread) for the past 10 years or so have been using tuners to either delete those systems or modify how they are used.

Yes exceptions abound

I understood the OP to be asking about tuners and the thread went into ?????? with a lot of partial or missed info.

Sorry.....

Leave it stock or do the research and get as much info as you can before tuning.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Your about 30 years off you your EGR date rxr. They had EGR on diesels in 1978. 🙂

[crcr]

The Bully Dog tuner doesn't seem to have a very good reputation, from what I have read on a forum for Ram Cummins trucks.