Power Tuner for Gas engines

[stub-kb-2]

I just bought a Chevy Avalanche for my wife. i am curious about performance tuners (Bullydog, edge, etc.) what experience do you have with either the Chevy 5.3L or other small block gas engine (any Brand). are these tuners worth the investment?

thanks!

[wmoses]

stub-kb-2 wrote:

is your truck a 4x4?

from the way i read this, the only mods you have are the tumer and K&N, is that correct?

thanks, man i didn't mean to start a fight...

Yes, that I'd admit to anyway. 😉 and I didn't really see it as a flame. It's just a little irritating when some tell you stuff that must be happening with your vehicle, when you know otherwise from personal first hand experience.

No I don't have a 4x4. No need for it at the moment and I'd rather have the extra pulling power a 4x2 gives, all other variables being equal.

[dodge_guy]

The K&N Cold Air Intake was put on around 20k miles. I paid $100 for it, a friend took it off his X when he traded it in. the 4.30`s were done around 25k miles. Can`t really say the K&N gave me more power, I believe it does, but I bought it so I don`t have to buy anymore filters. the biggest difference was with the swap from 3.73`s to 4.30`s....money very well spent. I did the tuner and Y-pipe this spring. I paid $500 for them from 5 star tuning. the tuner alone was around $400 I think. the tuner adds around 20HP when in the towing tune. but the biggest gain was from the transmission shifting strategy! the Ford trans is a dog in stock tune. the tuner allows the engine to better use it`s powerband/torque curve! I`m very happy with it. with everything together the Excursion is now a beast of a TV and will do whatever I ask of it! 5 star tuning asked me when I ordered the tuner what mods I had done to it, so they must need to know something when making the tune for my specific truck.

[stub-kb-2]

dodge guy wrote:
I run an SCT tuner with tunes from 5 star tuning. With the V-10 it made a significant improvement in towing. Mine came with 3 different tunes, towing, perf. and economy. And can be had in any octane rating. I have the 3 tunes in the 89 octane. When towing now it is much more relaxed because the trans shifts better and it holds O/D longer and raises the shift points and line pressure. I can also change any parameter i want to tailor it to my specific needs. It also adds 15HP in the towing mode. I gained .7 mpg towing too. You have to understand how a tuner works to use them properly. The generic tuners won't do much for you. But when you get a custom tuner tailored to your specific vehicle it works great.

dodge guy, i see you have a couple of other mods. i am guessing that the performance mods you have all work in harmony to give you your overall experience. do you recall if the mods were all done at the same time, or different times?

just to say, did you make all of the changes together to achieve your gains, or had some changes been made, and the gains were achieved after the tuner was added to the mix?

also, do you remember what you paid (roughly) for your tuner?

thanks.

[stub-kb-2]

wmoses wrote:

stub-kb-2 wrote:
I just bought a Chevy Avalanche for my wife. i am curious about performance tuners (Bullydog, edge, etc.) what experience do you have with either the Chevy 5.3L or other small block gas engine (any Brand). are these tuners worth the investment?

thanks!

I can only offer you my personal experience with the tuner noted in my sig.

You will see benefits in both power and torque and fuel economy on a stock engine. Period.

The gains in power and torque could be enhanced if you have other mild mods like CAI and CAT back exhaust, but my engine feels a little stronger with the tuner and my K&N panel filter. Best part is I get better mileage too ... about 1 mpg. At this time of year I get about 17 mpg on my daily work commute (30 miles round trip) in traffic on the freeway. I get 22 on the highway at about 65 mph average and have seen just over 25 mpg at 60 mph average. All this on regular gas. I would get more power using the premium tune and premium gas, but is am cheap.

As an added bonus I can also use it to re calibrate my speedometer if I change wheels, change my engine shift points, switch off AFM, turn off top speed governor, etc., etc.

As for the warranty issues ... Pooh! You can revert to stock if you feel the need.

I recommend the tuner I use ... based on actual experience!

is your truck a 4x4?

from the way i read this, the only mods you have are the tumer and K&N, is that correct?

thanks, man i didn't mean to start a fight...

[wmoses]

dodge guy - I guess those of us with these products we have must either be dreaming or lying then .... That is what it amounts to by these naysayers who paint everyone with a broad brush, based on god-knows-what. I know what gains I get and I notice it every day. People here can say what they like, though they can't tell us what we must / must not be experiencing.

[dodge_guy]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

Again, i assume you've used them? As i stated in a previous post i gained .7mpg towing. And around .5 mpg on my 3 mile round trip commute. I don't take it solo on the hwy so i can't comment there. I've taken it through emissions with the tune on it and it passed. In IL they do the sniffer test. So it is still clean!

I have a neighbor that glued magnets to his fuel line and "claims" he picked up 3 MPG. :R

I have a friend that cobbled up an HHO system on his van and "claims" 50% better mileage. :R

One guy on here "claimed" his mileage went up 3 MPG towing when he went from bias to radials on his trailer. :R

I have an older Accel FI system where "I" can write any program "I" want. You name it I can change it on my ECM. This isn't my first rodeo. 🙂

Ok then you know how it works, why question it then?

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Again, i assume you've used them? As i stated in a previous post i gained .7mpg towing. And around .5 mpg on my 3 mile round trip commute. I don't take it solo on the hwy so i can't comment there. I've taken it through emissions with the tune on it and it passed. In IL they do the sniffer test. So it is still clean!

I have a neighbor that glued magnets to his fuel line and "claims" he picked up 3 MPG. :R

I have a friend that cobbled up an HHO system on his van and "claims" 50% better mileage. :R

One guy on here "claimed" his mileage went up 3 MPG towing when he went from bias to radials on his trailer. :R

I have an older Accel FI system where "I" can write any program "I" want. You name it I can change it on my ECM. This isn't my first rodeo. 🙂

[dodge_guy]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

stub-kb-2 wrote:
i don't have any question that tuners make definite power improvements on deisels (speaking from experience).

my greatest interest in the tuner for the small block is the mpg gain that evey tuner manufacturer claims.

at today's fuel prices a 1 mpg improvement on daily driving could pay itself off in as little as 15,000 miles. although that is a long time, i keep my vehicles well over 100k miles. everything staying the same (more likely to go up in $) that is a fuel savings of $1,700 over the life of the vehicle.

very intriguing...

You're trying to compare apples and oranges.

Diesels and gasoline engines make their power in different ways. Diesels are easy to make power with. You just throw more fuel at them.

No so with a gasoline engine. They need more air to make a lot more power.

Sure you can make a few HP by playing with a gasoline engines timing. This will also send the NOX reading sky high.

And you can make a few more by taking the rpm and torque management limit system off. This can also break things as Beemer already pointed out.

As far as fuel mileage goes. There will be next to no measureable increase because the airflow will be the same. The O2 sensor will keep the fuel air ratio as close to 14.7 at all times. You will never see a 1 MPG gain.

What they will do for you is make the shift points where you want them. Only you can say if that is worth it.

Again, i assume you've used them? As i stated in a previous post i gained .7mpg towing. And around .5 mpg on my 3 mile round trip commute. I don't take it solo on the hwy so i can't comment there. I've taken it through emissions with the tune on it and it passed. In IL they do the sniffer test. So it is still clean!

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

stub-kb-2 wrote:
i don't have any question that tuners make definite power improvements on deisels (speaking from experience).

my greatest interest in the tuner for the small block is the mpg gain that evey tuner manufacturer claims.

at today's fuel prices a 1 mpg improvement on daily driving could pay itself off in as little as 15,000 miles. although that is a long time, i keep my vehicles well over 100k miles. everything staying the same (more likely to go up in $) that is a fuel savings of $1,700 over the life of the vehicle.

very intriguing...

You're trying to compare apples and oranges.

Diesels and gasoline engines make their power in different ways. Diesels are easy to make power with. You just throw more fuel at them.

No so with a gasoline engine. They need more air to make a lot more power.

Sure you can make a few HP by playing with a gasoline engines timing. This will also send the NOX reading sky high.

And you can make a few more by taking the rpm and torque management limit system off. This can also break things as Beemer already pointed out.

As far as fuel mileage goes. There will be next to no measureable increase because the airflow will be the same. The O2 sensor will keep the fuel air ratio as close to 14.7 at all times. You will never see a 1 MPG gain.

What they will do for you is make the shift points where you want them. Only you can say if that is worth it.

[NinerBikes]

Every one of those tunes is non CARB certified, non DOT certified, and if you read the fine print, they all say "For off road or competition use only."

There's your sign. Anytime you use a vehicle tuned to race, your warranty is void.

Tunes are throwing away money with false promises.

[stub-kb-2]

i don't have any question that tuners make definite power improvements on deisels (speaking from experience).

my greatest interest in the tuner for the small block is the mpg gain that evey tuner manufacturer claims.

at today's fuel prices a 1 mpg improvement on daily driving could pay itself off in as little as 15,000 miles. although that is a long time, i keep my vehicles well over 100k miles. everything staying the same (more likely to go up in $) that is a fuel savings of $1,700 over the life of the vehicle.

very intriguing...

[dodge_guy]

pappcam wrote:
It's all smoke and mirrors and maybe more of a placebo effect on the people that do waste money on these things. Even aftermarket air filters are a waste of money on gassers. If you feel like throwing away money go ahead and do it.

So you've bought and used these things? I'de like to know all about your experiences!

[discovery4us]

I had the hypertech max energy on my 5.3 liter chevy and it did make some difference. I had a 1/2 ton pulling a superlite 24'FW and I noticed about a MPG improvement in fuel mileage and it did shift firmer. I saw no difference in the ability to climb grades. Now running solo it seemed to have a lot more throttle response and more low end grunt which erased any chance of fuel mileage gains as I could not keep my foot out of the skinny pedal (probable all in my head). Don't expect any earth shattering results on a gas engine. As far as warranty goes I know most dealers frown heavily on them. That being said I experienced a number of factory recalls on my 6.0 PSD that was programed from its first tow and my local dealer never hesitated doing the work but would always tell me that they could see when the program was installed and uninstalled.

[CavemanCharlie]

beemerphile1 wrote:
Only a dyno knows for sure.

Well, there you go!

See if you can get your truck on a dyno, then install the tuner and put it on the dyno again. It it doesn't help send the tuner back, or sell it to the next guy.