Economy setting w/Smarty Jr.?

[Jim Ross]

Any of you have suggestions for the best economy setting on the Smarty Jr on an '07 5. 9 w/ AT and 3. 73s? This is a DRW 4x4 truck, if that matters.

Currently I have it set on the "Economy" mode, highest (#4) timing, stock torque and at the #75 power level.

 

[BILLVO]

Smarty Jr has always given the best MPG on the performance setting. I have done several thousand mile tests on my 05 and as others across several boards including Bob W has stated many times set it on level 3 and forget it. The only downfall is the smoke.

 

[KIKER]

Jim, your truck is similar to mine. Mind if I ask what mpg's you're getting?

 

[Jim Ross]

Am I wrong in my understanding of the Smarty Jr? I was told that in the Economy mode that it only altered the timing and not the fuel rail pressure; is that true? Also that in the other modes (Performance, etc) that it raises the fuel rail pressure quite a bit which could cause more wear on injectors, etc. True or not so?

 

[Jim Ross]

Kiker,
I have never seen 13 mpg with this truck, even running empty. It is pretty disappointing compared to the 18-22 that I get with my '01.
Currently, with the Smarty Jr set on Economy, level 4 timing, stock torque, and the 70% power, we got a bit over 12 mpg pulling our 27 ft 5th wheel trailer from Butte, MT to Coeur d'Alene, ID..... I don't know what this setting will give when running empty as I just set it a week ago and have been elk hunting and not been out driving it unhooked from the trailer. I am hopeful it will do better than in the past, because without the Smarty Jr we were getting less than 10mpg pulling the trailer.
I have a Bradford flatbed on the truck which may or may not have any affect on mileage.

 

[Bob Wagner]

Jim, The smarty junior does not do any fuel pressure. On software 2 and 3 there is added timing only.



Thanks

Bob

 

[AH64ID]

Am I wrong in my understanding of the Smarty Jr? I was told that in the Economy mode that it only altered the timing and not the fuel rail pressure; is that true? Also that in the other modes (Performance, etc) that it raises the fuel rail pressure quite a bit which could cause more wear on injectors, etc. True or not so?

Thats not true. There is no rail pressure modification on the Jr. Only timing and duration. The Jr has the same timing profile (given the same Revo settings) on SW1-3. SW1 has timing only, stock duration. SW2 and SW3 have increased duration, and obviously SW3 has more duration than SW2.

Jim, The smarty junior does not do any fuel pressure. On software 2 and 3 there is added timing only.



Thanks

Bob

That statement doesn't read 100% clear. There is added duration on SW2 and SW3 in addition to advanced timing (based on Revo settings).



For the OP, on my truck I haven't noticed a mileage difference in SW1, SW2, or SW3. But its a manual and it seems that auto's are more effected by SW$ for mileage. I do see an increase in mileage with timing, about . 75 more MPG on TM4 than TM2, but the soot loading and smoke aren't worth it to me, so I run TM2 all the time.

 

[Jim Ross]

Well. Guys... . you are losing me with all the abbreviations.
On my Smarty Jr, there are 3 modes/programs: Economy, Tow and Performance.
Within all 3 of these modes/programs, I have 4 levels of settings for timing and 4 for torque. Add to that the "Performance on Demand" (POD) setting levels that go from 00 to 99.
I have tired the Economy mode/program with Timing set at 4 and torque set at Stock and the POD set at 70..... I did this while pulling a 27 ft 5th wheel trailer and it seemed to improve my mileage by about 2. 5mpg over bone stock... . really good, but the transmission shifted really crappy.
I next tried setting it up as follows: Performance mode/program, Timing set at 4, Torque set at the Default setting and the POD set at 75. The truck runs great, with a tiny bit of smoke at take-off and the transmission shifts smooth (better than stock!)... ,but my tow mileage dropped 2mpg... back to almost stock level.
So... . what is the best setting for mpg with the Smarty Jr? Anybody know? I sure don't!
I am going to try the Tow mode/program on my next trip.
I sure would like to hear from others who have tried this programmer. So far, I could not recommend buying it for its cost versus what little I have gained..... and the written instruction/info sheets supplied with my unit seem to have been written by a person for whom English is a second language... . many typos and very confusing wording. Am I alone with this experience?

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

You are correct in that english is not Marco's strongest asset, programming is! Not a dig a Marco, just reality as the instructions can be confusing.

I have the Jr on my '05 automatic and did not like it at all on economy while towing. Using the tow setting has been much better. As for towing mpg's it is very difficult to get a read on it because every trip is a different camper that has different configuration, profile, weight and proclivity for wind resistance.

Having said all that, the best thing to do with a Smarty or Jr is to simply do as you have done, experiment. Every truck and every driver and every load are different and that is the beauty of the Smarty. You'll figure it out.

BTW, a 2 mpg gain while towing is really something to brag about!

Godspeed,
Trent

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

Forgot to add that different settings for towing and not towing will most likely produce the best mpg.

Godspeed,
Trent

 

[AH64ID]

Jim Ross,

Let me start by saying I would not ever tow with the PoD on anything by 99, I don't think its the safe or prudent thing to do. The reason you probably saw 2. 5 mpg increase towing on economy is you were making less power than stock with the PoD at 70, really only putting a max of about 500 ft/lbs to the ground, or less.

You have an automatic, so based on majority info your best mileage will be obtained on SW3 (Performance), Timing (TM) 4, and Torque (TQ) 2. This will, however, yield you the most smoke and soot in your oil, even with an Amsoil bypass you will probably overload your oil with soot long before the oil is worn out (at least this happens for me on TM4). The next best setting would be TM2, which is also default. Slightly less economy (about . 5 for my manual), but less soot, smoke, and 50* higher EGT's.

For towing you will probably see the best mileage on SW1 (Economy) TM2, TQ2 (again TM4 would be a bit better, but I don't recommend it for folks using extended oil drain intervals). I beleive this for the simple reason that power takes fuel, and more fuel drops economy. So if your using 350 rwhp to pull a pass at 75mph you will burn more fuel than using 250 rwhp to pull it at 55 mph. If you drive speed the same regardless of power (Like we have to on many of the Idaho roads) then you will probably see a little better economy on SW2 (Towing) due to the quicker spool from a get go, and the ability to use higher gears sooner. . but thats all subject to your right foot, trailer size, weight, etc.

 

[Jim Ross]

Thanks to both of you guys for your info and input!
We always pull the same trailer and mostly the same routes (Reno-Twin Falls or Twin Falls- Cd'A via interstates), but we only do these a few times each year, so... it will (as you say) take some experimenting over time to figure out which settings will give us the best mpg.
Currently, not towing, just driving around the TF area, I have the Performance program set with TM at 4, TQ at Default and POD set at 75. I get very little smoke at take-off (less than with an Edge EZ in the middle setting in my 2001) and the truck runs nice and the transmission shifts smooth. I have not run a full tank on these settings yet, so I can't say what it will yield for mpg. I should know something in a week or so.
Currently I am in the process of adding an Ams/Oil dual remote oil filter kit to the 2007, I should have that task done in a day or two and then I will be driving the truck more often.
And, BTW, I meant no disrespect to the person who wrote the instruction sheets for the Smarty Jr. It's just that for a first time user, I had a tough time deciphering what was meant in several places. None of us is perfect, but when something is written for public consumption, it needs to be really simple and precise... ... and doing so makes it look a whole lot more professional, too. And, as a former spec writer, so I am way more picky on this stuff than most folks.
Thanks again, to both of you for your assistance.

 

[AH64ID]

Good luck with your settings and dual remote install.

I recommend 5,000 to 7,500 mile UOA to monitor soot if you run TM4.

 

[Jim Ross]

UOA = Used oil analysis?

 

[NavyDood]

Bob Wagner has mentioned before that the best mileage on the JR. comes from performance tune and POD at 80.

 

[AH64ID]

UOA = Used oil analysis?

That is correct.

 

[Wertles]

Thought I might bring this back to life. I've been playing around with my Smarty Jr and just trying to figure out where to run my truck. I origionally loaded the towing software on it with everything else being on the default settings. It really woke the truck up and the mid range is amazing. Today I loaded the performance software and I did not "feel" any different but I wasn't putting the petal to the floor either. For us timing and duration dummies, what do these changes actually do? The questions that I am looking to get answered are 1) what is the difference between economy, towing and performance besides the horsepower. 2)Is the horsepower available at different RPM's. For example, on the new HO motors, the peak HP isn't changed but the mid range HP and torque is increased. Does the towing software peak at lower RPM and performance software work better at higher RPM.

I have to agree that the instructions are not great at explaining the different software packages, what settings might work best in certain situations but the software is great.

 

[TFucili]

You fellas need to get Rosetta Stone, so Marco can understand you! Here's the Italian word of the day: Forza=Power

 

[steved]

Timing is where the injector fires its fuel, duration is how long the shot of fuel lasts... if I remember that correctly.



I've tried both the 70hp and 100hp tunes, the 100hp is only noticeable (over the 70hp setting) at higher RPMs... it is only 30 added hp. I ran the defaults on both 70 and 100hp for a while, and finally set on the 70hp setting with default settings and TQ at stock (mainly for running slippery roads). It yielded the least smoke too (of those two settings).



For the summer, I may run the 100hp tune again... but I got to get my gauges fixed before I do. One other thing to remember is that the software updates are a good thing... going from version 5. 08 to 5. 12 was the best thing I did.

 

[Jim Ross]

Explain about the software update, please!

Do you mean updates to the truck's computer or to the Smarty Jr? Or both?