Are programmers worth the risk?

[GPrivette]

TIM, YOU SOUND VERY SAVVY. WOULD YOU GIVE ME A LITTLE DIRECTION? I AM A CAR GUY BUT NEW TO DIESELS. 6 MONTHS AGO I BOUGHT AN 06 2500 4 X 4 AUTO. QUAD CAB COMPLETELY STOCK, WITH 47000 MILES. I HAVE PUT 2 INCH LEVELERS ON THE FRONT,35' TOYOS, GAS SHOCKS ON FRONT. CHANGED ALL FLUIDS. BED LINER, SLIDING REAR WINDOW JUST COSMETIC STUFF. NOW I WANT TO MAKE MY TRUCK AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE FOR HP AND MILEAGE. WHAT PROGRAMMER WILL HELP? what should i do TO THE INTAKE AIR BOX ETC. THANKS GARY

 

[TimothyLong]

TIM, YOU SOUND VERY SAVVY. WOULD YOU GIVE ME A LITTLE DIRECTION? I AM A CAR GUY BUT NEW TO DIESELS. 6 MONTHS AGO I BOUGHT AN 06 2500 4 X 4 AUTO. QUAD CAB COMPLETELY STOCK, WITH 47000 MILES. I HAVE PUT 2 INCH LEVELERS ON THE FRONT,35' TOYOS, GAS SHOCKS ON FRONT. CHANGED ALL FLUIDS. BED LINER, SLIDING REAR WINDOW JUST COSMETIC STUFF. NOW I WANT TO MAKE MY TRUCK AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE FOR HP AND MILEAGE. WHAT PROGRAMMER WILL HELP? what should i do TO THE INTAKE AIR BOX ETC. THANKS GARY

Gary,



The two quickest things that you can do to help maximize engine efficiency is less restrictive intake and exhaust, just like on a car. If your '06 air box is like my '03 air box, then yes, you would probably want to replace it and the stock filter to allow your truck to "breathe" a little easier. Be careful on your choice of high performance air filters as some may allow fine dirt into your turbo and that's bad. As for exhausts, I would recommend replacing from the turbo back. This will ensure that you same the same diameter piping all the way back. My '03 had this funky elbow on it that also necked the pipe diameter down from 4" to 3 1/2" and that definitely needed to go. If you have a catalytic converter, just be sure that the kit you get allows for that to be re-installed. Those fines can be expensive.



As for a turner, well, if the truck you bought came with any kind of warranty, I would hold off for a while. Putting a tuner in will definitely void your warranty. Again, I have the Banks Six Gun tuner and I love mine. This one and the Smarty tuners seem to be the most popular that I've seen. I know some folks out there don't care too much for Banks because of price, or poor technical/customer support, or they've had problems with or because of the Banks tuners. Personally, I have not experienced any of that. Once you have your tuner installed, you have opened Pandora's box. By that I mean, that because you will have a lot of extra power, it is awfully tempting to use it all the time. Getting the most efficient mileage, means using A LOT of self discipline to keep your foot out of the throttle! The best I ever got was 26 mpg on my way to work one morning. That was driving at a constant 60 mph (where possible) and not doing aircraft carrier (catapult) launches off of red lights and stop signs. I've got 121K on my truck now, with the last 32K being with the tuner and it's running really well.



The best guidance that I gave give you for what to get is go with what fits in your budget because there are a lot of quality kits available. But do your homework first and TDR is a great place to do that!

 

[Bob4x4]

G,you need to fill in your signature. The model of your truck will make a difference on what works best for your needs.