Programmer or New Nozzles..???

[Wingate]

As much as I have been fighting the urge to veer from stock, I think I might have lost the war... Have been shopping for an upgrade, but there seems to be several ways to get the same power. .

I can get nozzles from DDP and get 50 hp. with no software change... (and really no footprint if there were to be an engine issue later on. )

Or I could purchase something like the Edge CTS. . (nice write-up by the way) and get hp... but it leaves a footprint.

The downside to the nozzle swap is that its more labor intensive... but, it might compliment any future mods...

The programmer is going to lean on the stock parts even harder. . and I feel like there might be some pre-mature wear or early failures... DEFINITELY not what I want. . I want to maintain the absolute best reliability.

Either way, before either mod is done, I will be installing a FASS system first to get my filtration improved to handle the extra demands. .

Ideas? Thoughts? Comments? Opinions? Personal experiences?. .

 

[JJPage]

Sounds like the 50hp tips would be a good choice to me. You may even improve your mileage slightly with them.



I went with Formula 1, but the point is, these guys have this flow measurement down to a knat's rear. When I purchased mine, I wanted 75hp increase, it is almost exactly what the dyno proved. Plus when they are flow matched, your truck will run smoother, mine sure did.



Jess

 

[Wingate]

Wow. . so the claims of 50 hp is really accurate?... Sometimes I wonder if the hp claims should have an * beside it... kinda one of those" Your Results May Vary" moments. Good to hear that it can really produce a nice hp increase on the stock fuel mapping.

Thanks for the response...

 

[JJPage]

Wow. . so the claims of 50 hp is really accurate?... Sometimes I wonder if the hp claims should have an * beside it... kinda one of those" Your Results May Vary" moments. Good to hear that it can really produce a nice hp increase on the stock fuel mapping.

Thanks for the response...

I can only verify Formula 1 claims. When I sent my injectors in(Rip@Source)Don was out of blank stock, which he usually does for 03/04 injectors. My only option was to extrude hone my factory tips, or wait... . I was going to do F1. 5's, so we decided on 75hp. I ended up with a solid 70hp gain on the same dyno before/after.



DDP has a good reputation, I would bet they are right on the money.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I would think the 50's would be the most reliable upgrade and I wish I had done that instead of getting a TST.

I wonder though, in many states (like mine) emissions tests are the norm.

Will 50's pass a smog test?

 

[AMcCormick]

My old 03 had stock injectors and a BullyDog Torque Dog pressure box that was sold as a 50hp gain. I stacked it with a Smarty on sw3. I never went higher than that because I did not have gauges. If you are not planning on too many upgrades I would recomend a Smarty or Smarty Jr. It will grow with you as you do/do not upgrade other components. If the DDP 90s were not in the truck when I bought it I would have gone with the 50s.

 

[Motorhead]

Why not get a Smarty jr and have the choice of 40-70-100hp? You can take it back to stock and it leaves no footprint.

 

[Wingate]

Why not get a Smarty jr and have the choice of 40-70-100hp? You can take it back to stock and it leaves no footprint.

This is true... I had thought about the smarty also. . I figured the CTS was the newest thing out, and with it, I could also get a full set of gauges and with the back-up camera option, fix that #@$%!stupid#@$%! "horn honk in reverse" problem. I keep thinking about ordering a spare set of door bushings due to getting in and out of the truck 3 times to hook one bumper pull.

I guess the way I was looking at it, it appears as though the CTS with back up camera as close in price to the nozzle swap... ...

OR, I could just buy a good back up camera, and get the FASS and nozzles... hhmmmm...

Crap, now I'm even more undecided... Oo. Oo. Oo.

 

[MA2LA]

Either smarty will do great and i cant recommend them enough. tips are nice and i went a little to big and have considered backing my 120 tips back to 50s just to make tuning easier

 

[Shadrach]

I was told that if I just went with bigger nozzles and no other mods that I wouldn't have enough air and would have issues. Something about "boost fooling". I went with a Smarty Sr ( mainly for the mileage and diagnostics features ) because I can adjust the power up and down , it easier to install than injectors and because I don't have to worry about warranty or smog testing, although I don't want smoke anyway. Shadrach

 

[LRutigliano]

Sounds like the 50hp tips would be a good choice to me. You may even improve your mileage slightly with them.



I went with Formula 1, but the point is, these guys have this flow measurement down to a knat's rear. When I purchased mine, I wanted 75hp increase, it is almost exactly what the dyno proved. Plus when they are flow matched, your truck will run smoother, mine sure did.



Jess

X2 !!



Aftermarket injectors are balanced as a set. My truck was like night and day with the injector change and I didn't lose ANY mpg's and may have gained a little. No black smoke either. I did notice a very slight haze while getting on it on the highway while towing, but the CFM manifold and PSM CAI cleared that up.



However, I still had to mash the go pedal to the floor to get the truck and fiver moving from a stop.



Smarty Sr fixed that and just compliments the injectors for me. It really woke it up down low with the different torque management options. No smoke at all now...



It now just has SO MUCH torque down low, its incredible.

 

[BLNRAY]

installed 50hp nozzles,from first start up there was no doubt i had done good,noticable

improved idle power increase you can feel,slight increase in mpg

 

[Wingate]

I think its gonna be a FASS and 50hp nozzles... The more I think about it... even if I were to put a programmer on it later, like others have said, it would just compliment the nozzle change.

No doubt, the FASS comes first... need plenty of fuel pressure and filtration before I start playing with it. .

Thanks for all the advice...

Now if it will only quit raining long enough for my contractor to get my new shop built!!!

 

[Regcabguy]

I called DDP and inquired about their 50 hp nozzles. I was informed that they would increase the smoke slightly. Theirs and Don's nozzles are a quality product but Smarty keeps delivering solid power gains with a five minute download and lots of other features. No plumbing under the hood or through the firewall also. Emission testing is a reality here and coming to your neighborhood if history repeats itself. Mechanical gauges and Smarty are here to stay on mine.

 

[Walker1]

As asked above, would 50hp tips pass emissions?

 

[AMcCormick]

Yes and no. Injectors are on list of aftermarket parts that are NOT allowed. How would any one know unless you told them? If you can get her tuned to pass the snap test then all good. Speaking with Left Coast Diesel here in the SF bay area they had a customer go through the CA. test with the Smarty still down loaded and passed. Same shop felt that the 90s could be tuned to pass CA smoke. We will see, I should be doing the test in Aug

 

[Walker1]

Did they turn the smarty down to half power??

 

[JJPage]

As asked above, would 50hp tips pass emissions?

My 75hp tips passed in Washington State, Failed the 1st time, so I put everything(boxes/programmers) back to stock, and I passed, with a slow spooling Silver62. I had to do better than 40% opacity in a snap test, I believe I passed with a 38/39%...

 

[MA2LA]

If you go with just tips there are a few things to think about. fr one you should get some type of boost fooler .
the drivebility yes will be much like stock and then once the nanny decides to let you have the power you realy have then you will knowtice the diffrence. a programer like the smarty helps you get the power right at the bottom end and i mean now. once you drive a truck with a smarty and then one with just tips I will bet good money you will pick the smarty every time. I know this because i've driven my truck with some diffrent setups, form stock ijectors with a smarty jr and or a mp8 stacked depeneding on my mood and then with my 120hp injectors stock witch with out some type of fooling you better watch your egts close. and then with the jr agian to help egts and then i went to the smarty pod when it came out. right now I am considering backing my injectors down to 50hp base leve injector just so i can tune it eaiser till ican afford a better turb or twins that can handle 120hp sticks and a smarty and a few other goodies i want to try.

 

[Wingate]

Like I stated in the initial post... I have been trying to resist doing anything to the engine. but... my whole life, i've spent making things go faster than they should. I told myself when I bought this truck that I wasn't going to do this... but i'm losing the internal battle. I know myself well enough to know that when it starts, its not gonna stop until the engine has been out and in several times... piles of spare parts laying everywhere, and back on a first name basis with the UPS guy.

As soon as my shop gets built, (3 weeks or so) im going to install the FASS and a set of 50hp. nozzles. Then like everybody is saying, i'm sure I won't like waiting on my ECU to unlock the FRC fuel limit, so i'll end up buying a programmer to get it lit sooner... .

Maybe the TDR needs to have like an "Addicts Corner"