VA vs. Power Edge vs. Plug N Power vs..........

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Ok lets lay it all out on the table.

If money was no object, what "fueling box" would be classified as the best ALL AROUND item to have? Give reasons why you think this (remember not to consider cost).

Situation one. Stock truck, very minor mods (exhaust, K&N... )

Situatuon two. 275-DDII type mods with the same mods as in situation one.

Situation three. Same as above only DDIII type mods and larger turbo

I mentioned 3 "fueling boxes" in the topic subject, and I know there are others out there, so as the little judge says on TV, "Lets get it on!"



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2000 2500 Red Sport quad cab, 4x4, K&N, DDI's, straight piped, mean looking set of 33. 5" tires, Snap On diamond tool box, Semper Fi!

1972 340 Cuda'. Original tripple black 340 car w/air! Good clean car, super stock springs, Weld Prostars, strong 340 with a 727/4000 stahl, 4. 56... . Bombs away!

 

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chad , the VA and plug n power are the SAME box ... lets change plug n power to blue box

VA is good for situation #1 this guy just wants a little more of the lost bottom end power , and the extra shot of fuel will not make big smoke ...

 

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Great question! Don't forget the TST Powermax.

Sportbike, where are you?

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99 3500 QC 4X4 5sp 3. 54 K&N air filter, DiPricol gauges, 275 hp injectors, Pacbrake, Westin nerfs, GN hitch, Tekonsha Brake controller, Mopar seat covers, Husky mats, silencer ring removed, Draw-tite front receiver

 

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I don't know if you want to be too picky on this or not but should you consider what you're going to do with the truck, ie. towing, racing, etc. ?

The reason I ask is that I've seen reports where the PE can induce some pretty high EGT's. Not real good for heavy duty towing applications. Might be okay for quick bursts of racing though.

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Puller: Y2K 3500 Quad Cab Cummins 6spd, All options except leather, 4" exhaust, K&N Air Filter, VA CPC Box
Pullee: '98 Trails West 3 Horse Slant with 10' Living Qtrs and Mid Tack.

 

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Funny you should ask this question. I just got back from a 4000 plus trip pulling a 17,500 fifth wheel. Here is what I done. Before leaving I installed a VA box, a 4 wire Blue Chip Box and Blue Chips NEW Wizard Gauge Over Fuel Control (digital pyrometer-boost). What the Wizard Gauge does is cut back fuel at a predeterminded setting by the driver. I had mine set at 1100 degs. What I did was set the BC at 15% first without the VA. At this setting I found it very comfortable with pulling, seldom did I find the EGT's at the 1100 deg with a max boost of 22. Then I set the box at the 30% setting. This was definitely a power increase. EGT's did climb much faster along with boost. Then I went up to the 40% with the BC. For pulling a load like I had with 40 mph winds it was just to much, EGT's ran at 1000 and up continuos. For this reason I never tried the 50% level. Didn't stay there long and it went back to the 30% setting. Now it was time to turn off the BC box and try stock. This was hard to do, with the wind at 40 mph plus I had all I could do to hold 50 mph. Stock I could actually get the EGT's to 950 and boost at 18. Fuel milage dropped running stock by about 1. 5 mpg and it was very tiresome trying to keep it going with the wind and hills. Now its time for the VA box. About 5 minutes on a off ramp and its installed. Power wasn't up to the 15% that the BC put out. Max EGT's got up to 1035 with boost at 20. It worked hard to keep the truck going at 65 mph with the conditions. Milage again went up from stock by about 2 mpg. We traveled 730 miles one day and throughout the day I went back and forth between boxes. I found that the BC box at 15% would hold a 70 mph speed with EGT's about 950 average. My finding are that if you want somthing simple and easy to install go with the VA box. If your like myself and want to be a little more aggressive go with the BC. You can change your setting accroding to you load. I feel that the 40 & 50% levels are to much for pulling. I give my vote to BC. All in all I think the new BC Wizard gauge is a must. The auto fuel cutback makes things a lot more simple along with the nice feature of digital pyrometer and boots.
Now I get back to find another box on the market. What was that phone number again?

I do not work for nor sell any products. This is my sole opinion from my person experience.



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2000 QC 4X4 24V 3500 4:10 All Options Auto Pac-Brake 4 wire Blue Chip Box Blue Chip Digital EGT&Boost defuel control VA Box Banks Pillar Gauges TST Torque Coverter TST Shift Kit Aux fuel/tool box combo Bright Box Geno's Garage Fender Trim Kit Garmin GPS III+ Kenwood 2 Meter Y2K+1 Tow Mirrors 1999 Excel 37' fifth, 1999 Concord LXI Y2K Cavalier Z-24. Wife says I need to add "One Dodge Diesel Dog" N9JPZ KB9RZQ PT Cruiser on order

 

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<font color=blue>My OPINION -

Mopar is right the VA CPC and BD Plug-N-Play is the EXACT same box. The PowerEdge is cheaper then ALL of the competition, I just wanted to mention that even tho you said don't look at cost.

Situation #1 - VA CPC because of its ease of installment and ease of removal. If you had the 4" Exhaust I would say PowerEdge because you wouldn't have EGT trouble.

Situation #2 - Definalty PowerEdge, as it includes a built in Boost module (if you don't already have one from the Stage II injectors) and you have 3 selectable power levels at the touch of a button.

Situation #3 - Definatly the PowerEdge because you can have the programming specialized to be compatable with the bigger injectors. And more importantly the PowerEdge leaves only a pinhole mark in the injection pump wire when removed, not those pesky scotchlock marks of the other boxes and the three selectable power levels on the "Fly".

And also another reason I am suggesting the PowerEdge is because of the tremendous customer service level provided by Edge Products. They will go beyond your expectations to make you happy. Least they did in my opinion.

Again this is just my OPINION you will have to research and decide for yourself which one you like and why you like it. When you do, then go for it! Also I might mention that the PowerEdge has a 60 day money back garentee!! How can you go wrong?

Kinda curious to see what others have to say as well.

I don't work or recieve anything from Edge Products for "promoting" it, I just believe in the product. And more importantly the level of customer service they provide, to me thats what its all about.
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<font color=#1E90FF>

• Eric D. Howard - #ad
  - BOMB'er! - #ad
  - Member since April 8th, 2000
• 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 HD 4x4 SLT Auto Reg cab Cummins Turbo Diesel 4. 10 gear ratio LT265/75R/16 tires
• Patriot Blue Pearl Coat, Agate interior, Leather seats EVERY option - Coming next week Rhino bedliner
• In the VERY near future Power Edge Box(here),PowerEdge "other" product when available,DD Stage III(A)'s (probably August), JRE 4" Exhaust(coming in July), and Autometer Ultra-Lite Boost and Pyro Gauges(here)
• transmission soon to have a new Torque Converter and Valvebody good for 400HP!?!(coming mid July)

</font>

[This message has been edited by KatDiesel (edited 06-21-2000). ]

 

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Great feedback. The Power Edge seems to be an early favorite, just as the VA box was 6 months ago.

The findings on the Blue chip box are pretty impressive as well. It sounds as though the Blue box has a slight advantage over the Power Edge when it comes to "adjustable" power. I think a lot of people find the thought of being able to adjust the amount of power very comforting. Some people want raw power just to drive around with and impress the F350's with, while later that week they just want "towing" power that wont melt the pistons, but will allow them to keep up with the traffic.


Is it safe to say the Power Edge and Blue Box are in a dead heat now for the guy running 275's and up?


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2000 2500 Red Sport quad cab, 4x4, K&N, DDI's, straight piped, mean looking set of 33. 5" tires, Snap On diamond tool box, Semper Fi!

1972 340 Cuda'. Original tripple black 340 car w/air! Good clean car, super stock springs, Weld Prostars, strong 340 with a 727/4000 stahl, 4. 56... . Bombs away!

 

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DING, DING, DING!!! Round one is over. Power Edge TKO'd the competition.

Blue Box and Power Edge BOTH have adjustable power ratings??

If thats the case, they're both in a dead heat for sure. Lets throw in the TST Powermax and have a "Royal Rumble", "Three men enter-one man leave" type of fight.

LETS GET IT ON!!!



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2000 2500 Red Sport quad cab, 4x4, K&N, DDI's, straight piped, mean looking set of 33. 5" tires, Snap On diamond tool box, Semper Fi!

1972 340 Cuda'. Original tripple black 340 car w/air! Good clean car, super stock springs, Weld Prostars, strong 340 with a 727/4000 stahl, 4. 56... . Bombs away!

 

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CHAD, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU WON'T TO DO WITH YOUR TRUCK. I HAVE A VA BOX AND PULL A 93OO LB 5 TH WHEEL AND A 2460 WALLEYE BOAT BEHIND THE 5 TH WHEEL IT DOES A GOOD JOB PULLING WITH THE VA BOX. BUT I BET HVAC CAN HELP YOU SPEED YOUR MONEY #ad

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2000 3500 2X4 5 SPEED. ALL APTONS EXPT LEATHER VA FOR POWER.

 

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This post isnt for me to make a decision on. I want to LEARN as much as I can about all the options. My mind is already made up.

Ive heard Blue Box is the best. Then Va is the best. Ive heard TST is the best. Now I hear Power Edge is the best. WHY?? Why is product A better than product B? Remember, I want to know the specifics on function, not specifics for "most bang for your buck"...

 

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I understand the BC box also has 3 settings for fuel curves in addition to fueling levels, as in how quickly you want fueling to increase as RPMs climb from idle. With this flexibility I would lean toward BC. IF BC had plug-in capability, I would grab the 4-wire BC box in a heartbeat since it has the boost module built in as well.

Vaughn

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2001 Ram 2500 QC SWB 2wd, Patriot Blue/Driftwood, HO Cummins & 6-speed, 3. 54LSD, Cab & Fog lamps, Camper & Tow Pkg.
BOMBings: K&N RE0880, straight piped, debadged body, AutoMeter Sport Comp Boost & Pyro gauges
Performance: 245rwHP on BD Dyno, 0-60@ 11. 5 sec 17/22 mpg city/hiway
8255 miles (6/21/00)

 

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TST has a competition version of the PowerMax that is above the 3 levels they currently offer. I don't know power numbers, but they make you sign a waiver saying you won't use it on the street #ad
.

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98. 5 3500 QC 4x4, Driftwood/Mist Grey, 5 spd, 3. 54, 19. 5 Alcoa's, 245/70-19. 5 Michelin's, Ranchhand front bumper, Ranchhand rear bumper, Ranchhand toolbox, "Scotty Air", TST PowerMax2, Autometer Gauges, Centerforce clutch, Upgraded fuel lines (JRE and Aeroquip), MagHytec Diff Cover, PacBrake

 

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It seems to me that the "new kid on the block" is always the favorite. One day it's the cool injectors, then the VA box, then more cool injectors, then a PE box. Each one has it's own merits. I have a good ol' original TST PowerMax that includes the the treasured boost module and always has since it came out almost two years ago. It does everything (more or less) as the newest toys. It was the first power enhancement out for the 24 valve. I give the TST guys credit for being the first ones out there to dive in to the electrons of that 24 valve engine. Two TST PowerMAXes have been in two trucks for over 120k miles combined. They still work great and can still blow the doors of the other brand trucks.

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98. 5 2500 QC LB 4x4 5spd, white. BFG 285x75x16
Cummins 24v w/ TST PowerMAX w/EGT and Boost gauges on A-Pillar.
VanAaken CPC. K&N In the factory air box. Stock Injectors, Stock Exhaust (complete with rattling baffles in muffler).
SnugTop, JJ Stainless Running boards, Tow Hooks, Bushwacker Street Flares, and a Cup Smoothie.
60,000 miles (5/18/00)

 

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I have to say that in the midst of all these choices (competition), we the consumer are definately the winner here. I believe there is no easy "winner" as far as the "best" box goes. TST Powermax was the first unit available (I think). Mark Chappel probably has the most experience, although I know that Chip (Blue Chip)and Brett (Edge) are also very knowledgable and seem to be great to work with (so is Mark). TST's units all have built in boost module, and now, so does the BB. The PE followed suit and incorporates this goody as well. Power levels are adjustable with the BB and the PE, although the PE is done within the cab, very easily. The Powermax is not adjustable, although TST offers different boxes with different outputs. The VA is, well, just the VA. It is a mild power adder that is clearly the easiest to install, and can be virtually forgotten once installed. No EGT worries, no fears of overworking your pump, no engine fault codes. The VA is clearly the "safe" way to go, although marginal power gains are seen for the money (I know, this comparo is supposed to leave $ out of the equation, although in my opinion, $$ is ALWAYS in the equation).

As far as I have seen, all three (TST, BC, PE) have excellent customer service, so this one's a draw.

I was an "early" bomber, so I bought the first thing out (TST PM). Then I added DD Stage II's, and benefitted from the built-in boost module of the PM. Recently I've added the VA to take advantage of the timing adjustments. I tow with the PM off. As a previous poster eluded, you actually can have too much power when towing. Why needlessly stress drive line components when all you're trying to do is get somewhere comfortably? I can honestly say that with the Stage II's and the VA, I have not seen a hill that I can't go up in 5th gear at 70 mph loaded to 22,000 pounds. More power than that is just asking for trouble. When empty, I turn on the PM and have fun wasting PSDs, although they are easily outrun with only the DD Stage IIs. The VA & PM makes it downright embarrassing.

So where does that leave the decision-making bombadier? I believe they are all great products, and there is no "bad" choice. All the above stand behind their products, are easy to work with, and will do whatever it takes to satisfy you (reasonably speaking). As far as I'm concerned, these are the "good old days" and Ramming has never been more fun, fast, and exciting!

BOMB ON!

(Sorry for the long post)

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1998. 5 3500 QC, 2X4, 3. 54 limited slip, 5-spd, TST Original Powermax, VanAaken CPC, DD Stage II's, Jardine 4" exhaust w/Dynomax Raceflow Muff, K&N, ISSPRO pillar mount pyro & boost, Clarion CD, Rockford Fosgate power, Kicker solobaric, Husky floor liners, Capri Rodeo Delux Cabover, Pulling 4-horse BP S&H Elite.

 

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I love my Blue Chip box. This is a tough question, kind of asking a chevy owner why his truck is better than a ford. We bought our product cause we think it is the best FOR US!

Blue Box features many adjustments, although they are not "on the fly". With a small phillips screwdriver, you can readjust it easily within 60 seconds. It has four fueling levels, and then four levels to each one of those. It has the boost fooler, also, and the latest version, 4 wire, can be connected to the boost fooler to increase fueling based on boost. (less smoke, I believe)
We are all different, so I am glad there are many choices. I think Blue Chip has the most choices on their box.

Customer service? I could not be happier with Chip and Jane at Blue Chip... one phone call is all it takes for any question or assistance.
I am not affiliated with them in any way, but do believe strongly in their products and their customer service.

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Rob Hanson
1999 3500 SLT QC 4X4 6 spd, Braided SS fuel lines, Cummins E-Brake, Blue Box, Bosch 275HP injectors, Member of BOMB! (WW NW Chapter)

MyPics.com (pics updated 6/19/00)

I'd rather be... .
Cummin than Strokin.

[This message has been edited by Rob Hanson (edited 06-21-2000). ]

 

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Originally posted by Ross:
I can honestly say that with the Stage II's and the VA, I have not seen a hill that I can't go up in 5th gear at 70 mph loaded to 22,000 pounds.

Ross and others,

On a trip to southern CA from northern OR, I pulled a trailer and never had to shift down from 5th to pull any of the hills and passes on I5. This month I made basically the same trip with a little heavier trailer and dropped to 4th as I didn't quite have enough power. However returning on the same trip I lost 5th gear #ad
I've decided I probably had too many 5th gear heavy pulls and think that in the future I'll be dropping to 4th on the big hills.

 

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Outstanding question Chad!! I think this is probably thought about by more of us than anything else. Situation #1 has been my formost thought since day one. Thought about the injector route then some kind of add-on box but just can't make up my mind. This question will if everyone partisipates(sp) be most enlightening. As you put it in the beginning, money is NOT the object here. I for one don't want a bunch of gauges, if I needed gauges then they would be there from the factory. Just a little more power, but which box, or what set of injectors has been my question since last August. regards Pete

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99'3500,quad cab,4X4,a/t
3:54,all the right packages!PROPER VALVEMENT

 

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Take the leap Pete! #ad


I wanted to clarify one thing that was mentioned above. The first device available was the Blue Box, the TST Powermax was significantly delayed do to the fact that Mark was doing the 275 hp rewrite at first. This was pretty #ad
till Cummins put a stop to it. Blue Chip came out with the 30% box which was the first device I installed on my truck. Prior to this I had been on the phone weekly with TST waiting for their product. I had to pull the trigger and so I purchased the BC product. I have always been happy with BC and their product.

As you know, lately I have been very impressed with the PE. I have written a lot about my impressions of this new product some of which you can see in the product forem. I would like to reinforce how infinitely programmable this product is. Like the ECM, we can reflash this module with a different set of fuel mapping points. You can tailor it to work with the VA box if you desire. Wowzy got a module with stock #1 and #2 programs but a viscous custom #3.

Technology marches on #ad

 

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Sounds like Power Edge and Blue Box are the muscle to beat.

Blue Box has a definate advantage with its capabilities of being "re-programable" from your truck, while Power Edge is ordered the way you want it, and your stuck with that setting unless you send it in to get reflashed/reprogramed.

However talk of a new TST Power Max sounds pretty good. Is it changable, or is it one setting fits all?

The product with the most versatility should be the front runner, and from the early post thus far, Blue Box has that versatility, and Power Edge has a slight "edge" over the old TST product line. If some one had new information about the *new* TST product line we might see a TST in a close 2nd place.

1. Blue Box. Most versatility, most appealing to all bombers, primarily the lower end bombers who have room to grow. This box will allow you to slowly ad in more mods (injectors, exhaust, intake, turbos, etc) without having to go out and get a new "fueling box" or get one reflashed.

2. Power Edge. More appealing to the higher end bomber, or the bomber who is content with his lower end mods and has no plans at all of more bombing after the Edge is installed. You simply tell them where you are at on the "bomb scale" and they taylor make a unit to fit your specific needs.

3. TST Power Max. Not enough information on this product at this time, so it gets 3rd place for now.

Good thoughts by all, keep them coming.



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2000 2500 Red Sport quad cab, 4x4, K&N, DDI's, straight piped, mean looking set of 33. 5" tires, Snap On diamond tool box, Semper Fi!

1972 340 Cuda'. Original tripple black 340 car w/air! Good clean car, super stock springs, Weld Prostars, strong 340 with a 727/4000 stahl, 4. 56... . Bombs away!

 

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Chad - I think you missed something here. The PE is adjustable from in the cab on the fly, simply by pushing a button. The BB requires a screwdriver, and jumpers being moved to change.

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99 2500 QC 4X4 5sp / made in Mexico /
3. 54LSD 285 75X16 AR Atlas / Hadley airhorns / DDIII - 4in exhaust, turbo back - HD clutch / ISSPRO guages / 33' Hitchhiker triple slide