WHAT IS THE BEST BANG FOR YOUR $$$. I JUST GOT A NEW 05 AND NEED TO START ON IT. I GOT THE LIGHTING TO BE THE FASTTEST THING IN TOWN. SO IT IS TIME FOR SOMETHING NEW.

 

Well a tuner will go up to about 100hp for $350, a chip will go up to $150ish hp for $600. The tuner has about 3 programs to choose from and cannot be changed on the fly. Some have the ability to read DTCs (diagnostic trouble codes) and adjust for tire size. Chips on the other hand can't read DTCs but can be adjusted on the fly and are custom burned to the mods you have. I have a tuner and a module on my truck. I use my module for adjustability and the tuner for the bulk of the HP. I will be switching to a chip eventually. I myself would go with a chip because you can get a little more hp, but they're custom built to maximize the mods you've done.

 

Which product is better overall...give MAXIMUM power...yet keeps the engine SAFE and the transmission SAFE....when i get my truck soon i will most likley go with the diesel i am shoppinga round right now for stuff for it... i am looking between the Banks Big Hoss system or the Bully Dog 6.0l Powerstroke kit...Any help??

 

Skip the Banks stuff, you're paying double price for the name. There are setups out there that make ALOT more hp than Banks at alot lower price. While you're at it forget Bully Dog as well, they are along the same lines as Banks, though not as bad. If you want maximum power with saftety you're looking at a custom burned chip. You need to be careful not to get a bad programmer as some guys use way too much timing in their chips. The less timing you have the more dependable power you'll make. I would find a guy named Jody Tipton (in TN) who is known for his programming. His number is floating around on www.thedieselstop.com The other option would be diesel innovations, though I've found some things lately that makes me question his business ethics.

 

You really should learn more about diesel's and tuners/modules first. It's a whole new deal. There are guys with 6.0's out there running high HP boxes with destroyed trannys. With the 6.0 you can get tuners and modules that will get you alot more power than wiht the 7.3, but that's not neccesarily a good thing. Things break!

Example, the SC 1704 is probably the safest thing out there, but not one that makes the most power. It's at about 150HP over strock just off peak. Modules like Quad and TS can make much larger gains, especialy torque, but they will tell you right up front with their big power boxes you need a new tranny.

By the way, WE CAN HEAR YOU!!

 

What about Motorhaven? Have you heard anything about them with regards to programming or business practices?

Also, getting a SCMT, will the truck smoke a lot? How is the drivability. This seems like it is the way to go, although I like the fact that I can change on the fly.

 

I have never been around a motorhaven truck before. The best way to do it is to find someone who has one of their chips in a truck and ride in it. See how the truck runs and if you can hear any "pinging" coming from the engine.

Its difficult to say if your truck will smoke alot with the SCMT as Ford uses so many PCM catch codes that each one behaves differently. I have put my Edge Evolution on my truck and get little to no smoke, and when installed on an 01 it smoked like a freight train.

Family Ride is right in that when beefing up an engine you need to beef up the rest of the driveline or you'll find the weakest link REAL quick. Also keep in mind that (and this especially goes for the 6.0L) running any aftermarket tuners/chips/modules will void your warranty REAL quick. There has been alot of people coming into Ford with an engine problem related to tuners or drugs, etc and expecting Ford to fix it. In response to this many Ford dealers will void your warranty if they find any proof that any kind of power enchancement has been installed on the truck.

 

I sold a Lightning a few months ago. I know from being on that board all about warranty voids LOL. Really though, I understand that and that's why I am not going to do anything just yet. Getting a flash tuner though, it will be more difficult for them to see that it has been flashed. I know the software leaves a "Footprint" somewhere, but they need to really look for it. It's not like the days of scraping the contacts off the PCM and putting some wobbly chip on. ...and modules can always be taken off as well.

What can be done to the drivetrain? Maybe a valve body or something. I wouldn't want to mess with line pressure or anything from what I've seen Gregg Evans talk about.

 

Yes, tuners can leave a print and any good technician willing to dig deep enough can see anything thats been done to the PCM. Fortunetly most techs either aren't good enough to do this or not willing to dig that deep or both. The only thing is though is that Ford dealerships may be pushing techs to dig a little deeper now because of the diesel performance push in order to check warranty claims. To be honest I don't really blame them. You also have a good point about modules. My Edge Attitude and others of the same type just plug into various sensors on the truck (ICP, IAS, MAP, CPS, etc) and simply intercepts and modifies the signals. There is no physical connection between the PCM and the module so if it is removed before being taken in to service the techs really need to know what kind of signs to look for. Though depending on the module if it sets any DTCs that could raise a few flags. The downside to modules is that they don't make as much hp as some other things do and are not custom programmed like chips are.


If you've read what Gregg Evans has to say then you have a very good starting point. He is one of the most knowledgable people on the 4R100 aside from Brian Thompson of BTS. For any of those who don't know Gregg Evans is the owner of Factory Tech and makes the FTVB and Monster Box trans. He recommends not using electronic means to raise line pressure as it has to take the pressure from somewhere and can compromise lube circuts or other functions. It is safe to mechanically increase line pressure as it leaves other functions intact. I myself would go with the FTVB as the vb is custom tuned with everything in it to work flawlessly. The alternative is the Sonnax/Tricumulator springs. Its essentially the same thing that Gregg puts in the FTVB, though his is custom built for him and he does other things he won't disclose to the valve body. The cost difference is $50 compared to $225 and IMO you get more benefit and better service life from the FTVB than the Sonnax. Now all of this applies to the 4R100 and NOT the 5R110 trans as to my knowledge does not use valve bodies. Right now the 5R110 is more or less in its infancy in the aftermarket world, whereas the 4R100 has some upgradability. For now the 5R110 doesn't have much choice other than electronically uping the line pressure. If I had the cash I'd go with a Monster Box trans, but I don't have $3200 laying around for one. Alot of people have had good luck with an upgraded torque converter (Precision, Suncoast, and to a lesser extent ATS) and a valve body/pump upgrade. I know that David at Diesel Innovations is running a stock 4R100 with a Suncoast TC and Transgo shift kit and can run mid 11s in the 1/4 mi. The math works out to I think the low 600hp at the rear wheels but mysteriously no actual dyno slips have ever been shown for that truck :rolleyes. None the less it is putting down some impressive hp and the stock trans has held on so far.

 

Thanks for your response! Didn't mean to hijack your thread $umtoy, but we had basically the same questions.

 

Thanks to all.

I have got the Diablo Perdator on the truck now. It is ok if you do not use the truck for more then one thing. I like to play with it on the weekends and use it for work and to pull the boat. That means that I have to reflash it all the time. I was looking at one of the inline systems that can be changed with a flip of a switch. But they do not fix the trans problem I have been told.

The truck is bad on the 100 hp side. You can hit it in 2wd an it will go about 15 to 20 feet and the boost comes on and the tires go. It will blow the tires off. You can put it in 4 high and hold brakes to let it get the boost up and it will cherp all 4 tires when it leave the line.

It will spine the tires about 20 feet on the 65hp side from just sitting there and hitting the gas. That is not letting it build boost before you hit it.