Hi,

firstly im new to the forum and this is my first post so please be nice! secondly i'm english so some of my terminology may be slightly unusual so please feel free to correct me if i say something wrong, hood=bonnet, trunk=boot etc...

right well i have 2000 F250 superduty 7.3 powerstroke, its a long bed with a huge cab, lariat spec. im looking at tuning it and having some fun so ive looked at getting a re-flashing tuner, (superchips, xcalibrator, hypertech III), AFE magna flow intake and ive also been looking at a full exhaust system. I have seen some on ebay and in various shops and they are the full systems but in pieces that need to be built up on the truck and sealed with gum and clamps. is this a good way to go? are there disadvantages? i know a full system from a reputable dealer would be better, but the price is sooo tempting i almost cant resist, besides i love working on my truck! haha

opinions? oh and this relates to other tuning products tooo

thanks

David

 

welcome to the site. Many of the popular exhaust kits are bolt on applications. Silverline, MBRP, Banks, just to name a few. Go with stainless. If you plan on doing all those upgrades you will want to first get a good gauge set up to monitor you EGT's and Boost mainly but a Trans temp gauge is also good to have. ISSPRO, Speedhut and Autometer are all popular gauges.
As for tuners xcalibrator is a popular one. I just bought the Superchips Flashpaq for my truck. It will arrive tomorrow but my friend loves his.
AFE makes a very good intake system and has good filtration.
Good luck and post some pics when your done.

www.egauges.com www.speedhut.com www.xtremediesel.com www.dieselmanor.com this will help you out

Scott

 

For your 7.3L you'll want to do things a little different than the 6.0L guys. First off, yes you will need gauges. You need a pyrometer mounted preturbo, a boost gauge, and a trans temp if you have an auto. If you have a 6spd you don't need the trans temp.

After that you can do the air intake or exhaust. The exhausts are always sold as a kit that you assemble under the truck. You want to make sure that you get a 4" turbo back exhaust kit. All of the kits come with clamps to hold it together, so no welding or anything else. For your intake you'll need a 4" long piece of 4" OD exhaust pipe. You will then need Green filter #2169. You will remove the stock airbox. Insert the piece of 4" pipe halfway into the tube that was connected to the box. Put the filter on the other end of the pipe and secure them with their respective hose clamps. You now have an air intake that performs as well as the $400 intakes but cost $70.

After those are done you can move on to chips. Skip all the programmers as none are really spectacular for the 7.3L You want a custom flip chip from DP-Tuner. You can go up to 6 positions on the chip. This means you have up to 6 programs you can run. The advantage of the chip is that you can change programs while driving which programmers can't do. The DP chips are some of the best out there for the 7.3L. I sold my Edge Evolution and Juice with Attitude for my DP chip. The 80hp DP setting is more powerful than the Evo on 100. My 120hp setting is very strong, but I'm limited by my oil pump. From there you can really move into mods, but it can get expensive.


Also remember when you chip the truck if you have an auto you will need to do some work to the transmission. I suggest the BTS valve body. It is also best to get a performance torque converter, but thats about $1000 for a decent one.

 

thanks for the welcome guys and for the good advice, what sort of price would i be looking at for a set of 3 gauges complete with sensors and A pillar pod? is it silly money or are there reasonable deals out there? some of the sites ive been on are really expensive and out of my budget. Would you recommend fitting the Transmission valve yourself or would you get it done professionally? all advice welcomed! thanks again!

 

A 3 gauge pod and gauges will run you around $300. It depends on the gauges you get, but on average thats what most cost. I suggest the Isspro gauges as they are backlight and a close match to the factory gauges. A BTS valve body is easy to install yourself. You just need to drop the pan and take out a few bolts. As I recall you have to drill a plate that he includes. Its a very simple install, just messy is all. You will have to empty 8qts of trans fluid when you drop the pan.