Tuner

[Underarock13]

Anyone using a tuner yet? Notice any difference or anything like that. I keep thinking about the Ike gauntlet run. Makes me sad .

 

[loveracing1988]

I have ran pretty much every tune for the intune available and now have the hemifever tunes. If I had to do it over I wouldn't bother. With the hemifever tunes it woke the truck up a little, it is better off the line but it is still a 7000 pound truck, it takes a big hp gain to really feel anything. I really wanted it to gain a little fuel mileage, I maybe gained half of a mpg. So to me there isn't a gain by going with a tuner on the HD gas trucks.

 

[smurfs_of_war]

Anyone using a tuner yet? Notice any difference or anything like that. I keep thinking about the Ike gauntlet run. Makes me sad .

It's easier said than done, but I would forget about that Ike run test. All it says is that if you want to load your truck to full gross combined and climb straight up a wall with your foot to the floor- you won't be the fastest. Who even tows like that?

Do some reading around. You'll find a pile of threads here and other forums that basically put that test in the toilet where it belongs. I like the web segments they do, but I think their testing methods are garbage across the board- for all brands. They just did a test with the new Titan XD that I couldn't even finish watching.

Sent from my SM-G925W8 using Tapatalk

 

[drittal]

First, I think the best use of a tuner is with other options. A tuner alone on an NA motor is going to help shifting and what not, but there isn't a whole lot of free power to be had. Now if adding intake, exhaust, and headers a custom tune will make the most of your additions.

2, IKE test on the 6.4? That was explained by Ram as a tow "feature" that their programmers worked hard on to prolong longevity. I have personally encountered this feature. While it sucked only being able to muster 33 mph or so, it did drop my oil and transmission temps substantially.

Ike isn't all that steep, but it's wayyyyyy up there. NA motors lose something like 3% for every 1,000ft of elevation.

 

[SouthTexan]

It's easier said than done, but I would forget about that Ike run test. All it says is that if you want to load your truck to full gross combined and climb straight up a wall with your foot to the floor- you won't be the fastest. Who even tows like that?


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There are many people that tow hills with their foot to the floor if they don't have enough engine power to keep the speed limit. If you didn't, then you would be going a lot slower. Hell I did it with my old Ford 300 I6 back in the day. It would only go up hills at 40 mph when towing 4,000 lb boat and that was floored. If I did part throttle then it would have backed down to an even slower 25 mph which was flat out dangerous on the highways. It was that truck that made me say never again to an engine that was "just enough" when towing.


Also, go to the RV forum, many there have to drive with their foot to the floor just to keep as close as they can to the speed limit so flooring it to keep speed while towing up hills is not that uncommon.

 

[reek]

I'd like a tuner for my 15 2500 just to turn off the dang MDS

 

[loveracing1988]

I'd like a tuner for my 15 2500 just to turn off the dang MDS

Why? It isn't like it hurts performance at all, it makes the truck sound a little funny sure but there is no actual negative to it. Either way it takes 1 button press to shut it off anyway.

 

[Hemi450hp]

I have ran pretty much every tune for the intune available and now have the hemifever tunes. If I had to do it over I wouldn't bother. With the hemifever tunes it woke the truck up a little, it is better off the line but it is still a 7000 pound truck, it takes a big hp gain to really feel anything. I really wanted it to gain a little fuel mileage, I maybe gained half of a mpg. So to me there isn't a gain by going with a tuner on the HD gas trucks.

What octane fuel do you run?

 

[loveracing1988]

What octane fuel do you run?

Take your pick, I've ran the towing tune, 87 tune 87 hemifever tune, and fuel economy tune on 87 octane, and the Diablo tune and 93 octane hemifever tune on 93 octane.

 

[Hemi450hp]

Could you feel a difference when you stepped up from 87 to 93 octane? Did you send Sean Datalogs with each tune?

 

[loveracing1988]

Could you feel a difference when you stepped up from 87 to 93 octane? Did you send Sean Datalogs with each tune?

I could feel it slightly but not near enough to justify the 50 cents more per gallon in fuel costs. I actually just sent him the datalog for the 93 tune (he didn't want the 87 logged) and he said everything was good. The trans tuning making the shifts firmer is nice but weird at the same time. The firmer shifts I like, but it still seems like the torque management is there pulling the throttle back so it can shift. It is like driving in a manual trans vehicle with someone who doesn't know how to shift, like the person lets off the throttle, pushes the clutch in, shifts and then drops the clutch while giving it gas. Under full throttle it is good, but partial throttle it seems weird. All in all for the cost of a new tuner and custom tune it wouldn't be worth it to me to do it again. For a 1500 that weighs 1500 to 2000 pounds less it would be more than worth it, but not in the HD's.

 

[Hemi450hp]

I could feel it slightly but not near enough to justify the 50 cents more per gallon in fuel costs. I actually just sent him the datalog for the 93 tune (he didn't want the 87 logged) and he said everything was good. The trans tuning making the shifts firmer is nice but weird at the same time. The firmer shifts I like, but it still seems like the torque management is there pulling the throttle back so it can shift. It is like driving in a manual trans vehicle with someone who doesn't know how to shift, like the person lets off the throttle, pushes the clutch in, shifts and then drops the clutch while giving it gas. Under full throttle it is good, but partial throttle it seems weird. All in all for the cost of a new tuner and custom tune it wouldn't be worth it to me to do it again. For a 1500 that weighs 1500 to 2000 pounds less it would be more than worth it, but not in the HD's.

If you haven't already, send him exactly what you just posted. That's the plus side to custom tuning...he will send you a tune based on your mods, but will dial it in to your needs and driving preference as well. He doesn't usually ask for logs on the 87 tune because (and please don't take this the wrong way) guys that want to run 87 octane fuel are not interested in the best performance gains they can get. No matter the vehicle, higher octane fuel with more aggressive tuning will always make more power.

I'm curious to see what your 0-60 times looked like with the stock tuning compared to the custom 93 tune. I have had guys tell me they expected more, but they were as much as .8 quicker from just 0-60...that's a massive gain. You would be hard pressed to find any other mod that will show that kind of increase aside from boost/nitrous.

 

[Underarock13]

So today got quoted for the camper I believe I'm gonna buy. It's dry weight is around 6,400 ibs. Decided I don't want the fifth wheel due to price and bed space. The reason I was curious about the tuners is I'm scared I will be towing somewhere and not have the power I need to maintain speed. This thought could be crazy, but I'm inexperienced and don't know what to expect. Was hoping a tune would be the answer to the torque management issue lol. I just hate feeling like I second guess my trucks power... Plus the constant explaining why I didn't get the cummins to people who don't know the first thing about a truck in general. Not that I know more but I know the pros and cons of a diesel and a gasser lol.

 

[smurfs_of_war]

Aw heck, you will be fine with that. Dry weight of 6400, so a full loaded weight of what, 8 or 8500? No worries. The Ike test was done with a 12500lbs trailer and ballast in the bed- I am betting 4000lbs or more than what you are looking at. Basically the test was performed with the truck at full GCWR. The Ike Gauntlet is designed to purposely push these trucks right to the very limit and then some- that's the intention. See how well they do when they are completely maxed out. That is a really miserable climb that many people won't make with that kind of weight behind a gasser. I really don't think you have anything to worry about. I have never pulled on a grade like the ike, but the Frenchman Valley here is a 7% grade over a number of miles, and the Sask Landing hills are similar in length and grade. In the Frenchman I didn't have any issues holding 90kmph (55mph?) all the way to the top, it wasn't pinned- it did fine with power to spare. The elevations here don't match those in the ike test though. EDIT: this was with a dump trailer and a skid steer. I haven't been able to hook my camper up yet, but it's much lighter so I have zero concerns.

In short, don't worry about it unless you have to. I understand your reservations, I had them too before I bought because of that silly video. I am pretty sure that truck will handle it fine

 

[Underarock13]

Aw heck, you will be fine with that. Dry weight of 6400, so a full loaded weight of what, 8 or 8500? No worries. The Ike test was done with a 12500lbs trailer and ballast in the bed- I am betting 4000lbs or more than what you are looking at. Basically the test was performed with the truck at full GCWR. The Ike Gauntlet is designed to purposely push these trucks right to the very limit and then some- that's the intention. See how well they do when they are completely maxed out. That is a really miserable climb that many people won't make with that kind of weight behind a gasser. I really don't think you have anything to worry about. I have never pulled on a grade like the ike, but the Frenchman Valley here is a 7% grade over a number of miles, and the Sask Landing hills are similar in length and grade. In the Frenchman I didn't have any issues holding 90kmph (55mph?) all the way to the top, it wasn't pinned- it did fine with power to spare. The elevations here don't match those in the ike test though.

In short, don't worry about it unless you have to. I understand your reservations, I had them too before I bought because of that silly video. I am pretty sure that truck will handle it fine

Thanks why I love being part of this forum. Just because of this forum I've been able to fix tire setting, order a see zee, and learned that weird noises are in my head because I'm looking for problems lol.

 

[SouthTexan]

Basically the test was performed with the truck at full GCWR. The Ike Gauntlet is designed to purposely push these trucks right to the very limit and then some- that's the intention. See how well they do when they are completely maxed out.

I don't think that truck in the Ike Gauntlet was maxed out. It had a 22,500 lb GCWR and it was pulling 19,500 GCWR which is only 86% of it's max GCWR that Ram gave it. The GM 2500 HD 6.0L on the other hand closer to its max rating at 95% of it's GCWR when pulling the same 12,500 lb trailer.

 

[smurfs_of_war]

I don't think that truck in the Ike Gauntlet was maxed out. It had a 22,500 lb GCWR and it was pulling 19,500 GCWR which is only 86% of it's max GCWR that Ram gave it. The GM 2500 HD 6.0L on the other hand closer to its max rating at 95% of it's GCWR when pulling the same 12,500 lb trailer.

I had read they were within 100lbs of each other- the Chevy coming in at 20360lbs, but it didn't list the exact weight for the Ram. So, either 20460 or 20260. Either way- you're right, the Ram wasn't even maxed out- I either missed or didn't realize the GCWR was 22500. I won't defend the performance on that run. I just didn't let that particular test make my decision in full since I fall into the majority that would never push it to those levels. After hours of pouring over forums and posts about the 6.4L towing experiences, I test drove the F250 and the 2500- Ram won

"We had the same load behind both trucks. We adjusted the bed weight to compensate for the absence of Emme Hall, and the final weigh-in showed that the Ram and Chevy were within 100 pounds of each other for the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight (GCVW)."

One thing that is maybe telling me is that Ram should back down a bit on it's towing/ GCWR claims? Or fix that gear hold issue and let that big beast run.

 

[drittal]

It won all the other tow tests and it's tow rating capacity is set by SAE J2807 standards.

Did the programming hinder performance over the IKE? Yup. But here are some other questions...

What were the water temps of both vehicles?
Oil temps?
Transmission temps?

I'm sure the Ford and Chevy were screaming in first and bogging in second back and forth. The Chevy is in the video, making the test drivers comment about it gear hunting.

 

[River19]

It won all the other tow tests and it's tow rating capacity is set by SAE J2807 standards.

Did the programming hinder performance over the IKE? Yup. But here are some other questions...

What were the water temps of both vehicles?
Oil temps?
Transmission temps?

I'm sure the Ford and Chevy were screaming in first and bogging in second back and forth. The Chevy is in the video, making the test drivers comment about it gear hunting.

As a point of real life comparison between the Ford Super Duty with the 6.2L vs. my 2500 6.4L......we tow regularly with our 7000lb load of horses and bumper pull trailer paired up with a 2012 F350 extended cab (not Crew) with the 6.2L and their gooseneck trailer with a very similar 6500-7500lb load of horses, gear and people.

They always comment that leaving toll booths, rest stops etc. that they can't keep up with me and they are pedal to the floor tached out at 5,000+ rpm and struggling as I easily pull away at half throttle nice and smoothly without even hearing my engine work. We are always dumbfounded when they mention this as I drive with the trainer from our barn (wife follows in chase truck) and we never even feel like we are pushing my rig and always try to give the horses the smoothest acceleration possible.

As far as the gassers go, the 6.4L is very solid, especially at sea level from what I can tell. I can't speak to the conditions at altitude like the Ike, as I wouldn't be running a normally aspirated engine at those altitudes, I would have a CTD. Match the tool with the job IMHO.

My $0.02

P.S. I still haven't seen any results compelling enough for me to even consider a tuner on this rig.

 

[SilverSurfer15]

yea, why does everyone care so much about the Ike test and TFL for that matter. TFL sucks, they screw up "facts" all the time on their videos and a lot of their tests are stupid. If you dont live in Colorado (or anywhere else thats 10k ft), why would you care?
And as stated, if you do live there, why are you driving a gas truck period?

/end rant


as for the tuner, i agree. I dont think the gains are there. Im sure that running a 93 tune is a solid gain, but the extra cost of 93 isnt worth it when getting 13-17mpg in one of these trucks. At least not on a stock truck, maybe if you have a level/lift/35s and want to clean up the shift points to help the driveability or something.

or if you have ARH Longtubes