Chips? Are they worth it?

[Steel]

I got a 2012 bone stock ram 1500 and was thinking about getting a bully dog chip or diablo, I just don't know if they're worth the money. My buddy has a bully dog is his 2008 silverado and thinks it does wonders for his truck, I don't know what specific chip it is, but it's got me wondering if I should get one. So what I'm asking is, are chips as good as they promote to be? And if so which chip and how much do they run for? Thanks.

 

[HemiRoar]

I'm guessing you mean tuners.

And yes, they do really wake up these rams, especially a custom tune. You can get them as a package deal. I'm not into serious mods but this was one I had to have.

Sensitive throttle response and firmer shifts make it a whole lotta fun to drive.

The stock tune is ******.

 

[csuder99]

Short answer: no
Long answer: it depends...
To paraphrase my old buddy Carnot: "The output of a combustion engine is only determined by the achieved temperature difference." That leaves two 'knobs' to play with, the intake temperature and the maximum thermal energy released during the work cycle. The former is why turbo/supercharged engines often use an intercooler. The original CAI was also based on this idea, however modern engines typically don't draw air from under the hood anymore (Jeep TJ is one that still does it).
To get more energy out of the work cycle basically requires to get more air/fuel mixture into the cylinder. This is why 'classic' tuning (larger valves, camshafts, free flowing intakes, higher compression ratios etc.) gain significantly more power than just fuzzing around with the air/fuel ratios and ignition timing. Granted modern engines tend to run on the lean side for fuel efficiency so making it richer will gain a little at the expense of MPG.
One of the dirty little secrets of the 'performance' industry is that pretty much all changes are only effective at WOT. In normal operation the engine runs in 'closed loop' to avoid throwing codes.
To sum it up, if the engines runs frequently at WOT and has some modifications that allow for more air to get into the cylinder then a tuner is useful. For a stock engine the benefits are minimal.

 

[Grad12]

Short answer: no
Long answer: it depends...
To paraphrase my old buddy Carnot: "The output of a combustion engine is only determined by the achieved temperature difference." That leaves two 'knobs' to play with, the intake temperature and the maximum thermal energy released during the work cycle. The former is why turbo/supercharged engines often use an intercooler. The original CAI was also based on this idea, however modern engines typically don't draw air from under the hood anymore (Jeep TJ is one that still does it).
To get more energy out of the work cycle basically requires to get more air/fuel mixture into the cylinder. This is why 'classic' tuning (larger valves, camshafts, free flowing intakes, higher compression ratios etc.) gain significantly more power than just fuzzing around with the air/fuel ratios and ignition timing. Granted modern engines tend to run on the lean side for fuel efficiency so making it richer will gain a little at the expense of MPG.
One of the dirty little secrets of the 'performance' industry is that pretty much all changes are only effective at WOT. In normal operation the engine runs in 'closed loop' to avoid throwing codes.
To sum it up, if the engines runs frequently at WOT and has some modifications that allow for more air to get into the cylinder then a tuner is useful. For a stock engine the benefits are minimal.

Now that was useful information.

 

[xrsman]

Well my truck saw gains from my custom tune throughout the entire power band. I've been driving for a month without it just because it takes so damn long to load/unload when going to the dealer and I am waiting on some parts to come in for my truck. I can tell you that the truck runs like a dog now though! I can't wait to get my tuner back on!

 

[OutlawTrucker]

I have a diablo trinity with a custom tune. Runs great

 

[preachp]

Hi All,

Tuning does affect the engine through out the rpm range. Changing the spark and valve timing which can be done through the ECM does directly affect the efficiency with which the charge is burned and improve or hurt the power production of the motor through out the range. Also valve timing will alter the rpm at which the motor makes peak torque and horsepower. Since these engines have systems in place to allow the ECM to alter valve timing they can be "tuned to produce power at different rpm. Also since they also control gas and air flow they can be tuned to produce a longer or shorter burn time, increasing and decreasing the amount of potential energy that is converted into kinetic energy thus altering the amount of power produced from the charge. Also since the ECM has the ability to alter when the valve opens and closes it can increase or the volume of the charge to a lesser degree by opening the intake valves closer to TDC. Firing time is also very important to the production of power. All these factors can be altered by the ECM to some degree and thus can be "tuned" to improve the effective power produced.
Yes by increasing the volume of the air/gas charge you can produce pretty crazy HP increases but there is nothing that prevents a more precision tune from finding HP either.
OP you will see a difference with a tune because a tune that is not so concerned with CAFE numbers or minimum carbon footprint will run more efficiently and thus allow the engine to produce more power. There are enough before and after dyno runs out there to clearly document that fact.

preachp

 

[Alex]

I love my Trinity on my '12 Hemi. Sure wasn't cheap, but it's so much more alive now it's almost impossible to believe it's the same truck. Biggest thing I like about it this time of year is the ability to raise the idle in park and neutral up to 400RPM. So now when I hit the command start it's in a high idle and warms up way faster

 

[Steel]

Thanks y'all, I'll think I'll save up a little more money and wait till after I get some other things done on my list first.