Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Would you guys chip a diesel truck? I hear good and bad. Currently I'm getting about 18mpg out of my F350. (Calculated on paper) 6 speed manual 4x4 dually. I look at some of those computer chips and I'm looking for a mpg gains but most if not all are mainly for making hp. I'm not looking to modify turbo, injectors pumps etc.
I was wondering if the chips help mpg. I don't drive the truck a lot. It's mainly long distance trips. Not a daily driver
I was looking at Tony Wildman chip. Worth $300 bucks?
I figure the floors full of vehicle factory engineers know a whole lot more about how vehicle computers should be programmed than an aftermarket business. Also the vehicle manufacturer TESTS the vehicle in all sorts of different temperatures and driving conditions - are the aftermarket companies as thorough?
Note I bought a used truck which had an aftermarket chip in it - I removed it and installed the factory spec chip!
I figure the floors full of vehicle factory engineers know a whole lot more about how vehicle computers should be programmed than an aftermarket business. Also the vehicle manufacturer TESTS the vehicle in all sorts of different temperatures and driving conditions - are the aftermarket companies as thorough?
Note I bought a used truck which had an aftermarket chip in it - I removed it and installed the factory spec chip!
While that is true the OEM tuners are tuning for one thing while aftermarket tuners are tuning for something else.
I think the OEM is subject to a lot more restraints and therefor compromises than the aftermarket tuner.
the OEM tunes for the best compromise between power and fuel economy.
IMO, based on a lifetime of working on various sizes and types of engines, if you want more power it is going to cost you fuel. If you want more economy, it is going to cost you power.
When you try to change the manufacturer's settings, you WILL lose something. If the vehicle has a Manufacturer's Warranty, you might lose BIG!
Personally, I would not mess with it.
the OEM tunes for the best compromise between power and fuel economy.
IMO, based on a lifetime of working on various sizes and types of engines, if you want more power it is going to cost you fuel. If you want more economy, it is going to cost you power.
When you try to change the manufacturer's settings, you WILL lose something. If the vehicle has a Manufacturer's Warranty, you might lose BIG!
Personally, I would not mess with it.
I'm no expert, and especially not on diesel pickups, but I do have some experience with custom engine tuning of VW TDIs. (aka chipping/tuning/remapping or whatever you want to call it)
Diesels are not like gasoline engines; there is no fixed ratio of fuel to air. So the same engine, with the same turbo, can produce more power from more fuel, or more turbo boost, or tweaking the point where the fuel is injected, or how wide the injection window is.
I can tell you that my primary daily driver, a 2003 Golf TDI, has bigger injector nozzles, a bigger turbo, and an excellent tune. I get the same fuel mileage as I did when the engine was stock, or maybe slightly better. But instead of 90 hp and 155 pounds of torque, it now produces about 160 hp and 270 pounds of torque. All this without affecting reliability as I've put over 535,000 miles on it since new. When stock it had very little power over 4000-4200 rpm; now it revs smoothly all the way to 5000.
Chip tuning has come a long way from the time when an external chip was actually soldered to the engine computer; now everything is uploaded from a laptop through the on-board diagnostic port (OBD port). Old-style tunes either added fuel or increased turbo boost, but could not do both.
Electrician4you: I can't tell you whether any after-market tune would make sense for you. If you don't drive your F-350 that much, then you won't save much fuel and much money even if you get 3 or 4 more miles per gallon. All I can tell you is that there are good tunes out there, and bad ones, and the bad ones are a total waste of money.
I'm no expert, and especially not on diesel pickups, but I do have some experience with custom engine tuning of VW TDIs. (aka chipping/tuning/remapping or whatever you want to call it)
Diesels are not like gasoline engines; there is no fixed ratio of fuel to air. So the same engine, with the same turbo, can produce more power from more fuel, or more turbo boost, or tweaking the point where the fuel is injected, or how wide the injection window is.
I can tell you that my primary daily driver, a 2003 Golf TDI, has bigger injector nozzles, a bigger turbo, and an excellent tune. I get the same fuel mileage as I did when the engine was stock, or maybe slightly better. But instead of 90 hp and 155 pounds of torque, it now produces about 160 hp and 270 pounds of torque. All this without affecting reliability as I've put over 535,000 miles on it since new. When stock it had very little power over 4000-4200 rpm; now it revs smoothly all the way to 5000.
Chip tuning has come a long way from the time when an external chip was actually soldered to the engine computer; now everything is uploaded from a laptop through the on-board diagnostic port (OBD port). Old-style tunes either added fuel or increased turbo boost, but could not do both.
Electrician4you: I can't tell you whether any after-market tune would make sense for you. If you don't drive your F-350 that much, then you won't save much fuel and much money even if you get 3 or 4 more miles per gallon. All I can tell you is that there are good tunes out there, and bad ones, and the bad ones are a total waste of money.
Thank you. Appreciate the insight. I never modified a diesel and I know it's a big difference from a gas truck. I don't want to screw up my truck
i wouldnt use a chip per say, instead i would use a programmer from someplace like bullydog. these give you tuning ranges rather than just changing your tune to one other particular one. for instance you can leave the stock tune in place, or lets say you want better fuel economy for freeway driving, you can then use that particular setting. or lets say you come up to a long grade, lets say 6%, and you need more power, the tuner allows you to make that change on the fly as well, and then you can go back to the previous tune. or lets say you are going to pull a heavy trailer and need your torque curve set for towing. there is a towing tune included as well(6 in total as i recall, and all can be done on the fly as needed).
but the bullydog unit, and others, do so much more as well. you can use them to monitor various engine functions among other things.
Im sure theres moderate tuned chips that may increase mpg. Bring turbo boost up a bit and free some hp.
Depending on what you do with the truck, Id look into changing the rear end gears
the difference there though is that gears are rather permanent, where as with a tuner or a chip, you can change the settings back easily.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
