New CTD in the driveway!

[justin'sbig7]

It was time. The silver chevy was the newest truck I had ever bought, one year old when i bought it in '06. not to mention when i was a dealership tech working on them, I drooled over the duramax trucks dreaming of owning one, so it was quite an accomplishment to actually get it... this truck treated me very well over the last 6 years, I never had a major problem with it, just regular maintenance items (wheel bearings were the biggest thing)

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f214/justinsbig7/DSCF0454.jpg

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f214/justinsbig7/6d52c1c3.jpg

All of my daily driver/beater vehicles died this year. So it was decided rather than maintaining 5 street vehicles to go to one vehicle for all. towing/ work etc. I stumbled into a 2011 leftover Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins 6 speed manual Bighorn package... they gave me a very good trade deal and since the new one was a leftover it was 17k less than the sticker. I drove it home 3 weeks ago and I am really digging it! I like the new body style, the cab is huge! and it is really laid out nice/comfy to drive.

so heres the new truck!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f214/justinsbig7/44805e5a.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f214/justinsbig7/59981ab1.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f214/justinsbig7/d901ca3f.jpg

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f214/justinsbig7/af9953ea.jpg

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f214/justinsbig7/a8681ce9.jpg

[atvboo]

I like it nice how do you like the cummins over the duramax?

[gonecheenin]

Wow - Fancy.


I've never been a Dodge guy, but they deserve my respect for multiple reasons, not least of which is retaining a standard trans option - and kudos for proving them right in that!!

[justin'sbig7]

I like it nice how do you like the cummins over the duramax?

they are extremely different animals... its pretty hard to compare. I had a chip in the duramax so i have to try to remember how it was stock. the HP/TQ ratings are similar, but the cummins has a lower rpm torque curve so it pulls harder right out of the gate. the dmax was snappier at mid to high rpms, but pulling out was doggy till the turbo started spooling. Personally, so far, I like the characteristics of the cummins over the duramax, and i am also liking the manual over the auto (although the allison was a great auto). comfort and ride wise, the dodge has a solid truck feel and the solid axle adds to a more classic feel (reminds me of driving my 81 GMC 2500), i prefer it over the ride of the chevy wich was cushier than i prefer a heavy duty truck to ride. interior and driver comfort, the dodge fits me better IMHO.

[justin'sbig7]

Wow - Fancy.


I've never been a Dodge guy, but they deserve my respect for multiple reasons, not least of which is retaining a standard trans option - and kudos for proving them right in that!!

I havent either. but i refuse to change diesel exhaust fluid like chevy and ford, dont like the looks of the chevy, fords engine is too new... and the ford/chev were in the $60k+ price range whereas this was 40k. i like a lot of the changes dodge made in the 10 model year wich made me look at them... and i have to admit theres not much that i dont like about this truck. It was a last minute, planets aligned thing that led me to this. the day before i signed on it i would have thought anyone was nuts telling me id be buying a new dodge truck

[atvboo]

Im in the same boat as you looking at dodge because of urea fords suck even new 6.7 having issues .my 2008 gmc runs great just isn't hold up like a 3/4 should I do abuse trucks.I just never been a dodge fan

[justin'sbig7]

if you come out to templeton tomorrow youre more than welcome to check it out. a lot of what used to turn me off to dodges seems to have been adressed

[XJchris98]

Nice! Almost identical to mine (minus the color). I've got ~20k on my 2011 and have ZERO regrets going with the dodge.

Do yourself a favor though and get a decent set of headights for it if you do much driving at night. Not trying to give you the typical 'list of mods to do to a brand new $40k truck' talk, but the stock headlights suck on these trucks. Even a set of silverstars didnt make a difference over stock. Yours might be a little better because of the 4 headlight setup (mines only the 2), but from what i've been seeing, they're both pretty bad.

[justin'sbig7]

Nice! Almost identical to mine (minus the color). I've got ~20k on my 2011 and have ZERO regrets going with the dodge.

Do yourself a favor though and get a decent set of headights for it if you do much driving at night. Not trying to give you the typical 'list of mods to do to a brand new $40k truck' talk, but the stock headlights suck on these trucks. Even a set of silverstars didnt make a difference over stock. Yours might be a little better because of the 4 headlight setup (mines only the 2), but from what i've been seeing, they're both pretty bad.

lol! yes. the high beams are about the same as low beams on anything else... what headlights did you end up going with?

[Sloth_Fratelli]

Nice, only mopar truck I'd ever consider buying in a CTD. I love everything about those trucks except the interior and the fake hemis you get with a Gasser.

[XJchris98]

lol! yes. the high beams are about the same as low beams on anything else... what headlights did you end up going with?

I ended up going with HID's. Got a nice kit from RetroSolutions (55w - 5000k). I was initially worried about putting HID's in non-projector housings because I didnt want to be "that guy" that blinded everyone else on the road. I have to say though, Ram might have fell short with the bulb size/light output, but they got these headlights to aim the light pretty damn good. The HID's are freakin BRIGHT, but I've yet to get flashed by another driver because they were aimed wrong or scattering the light all over the road (and I do a good mix of intown/city driving).

They were a bit pricey (~$150), but they have a lifetime warranty on the bulbs/ballasts/etc. and their customer service is top notch. There kits are vehicle specific so everything fits like OEM and its literally a plug-and-play type setup, no hassle with resistors/capacitors/relays. Honestly though if you switch to HID's, you'll be suprised how you went for so long without them, its a night and day comparison.

[HoodRN]

That's a really nice Dodge, Justin. Mine is an older model (2006), but it's a great truck. I'm getting 16-18mpg local driving on winter blend fuel, and this thing will pull anything I hitch it to. The only turd in the punchbowl is diesel was 4.30/gal yesterday when I fueled the truck. That's likely the cheapest it will be for a good while.

[justin'sbig7]

That's a really nice Dodge, Justin. Mine is an older model (2006), but it's a great truck. I'm getting 16-18mpg local driving on winter blend fuel, and this thing will pull anything I hitch it to. The only turd in the punchbowl is diesel was 4.30/gal yesterday when I fueled the truck. That's likely the cheapest it will be for a good while.

thank you! I hate to say it but after pulling the hill out of east brady today with the jeep in tow... I am not happy with the cummins. compared to the DMAX, its a turd. i was really liking the low end grunt coming up thru the winding roads, but when i got to east brady hill it took the whole damn hill to hit 55 with this truck and i was doing 30 at the bottom. i have a hard time finding that acceptable as i could have started from a dead stop and hit 80 at the top with the Dmax.

[HoodRN]

Check out the EFI Live tunes the guy on Relentless Diesel wrote. They got 594hp on the dyno from a stock 5.9. I don't know if EFI Live is out for the 6.7, but that would get you up the hill quick. From what I seen/heard/read about the 6.7, it really wakes up with the emissions deletes. Unfortunately, that stuff is all marketed for "off road use only".

[97V10MN]

thank you! I hate to say it but after pulling the hill out of east brady today with the jeep in tow... I am not happy with the cummins. compared to the DMAX, its a turd. i was really liking the low end grunt coming up thru the winding roads, but when i got to east brady hill it took the whole damn hill to hit 55 with this truck and i was doing 30 at the bottom. i have a hard time finding that acceptable as i could have started from a dead stop and hit 80 at the top with the Dmax. Time for a tuner lol. I think you'll learn to like it in time, I've heard that the emissions really hamper those 6.7 tho. Could it be the change from a Chipped up Dmax to a stock Cummins that has you a little dissapointed in the way it tows? I've also noticed that the autos seem to run just as good if not better then a stick when I test drove some newer trucks a few months ago.

[XJchris98]

Time for a tuner lol. I think you'll learn to like it in time, I've heard that the emissions really hamper those 6.7 tho. Could it be the change from a Chipped up Dmax to a stock Cummins that has you a little dissapointed in the way it tows?

I have a hard time spending 40k on a truck...then another 2k to get rid of the emissions stuff...all while throwing your 5yr/100,000mile powertrain warranty out the window. Theres no such thing as just plugging in a tuner on the newer diesels.



Justin, not to make excuses for the new rig, but its entirely possible your truck was in the middle of a regen when going up the hill. I've noticed with mine when its doing a regen it dumps the boost as fast as it builds and gets kind of sluggish. Shouldnt be like that 100% of the time though..

[justin'sbig7]

yeah, i have been cruising forums reading up on the tuners and stuff for these trucks since i got home today. basically looks like theres two choices, keep the factory warranty and dont do anything, or tune it and hope you dont need any warranty work (or have a dealer who turns a blind eye). hate to sound bitchy about it but it irks me when i cant run the speed limit due to lack of power. its why ive run diesel trucks for towing. the duramax never had an instance where i felt i ran out of power, i had an edge tuner in it it the last year i had it but it was more of a bonus/toy than a necessity for towing.

[justin'sbig7]

I have a hard time spending 40k on a truck...then another 2k to get rid of the emissions stuff...all while throwing your 5yr/100,000mile powertrain warranty out the window. Theres no such thing as just plugging in a tuner on the newer diesels.



Justin, not to make excuses for the new rig, but its entirely possible your truck was in the middle of a regen when going up the hill. I've noticed with mine when its doing a regen it dumps the boost as fast as it builds and gets kind of sluggish. Shouldnt be like that 100% of the time though..

that is entirely possible... it was like the turbo wasnt spooling, so you may be on to something. the emissions stuff was why i was hesitant to buy a new one lol! oh well, no turning back now... i LOVE everything else about the truck and the way it tows. i hope it was in regen, i understand its not a hotrod while towing and dont expect that either, but that hill was remniscent of my 1/2 ton 5.3l performance

[Super Scout]

Shouldn't a 2011 Cummins put out noticeable more power than an 06 Dmax, I am not up to date on the diesels but it seems there power has been going up quite a bit recently. Maybe something is up with the truck ?

[dan58]

Did you shift at all when you were pulling uphill? The drop in boost SUCKS with a manual. That's one of the things I've grown grumpy about with mine.

Talk to Andy Sebek at Keystone in Mt. Pleasant. He's a Cummins master. For tuners, you might look at the Smarty too.

[mxg342]

Thank God I never have to worry about regen's and all of the other stuff.

Sorry to hear that Justin. I'd give it some time to break in before doing anything. The first thing I'd recommend before anything else would be gauges so you know what's going on under the hood.

[YZEATER]

i'm glad to hear i'm not the only one who thinks the headlights are a little dim.

i am ready for a programmer for mine, since i was used to one on the ford i had.

[gonecheenin]

I've never rode in a stock Cummin's I was impressed with when compared to the stock Duramax's/Fords.

Check out Banks for tuner stuff, their one of the only ones I'm aware of that won't clog up the emissions equipment.

[YZEATER]

stock for stock, this feels better then the ford, but no comparision to it with a programmer. i'll be getting a H + S mini max, and straight pipe.

[justin'sbig7]

i just ordered the smartyjr for dpf equipped setup. its upgradeable to dpf delete, and i think itll be getting straight piped soon. ill save everything and change it back over if it needs to go in for something. ill have this truck for a while, i may as well do the things that are going to make the engine last a while. hot air out and blocking egr soot into the oil will achieve this.

[BUZZINHALFDOZZEN]

Friend of mine is selling his H&S.

H&S Mini Maxx diesel tuner, cummins, powerstroke, duramax - $800 (Latrobe) Date: 2012-02-23, 3:29PM EST
Reply to: see below [Errors when replying to ads? (http://www.craigslist.org/about/help/replying_to_posts)]
Comes with pyro. Fits 06 and up cummins and newer powerstroke and duramax. Give me a call if you're not sure if it will work on your truck, I can look up what years it fits.
$1000 new
http://www.hsdieseltuner.com/site/1627113/page/4283276

Dan
724-610-7844
Call or text

[joshs1ofakindxj]

I'll have to call him and see if it will work on my M35 haha

[BUZZINHALFDOZZEN]

Haha all you need is a screwdriver and a wrench.

[13below0]

This thread sucks... haha i have been looking hard at a new ford, possibly dodge but all this new emissions shit has me scared. Its crazy to think you need to drop 2k just to get these trucks to run good. Maybe i will continue to be that slow guy going up the hill. Say what you will but i got over 215,000 miles on my old powerstoke and that truck has been 100% reliable, and its still in great shape.

[highlandercj-7]

A wise guy (may he RIP) once told us if you go over 400HP it's a toy, if you want to work a truck stay under 400HP. We rolled the old 96' 12 Valve to 375HP, in 96'. It's been pulling like mad every since and it's got well over 250K miles.

[ridgerunner97]

^ Truth. 350ish hp on those 12 valves is the sweet spot.

[justin'sbig7]

This thread sucks... haha i have been looking hard at a new ford, possibly dodge but all this new emissions shit has me scared. Its crazy to think you need to drop 2k just to get these trucks to run good. Maybe i will continue to be that slow guy going up the hill. Say what you will but i got over 215,000 miles on my old powerstoke and that truck has been 100% reliable, and its still in great shape.The smarty is under 500. If i do all the deletes itll be about another 300. I guess that really isnt too bad of a price. I love everything else about the truck, may as well add the things to help it last.

[13below0]

Damn the fords must be expensive to delete. If i was to do a tuner it would be h&s.

[justin'sbig7]

thats it i am done! i called thoroughbred diesel again today and they hooked me up on a number of things... i ordered the quadzilla vizion monitor/smarty/iphone control interface wich will take care of gauges, smarty adjustments and works through my iphone.
http://www.thoroughbreddiesel.com/quadzilla/vizion.htm

as well as a full exhaust and egr/cooler separator.

[97V10MN]

Sweet, that thing should be a beast once you get that tuner put on, if those parts come in before I leave next week I'll gladly give you a hand installing it.

[Super Scout]

thats it i am done! i called thoroughbred diesel again today and they hooked me up on a number of things... i ordered the quadzilla vizion monitor/smarty/iphone control interface wich will take care of gauges, smarty adjustments and works through my iphone.
http://www.thoroughbreddiesel.com/quadzilla/vizion.htm
as well as a full exhaust and egr/cooler separator.

Hopefully now it will run like the Chevy did, keep us posted.

[justin'sbig7]

the brown truck dropped off 2 packages today.... ill be in the garage tonight. 4" turbo back exhaust system ftw!

[2002wranglerX]

ohhhhhhhhh i have a feeling you won't miss the dmax after that :)

[XJchris98]

Justin are you upgrading the clutch at all?

[BUZZINHALFDOZZEN]

I put my smarty on my friends 07 (think I only had the smarty set to 5). Stock clutch slipped in 4th gear and up.

I have a south bend single disk in mine. Hate it with a passion. I would go with a double disk if I did it over again.

[mxg342]

I put my smarty on my friends 07 (think I only had the smarty set to 5). Stock clutch slipped in 4th gear and up.

I have a south bend single disk in mine. Hate it with a passion. I would go with a double disk if I did it over again.

Yep. only way to go. Especially now that they use the less expensive flywheel. I got mine right before they had that option available. It can be grabby sometimes but it's not as bad as a single disc from what I hear.

[BUZZINHALFDOZZEN]

If I'm heavy I have to rev the motor a little so it will slip when pulling out. Otherwise the truck bucks and jumps around like a kangaroo.

[ridgerunner97]

^ A friend had one in his Dmax and backing up was quite an experience, I hated it, he was indifferent to it.

[Super Scout]

Am I the only one who thinks upgrading the clutch on a practically brand new truck is crazy lol ?

[ridgerunner97]

^ NOPE haha have you ever seen the price on a South Bend Steve? :)

[Super Scout]

No, like I said I dont really keep up on diesels, Chevy guy at heart but largely I don't really care. I am just shocked that he had a tuner on his Dmax, and now on a brand new rig has to add a programmer, exhaust, and now a clutch ? I assume I am missing something lol. Just seems like a lot of upgrades...

[BUZZINHALFDOZZEN]

Am I the only one who thinks upgrading the clutch on a practically brand new truck is crazy lol ?

Once you put the fuel and the boost to them, the stock clutch just turns into a smoke generating device.

[justin'sbig7]

I ran the duramax stock for 5 years an NEVER complained about it at all, it had just the right amount of power. I found an edge chip last spring for a good price and it was mainly a toy. I ran it on the 20hp setting 95% of the time and the biggest benefit i felt was a couple mpg's better. I knew that all new trucks were choked, but untill i towed and found out how choked they are (especially when you need it) it was a bit of a let down. The upgrades i am doing are not for crazy black smoke blowing power, but to make it run the way it should. The adds i am doing are primarily to prolong the life of the engine as i basically just threw the warranty out the window on a very expensive truck. I would be willing to bet i run it on the lightest tune (just knowing myself)

[justin'sbig7]

i am going to try to make the clutch last as long as i can. Believe me it is pretty hard to start doing this stuff to a truck with 1500 miles on it when i didnt do anything to the last one for so long. but what option do i have? i cant give it back or buy something else (without a biiig hit). im stuck... i like everything else about the truck, scratch that, LOVE everything else. and really that engine is capable of what i want without breathing hard, its all the chokes that are put on them to meet BS regs. so since i cant just go buy a new peterbilt (choked down as well but...) It will piss me off to no end to run it the way it is, so adding some mild power to make it do what i ask is about the only option i can see, anyone disagree? i dont want to race up mountains with the jeep in tow, but i would like to be able to keep the speed limit and feel that i could accelerate if needed, is this unreasonable?

[ridgerunner97]

^ Nope, I think it's bullshit that all vehicles are the way they are now.

[YZEATER]

i want vids after your done. hopefully i'll be able to do mine soon.

[justin'sbig7]

nothing really to vid, not rolling coal or anything, youre welcome to come take it for a scoot up the road to see if you like it. i am running the mid tune on the smartyjr (still pretty mild), with everything i did tonight it runs like a crazed warlock. i think im going to tune it down to the first over stock tune. totally different truck and id say its got more snot than the duramax with the edge now. its still pretty quiet while cruising but has a nice note to the exhaust (not annoying) ill have to see how it tows, but im fairly confident that it will do just fine.

[97V10MN]

nothing really to vid, not rolling coal or anything, youre welcome to come take it for a scoot up the road to see if you like it. i am running the mid tune on the smartyjr (still pretty mild), with everything i did tonight it runs like a crazed warlock. i think im going to tune it down to the first over stock tune. totally different truck and id say its got more snot than the duramax with the edge now. its still pretty quiet while cruising but has a nice note to the exhaust (not annoying) ill have to see how it tows, but im fairly confident that it will do just fine. He was like a little kid at Christmas time when we finally got the exhaust on and fired it up. Its a beautiful truck and it runs pretty darn good with the tuner set on mild, has a nice exhaust note also. Wouldn't be suprised if you see him dragging the trailer around just for sh1ts and giggles haha.

[gonecheenin]

Awesome brother!


Sucks about the warranty thing, but at the end of the day that doesn't mean anything if you hate living with the truck just to keep said warranty.

[YZEATER]

I waana hear it. They don't even sound like a diesel stock

[justin'sbig7]

I waana hear it. They don't even sound like a diesel stock

With the variable vane turbo on the newer ones, they kinda have their own sound. It doesnt sound like the old 12v and the turbo isnt constantly spooling so the whistle isnt predominant. Its hard to describe, the exhaust brake on the other hand sounds awesome.

Thanks again for helpin out shane!

[2002wranglerX]

Can't you set up the tuner to close the vanes on decel do it becomes an engine brake?

[justin'sbig7]

It has the exh brake from the factory. Sounds like a semi on decel lol!

Took it on a 60 mile trip so far today, the exhaust is nice. It has a nice tone that lets you know its there but no drone and its not stupid loud like some ive heard.

[justin'sbig7]

I really think im going to go back to the 0 power tune (just running the deletes) this is an animal when the chokes are pulled

[XJchris98]

Damn you Justin, damn you......

[YZEATER]

Maybe we can get a group buy on a h&s Chris!

[justin'sbig7]

I have been dealing with thoroughbred diesel for everything. They are a cummins performance shop that started out building performance diesel trucks and then moved to selling parts online. They have treated me very well in price, and tech support is awesome from these floks. They know these engines in and out and actually steered me into a less expensive setup than i originally called for based on what i wanted the end result to be.

[97V10MN]

You're welcome, howd it do on your little road trip?

[justin'sbig7]

It ran the hills without working, the exhaust is not terribly loud. It was an awesome improvement

[97V10MN]

Glad to hear it, so when are you going to load the jeep up and try Brady hill again?

[justin'sbig7]

:icon_syda::drool: that is all after driving it so far this week!

[justin'sbig7]

Well, i filled it up today... Hand calculated, same station and pump, i got 18.4 mpg (computer said 18.1). I am running the tow tune (70hp) it has gobs of power!

[BUZZINHALFDOZZEN]

My computer is usually pretty close. Was that mostly city or highway driving?

I've noticed my mpg falls off pretty quick if I go above 70mph. 65 seems to be the sweet spot.

Lately I've been getting around 18-19 city and 24-25 highway.

[justin'sbig7]

that was back and forth to work. mostly backroads with a stint on the highway and a fair amount of 50-60 mph 2 lane.

going by the driving coach thingy highway driving is not friendly over 60, it drops quickly especially if theres any kind of a hill.

[HoodRN]

Mine is completely stock, gets 16-17 in town and a little over 20 on the big road, depending on my speed. As long as I keep it between 1800-2000 rpm I'm fine, much over 2000 and I'm watching the gauge fall. Mine is an auto with 3.73s, 2000 rpm gets me about 70 mph. I may get a Smarty Jr. before we get into towing season (camper), although the truck pulls fine without it. One of my friends told me that the Smarty dropped his EGTs by around 200 degrees, which would come in handy for our frequent trips to eastern WV.

[justin'sbig7]

Mine is completely stock, gets 16-17 in town and a little over 20 on the big road, depending on my speed. As long as I keep it between 1800-2000 rpm I'm fine, much over 2000 and I'm watching the gauge fall. Mine is an auto with 3.73s, 2000 rpm gets me about 70 mph. I may get a Smarty Jr. before we get into towing season (camper), although the truck pulls fine without it. One of my friends told me that the Smarty dropped his EGTs by around 200 degrees, which would come in handy for our frequent trips to eastern WV.

is yours the 5.9 or 6.7?

I was playing hard yesterday (i got the vizion guages) and basically just let it pull as hard as it would up lick hill... boost hit about 23psi and my egts max were 963* and it was pulling like no tomorrow. my duramax would run 1100* without trying much, so I am pretty hapy with that pyrometer reading.

stock before all the work the best mpg i got was 15.7

[XJchris98]

is yours the 5.9 or 6.7?

I was playing hard yesterday (i got the vizion guages) and basically just let it pull as hard as it would up lick hill... boost hit about 23psi and my egts max were 963* and it was pulling like no tomorrow. my duramax would run 1100* without trying much, so I am pretty hapy with that pyrometer reading.

stock before all the work the best mpg i got was 15.7

Where are you picking up the EGT numbers at? I have my manifold tapped near the #3 cylinder and typically see 1100 if pulling hard getting onto the highway/etc. Just crusing at 60 it levels out around 6-700.

Its also good to see the smarty doesnt up the boost much with the tune. I've seen around the same boost numbers (for brief periods of time) and my trucks 100% stock, haha.

Again though, damn you damn you damn you! I swore up and down I wasnt going to mess with this truck when I got it, but my opinions are starting to change. On a side note though, did either of you (Justin or Kurt) get a notice about the tie rod recall?

[justin'sbig7]

No, havent heard about that yet. My pyrometer is tapped into the egr blockoff plate pre turbo.

My thoughts on doing all of this is: egr causes dirt that hurts the longevity of the engine. Heat from a restrictive exhaust causes stresses on the engine. Most of the warranty issues seem to stem from thes things. Otherwise the engine is one of the most bulletproof diesels out there. So...

[YZEATER]

I got the tie rod letter last week.

Come on Chris, lets place the order.

[mxg342]

23 psi? Wow.... that's it? I think when it was stock my wastgate would open at 28-30. I have the wastegate bypassed with the smarty. Although anything over 35 isn't doing any good with my stock turbo. 1500 degrees is still possible with the smarty at high levels. Two things dropped my egts significantly, the timing change of the smarty and when my cat ran away.

[HoodRN]

is yours the 5.9 or 6.7?

I was playing hard yesterday (i got the vizion guages) and basically just let it pull as hard as it would up lick hill... boost hit about 23psi and my egts max were 963* and it was pulling like no tomorrow. my duramax would run 1100* without trying much, so I am pretty hapy with that pyrometer reading.

stock before all the work the best mpg i got was 15.7

Mine is the 5.9L. Our camper only weighs a shade over 6K loaded, but we tend to spend most of our camping time away from the flatlands. I have the auto 48RE, so I'm doing the boost/pyro/trans combo for towing. I'm looking forward to better fuel economy on summer blend diesel, even though it'll likely be 5.00/gallon.

[BUZZINHALFDOZZEN]

23 psi? Wow.... that's it? I think when it was stock my wastgate would open at 28-30. I have the wastegate bypassed with the smarty. Although anything over 35 isn't doing any good with my stock turbo. 1500 degrees is still possible with the smarty at high levels. Two things dropped my egts significantly, the timing change of the smarty and when my cat ran away.

Mine opened around 20psi stock.

[justin'sbig7]

23 psi? Wow.... that's it? I think when it was stock my wastgate would open at 28-30. I have the wastegate bypassed with the smarty. Although anything over 35 isn't doing any good with my stock turbo. 1500 degrees is still possible with the smarty at high levels. Two things dropped my egts significantly, the timing change of the smarty and when my cat ran away.

the guage is kinda small, coulda been 28. the cats are scared of my truck, they wont go near it either. it was nice to see the egt's stay low. Does yours have an EGR Matt?

[mxg342]

Nope the 5.9L only had a cat.

Part of the reason for high EGT's on a stock setting are the injectors being used in the 2003 and newer trucks. They are actually spraying 3 times per stroke. There is a small charge at first to start the power stroke then the majority of the fuel is injected on the second spray. The final spray is another small puff that is timed at the end of the power stroke. This in turn puts a lot of heat (also lost energy) out the exhaust. The smarty changes the timing of the injections so for the same amount of fuel, the work is being done in the cylinder and not going out the exhaust.

[mxg342]

Mine opened around 20psi stock.

Maybe I'm wrong then. I have had the wastegate programmed out for probably 4 or 5 years now.

[HoodRN]

Nope the 5.9L only had a cat.

Part of the reason for high EGT's on a stock setting are the injectors being used in the 2003 and newer trucks. They are actually spraying 3 times per stroke. There is a small charge at first to start the power stroke then the majority of the fuel is injected on the second spray. The final spray is another small puff that is timed at the end of the power stroke. This in turn puts a lot of heat (also lost energy) out the exhaust. The smarty changes the timing of the injections so for the same amount of fuel, the work is being done in the cylinder and not going out the exhaust.

Doesn't EFI Live allow you to program the 3rd injection event out? At this point I believe it's only available for the later model (06-07) 5.9 engines.

[mxg342]

Not sure on the efi live. It wasn't available for dodges when I was into it.

[YZEATER]

Updates?

I ordered an exhaust today for mine. Will get the h+s programmer in a bit.

[justin'sbig7]

18-19 mpg hand calculated, runs good never had an egt reading over 1000*. So far so good. 7k miles on it now. I would do the arp studs, lots of h+s guys seem to be cooking headgaskets and turbos. I dont pull on it till its up to temp and dont rip too hard on it ( untill i do headstuds)

[atvboo]

Head gaskets and turbos exact reason I want to switch from ford. Is this only with tuned trucks?

[justin'sbig7]

Seems to be only with hot tuned and people who are constantly beating on the truck. Not allowing a warm up before tearing on it and not allowing turbo cooldown after.

[YZEATER]

O my gosh. Juat got done doing a h&s mini maxx and 5" tbe straight pipe. What a difference. A clutch will be next i figure.

[YZEATER]

O my gosh. Just got done doing a h&s mini maxx and 5" tbe straight pipe. What a difference. A clutch will be next i figure.

[Deadman 94 xj]

O my gosh. Just got done doing a h&s mini maxx and 5" tbe straight pipe. What a difference. A clutch will be next i figure.

Do you guys know of a good 3" cat back for a gasser?



:040: J/K lol! Don't answer that.