changing computer chips for pickups

[dayexco]

we have a f-350 ford with 7.3 power stroke...power was always, "okay"...economy was crap...about 14 mpg on the highway....my son just had a chip put in...3 settings...we can add 50, 75, or 100 h.p. by flipping a toggle switch mounted under the dash, OR, turn off and go back to factory settings. we found the 75 hp setting to be the best...our mpg is up to 17+, and pulling our 20' cargo trailer or bobcat trailer with 863 bobcat on it, don't even know it's back there....have any of you had this experience?

 

[Bob Horrell]

Very common. I have a cummins 5.9 that puts out 400+ hp. My advice would be to get a pyrometer and monitor your exhaust gas temperatures especially if you are towing. With the extra power you will have the guts to haul heavy weight up hills in your high gear but your exhaust gas temperatures could be on the dangerous level (greater than 1300 degrees). Sometimes you need to down shift, not because you lack power, but to increase the airflow going through the engine to keep exhaust temps in line.
Westech makes a single guage with dual function - one needle tells you how much boost you have (how hard the engine is working) and the other gives you exhaust gas temp. In my opinion these are must have when you start adding as much power as you have.

 

[dayexco]

400 h.p.? holy moly!!!! never thought about the pyro thing, great thing to consider. especially when we're just throwing the truck in "drive" and going... did you end up changing exhaust to get that? this guy that sold us the chip says we'd have to go straight exhaust, 4" pipes to do more than what the chip produces, but i truly see no reason to go anymore. i'm very content now with power, economy

 

[Steve Frazier]

When your tranny starts spitting out parts, give Brian's Truck Shop , he can build a bullet proof 4R100. My truck is chipped and I tow, plow and do an occasional pull with it, I wish I had made the trip to Brian much sooner! Brian also reprogrammed my chip to work with his transmission mods. I've got a flip chip too, with 40, 80 and 140 settings. I don't run the truck much myself, it hauls my mowing operation so I haven't noticed whether the economy has improved. My switch is hidden and my guys run on the stock setting. I've had that programmed with a 65mph top speed. I love it when my stack blows black smoke though!!!! :thumbsup

 

[Bob Horrell]

A 4 inch exhaust is a good idea. That is what I installed. A diesel is nothing but a big air pump and the more air in and the more air out the better it runs. With my 400+ hp I get 12 to 13mpg towing 15K to 17K lbs. I get over 20mpg with no load. My wifes truck has a 5.9 cummins I bumped up to about 260hp. It is 2wd (mine is 4wd) and she routinely gets 22mpg empty.
As far as intake goes, I would look at the AFE system. It is a good system. I did testing for them when they first started in business. With 42lbs of boost I could pull dirt through any filter except the paper ones, which didn't flow enough air to keep my exhaust temps down. As a result they developed the pro guard 7 filter that has 7 layers of gauze. I tested it for them and have yet to pull any dirt through it. It is a superior filter that really does the job and flows a lot of air. I experimented with about 6 different filter systems before they made the pro guard and nothing works as well. I did oil analysis and monitored the amount of silica to see how effective the filters were, but I found the best test was to wipe the inside of the air horn with a clean damp white cloth. Even when the oil analysis didn't show much silica, I would get fine dirt on the cloth with all qauze filters. Only the paper filters would come out clean until I tested the pro guard 7. I still perform the test and have yet to get any dirt, and I drive on bad dirt roads every day.

 

[Dwan Hall]

I like that. Good first hand information. and something to back it up with.

 

[Stroker]

I have a TS Performance 4 way adjustable chip on my 2000 F-350 7.3 Powerstroke. My settings are 50,75,120, and Fuel 7 which is supposedly around 145 horsepower. The last is a so called "race setting" as TS describes it. All the settings are optional as TS burns the chip based on your request. I had them add that setting just for the heck of it. Its an extreme setting. Not for the engine, but the tranny. I have had my trnny rebuilt and beefed up by local builder. Wasn't cheap, but worth every penny.

Like Bob horrell said, get a pyrometer and I would also add a transmission gauge. I have found that my exhaust gas temps stay pretty stable for the most part when towing. But that tranny will get hot. I drive around normaly in the 75 setting. But when towing I bump it down to the 50 setting as I noticed it kept my EGT a little lower. I have a triple gauge pillar. Pyrometer, Tranny temp, Boost gauge. I moniter the EGT's and transmission temp especialy while towing. The boost gauge is there because I like to look at it sometimes.

I also agree with Bob on the AFE setup. I run their intake and pro guard 7 air filter. Was a great investment!!!