Okay so I am very new to the diesel trucks, I have had an F150 and know a lot about gas but diesels not as much. I am getting a 2005 F350 with the 6.0 diesel with a little less then 100k miles. I dont know much about the tuners/programmers/chips and what they all do and so on. What I am wanting though is something that has multiple options to where I can just drive normal and get the best mpg's possible, I also tow smaller lansdcape trailers so a tow option would be great too and then also would like another option of getting more power. Now Im not looking for some crazy power maybe just a little more to have some fun every now and then. I have heard the negatives when it comes to engine damage so I am wanting something that isnt going to damage my truck and hurt the longevity of it. Price isnt a huge deal, something under like $700 Id say. And I guess something that will help the tranny last as long as well. I know Im asking a lot but if any of yall wouldnt mind any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

If you're worried about keeping it reliable... don't tune it. If you have some money set aside and can afford to do studs and headgaskets if a failure arises, then by all means go for it. Some have been lucky and not popped gaskets when tuned, but the majority will. Some stock trucks will blow them...

Unfortunately what you're asking is a tough thing to answer. You want mileage, but not a lot of power? Well oddly enough the highest horsepower programs are what offer the best mileage. Stay away from economy tunes, they're a waste of money.

Towing a small trailer you wont even need to switch tunes, just leave it on whatever you usually drive. I tow my 3500lb camper with my race tune on, just have to watch the gauges carefully.

If you just got the truck and it's bone stock, I think you have a bit of pre-emptive work to do first before even thinking about a tuner. Need to verify the oil cooler health, possibly an EGR delete, coolant filter, coolant system flush, gauges....

If you absolutely feel you need a programmer right away, SCT with custom tuning is really the best option for a 6.0.

Welcome to DB! Just stick around and keep reading and you'll learn soon enough about your truck!

 

OK, how do we (OP and myself, I'm new to diesels also) verify the oil cooler health? And for gauges, boost and EGT... what else is needed? Would we be better off getting something like the banks IQ instead of traditional mechanical gauges? For now I am set on coolant filter, EGR delete and a cat delete for the stock exhaust system, gauges, and if needed oil cooler, all for reliability and fuel economy improvements.

Thanks for any advice,

Keith

 

Good questions.

You would need to monitor oil temp and coolant temp (often referred to as ECT and EOT here, engine coolant temp and engine oil temp). The job of the oil cooler is to regulate the temps between the two of them. Think about it like an oil cooler submerged in a coolant bath. As the external part of the oil cooler clogs, the coolant can't pass through it efficiently and it sits... and when coolant sits it just keeps absorbing heat, but doesn't dissipate any heat. So then the EGR cooler and headgaskets take a beating, as nothing is being cooled properly. The general rule of thumb is once the difference between oil and coolant temps gets to and exceeds ~15*, it's time for an oil cooler rebuild.

The first three gauges I recommend to any 6.0 user are Fuel pressure, ECT, EOT. Those are the three most important.

Boost is a good one for the 03/04 guys since they have nothing, but not necessary. Trans temp is your call, but the 5R110 runs REALLY cool. pyro is another one (EGT) that you'll want especially if you're running tuning.

I'm not a fan of really any Banks product, but if you want a monitor like that I'd recommend the Edge insight CTS (monitor only, don't use for tuning) or the new SCT livewire TS, which is my favorite now.

 

Thanks appreciate all the help!

 

Great info!
new 6.0 owner here to

FYI if you have an iPhone/apple device look into dashboss

So I'm about to be doing the arp head studs, oem gaskets, deck the head or resurface (whatever you call it) new oem oil cooler and egr delete with that said how much/big of a tune can you do and maintain reliability? 2003 6.0 196,xxx miles.
I don't want to do all this and blow a head gasket in 50,000 or ever for that matter!

My quick research has led me to Vivian at quicktricksauto for custom tunes on the sct, any info or advice for custom tuners?

 

There's no set answer to how long it will last or how much power it can take. Ideally one you've done the studs and it was done correctly... it should hold whatever you want to throw at it. You'll be replacing other stuff well before the gaskets again (again, provided it was done correctly). How much power are you looking for? A custom tuned SCT should be right around 425 rwhp or so. They're a lot of fun like that.

A lot of people use Vivian. I, myself have not had good luck with her tunes. The power was great and drivability was awesome, but there was always some funky shifting going on. I thought it was my truck, but loading up Eric's tunes (Innovative Diesel) and the problem went away... hard to say, but with that said anyways... a lot of guys use her tuning and are very pleased with it, I wouldn't shy away from her.

Innovative Diesel is also another good one
Gearhead Automotive is another great one and who I will be trying next
GoGo has been good for me too.

 

I dont need crazy power at all but i do want the best fuel mileage i can get and from what ive read some on these forums is that the better fuel mileage comes with higher performance
Im really only after the fuel mileage and to SHUT UP some of my duramax owning friends.

 

You could just lie like they do about their fuel economy

Anyone using a trip computer to calculate fuel economy is delusional, and the rest are flat out lying

Later,

Keith

 

A hot tune should get you there. D-max's have the upper hand from the get go though, so don't be surprised if some of them can walk you. They're much lighter than our trucks, and can make power stupid easy. Their downfalls however are drivetrain related... it's going to be near impossible for one of them to do boosted launches without a built trans, or a beefed up front end. Their tie rods/center link areas need work, but it's not hard to beef that up. The trans however... it will only take so much. However, a d-max with a built trans and beefed up front end will likely walk on a 6.0. They can likely make a hair over 500rwhp on just some tunes and a lift pump. However we can make 425rwhp easy and very reliably.