The new 6.4L Power Stroke offered in the '08 Ford Super Duty is full of new technology that helps it meet strict emissions standards while still offering the consumer class-leading diesel performance. However, this engine features some extremely complex electronics that provide aftermarket performance companies like Bully Dog with a whole new set of challenges when it comes to getting additional performance. Like it or not, the Power Stroke has gotten a lot more high-tech, so we visited Bully Dog to find out what it thought about the new common-rail system with piezo injectors and see what it was able to do with the new 6.4L.

"The 6.4L has really challenged our engineering staff because the Siemens 64-bit processor features more checks and balances than anything we've ever seen before," said vice president of engineering, Philip Klassen. We were able to tag along as Bully Dog installed a preproduction version of its performance management tool (PMT) on a 6.4L.

Easier Install
We were impressed with how easy the PMT was to install and the horsepower it was able to add to the 6.4L Power Stroke. The different displays on the gauge unit are definitely neat to play with and do a good job of displaying critical information in an easy-to-read format. The number of display options on the PMT may be a little overwhelming for some beginners, but once you decide what you want to know, the interface is easy to use and extremely informative.





Bully Dog's latest electronic gadget, the performance-management tool (PMT), is an onboard computer programmer that displays a number of engine readouts and adds power by saving a performance tune to the ECU. The PMT is basically a high-end digital gauge system combined with a downloader in a simple-to-install package.



One of the advantages of the complex electronic system in the 6.4L is that it has several sensors already installed on the engine that the Bully Dog engineers were able to tap into and display the readouts. For example, the 6.4L is equipped with a total of five separate exhaust-gas-temperature (EGT) probes: two in the exhaust-gas-recirculation (EGR) system and three in different locations of the exhaust system.



The PMT is extremely easy to install because no additional measuring devices have to be put in. On older diesels, customers needed to drill and tap the exhaust manifold and then run wiring for the EGT probe.



With the PMT's display mounted to the dash, the cable was routed from the display to the OBDII port. At this point, all you need to do is plug in the Bully Dog connector to the OBDII port under the dash, and the PMT interfaces with the truck's computer and displays the data on the PMT's digital screen.

 

The most complex part of the 20-minute installation was finding a suitable 12-volt power wire to provide power to the display. With the help of a test light, the Bully Dog technicians chose a power wire next to the OBDII port and used an electrical connector to tap into the power. For the PMT to communicate correctly with the truck's ECU, the PMT uses an OBDII-to-USB conversion plug. For a clean installation, the panel on the end of the dash was removed and the wire was run underneath the dashboard.



The PMT's display can be mounted pretty much anywhere the user wants to put it, but the simplest and best location is on the dash next to the A-pillar. A handy self-adhesive pad comes with the kit, so there's no need to drill any holes.

Active ReGeneration Attacks
During our testing, the truck went into its Active Regeneration mode after a few acceleration passes. Active Regeneration is Ford's way of cleaning the 6.4L's new diesel-particulate filter (DPF) mounted in the exhaust system. The DPF is required to trap soot produced by the engine to meet the current diesel emissions standards. You can think of Active Regeneration like the automatic oven-cleaning setting on your kitchen stove, except in the 6.4L, diesel fuel is injected into the engine after the main combustion to superheat the DPF. The whole process is controlled by the factory engine computer and is triggered when the DPF in the exhaust system begins to clog. We suspect the added power of the Bully Dog programmer could produce more exhaust soot and may cause the engine's computer to trigger Active Regeneration more often. How often the engine goes into Active Regeneration will depend largely on how the vehicle is driven.



Before we started playing with the PMT's thousand different readouts, we wanted to see the horsepower and torque increases from its electronic tuning. The 6.4L was strapped to Bully Dog's Mustang dyno, and several dyno runs were performed using the stock, tow, performance, and extreme modes. Bear in mind, these numbers were achieved using a preproduction PMT unit, and they may change by the time you'll be able to purchase one.



We heard rumors about 6.4L's ECU detecting additional horsepower and backing off the power on the road. Even with some impressive numbers on the dyno, we wanted to see how the new tuning related to increased power on the road and tried some unofficial quarter-mile testing with and without a trailer. On the road, the truck was definitely faster than the stock 6.4L, and the power seemed on par with the first programmers that came out for the 6.0L when it was brand-new.



To keep it safe and not cause an accident from playing with the PMT's display while driving, we pulled over to the side of the road and checked out the PMT's different readouts. It uses a simple interface button on the side of the display and a touch-screen display that allows the user to navigate through the simple menu system. Basically, the PMT lets the user pick four numerical displays on the lefthand side of the screen and a graphic readout on the top, right corner of the display. The bottom, right corner of the display keeps the driver informed of the date, time, and current horsepower program.



There's a host of different inputs the user can choose to display, ranging from battery voltage to EGT. Our favorite showed real-time fluctuation of the engine's intake temperature. This kind of information could be very helpful in determining the performance of a new air-intake system.

Source: Dieselpowermag.com

 

Those torque numbers are messed up. They should be way higher.

If I were to own a 6.4 and was looking to tune it, I would wait a couple months. A couple manufactures are making 500+hp with tunes and dpf deletes and close to 900ft lbs of torque. One of them was working on there high hp tune (250hp) and were going to test it with upgraded injectors and turbo mods. That should be in the 650+hp range.

 

Eric At Innovative Offers A 500rwhp DPF Delete Tune For The SCT.. Just Got an Email From Him A Few Days Ago Stating He Will Have An Even Better One In A Couple of Weeks

 

I would recommend that you find a way to copy your stock tune if you are going to install bully dog anything. The tuner has wiped out more stock tunes that I can count from reading and talking to people... Just be careful.

IF you want serious tuning call Matt at Spartan or KEM...

 

They Are Already Here... Last I Heard The New Tunes Are In

 

Knowing that this block was designed to be a V-6 from its inception, and 2 extra cylinders were tacked on close to the end of development for Fords marketing reasons, I wouldn't want anything over 500hp coming out of that thing without some serious testing on a stock block.

 

chips and programers take all the fun out of the modding for me. I will end up with a common rail sooner or later but I am hopeing its later... I also agree with mcCall on the block rating. Does any one know if the enternal parts are built strong?

 

River City Diesel is the place to visit for high HP/TQ.....i hooked up with Ron and Brad at RCD and there tunes arent only bad *** but so is the costumer service....outstanding performance. Own a 6.4L and want to GO BIG???? give them call and check out what they have to offer, you wont be disapointed!

 

i would go with spartan