05 F350 Tuner/Programmer advice
 

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! :c:

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!
 

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 :w2:

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

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.

Sorry for being a little late to the party but I'm kinda in this guys shoes. I bought an 05 F250 last march and just got done installing a AFE intake, Edge Evolution, and 4" silverline exhaust. Since then I been cruising these message boards and everything I read makes it sound like I just ruined my truck from the reviews and feedback I've been hearing from everyone. I was just looking for fuel economy out of the programmer and figured exhaust would keep my EGTs down. Is there anything totally wrong with my assumptions or should I be removing most of this stuff as soon as possible? I installed all this stuff about a thousand miles ago and am at roughly 121,900 miles now

Looks like I'm going to go with Matt at gearhead getting his extreme, srs+ and 8000lb tow tunes...
Parts are stacking up and pulling the cab this weekend.
Parts so far;
Egr delete
Oem gaskets
Arp head studs
New oil cooler
Blue spring update
4" ss exhaust off the turbo back
Coolant bypass/circulation kit
Sinister coolant filtration system
Thinking of adding a regulated fuel return as well.

Can't wait to be done a let her rip again!

Well it's a double edged sword. First, I wouldn't mod for mileage reasons only, you'll likely be disappointed. I know I was. However, those that do see a gain in mileage, always see it with the hottest tunes, but you must keep your foot out of it. Your exhaust is fine, but I'm not a big fan of the Edge units. Keep it on a lower power setting and definitely don't beat on it.

I'm sure Karl will be poking in here shortly to tell you what a transmission costs and why you shouldn't run it, but your call. I'm sure if you drive responsibly and aren't beating on it, it should be ok.

Sounds like a fun build! My cab is hopefully going up this weekend! :c:

Thanks for at least making me feel like I didn't just strap a bomb to my truck the way everyone else makes it sound haha

If you're hard on your truck, it is a time bomb IMO. We run the SCT stuff because it has the capability of accessing the TCM and making adjustments to the trans (the Edge does not, despite what it may say on the box) this allows us to run our trucks to full potential without worry of destroying transmissions. Even though, I've still been able to do it LOL. I can't imagine how short lived it would have been with a generic programmer.

Just use your head, you'll be fine.

Due to the enthusiastic reviews of these SCTs I am now doing what I should have done to begin with and researching a little more. Since I already have this Edge on it and if I would like to go to an SCT would I be able to use my EGT sensor from my Edge or would I need to spend the extra money on the SCT sensor that pushes the price to out of my interest then? I just use this truck as my daily driver and being a farmer occasionally hook a decent trailer to it. Just trying to find the most reliable mix of mileage and reliability. Also if I go ahead and pull the trigger on the SCT even if I drive it sensible and don't push it hard would I need to stud my heads and stuff anyways? Again I'm sorta price conscious

Thanks just these few responses from you have been very enlightening and helpful already

If you got an Edge insight unit of some sort you can continue to use it as gauges for sure, then just get the basic SCT hand held programmer for tuning purposes only, yes, that's what a lot of guys do.

The easiest way up front would have been to just get the SCT livewire TS, since it would have done all of that. Of course, probably not what you want to do at this point.

I would suggest custom tuning for sure, and keep the tunes mild. Maybe a street tune for fun, and a good towing tune for when you're working the truck.

Should run around $425-$450 for the SCT with three free custom tunes (as long as you don't do the extreme upgrades, which I would recommend staying away from on stock head bolts). Just keep in mind the more power you add, the more likely you are to blow the gaskets.

You may want to do a few other reliability upgrades too, perhaps monitor your engine oil temp and engine coolant temp now to ensure the health of your oil cooler. I would also look into an EGR delete, and a coolant filter. :c:

Thanks again for your input. I've started monitoring the EOT as well as the ECT now (always was watching the ECT since got the programmer). You've been extremely helpful can't stress that enough

Keep a good eye on those, general rule of thumb is to not have a spread larger than 15* between the two. If oil temp starts rocketing up, the oil cooler is clogging and needs a replacement/rebuild. It's under $300 in parts to do, and can be the difference between headgaskets and blown egr coolers... most people don't even know that, but the oil cooler is the root cause.:c:

Just paying it forward man...

Hey guys I'm new to diesels and I got a question about head studs. I have an 03 f250 6.0 with 115000 and I put 4in turbo back exhaust and I just ordered the sct livewire ts from innovative diesel. I also plan on an egr delete,new oil cooler,and coolant filter so i was wondering if that make it safe enough to run my custom tunes or if i should also put studs in.