Dam shame I didn't cut before,this thing sounds WICKED!!

 

Is it ok to buy and use a used sct tuner?also a good friend of mine wants me to ask u about his horrible fuel mileage.he has an 05 f350 srw crew cab fx4.had the head gasget and studs done,6.0 solution kit,mbrp exhaust not tuned yet,small lift with 35" allterrains,3.73 gears and everything else is stock.he said he avg.14 mpg.I'm getting like 18 on avg.with basically the same truck.he is getting tuner and oh yeah does have egr delete also.so any help or ideas would be cool.I figured you'd be the one that would most likely know.thnx again.I will let u know how my mods are going as i complete.can't wait,I'm all excited about my truck again

 

You can certainly buy a used SCT, but it needs to have "unlocks" left, and the vehicle it's coming off needs to be returned to stock. These programmers Vin-Lock to each truck, so it's not returned to stock, it's useless. Also each SCT only has 5 vin-locks from new. So every new truck it goes on, it loses an unlock. So lets say I buy one brand new, put it on my truck, use it for a year and sell it to you. I need to put my truck back to stock, then send it to you. As soon as you load it on your truck, you use another one of the locks, so there would be 3 left after you got it on yours. No big deal, as long as there are unlocks left! It will say right on the programmer how many are left, just plug it into the OBD port and go through the menus and find it. Also, don't plan on using any of the tunes that come with it, get your own for your strategy. So factor that in cost wise, since 3 good tunes are going to run about $150. If you can get an X-cal2 or X-cal3 for like $150-$200, it's probably worth it right?

Your buddies mileage doesn't sound too terrible for such a big truck. I have an extended cab short bed and I get about 15. At least I did the last I checked. I think the 35's will actually help mileage if you're running all highway, I know my cruising RPM has dropped with taller tires and I definitely get better mileage now, but I haven't actually checked it. Your 18mpg is actually very good for a 6.0

I have to ask... how are you two checking mileage? I hope you're not going off of the lie-o-meter on the dash. Most people know to fill the tank, run it down, fill again and calculate gallons used vs. miles travelled. These trucks are a different breed though. Have you ever noticed that you can keep adding fuel after the pump clicks off? You need to keep adding fuel until you actually have fuel sitting up in the fuel neck. Otherwise you have no clue how much is really in the tank. It's a PITA to do, as it usually takes another 10-15 minutes to get the fuel up that far in the tank, thus why I don't do it anymore. Some guys have gone as far as dropping their tank and cutting the fill line flush with the top of the tank to avoid this, it's called the "harpoon mod".

The difference in mileage is usually more related to the tune/strategy loaded on the truck than anything. Tunes may help, they may not. Let me just tell you what I was told when I first started modding my truck, and it's ringing true... "Mod for power, not mileage. If you happen to get some more MPG's as a side effect, be happy."

The hotter tunes get the best mileage, IF you can keep your foot out of it.

 

I've been dividing miles per gallons used when I fill back up.u r the man,thnx again