im thinking of getting an hs tuner and exhaust to help fuel mileage, im not really interested in the power as i use my truck to make me money about 85% of its use is towing anywhere from 18k to 21k pounds my question is, is there a good tuner out there designed for towing, i don't really want to spend more than 700 on the tuner, i had an 08 gmc that had an edge cs and that truck got 11.5 mpg towing that weight above, id like to get close to that or better, its an 08 superduty 4x4. thoughts?

 

most recommend NOT tuning while towing heavy. I just pulled off my Spartan setup as it really only produced 1mpg (9->10) towing my 7000lb flat front enclosed car hauler. I have an 08 dually, so the 4.10 rear doesn't help much either.

unfortunately I haven't seen any inexpensive tuning combos for the 6.4s.. I found a used setup, pipe and all, for $800 total (including re-license fee).. but this was a fluke.

the power was incredible, but I didn't need or want that.

Sam

 

But why pull off the tuner? The biggest advantage is getting rid of that god forsaken regen cycle, and that can't be done without the tuner, hp increases or no.

 

Spartan is the best for towing. They even have a tow tune. Its a 210 tow tune. Plus the tuner itself has the most monitoring of the engine and the tranny then any other tuner out in the market.

 

i was going to go with an hs xt pro since it has a stock power option, the truck pulls good just would like to get maybe at least 10 to 11 mpg, i may give spartan a call tomorrow and see what they say.

 

they told me, the best mileage is with the higher tunes..250-275. this is where they lean it out the most.

I saw less increase on the 210 vs the 250.

Sam

 

I did a tow up to dallas and back with a truck in the trailer (my sons 99 silverado up, and a 69 longbed back)..

on the way back I started to experience some loss of power when doing light acceleration, accompanied by a weird vibration noise. I didn't think to change the dashdaq to look at tranny temps,torque converter slip.

and I wasn't trying to get rid of the regen, or increase power.. just looking for mileage while towing. power was nice and amazing, but I kept getting into situations where I ended up sucking the filter minder (not enough airflow).
it was just too much to worry about.

I'll use the dashdaq to monitor on this long trip we start tomorrow moving my daughter to chicago, and coming back. but so far I don't see any indication of the troubles.

Sam

 

I have the banks 6-gun with the IQ for monitoring and adjusting. It is a clean tune with the DPF still on. It just got certified for CARB as well.

You can towing with it on but I find that it will regen slightly more than stock. Since I tow pretty heavy I would rather be in stock anyway.

My regens are around 130 miles apart when towing so it is not that bad.

I set the cruise at 65 mph and just go.

 

right now my regens are about 210 miles apart..

Sam

 

Sam, I'd say that is about dead on considering I am considerably heavier.

Scott

 

Good luck. I've been on this forum for 3 years now and I can't find anyone who says they got any meaningful increase in towing MPG with any tuner. Anyway, most say stock is the only sensible way to tow. Most of the tuners are about power. I found a used Edge and bought a pipe on ebay. Haven't installed yet but my purpose is to get rid of the regen. Getting rid of regen should increase mileage a bit, maybe a half MPG. Slowing down helps mine in stock. You don't mention your rear axle ratio but a higher gear ratio would probably be the best way to get mileage. The cheapest way to get there is a used tuner (found mine on Craigs List) or a device called DPF Delete (look on ebay). It doesn't tune but does allow you to remove the DPF. Hope this helps.

 

I don't think ur suppose to tow with those tunes thats y u were having problems. I did the math if i get 1 mpg better for 10,000 miles ill save 341.25 for every 10 thousand milesdoesnt sound like much but considering i have towed 37thousand miles already i would have saved at least 1100 bucks, now thats only at 1mpg better and considering ill probably tow another 30k mile because were only halfway through the year ill end up saving a considerable amount of money, im hoping ill get a 1 mpg increase loaded and on my trips back when my trailer is empty im hoping for a 2 mpg increase.

 

Edge is GARBAGE for the 6.4, and IIRC they've been discontinued...? Actually any of the canned tuners (Superchips, BullyDog, etc.) are junk for the 6.4. At these power levels transmission tuning/shifting strategy is as, if not more, important than motor tuning to keep the drivetrain reliable. H&S, Spartan, KEM, IDP (see my signature for link) offer custom tunes/tuners that are much better suited to the 6.4...

Unless you buy used, you're not getting anywhere with $700, so get that thought out of you head. The very minimum you should be looking at is a tuner with a DOC/DPF delete and an aFe high-flow drop-in replacement air filter. All of the vendors here have a variety of package deals they could put together for you, and should you decide to build upon you won't have to worry about spending money twice.

Tuning and towing at the higher capacity levels (75-85% of what you truck's rated towing capacity is) is something you need to be REAL careful of. As much of a power junkie I am, I'd run a very low HP tune if not just a stock programming with DPF delete tune and get rid of that horrific regenning. That's where a Spartan DashDaq would serve you very well; in addition to a variety of DPF on and deleted tunes it has an excellent gauge display which is critical when towing; you need to keep an eye on your boost, tranny temperature and EGTs at a minimum.

A 2 MPG increase would be very optimistic; you're basically asking for a 20% increase in MPG. Not saying it can't happen, but a whole lot of it has to do with your gearing, driving habits, speed and RPM...

 

I have been very happy with my Spartan and towing. keep in mind, I have an F450, the reason i bought the truck was to tow heavy! I also did not care about power, i just wanted slightly better MPGs and no regens. I am so far very happy with it. I keep mine on 210 all the time, never once changed it. I actually see just about a 2mpg increase when towing. I tow anything from a 7000lbs enclosed car hauler to my 4 car wedge usually just over 25,000lbs! I tow weekly, and even though it is not a HUGE increase in MPG, i defiitely am getting some. I also went from 10.8 mpg not towing, to 13.3 not towing.

 

Your post would scare me if i did not try it for my self. I am towing heavier then you are by a lot, and i have a totally difference experience then you had.