H&S Mini Maxx
Freshman User
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
I just recently put a black maxx in my '08 dually, along with a 4" exhaust and AFE intake.
I love the controls and I have loads of power. The only thing I didn't like is the TC lockup at 50 mph, but after noticing this, I checked their website and you can download the program to make it lock up at a higher speed, which is what I plan to do.
I haven't downloaded the "hot damn" tune yet, it came stock with the mild tune, but even with 3000lbs of weight in the back, it'll send me back in the seat on a lower setting.
BTW, haven't checked mileage yet, as I can't seem to keep my foot out of it. Most people say that you shouldn't expect much no matter what tuner you buy. Hope this helps!
I love the controls and I have loads of power. The only thing I didn't like is the TC lockup at 50 mph, but after noticing this, I checked their website and you can download the program to make it lock up at a higher speed, which is what I plan to do.
I haven't downloaded the "hot damn" tune yet, it came stock with the mild tune, but even with 3000lbs of weight in the back, it'll send me back in the seat on a lower setting.
BTW, haven't checked mileage yet, as I can't seem to keep my foot out of it. Most people say that you shouldn't expect much no matter what tuner you buy. Hope this helps!
Thread Starter
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New User
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
I have changed my lock up to 65 and WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!! The mileage I have seen is not much to talk about but ANYTHING helps. I do have the "hot damn" tune and my truck will break the 37" tires loose at 30mph.
I just wanted to see some other input.
I appreciate the info, have a good one
I just wanted to see some other input.
I appreciate the info, have a good one
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,213
Likes: 1
From: The Woodlands, TX
I know each truck is different in it's own special way, but what I do not understand is how one person can say they are getting 3, 4, 5 even 6 more MPG's and another with a similar if not the same setup will say they don't see any gains what so ever. I understand that the response may be that they are going off of the mpg display on the truck, but I think ost have realized that you can not trust that and are calculating by hand.
What gives?
What gives?
New User
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Ford Fuel Mileage with the H&S Mini Maxx
I'm getting 14.4 city with the H&S Mini Maxx
Details:
I drive a 2008 F-350 SRW crew cap (Job# 1 w/ 3.73 gears) and use it as a daily driver and as a tow vehicle on the weekends for our ~7,000 lbs travel trailer. I purchased the truck specifically as a tow vehicle because my wife’s 2007 suburban 1500 was not cutting it. Dry the camper weighs only 5,500 lbs. Even when keeping the weight as low as possible I couldn’t safely drive over 65 MPH with the suburban and the suburban started to burn oil about the time we started towing with it.
Enter the F-350 and towing is no longer a problem. I can pretty much tow as fast as I want (74-78 MPH) and feel as though everything is under control. I absolutely love this truck. It’s roomy and comfortable and perfect for what I purchased it for.
So what’s not to like? For the price of this truck I really need for it to last me at least 200K miles and with the price of diesel around $4 /gal it’s expensive to drive.
So after doing the research, it’s obvious that the best way to increase fuel mileage and longevity on these trucks is to remove the DPF. The first step in this process is to purchase a tuner that allows for disabling the regen process.
WARNING: Check your local laws before removing the DPF
After reviewing the major players in this area Spartan (http://www.spartandieseltech.com/), SCT (http://www.sctflash.com/), and H&S (http://www.hsperformance.com/), I chose the H&S Mini-Maxx.
My primary reasons for purchasing the H&S Mini-Maxx over the Spartan phalanx (second choice) were (1) the ability to sell the product to someone else if I didn’t like it, and (2) the cost.
What follows is my report of the fuel mileage increase I experienced from using the Mini-Maxx alone WITH THE DPF STILL ON the truck. I’d love to hear about your own experiences with this product and similar products.
My guidelines for this test:
1. I kept my Boost at <10 PSI whenever possible.
2. I kept my throttle at < 15% whenever possible.
3. I attempt to keep RPMs around 1800 whenever possible.
Gauges monitored:
Throttle % (mini maxx)
Pyro 1 (mini maxx)
Oil temp (mini maxx)
Fuel Pressure (mini maxx)
RPM (dash, accuracy verified using mini-maxx)
Boost (dash, accuracy verified using mini-maxx)
Coolant temp (dash, accuracy verified using mini-maxx)
Trans Temp (dash, accuracy verified using mini-maxx)
Fuel level (dash obviously)
MPH (dash obviously)
Stock truck baseline (city / suburban driving only, no highway miles, no tune)
~11.2 MPG
With Mini-Maxx (city / suburban driving only, no highway miles, hot tune, DPF still on truck, no other upgrades). Firmware / tune version 6.4.21
14.4 MPG (hand calculated)
Note: After uploading the tune (DPF compatible, mild w/ 55 MPH lockup on Hot setting) I performed the trans learning steps (0-60 at 25% throttle, 0-60 at 50% throttle, and 0-80 at 100% throttle {in 2WD and not a boosted launch}). The 100% throttle was fun, the tires squealed briefly and the truck produced a small amount of black smoke before taking off like a rocket.
To improve truck longevity my defuel levels are set as follows:
Pyro 1: 1300 F (heat entering turbo, this is a conservative value)
Pyro 2: OFF
Coolant Hot: 210 F (default)
Coolant Cold: 140 F (allows truck to warm up before applying tune)
Boost: 36 PSI (this is a conservative value, I will do more research and may further lower this value)
Trans temp: 210 F (default)
Oil temp: 210 F (default)
-----------------------
My bottom line (and how I’m selling this expense to my wife
).
Average miles driven per year: 12,000
Lowest Diesel price in my immediate area: $3.77
Approximate fuel burned per year at 11.2 MPG (without Mini-Maxx): 1071 gal.
Approximate fuel burned per year at 14.4 MPG (with Mini-Maxx): 833 gal.
Approximate fuel cost per year without Mini-Maxx: $4,037.67
Approximate fuel cost per year with Mini-Maxx: $3,140.41
Cost savings using the H&S Mini-Maxx: $897.26
Now, my H&S Mini-Maxx (without Pyro) cost $901.55 (including free next day air). So it will take be a little longer than a year to recoup this expense.
Note: With Ford 08’-10’ 6.4L trucks you don’t need or want the optional Pyro, you also don’t need bungs in the DPF delete pipes.
------------------------
My H&S Mini-Maxx review
What’s to love:
What’s not:
Features I’d like to see
Important notes:
So far I’m pleased with my purchase, next I’ll do the DPF delete, and then maybe the air intake.
Details:
I drive a 2008 F-350 SRW crew cap (Job# 1 w/ 3.73 gears) and use it as a daily driver and as a tow vehicle on the weekends for our ~7,000 lbs travel trailer. I purchased the truck specifically as a tow vehicle because my wife’s 2007 suburban 1500 was not cutting it. Dry the camper weighs only 5,500 lbs. Even when keeping the weight as low as possible I couldn’t safely drive over 65 MPH with the suburban and the suburban started to burn oil about the time we started towing with it.
Enter the F-350 and towing is no longer a problem. I can pretty much tow as fast as I want (74-78 MPH) and feel as though everything is under control. I absolutely love this truck. It’s roomy and comfortable and perfect for what I purchased it for.
So what’s not to like? For the price of this truck I really need for it to last me at least 200K miles and with the price of diesel around $4 /gal it’s expensive to drive.
So after doing the research, it’s obvious that the best way to increase fuel mileage and longevity on these trucks is to remove the DPF. The first step in this process is to purchase a tuner that allows for disabling the regen process.
WARNING: Check your local laws before removing the DPF
After reviewing the major players in this area Spartan (http://www.spartandieseltech.com/), SCT (http://www.sctflash.com/), and H&S (http://www.hsperformance.com/), I chose the H&S Mini-Maxx.
My primary reasons for purchasing the H&S Mini-Maxx over the Spartan phalanx (second choice) were (1) the ability to sell the product to someone else if I didn’t like it, and (2) the cost.
What follows is my report of the fuel mileage increase I experienced from using the Mini-Maxx alone WITH THE DPF STILL ON the truck. I’d love to hear about your own experiences with this product and similar products.
My guidelines for this test:
1. I kept my Boost at <10 PSI whenever possible.
2. I kept my throttle at < 15% whenever possible.
3. I attempt to keep RPMs around 1800 whenever possible.
Gauges monitored:
Throttle % (mini maxx)
Pyro 1 (mini maxx)
Oil temp (mini maxx)
Fuel Pressure (mini maxx)
RPM (dash, accuracy verified using mini-maxx)
Boost (dash, accuracy verified using mini-maxx)
Coolant temp (dash, accuracy verified using mini-maxx)
Trans Temp (dash, accuracy verified using mini-maxx)
Fuel level (dash obviously)
MPH (dash obviously)
Stock truck baseline (city / suburban driving only, no highway miles, no tune)
~11.2 MPG
With Mini-Maxx (city / suburban driving only, no highway miles, hot tune, DPF still on truck, no other upgrades). Firmware / tune version 6.4.21
14.4 MPG (hand calculated)
Note: After uploading the tune (DPF compatible, mild w/ 55 MPH lockup on Hot setting) I performed the trans learning steps (0-60 at 25% throttle, 0-60 at 50% throttle, and 0-80 at 100% throttle {in 2WD and not a boosted launch}). The 100% throttle was fun, the tires squealed briefly and the truck produced a small amount of black smoke before taking off like a rocket.
To improve truck longevity my defuel levels are set as follows:
Pyro 1: 1300 F (heat entering turbo, this is a conservative value)
Pyro 2: OFF
Coolant Hot: 210 F (default)
Coolant Cold: 140 F (allows truck to warm up before applying tune)
Boost: 36 PSI (this is a conservative value, I will do more research and may further lower this value)
Trans temp: 210 F (default)
Oil temp: 210 F (default)
-----------------------
My bottom line (and how I’m selling this expense to my wife
).Average miles driven per year: 12,000
Lowest Diesel price in my immediate area: $3.77
Approximate fuel burned per year at 11.2 MPG (without Mini-Maxx): 1071 gal.
Approximate fuel burned per year at 14.4 MPG (with Mini-Maxx): 833 gal.
Approximate fuel cost per year without Mini-Maxx: $4,037.67
Approximate fuel cost per year with Mini-Maxx: $3,140.41
Cost savings using the H&S Mini-Maxx: $897.26
Now, my H&S Mini-Maxx (without Pyro) cost $901.55 (including free next day air). So it will take be a little longer than a year to recoup this expense.
Note: With Ford 08’-10’ 6.4L trucks you don’t need or want the optional Pyro, you also don’t need bungs in the DPF delete pipes.
------------------------
My H&S Mini-Maxx review
What’s to love:
- Easy to install
- Easy to mount
- Easy to read
- Easy to update from the Internet
- Power and performance is great and I haven’t event removed the DPF yet.
- Truck is more responsive and feels better with the tune
- easy to return to stock (I did this in 10 minutes including removing the mount)
- changing the power levels while driving is nice. I used this feature once when a police officer was behind me (to prevent black smoke), and will use this feature in the future when towing to go from ‘hot’ to ‘stock power’’.
What’s not:
- When changing settings while driving (stopped at a light), and then returning to the gauges screen, the temperature displayed was incorrect. This is no big deal and since I have my Mini-Maxx powered from my ‘aux 1’ up-fitter switch, I simply flipped the switch.
Features I’d like to see
- I’d like to the ability to record 0-60 times
- I’d like like a screen with defuel history (e.g. time/event or just last event)
- I’d like a ¼ race simulator (e.g. Christmas tree)
- I’d like a defuel selector where I can easily switch between defuel settings all at once e.g. ‘longevity’ / ‘race’ / ‘tow’ / ‘economy’. This could also include the tune level.
- If possible, I’d like to be able to download some history to my pc e.g. defuel events, max speed, max boost, etc.
Important notes:
- Although many people tow using the ‘hot’ power level, when I tried to tow my 7,000 lbs camper on the hot power level, I experienced torque converter shudder. While driving at 65 MPH with the tow/haul mode on and cruise control on, when coming off a bridge as I hit the little seam bump between the bridge and the asphalt my truck began to shuddered violently. It felt like running over rumble strips or riding a jackhammer. I assumed at the time that I had blown a tire and pulled off to inspect the truck and the camper. After speaking to an out-of-town Ford dealer, which didn’t appear to know much (my local dealer is great), I called H&S and talked to a real person. The H&S tech explained that I was producing too much power on the hot setting for the torque converter while towing the camper. H&S’s recommended that I tow on the ‘no power’ (stock power) setting. They also mentioned that my torque converter may be going bad and/or the H&S overdrive transmission enhancement may help by increasing the pressure used to hold the torque converter in the ‘locked’ position. I’ve towed only one time since using the ‘no power’ (stock power) setting and did not experienced this problem again.
So far I’m pleased with my purchase, next I’ll do the DPF delete, and then maybe the air intake.
Freshman User
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
From: Fulton New York
Not to hijack this forum but has anyone with the mini maxx and delete kit had their truck reflashed I haven't got the lettle yet but i'm running the mini maxx with 4" straight pipes from the down pipe back. My milage went from 9-10 to 15-16 no towing all round driving and talk about power it now feels like a diesel thanks for any info
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,787
Likes: 102
From: Georgia
Gadget guy, I'm a bit suprised that you are making black smoke with the DPF on. How do you account for that? like the person above I'm wondering why you still have the DPF on. It's just a different computer entry to set the minim max so you can take the DPF off, right?
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Banned
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,457
Likes: 0
From: Grande Prairie, AB
6" lift and 37s and you;re hand calc 25-30mpg?!?! Not calling you a liar but id bet a years pay that aint right.
Freshman User
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
From: Fulton New York
Yes it's a programable entry and even in the hot mode I don't get alot of black smoke. like I said eariler my mileage is only 15-16 I have 3:73's and 275/70R18's and have been driving like theres an egg on the throttle keeping the boost as low as possible.
Hotshot
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,591
Likes: 14
From: Pflugerville, tx
Sam