The dpf-r tuning is lackluster at best, a good custom tow file that actually tunes the trans properly is really your best bet. Either way a 6.4 isn't going to smoke unless something is wrong with it or you have a race file loaded. Most tow tunes are going to pull fuel and push air earlier to keep smoke and egts down.

As for H&S being your problem, it sounds to me like its more you not understanding the power levels. Mild, Hot, and HD300 all have several different power levels within the timing table. Almost everyone does it with H&S, they load up the HD tunes and put it in tow and think its ok to tow with. Essentially what you are doing is loading up timing tables then choosing fuel/turbo mapping. People running H&S without actually understanding how the tuning works are generally going to run into major failures sooner rather than later.

If you are going to run one of the dpf-r tuners you still want to pair it up with something like an edge cts2. The only thing more vital than deleting a 6.4 is having the ability to monitor.

In addition to the pcm tuning itself most custom tunes will do a lot for the trans as well. This includes upping shift pressures, adjusting shift points, and the ability to control when the torque converter locks. The 5r is a very strong trans, proper tuning makes it even better.

There is a lot more that goes into tuning, the closer to stock you can keep the power level the better. However, its not all about the numbers. Its about how the pcm controls that power and a good tow tune will control fuel, trans, and boost to keep cylinder pressures and heat in check. Most won't advance timing anything over stock.

 

If you just do the delete DPF and EGR with the Gearbox Z DPFR tuner and leave the stock tune in, you won't likely see much smoke if any. I have the DPFR 4.0+ and it's tuned with the 70 horsepower tune. I see very little smoke. I'll see a little puff of black smoke when I first start out and that's it. I'm only pulling 7000 lbs. though. I haven't noticed any smoke just driving without the trailer.

 

I dont have any plans to run performance tunes, just stock only. The tuner and dpf delete pipe is all I'm doing right now. I already have a monitor (Scangauge) that I have setup to monitor egt, tranny temp, oil temp and water temp.

Thanks for the info on smoke. I really like not blowing black smoke all the time.

 

Listen to this Wiseman

Stock Tune all the way for me

I wouldn't dare run anything else other than deleting the regen's

& I don't even tow

 

Hey CRAZYSOB you got us mixed up. The OP was asking about smoke. I was answering him. I blew the HG not because I didn't understand the tuner. I blew the HG because I forgot I had changed to the higher tune the day before I hooked up for the trip. I was 71 at the time and had a senior moment. The fact that they had just renamed the tune TOW was just irony. They were being looked at hard by EPA at that point and I guess they renamed the tunes to go along with their defense. My point to the OP was to always tow in a stock tune which I think is the same thing you told him.

As a matter of interest my first tuner on the 6.4L was an Edge. A lot of folks on here bad mouthed them but the tunes were mild and would not change on the fly. The Edge did what the DPF-R does, allowed me to get the DPF off and let the truck breath. I think I paid $250 for it off Craigs list. For those of us who aren't interested in drag racing or tractor pulling or making a spectacle of ourselves down the main street a low key tuner is all we really need. Had I kept the Edge I wouldn't have blown the HG (I think).

I have the Edge CTS in my truck (stock) now and I agree monitoring is a good idea. But doesn't the DPF-R the OP is looking at block the OBD port?

 

From my understanding, I can hook it up to port, flash pcm, the remove tuner.

 

Aha. I did not know that. Makes sense now.

 

With the gear box you flash it and then remove it from the port.

You need to monitor the vitals.

I ran a banks 6 gun on my 6.4. I monitored with the banks IQ. The IQ could change the settings as well as monitor and clear codes.

I always ran with it in stock form for anything over 10K pounds and less than 10K I would run at level 2 (economy) giving, if I recall, about 70 hp over stock.

Golden rule on the 6.4 was stock power for towing and those heads will hold and you can have your foot on the floor all day long.

 

My 6.4 Gearbox Z with Stock settings sees the stock boost gauge pegged out on long steep hills in overdrive NOT Towing.

Both EGR coolers & rear pipe have been removed with aftermarket intake elbow.

High boost concerns me but I'm older & don't drive it hard at all.

It's been great for 4yrs deleted

 

6.4 is also designed for a max of 41 psi of boost.

 

Thanks for all the information and comments everyone. Gonna order the gearbox z kit with delete pipe and use my scangauge to monitor after pcm flash. Will update after install.

 

I suppose I worded my post wrong, your case is pretty much the story of the 6.4... Most of the big name tuners allow for huge power gains with little to no effort on the drivers part. There are aspects of these tunes that really are needed and help the 6.4 massively, the power isn't one of them though lol. The real problem with the edge, dpf-r, banks, etc comes down to trans tuning. The stock trans tuning is pretty much designed around making the truck comfortable to drive. Those "soft" shifts actually cause excess heat when towing and we all know how much transmissions love heat... Any custom tow tune is going to tune the trans for quicker shifts/higher shift pressure. Spartan actually has some of the better trans tuning however some people think they are a bit harsh. But there is a reason that for a while there was a string of trans failures on trucks running edge tuners. Its a huge reason why the gm and dodge crowd run away from edge like its the plague.

That all said, the nice thing about the dpf-r is you load up a tune and forget about it. A good custom tow tune is still going to run better and get better fuel economy though. You get what you pay for when it comes to any 6.4 parts though...

 

Matt, the DPFR tuner with just the deletes running factory tune on the engine is just that. You are running stock programming minus the regenerations and EGR. If you tow, it is a good idea to do so with the Tow/Haul feature engaged. The transmission will function the same as it always has with the Regens and EGR functioning before the deletes. One won't punish the transmission any more than a completely stock truck would.

 

Greg, that's exactly what I was thinking. Just delete dpf with stock tune and still use tow/haul when I pull camper. Not looking for hp or torque gains except what I get from dpf delete.

 

You can also monitor with your phone or other android device using a 20$ OBD-II dongle with bluetooth and the ForSCAN app. I've been using it and it works great, even allowing you to monitor EGT. The app costs about $5.