Ok before anyone blast me I have been reading and reading and my eyes hurt and I am more confused as to what to buy now than I ever was. So many people with so many different settings, tuners, exhaust, and everything else. I want to improve my fuel mileage and I do plan on towing with it. Can someone please tell me what I should buy? If there is a site vendor to buy from I would be more than happy to shop there. Do I need to change anything else if I install a tuner? Please let me know what all I need to do this right. I would prefer not to void my factory warranty if thats possible. I have a 2010 F250 suoer crew cab Lariat with snowplow package and camper package. I am going to install new shocks because the ride is really rough. Other than this the whole truck is stock right now. Sorry for asking questions about something that has so many post but thats just it there is so much its confusing.

 

Step 1. Click on my user name...

Step 2. Click on "find all posts by Ronin 5729"

Step 3. Locate those posts with "tuner" in the title...

Step 4. Read those posts...

Step 5. PROFIT!

H&S in an excellent option (especially if you want shift-on-the-fly tune adjutability) and this sub-forum's sponsor, Thoroughbred Diesel (upper right corner of this page) would be a great place to start shopping!

 

Thanks for the reply but I have searched through these forums and have literally read 100's of posts which is why I am asking someone to just tell me what they have that works. I clicked on your name and then the posts you have made and I am right where I started. Sifting through posts to try to find one that says tuner. Thanks for the reply I guess if I get the motivation or urge I will go back through and sift through more post. But for now I would like to just get this over with and buy what I need.

 

Mileage gains are hard to gauge because the truck becomes a lot more driveable once deletes are done.
I noticed a relatively big increase in mileage on highway after tuning with an H&S Mini Maxx and deleting the DPF with a 4" Flo-Pro straight pipe.
From my experience I would recommend this to anyone who has a stock truck.
My 2 cents.

 

I progressively Added a Mini Maxx, S&B intake, 4" turbo back system with 5" tip. It's great. I also tow at times. I love the shift in the fly. H&S just released new firmware update today that allows you to change tunes, shift schedules and low boost options without having to plug into the computer, download chosen option and reload into truck. It's been great. Keep a good balance of highway & city and you'll be happy. City driving only, the only thing to help fuel consumption would be to hitch a ride on a trailer. You will not void your warranty. It could potentially cause you to be denied a warranty claim if ford deems the failure to be cause by your modification. But do know that whatever mod you choose, I'll bet money that if Ford wanted to deny your claim, theirs a high probability they will show why your pet cause this failure.

 

If you're deleting, you're voiding your warranty, period. Arguing the Moss-Magnuson Warranty Act with your dealer as they entering your VIN into OASIS and voiding your warranty is like telling someone with a gun in your face asking for your wallet that they're breaking the law. It won't do you any good. There are dealers voiding warranties for DPF-back exhausts and intakes without tuners for crying out loud; a tuner is an instant get out of jail free card for the dealer, PERIOD. There is NO such thing as a "mod friendly" dealer either. If a dealer covers something under warranty that they shouldn't, they're in violation of Ford corporate warranty policy, which can get them in big trouble...

With that in mind you can always be that "I'll just return it to stock guy", which I like to refer to as the "warranty fraud scumbag". If you wanna play and run at power levels up to double stock, then put your big boy pants on and pay for it when you break something. Those "free" warranty repairs aren't free; they're passed along to everyone in the form of higher MSRPs, maintenance, and warranty and repair costs, so you'll have to excuse me if I don't want to pay for some jackarse who blew his headgaskets street racing a Too Fast Too Furious Honda Civic with a fart-can muffler...

Now, what was the question?

Spartan (Dash Daq is the BEST gauge pack for these trucks), drop-in high-flow filter for tunes up to 250HP over stock so you don't suck in the filter minder (there's been mixed results, so you just may want to cut to the chase and get a full intake right off the bat) and a DPF/DOC-delete pipe and you're good to go. Avoid "canned" tune garbage like Edge, Superchips, etc. like a scorching case of herpes. I run a SCT LiveWire with Gearhead and Innovative Diesel Performance tunes myself, KEM and H&S are excellent alternatives to Spartan. Spend the money right the first time, or you'll have to the second! Proper gauges are critical, which is why I'm a big(ger) fan of the Spartan over the others...

 

I can't truly argue with you, but in my opinion it's how you look at it. A mod friendly dealer to me, is one that won't deny your claim instantly once they discover your tuned. Their are dealers that will assist you because they know just as much as you and I that your tuner didn't cause your radiator failure.

 

Absolutely...the radiator is an excellent example. It's a documented issue, so regardless of whether or not a tuner is present it should be handled under warranty. I'm specifically talking about these chuckleheads that are stretching their headbolts and blowing the headgaskets or trashing their transmission, then reinstalling the DPF and returning to stock and going to their dealer and playing stupid. That's fraud, plain and simple...

 

From experience i would go with H&S. I had both h&S and Spartan and both will make you smile compared to stock but H&S is stronger in a few areas. I also got a solid 2mpg improvement with both. neither tuner was better in this area. Currently i get 18mpg driving 70-75mph on interstate. Not great but not bad either. I can get 20 or slightly better driving 60mph but who really drives that way anymore with the higher speed limits. Performance wise H&S seems much more responsive at least on my truck anyway. I much prefer the switch on the fly and now you can also change tranny tuning with the minimax as well. Lastly customer support is just plain and simple better and faster with H&S. But again you can't go wrong with either one so you can't loose. Good luck and let us know how it turns out for you.

 

Exactly my point. Theres an elevated number of EGR, HPFP, oil cooler, turbo and whatever other failures. Way more than we all feel should be in a $50K+ truck. But some dealers/engineers see a tuner or signs of a tuner and automatically deny your claim and flag your VIN in Oasis. I'm not by any means crying "magnuson/moss" but damn.

 

Ok I spoke with shop in northeast ohio and he has suggested buying a lot of what I have read about on here. This is what his suggestion is.

MBRP 5" AL. DP Back Exhaust No Bungs w/Muffler 08-10 6.4L Powerstroke $459.99

2008-10 Ford 6.4L Powerstroke S&B Filters Air Intake Kit (Dry Disposable Filter)

They are going to give me the intake for 279.99

2008-2010 6.4L Ford Powerstroke - H&S Performance

901.55 for the tuner

For everything plus installation they want $1950.00

I got another price from another company who wanted $2400 but the exhaust and CAI were different and they were also installing the plastic dock for the tuner.

I am ready to buy and want to get this done, does this seem like a fair price?

 

I'm assuming you live in Ohio...?

And the shop is recommending an aluminum exhaust, is that correct?

If that is the case, move on, unless you want to be replacing it after a winter or two. You need to go stainless.

The intake kit is decent. S&B and aFe are great choices for this truck, and as long as the filter itself isn't a K&N you'll be good to go.

You want to keep your H&S displayed and not throw in the glovebox after you're done tuning, so a good mount is an excellent idea. The suction cup mount is kind of lame and is an attention magnet when parked...

They want $300 for the install. That's not including the money they're gonna make on selling you the product, which is likely close to another $300. As I suggested previously, if you want to go H&S, I'd purchase a package deal from this forum's sponsor, Thoroughbred Diesel and in addition to upgrading to a 409 SS exhaust for $50 cheaper (free shipping, no tax) you can very easily install this stuff yourself in less than a full day with minimal previous mechanical experience/expertise. Call them at 866-737-4966 and they'll give you a package deal price and you'll save even more.

Put that $300+ back in your "mod money account" and save it for later!

 

I heard about not putting the K&N in the 6.4l before, any particular reason behind this?

 

Theres a livewire W/innovative tunes on Ebay for $525, thats a great deal and I think you will be pretty happy with their tunes...I am.

You can get a good deal on an exhaust and intake on ebay as well.....


just saying.....

 

Yes.

They're garbage.

Requisite scientific proof to back up previous statement found HERE.

I understand the study is a little dated (can't recall the exact date at the moment) but I know insofar as my own particular intake/filter choice is concerned (aFe) that have changed/improved their filter design/composition since this test (even though it performed well in several categories in the testing). I mentioned S&B too because they use similar filter technology.

I know first hand that my aFe is doing the job as the silicate level in my oil analysis is nonexistent. That's the number one indicator that the intake is letting too much through and the damage that can do from dusting the turbos on its way down to the oil pan can be dramatic, depending on your driving/environmental conditions and vehicle (including filter) maintenance, or lack thereof...

K&N has spent bazillions of advertising dollars, quite successfully I might add, convincing the public at large that high flow equals high(-er) horsepower and torque. They just leave out the fact that all extra air they're letting into your engine has a whole bunch of damaging crap in it (dirt/sand/silicate type particulates) which effectively damages your motor and shortens its life.

Newer dry filters (non-oiled) and enhanced multilayer filters (like aFe's Pro-GUARD 7) address that issue and allow increased air-flow over stock while maintaining a high degree of filtration. The turbos on these trucks can be voracious when it comes to air, even when mildly tuned, and will suck in the filter minder on the stock intake easily which is why an intake is recommended when tuning for power levels that are about 250HP over stock or higher...

YMMV of course!