I have not installed the chip yet but these are my initial thoughts.
First, it is smaller than I thought it would be. You can compare it to the flash drive in the picture.

Second, it seems a couple things were not very well thought out. The ribbon cable that is provided to link the switch to the chip feeds through the bottom. Because of this there is no way to hide the cable and have a clean install. Also the cable is light gray and pinkish in color so it is very visible. With all these bright minds that worked on this I think they could have figured something out to fix this.

Third, you have to buy the "optional usb cable" to be able to program the chip without removing it from the truck. It seems that since the chip was made to make things easier to load tunes that they would include the necessary cable. They do include a cable but it has a straight connector instead of a right angle so it will not work while the chip is connected to the truck.

I not trying to bash the product. This is just for those that are considering buying the chip. An honest review always helps when thinking about making a purchase. I am sure I will have positive things to say once I figure out where I will put it so it can have a clean "as factory as possible" look.

 

We installed mined this weekend also. I love how easy it was to program.

I am so with you about the switcher. I am not in love with it at all for the exact same reasons you stated. Why not have the ability to plug it into the rear of the switcher?

I'm not a fan of the TS style switchers either but would take one of them in a heartbeat over this. Absolutely no way to hide wire.

I wish the lighted style style TS switcher would work with it or another of style round switcher. The lled colors should be able to be changed also.

All in all, I love everything that it does right up til the grey ribbon coming out of it and what that plugs into.

 

I was perfectly happy with my little round *** but tweaking tunes is a pain. Especially when u have single shots.
I wondered why not have the port built into the switch as well.

 

You got any pics of the install? got a buddy thinking about the hydra and would like to see how it compares to my F6

 

I'm installing mine tonight, with Gearhead tunes. They installed easy, but the PHP tunes are listed by hex code, not PCM code, vehicle, or any other meaningful way. Is there a decoder ring I need to wear to figure out what PHP tunes I can/should install on my Excursion?

I'm documenting my install and will post pics of the switcher mount when I'm done. It may involve some... carving... so I want to make sure I'm happy before finalizing the install.

Mark

 

The hex code is actually THE MOST meaningful way to do it.

However, in your case, you'll want VRAA6Y3 (01 Excursion, right?).

 

Agreed, but those codes have to map to something a customer is likely to understand, or at least be able to easily look up. After I posted here, I found this table on another site. According to it my EBM2 maps to VRAA7Y5. Correct?

Mark

 

Yep, but I don't think you'll find too many calibrations for that hex code. EBM1 (VRAA6Y3) is the one PHP uses.

EDITED.

 

You are correct. *7Y5 only had 5 calibrations, while *6Y3 has 24. Assuming I picked the same tune from both lists - 65 towing, for example - what would be the difference between them?

Thanks for you help, BTW, I appreciate you being on here.

Mark

 

Basically, the "not-as-popular" calibrations such as the VRAA7Y5 are taken from Bill's much older Gryphon (privately labeled Edge Evo) base stock. Just for reference, the EBM1 is the Excursion equivalent of PMT1 for the F-250/350 while, you guessed it, the EBM2 is the Excursion equivalent of PMT2.

You can certainly run them, but DO NOT mix the calibrations on the chip because you will end up with a stall or stumble when switching between the two different base calibrations.

 

Good to know! What about having both PHP and Gearhead tunes loaded. Can those be switched between? I'm guessing not...

Mark

 

It depends what base calibration Matt is using for his Excursions. I would ASSUME EBM1 (VRAA6Y3) since it's the more popular PMT1-based calibration (and that the tuning is done with the same tuning software definition file for both).

Personally, if I were to run a chip with the capability of holding so many calibrations (for whatever reason) and I had say, three trucks, I'd put tuning for each one on the chip. That would save a ton of money and it would only take 10 seconds to go from one truck to the next.

Provided all three trucks took different tuning, the first three positions could be for one truck, the second truck could use the next three, and maybe three or four for the third truck. The no-start and bypass would work for all three. The only thing I'd have to remember is which truck used what positions...and not switch between the different calibrations for the other trucks. The worst that would happen is the engine would stall......

 

You can change a chip in 10 seconds?

 

With regard to the switcher, it is much smaller than it appears in PHP's photos. Part of the problem is that we assume the case in their photos is the size of, for example, a Dewalt drill case, since the shapes are similar. It's actually much smaller than that. Note the quarter below the switcher in this photo:



The switcher actually measures 1.965" tall, by 1.38" wide, by 0.788" deep, which is a little shorter, a little wider, and a little deeper than the F5 switcher, if you are familiar with those.

I had my F5 mounted in one of their JMS switcher mounts, so I filed the PHP switcher down so it would fit into it, and opened up a hole in the back of the JMS for the cable. Here's how it looks in the truck:



It'll seat a little further, but I left it angled up slightly, for now.

Mark

 

This won't mount in the gage bracket like the F5? Are there two screws in the back? Thats how my F5 mounts. I've been thinking about going this route so I can try different tuners tunes. I like my F5 but going to single shots soon.