I have a Hydra on order for my 7.3 wih the ZF 6 Speed and would like to know if anyone with a 6 speed is using the Hydra. I see that there are a lot of tunes available for the Hydra even before you start going the custom tune route, do any of these workout better than others with the 6 speed? I also tow a 11,500 lb. 5th wheel so I am also curious about towing tunes.
Thanks,
Bill

 

Well I guess there are not many 6 speed owners on here.
Bill

 

Got the 6 speed, but not the hydra! Still running DP tuner F5 and love the way it runs!

 

I should have said 6 speed with a Hydra Chip.
Bill

 

Whew, been a while since I've logged into FTE. I've got the Hydra and the ZF-6. I did a ton of research, and was fortunate enough to spend time with the elusive super tuner Cody. With a manual tranny, his thought was one tune can get it done. We don't have the shift points of an auto tranny to worry about, so we don't need anything different for towing versus daily driving. There is a caveat though - every truck is different, even trucks with the same mods. I was able to have him live tune my truck, test drive, repeat, until we got it right. Yes, you can have decent success with some off the shelf tunes, and some of those guys are willing to rework the tunes and email revisions. I had six tunes with my Hydra, and now I only drive Cody's tune, no matter if I'm empty or grossing 14k.

A lot of "high power" tunes come with a way too touchy throttle to make the truck jump and feel like it's got the juice. Cody dialed in the throttle sensitivity to make it feel stock, but when I mash it, it's calling for all the fuel my injectors can push. It did take a few revisions to get it just right, so be aware you may have a few emails back and forth with a tuner if you can't do it in person.

 

Oh yeah, make sure you're monitoring EGT's with a gauge. Uphill with a load, you'll skyrocket the EGT's in 6th!

 

Thanks Steve that is the kind info I've been looking for. I have the Hydra now and have programmed it from the list of PHP's Tunes on the Hydra Flash Program. I haven't installed it yet due to time constraints but hope to have it complete by Sunday. I have gages - EGT, Boost and Fuel Pressure on a 3 hole A-Pillar mount. I will put some miles on it and play with the different tunes. I do wonder about throttle sensitivity, as you know it can be a real pain when backing, mine seems to idle high in reverse when backing. I now put it in 4x4 low with hubs unlocked when backing my 5th. wheel to slow it down some. I didn't even bother to load the 140 smoke show, 140 lope idle and a couple of the high idle rpm ones. That good cause it leaves me openings for some custom tunes if I need to go that route without having to replace any of the regular Hydra ones already programmed.
Bill

 

Hey Steve! How have you been, buddy?


We didn't exactly "live tune" your vehicle. I tried some stuff and then made a change to it after the test drives. In all honesty, I was WAY too lazy to hook up the emulator to the truck...and driving in town with a Romulator is actually pretty dangerous. I picked up some different hardware though that's REALLY easy, fast, and safe to use so if you're ever interested in trying out some cold-start smoke stuff, let me know. It still bothers me that you're having that issue.

On another note, tuning for anything that's not stock - transmission and injectors most specifically - should ONLY be done with the guy writing the calibrations right there with the vehicle. Sure, "tunes" can be close enough when done from across the country, but there are a lot of little nuances between each vehicle and the quality/brand/manufacturer of the aftermarket parts that are being thrown at these things.

Regardless, it's good to hear that you're still around. Still have my number? We'll have to hit one of the two brew pubs in your neighborhood sometime.

 

You shouldn't have any problems with the PHP calibrations in the "sensitivity" regard. The idle speed is 680-ish RPM regardless of the gear, but with the PCM's desire to maintain that idle speed, the truck takes off (fast and uncontrollably sometimes). It's always a good idea to do low-speed stuff in low range no matter the transmission. Not only for wear part longevity, but for control and safety reasons too.



They're pointless and stupid anyway.....

It's not as if replacing calibrations on a Hydra is that big of a deal though. Simply erase and rewrite the ones you want, where you want...all within a few seconds.

 

I also forgot to add (since I was only in the house to grab a beer because I was taping my car for a flame paintjob) that no matter how "good" you or others think your talents may be, there will ALWAYS be those people who aren't happy; not because the truck runs poorly, but because NOBODY has the exact same taste in how they believe a truck should run. I have a hard time tuning for 200% nozzles and it's not because the truck runs bad...it runs like stock. I can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that people USUALLY buy "large" injectors to go fast in a hurry. I don't drive like that so I don't tend to "tune" for that kind of driving style.

In this case though, it's hard to go wrong with tuning for stock injectors. Well, maybe not...... Either you learn to leave well-enough alone and refine factory stuff or you continue to use the old Evolution 15000 "100 HP" tune with added timing forever.

 

cleatus12r, I really do appreciate the great input from you. You guys are so far ahead of me on this chip/tunes stuff and it's good to know I can get inputs from you before I go and do something stupid.
When it comes to backing my 5th wheel slow is the word, I really got tired of fighting the clutch and brake at the sametime and thats when I went to the old 4x4 low thing. It sort of reminds me of an old farm tractor I used to drive a bit, man that thing had a granny gear.
Bill

 

Cody, I'm doing great. Replied to your email a month or two ago, maybe it didn't make it across the interwebs. I'm engaged - I know, I know, but she's a damn good girl. And she loves the truck.

I'd be into checking out anything that may give us some insight on the cold start smoke issue (and my neighbors would love it too!). I'm still sitting on the fuel pressure test kit. Once summer hits, I enjoy it as much as possible before the snow flies. And now it's hunting season.

I finally got back on FTE last week for the first time in a while. I've been digging through forums looking at LPOP, HPOP, and fuel pressure related to cold start smoke. It's just weird that plugging the block heater in makes a big difference - it's like the PCM isn't getting the right info for oil temp, and defaulting to a 65 degree reference all the time. I'm not sure how plugging the block heater in would help fuel pressure increase, if that were the issue. And all the threads for low fuel pressure seem to indicate it is apparent at higher RPM's rather than lower, which is where my problem is.

I'd be stoked to discuss it some more.

Sorry about the thread hijack, Bill, but I think you were all wrapped up here.

 

Not a problem Steve however I do have a question now that I have installed the Hydra. I sent an email to PHP but haven't heard back from them yet. I've been playing around with the various tunes I loaded and am pretty happy so far. I haven't got a chance to tow that's the area I really want to check out. I loaded the 40 & 65 hp towing tunes. My question is, when selecting the tune and I get to the last tune and push the button to go on to the first tune the selector will not automatically go to number one, it just stops and indicates what looks like an upside down u and 5. Then I have to go back through all the tunes I loaded to get back to #1. Is this normal or did I do something wrong? I have a total of 14 tunes including stock and no start loaded.
Thanks,
Bill

 

That's proper operation for the Hydra. The last tune spot is reserved for No Start. You can switch to that tune, kill the ignition, and the Hydra won't allow the truck to start until switched to a different tune. It's even better if you pluck the switching unit, as a thief couldn't switch to a tune without having the same Hydra switch. What you saw on the display is 'ns' for No Start.

 

...though a savvy thief could unplug the Hydra chip entirely from your PCM and make off with the truck. It may take them a bit to figure that one out though.