I know there are multiple threads on this forum about this, but I was hoping to get a little more information. I drive a 2002 F250 7.3L with about 235k miles on it, and I've been looking into getting either a programmer or a tuner for a while now. My issue is that I know just about nothing about programmers and tuners other than the fact that they improve the performance of your vehicle. From what I've seen, a lot of people seem to recommend the DP Tuner. Looking at their website, there are two of them, one for $450 and one for $814. The more expensive one is preloaded with standard tunes.

My question is which one should I get, and if I get the cheaper one, which tunes should I get for it. Also, what all can the tuner really do? I've read about it changing the horsepower of your vehicle, but that's about all I know. I'm also curious if I ever decided to sell my truck, would I be able to install my tuner on a different vehicle, or is it more or less tuned for that specific vehicle.

Any information you can give me would be great, I really don't know a whole lot and I'm doing my best to learn as I go. Thank to all who reply!

 

You may want to look into my future addition, the PHP hydra chip. You have access to PHP's full library of tunes for free with purchase of the chip, plus almost anyone can write tunes for it, some popular ones are Gear Head and Tony Wildman (there are plenty of others too, but Gear Head for me!) the good thing about a chip is you can change the tune you are running in the fly, whereas with a tuner you have to stop and load the tune onto your PCM. One thing that Gear Head does offer is the ability to update your tunes for free as you mod your truck. You call them, tell them what you have changed and they then email you a new tune / set of tunes to load onto your chip via a computer. Long gone are the days of pulling the chip to mail it in for updates, yay!!

One word of caution some wise folks here told me.... you want to make sure your truck is running at 100% before you start creating more issue (and potentially more expensive issues) as item that are borderline start to fail with the added Hp / torque...... this is part of the reason I have not purchased the chip as yet.

 

Hydra tuned by Gear Head, hands down great choice. I could not be happier with my tunes from Gear Head.

Their customer service is great, they have lifetime free updates and are very responsive to your needs and wants out of your truck.

I get 18.5 MPG unloaded and 12 MPG loaded with our 36ft 5th wheel on the daily driver and heavy tow tunes by Gear Head. I know a lot goes into MPG ratings, but I know the truck runs great and has no problems performing like you think a 7.3 diesel should.

 

Ok thank you for the advice! I'd never heard of the PHP chip either, so I'll definitely look into that

 

PHP Hydra with a tune provider of your choice, like Matt @ Gearhead or Tony Wildman - and I wish Brian @ BTS would tune on the Hydra.

Your stock injectors have about 60-65 HP in reserve with stock tuning, so as enticing as those big-numbered tunes are - they are for modified trucks.

Many people use a Daily Drive (DD) tune, which is essentially as smooth as stock and has the added 60 HP available when the right foot sags.

Race tunes make the truck touchy, aggressive, and not necessarily all that different from DD for power - it just gives the sensation that it's quicker. For some odd reason, there is a link between our right foot and the seat of our pants. If our right foot moves a little and the seat of our pants feels a large movement - we go all girly in our heads, screaming "Whee!". The 0-80 time is the true measure of how much power a tune is putting to the pavement - not the seat-of-the-pantsometer.

The tow tune will depend on how heavy you pull: You're not looking for more HP in some cases - just better management of the transmission to aid in the prevention of a shortened lifespan.

Stock tune is always a good one to have in the first position, there are times when you want that - like troubleshooting and testing something specific or driving in the rain, mud, snow, or ice.

I live near the Canadian border, and our winters get less than friendly. I have a warm-up tune that greatly accelerates the warm-up time - the truck just hisses when this is active. Some people have the high-idle without the warm-up feature - because they removed their Exhaust Back Pressure Valve, they don't live in a cold environment, or they just have a need for more idle power - like a PTO or for battery jumping.

There are quiet tunes and they really work for that purpose - but they stink like hell. You can't use it at the coffee window in the winter, but you can stealthily pull into the campground at night.

Valet or Teen tune is for those times you toss the keys to somebody else. Yeah... like some gamer is gunna get the keys outta my hands.

Engine braking - can be engine "breaking" if not properly used. Under the right circumstances, you can push the exhaust valve down during decel. While the valve is not likely to ever collide with the piston (the valve barely opens), you risk pulling away from the pushrod and it falls out of position or gets bent. Saying all of that I've used engine braking for years under many scenarios with no issues, except a sticky EBPV because of a casting flaw in the turbo exhaust port (which I corrected). I'm prepping an engine with 910 competition springs and .030 shims. The math works out to about 40% more holding power, and that's enough to make the engine braking work without a valve "jacking". Why do I use the engine braking if there's a risk? I didn't know better before I bought the tune... but the engine survived and I learned how to use it more wisely to reduce the risk. Engine braking really, really works - and it vastly extends the life of my very expensive brakes. There... I've given all the caveats and bennies of engine braking - the rest is up to you.

Before clicking the "Buy" button, I would suggest clicking on the custom tunes link in my signature.

 

I would definitely go with the Hydra lots more choices for tuning and the free PHP tunes are pretty good.

 

We have quite a few tuning options to choose from. A couple different switch on the fly chips, and a couple different programmers. I would be happy to help you get you setup with what would work best for you. Just give me a call or shoot me an e-mail. I can build the chip or programmer to include the tunes that will work best for you specifically.

We do offer pre-loaded options too. They come with either 12 (programmer) or 16 (chip) tunes pre-loaded on them. This is a popular option if you want to have all the tunes we have available, and plan on keeping your truck pretty much stock.

Let me know if you have any questions. I am here to help.

 

I have the Infinity from DP on a 2001 F350 with 56k miles and like it. It monitors the Ford PIDs along with the EGT's using the additional sensor. I do not have to flip-on-the-fly but can add if needed. If I'm towing my gooseneck i load a tow tune or just run with the DD any other time. I'm not looking to flip between tunes, but that's just me.

I've only recently heard of PHP which they seem to be popular or at least being heavily promoted.

DP was the one most of the places recommended when I originally bought mine. DP has been great getting me any answers I've ever needed addressed.

Good luck, I'm sure both will work well.

 

PHP has not been promoted here, our forum sponsor is DP - you'll see their logo in the upper-right corner on the regular website (not the mobile website). Hydra is a product developed by PHP, but is being marketed by other tuners as well. Any popularity of Hydra in this specific DP-sponsored forum comes by word-of-mouth from those who have the product (many have formerly owned DPs) - not hype, promotion, or marketing.

 

I have the DP chip with the canned 16 tunes, I am very pleased with the results on what is otherwise a stock truck, to be fair I don't have anything to compare it to other than stock, but with the high hp tune it knocks nearly 3 seconds off the 0-60mph, my only gripe (which I haven't spoken to dp about yet) is the 2-3 shift is a little harsh on the tow tunes, but as I'm away on vacation for another couple of weeks it can wait until I get home.

 

I had the same harsh shifts with the DP tow tunes also mine was the 80hp tow. The 80 DD shifted nice though.

 

I'm running PHP Hydra's with PHP tunes in both of my trucks, the tunes on my '01 are a little touchy on the throttle response. The tunes in my '97 are much more smooth and factory feeling. Overall, I like the hydra platform due to flexibility in tuner selection.

 

I have PHP's Phoenix (6-position chip) and have only had one issue. Two tunes had a weird 2-3 shift issue at residential speeds (hunting). Called them and they re-flashed all 6 tunes with their latest versions. All has been great since and I've enjoyed the tunes for several years now.

 

I have ran DP for about 7-8 years now and just recently tried PHP. From my experience PHP has a little better tranny tuning but DP has them beat on the power end.