No, I need several tunes. I use the high idle all the time, and I would like a functioning whisper/drive-thru tune ( something the DP one never did). I would also like a light tow tune for when I haul 4k in the bed, a daily driver performance tune, maybe a highway economy tune, and maybe an all-out tune for occasionally playing.
$400-$450 is reasonable I guess. I just don't see the justification for why PHP and DynoProven are so much more. Can anyone, who has run tunes from several of these vendors, tell me/justify why the others are "worth" so much more?

Also, any comments on customer service/timely response to issue, on any or all of the above vendors? I simply won't tolerate being ignored by a company after spending that much money with them. Also, the truck is miserable to drive with no chip, so I need fast turn around. I'm worried about some of the stories I've heard of people not getting tunes for weeks. That can't happen. Whoever I go with has to have the chip and tunes in my hands in days. So, who has a reputation for fast turn around?

 

Call and talk to a few tuners. I was told that the biggest difference between a tow and daily tune of the same power output from the same vendor was mainly shifting in the automatic trucks so with the zf6 less tunes exist.

you may end up with
1 Hi idle
2 drive thru
3 light tow/dd will most likely be the same.
4 econmy
5 all out

 

When I bought my GH tunes with the Hydra, I had them setup as below.

1 - daily driver/light tow
2 - high idle (1100 RPM)
3 - heavy tow
4 - no start
5 - stock

I use daily driver as such, high idle when needed and then heavy tow to pull my 5th wheel. I get the mileage in my signature which is hand calculated over thousands of miles over mountains and across plains.

I know this is not what you asked about, but I am showing you how a tuner can set you up with what you want, if you ask/pay for it.

The others charge more because people are still paying for them at those prices. Sounds like you need to start making a pros and cons list and make an educated decision based on your needs, cost and gut feeling.

 

I have 3 tunes from Cody, DD, tow and a performance tune that I never use. So, I could drop the performance tune, and a high idle and be VERY content.

 

I ordered a Hydra from Full Force Diesel, and I will be ordering the tunes from PHP tomorrow.

 

Don't order the PHP tunes, they come with the Hydra by default.

 

No, it comes with access to the PHP library, which is tunes for STOCK injectors.
As per PHP, none of the "free" tunes will work with my 180/0 singles.

I did not buy the chip/tunes package from Full force; just the chip. I bought it on ebay, from their ebay "store". The reason being that I had a "rewards" bonus offer active on ebay, that effectively gave me a $25 discount that I couldn't get otherwise.
Combining that with a 6 tune package from PHP resulted in about spending about $50 less overall, vs buying the wiole package from PHP.

I could have bought the chip/tunes combo from FFD, for about $100 less then what I spent. But Ryan advised me I would be better off getting the tunes directly from PHP if I thought I might need a number of revisions, either now or in the future. It would just be "cleaner" to deal directly with the tuner.

 

Let us know how those PHP tunes run on your EGT gauge. Some have great luck with PHP, others have nearly melted their trucks.

 

That would have been a helpful statement...yesterday. Its too late now.

I thought PHP/Bill was THE godfather of 7.3L tuning? What happened? Should I insist that the tunes are made personally by Bill, VS some protege/minion?

I probably will not be buying/using an "All Out" type of tune, so there is that. Additionally, I don't tow anything, and I rarely encounter any kind of serious hills/grades. Between that, the fact that its a stick, and I'm in NJ ( tons of traffic), I pretty much never get into a situation where I would be under load and in the throttle for an extended period of time. Yes, I beat it like a scalded red-head step-child of a dog, that I stole..... from stop light to stop light, etc... But its never sustained for more then about 30 seconds at a time. Highway cruising, regardless of speed/rpm, generally has the engine under very light load.
So, hopefully, I'll be ok.

I've had some expensive Autometer factory match gauges ( boost and EGT) sitting in the box for nearly 2 years. They will not be going in anytime soon. I'm not putting any extra work into the truck UNTIL I am able to do the drivetrain swap. If I keep making the truck better as is, I won't be motivated to tear it apart, and it needs to get done. Plus, I will be replacing the exhaust manifolds when the cab is gone, so no point in wasting time and effort drilling/tapping the crusty old one now.

 

EDITED

Not trying to be an *** but I do not see this ending well.....

 

What is that supposed to mean?

 

I think he meant that you don't seem to want to install gauges on a tuned truck. Honestly, that's good advice. But since you don't use your truck to tow anything, I'm not really sure it matters. When I'm driving around mostly empty, I ignore all the gauges because it's impossible to push the truck to its limits, even tuned, without pulling a load.

 

Yeah, I know gauges are a good idea. I paid for them (Alot actually. Those Autometer factory matches gauges are not cheap). I just don't have the time/motivation right now. They will go in eventually. If it was just putting the gauges in, it would probably be done. I just don't feel like dealing with the electrical crap at the moment. The other problem is where I plan to put them. I bought the autometer "pod" that overlays the stock cluster trim panel, and puts the gauges in each bottom corner of the cluster. This will block the WTS, BRAKE, and possibly some other lights from view. I have been searching for a CHEAP instrument cluster to cut the silk screen face apart, and relocate those "lights". Until I find that/figure that out, the gauges aren't going in. I'm also not going to pay alot of money for a "good" cluster just to hack it up for some background graphics.

But, its survived 2+ years as-is with the bigger injectors, DP tuning, and no gauges.

Plus, it was run with the DP chip, on stock injectors, to tow heavy, for who knows how many years by the previous owner; again with no gauges.

So unless PHP does something really crazy with some normal daily driver type tunes, I think it should be ok for now.

 

Maybe look at this solution for your gauges. Very simple installation and less than 2" from the fuse block. My Vote would be for gauges before you chip it. Especially if you have the gauges in hand..

Autometer Under Dash Console

 

Nope. I have a stick, so I don't want gauges there. I already have the dash mount one, and that's where I want them, when I get around to putting them in.

The truck has already been chipped, for years, both before I got it, and for the 2 plus years since I installed bigger injectors. The DP chip recently failed, and it is being replaced with a Hydra and new tunes.

I hate driving it with single shots and no tuning. The throttle is anon/off switch. It is getting re-chipped as soon as humanely possible.


Seriously, enough with the gauge beat down. that is not the purpose of this thread.

Does anybody else have any meaningful real world experience with PHP tunes, or any other vendor?