Okay, my father is always complaining about the performance of his '01 Powerstroke as compared to the '98 he used to have. So I figured that I could possibly get him one of those tuner things that I'm always seeing commercials and ads for. My question is: what else has to go with it? What I mean is, will he need to get new exhaust or anything else to accomaodate the increase in power? I would hate to get him a present that will make him spend more money in return. It would be like going home and handing him a bill for his present. Also, I have to keep in mind that this is a leased truck, he plans on purchasing it when the lease is up. But if he did turn it in and any mods had been done to it, I don't know how the dealership would react. Thanks for any help.

 

I've been looking into a few upgrades myself. From what I can tell, it looks like the exhaust system needs to be the first thing that is upgraded. Any computer re-tuning will increase EGTs and the stock exhaust system will not allow the heated gasses to escape fast enough. Some exhaust ads claim as much as 50 lbs of torque increase.

I'll be finding out pretty soon. My wife has given me the go ahead to spend about $2k right after the holidays.

 

Yeah thats what I figured. But the new Superchips Microtuner said that it will produce lower EGT than the previous model. Will it still be too high for the stock exhaust?

 

senor chavez--
may i borrow some money?

 

gchavez, i second what 99f250 says.......can you write me a check, help out a PSD brother with a few mods

 

No problem guys. PSD brothers gotta stick together. If I have any trouble spending the full amount, I'll be happy to share.

 

Somehow I don't envision anything being left over.

 

I'm not sure. It probably depends on the program you choose.

One of the first things I'm going to get are guages, that way I can tell if my tranny fluid is getting hot when I'm towing. You can also use the boost guage to conserve fuel, I'm curious to see how much my driving habits affect the boost levels. Then, if I do the Backpressure Valve/Engine Brake mod....I can watch my EGTs to make sure I don't cook my turbo.

I've got lots of decisions coming up. I thought I had my mind set on the Superchip Microtuner, but then the Predator added a 5th power program for high altitude. I live in the desert valley, but someday I may want to climb the Rockies or something like that. It would be cool to just pull over and change the program before I tackle those mountains.

I'm pretty sure that I'll get the Autometer guages. I like the Lunar line. But, having the pyro guage that is premarked with warning and high limits is cool also (like the ISSPRO guages on Motorhaven.com), but those look kinda plain. Maybe somebody here knows of some other really cool guages that are available.

I have no clue about exhaust systems. I heard there was a good system from PMI (have no clue if I spelled it right, or where to find it).

Anyway...back to the topic. If I was to ask Santa for a Christmas Gift...I'd probably ask for pillar guages. Trans temp, boost and (pre-turbo) pyro. If they were gifts, I would be happy with the ISSPRO guages (even though I think they are kinda plain looking).

Happy shopping!

 

Hi guys,

An FYI for you ....... If you get guages, you might want to consider a tranny temp that STARTS at 100 degrees. Mine starts at 140 degrees, and in the Seattle area I have never seen the guage come up to 140. I feel that it is working, but the tranny temp is something less than 140. One guy said that most tranny fluid in a normal condition runs 60 - 80 degrees above outside ambient temp. So in Seattle, on a 35 degree day, plus 80 degrees equal 135..... Thus I have never seen it working yet.

Mine already had a few mods when I bought it, so I can't really say how much improvement it all made from stock. But common sense, and a little research will tell you that for an engine to perform better, it needs to move a lot of air.... both intake and exhaust. So a restrictive exhaust and air intake is one of the first to be changed out. But from what I have read and heard, be VERY CAREFUL that you dont sacrifice clean air for volume air. Dust and dirt in the turbo is not good.