I own an 04 6.0 and tow a 10,000 lb 5th wheel, and was wondering if I should purchase a Superchips or Predator programmer? I went on a trip out west this summer and was going up some steep grades in Montana, I had my foot into the turbo as far as it would go and was only going 50 mph. To make matters worse my folks in their 2500hd chev with the 8.1 passed me. Are these programmers worth the money, and if so do they cause any problems when towing for an extended period of time? Thanks

 

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Sounds like you might have some other problems. A tuner might help but I would have it checked out. The Predator has a towing program. I like the Predator because of the online updates and diagnostics.

 

I never, ever thought I would say this after having my SCMT...but after playing with my Predator today....

Get the Pred.

Wow, I said it

 

WOW - an actual comparison !?!?!?!?!?! Just SOTP impression or did you do more quantifiable comparisons ? inquiring minds want to know

PSD - what did you see as the "differences" ?

 

I agree. Before you get the Predator , have your truck
checked out.
EJ

 

Dido...something is wrong with your truck.....it should pull uphill better than that....I have the Predator and love it....the best mod for the money. Tim

 

After the uphill battle I brought the truck to a Ford dealer in Missoula MT, and they said nothing was wrong and ran the new flash. I think the reason it bogged down on the hill is because I lost all my momentum when I had to let off the throttle to avoid a slow moving semi? After that the hill got even steeper and I could only maintain 50mph.

 

I am willing to provide my thoughts...even though it may make both sides of this argument mad.

Let me say this before I begin- both units make serious power- where they differ is the points in the powerband of where the power is made and the method of installation and hardware used by each.

I have not had a chance to run the Predator at the track, so quantitative measurements of anything I have to say do not exist.

In seat of the pants performance, say, a 0-100 mph test, the Predator will win. The top end pull of the of the Predator is incredible; while it does not have a tremendous amount of response, the faster you are going the harder it seems to pull. The SCMT picks up its torque and holds a fairly high amount of it all through its powerband, but does not build peak power nearly as strong as the Predator does. The response is equally low with both tuners in comparison to the Edge box, but both seem to build more top end than the Edge due to its lack of boost.

As for the shifting, the Predator on 100 hp and 65 horse mode is harsh. I personally prefer the harsher shift, but I would NOT pull a trailer with a Predator myself personally; the SCMT has a shift and powerband that seems more geared toward pulling than the Predator does. The SCMT holds the RPM's a tad longer, and shifts with a quicker, yet less harsh demeanor.

I think the smoke generated by the two reflects the personalities of the two well- the SCMT leaves one big puff right off the line and ceases at about 20 mph; The Predator doesn't leave much off the line, but leaves a nice trail all the way to 100 and beyond.
As for EGT's, I have no way to compare since my gauges are built into my Edge module which is not in the truck at the time.

My personal preference between the two of them, for my given purpose (being that I never tow) I would purchase the Predator...However, I would advise anyone that tows or hauls to invest in the SCMT.

There are a few other subjects to address, I suppose too.

Without anyone taking offense to this, the Predator's hardware and software are total crap- it is aggrevating to install in comparison to the SCMT, and occasionally glitches and locks up. I have not once in 6 months had my SCMT even make a fart crossways... it has worked flawlessly every time.

As for diagnostics, the Predator wins hands-down. The capabilities it provides as a diagnosic tool are incredible; far beyond that of a normal code reader. I will not go into detail on the diagnostics, but I will most certainly say that if you have the need and knowledge to put a truly well-designed diagnostic tool to use, the Predator will serve you well.

This is just my opinion on the two; Flame away, I don't mind.

 

NO flames... after all, I asked with ture interest....
Only had one issue with the predator software -
and that was when I first got it and didn't follow the instructions - got impatient and unplugged in the middle fo the load - I know ------ DUH

you are right about the smoke issue with the Pred in the 100 hp mode...
it's substantial when you go hard....
but I run the Pred in the 65hp mode 98% of the time and
there is just a wisp of smoke if I shower down on it at the "right' time....
the 100 hp mode just ate up too much fuel cuz I couldn't contain myself
(so it wasn't the pred's fault - it was mine )

curious about the shift issue you speak of though...
mine shifts almost like stock when I'm not in an all out "hurry",
but will shift :crisply: when pushed...

did u experience the harse shifts right after swapping tunes ??? maybe it didn't go thru the learning mode...

thanks for the input....

 

A gasser out pull a diesel up a hill - no way, it just couldn't happen! Or maybe could it, I wonder if the V10 might output the PSD, nah (reference to another thread . . .)

I have had a hill or two that kept my truck with the 10000+ trailer down to 50 to 55 MPH with the truck in stock tune.

I've since added the SCMT and have nothing but great things to say about it. Shifts fine - firmer than stock, but not harsh. In the tow safe mode it pulls much better than stock on the steeper hills and the EGTs are still fine. I saw a 10% improvement in fuel mileage than when towing without the tuner installed on the one sample so far.

I'm taking the truck/trailer to Big Bear on the 30th so we'll see if I can repeat that.

True on the smoking comment. Others with the Predator have commented about leaving James Bond like smoke screens behind them when leaving other less worthy drivers in their wake. Some of this I assume was poetic license, but the SCMT really doesn't smoke when on it really hard - except if you punch it hard from off the line with no boost built. If you roll into it a bit first before really nailing, which I do to keep the wheelspin to a minimum, then the smoke is minimal.

But which ever way you go, a tuner will definitely make a very big difference.

If you are towing, then gauges are really an important addition to go along with the tuner. Nice to have even without the tuner as a matter of fact.

 

I very rarley do any towing but the response off the line of my 04" F250 CC sucks. I recently drove my brothers gas truck and its' initial response when you touch the gas was incredible when compared to my PSD. Will a predator improve my response off the line? This and improving my mileage are my biggest concerns.
Thanks,
Tone

 

The response off the line is typical of ANY turbocharged vehicle.... it's the nature of the technology .... and called turbo lag....

Simply put...
it takes exhaust pressure to build boost,
which in turn builds Horsepower...
at idle you don't have much exhaust pressure...
not until you give it fuel and let the rpms build
will it build boost and then it GOES !!!

I will presume you have the auto - because with the manual you can spin the rpms up and go QUITE quickly with the proper clutch technique ....
but with an auto try this...
(then tell me if you still think the response off the line is bad...)

Hold the brake with your left foot,
give it throttle up until the rpms are at about 1800
(or higher AFTER you get used to this...)
floor it and let off the brake.... oh, and HOLD ON....

how many 7k or 8k lb trucks do you know that can do a 2.0 second 60 foot (or less !) ?

to do this hard launch, it helps to be in 4x4 since the power WILL override the brakes after a few rpms more...
If you want to scare your passenger... keep holding the brake and give it a little more fuel until the rear end breaks loose and starts spinning the tires like mad....

(do try this in a safe place like the track... it WILL surprise you, even stock!)

And by all means - get the diablo predator -
it does reduce the turbo lag or at least makes up for what's left of the turbo lag when it goes rocketing past others

 

I am actually sust looking for a little more response in every day driving. When I said "off the line" I was actually refering to stuff like stop lights, signs etc. It jsut seems to take a realy long time to get this baby up to speed.
thanks,
Tone

 

A tuner will help, but a turbo diesel of this size will always have a little lag. It takes some getting used to until that turbo spools up and builds boost.

You could have a problem with the exhaust pressure sensor, VGT actuator, APP sensor or EGR valve if it is an exceptionally long lag. Get it checked out at a good service department. But document your concerns. Take a ride in a similar truck and see it is the same.