Diablo or Superchip ? Pros and cons ? My priority is looking for some better milage and 2nd would be power to haul construction material. I guess also if possible, a safe tune. I have a 04 PSD ext. cab 4x4 with 10k on it.

 

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I have both currently and the Diablo is alot better imo becuase it gives you power all the way around. The one thing i did not like about the superchips is on High Performance when you nail it from a stop it will set there for a second or two blowing ALOT of black smoke then BAM your off. The diablosport when you hit it your gone. And i got an extra 1 mpg increase over superchips. I didnt use the overhead computer to get that number either i did it the old fashioned way with pen and paper.

 

I have been wondering if that difference in how these two tuners build power is why one of them seems to be the one blowing coolant more then the other.

 

i think the diablo is blowing coolant. I swapped tuners about a month ago when i got the diablo in and starting blowing coolant. Took it to dealership and they said my head gaskets are blown. Got some hookups so i getting under warranty but still thats not cool. Considering they say it is safe.

 

Not to be flippant Pickupman2004 but, the best way to answer your question is to ask you to read the Predator and Superchips stickies at the very top of the 6.0 forum.

A lot of tuner discussion, here, has often left us falling into the bowels of hate and discontent. Actually indirectly cost us a couple of really good and well informed members.

For my $.02 worth...I have the Predator but I am sure I would have been equally as happy with the Superchips.

In regards to coolant puke. We have seen both stock and tuner 6.0s evacuate coolant.

In addition, again IMO, if you are looking for MPG gain....stay out of the tuner business. It's just to hard to drive conservatively or with an real sense of maturity with one of these things.

 

The superchips makes power past 4200 RPM (performance program)
The diablosport will not make power past 3600.

 

I wasn't trying to stir anything up, only asking a question. While I would like to see some gains in mpg, I also would enjoy feeling that extra power. I have felt how the Predator runs in 65 hp mode and really liked it. Never have felt the superchips....but I would be interested in comparing the two.

With regards to blowing coolant, I know that many trucks have done it with different things going on. But from reading on here (which I do a lot) it seems to me that truck towing heave loads (10,000lbs +) and trucks using the predator seem to be the majority. So when I hear that the two tuners discussed in this thread make power differently, I wonder if one of them lens itself to blowing coolant.

 

No no, certainly not a war.

Both tuners have their own following...you gotta get the one you like best.

I would suggest you try both.

 

From what i have heard and what i am told by my buddy and his stepdad who are both senior master technicians for ford that in High Performance on the diablo is that the turbo is creating to much boost and when this occurs the pressure in each cylinder increases along with heat and the weakest part "the gaskets" give way they allowing exhaust to get in the with the coolant and then increase the pressure to point where the radiator cap blow open to let the pressure out. Which the coolant comes out. What makes me wonder is if all these people with the chip know if the gaskets are blown or not. I havent done any research. But I took mine back to stock settings before i took it to the shop for warranty reasons it didnt blow coolant but the gaskets are still blown according to the dealership. Im not a diesel mechanic so im not gonna argue with them.

 

First let me qualify my following statement noting that I absolutely never took my Predator out of the 65 H.P setting. Up or down.

With that said, I lost coolant under normal driving conditions and no towing prior to the addition of my Predator. After programming, I only lost coolant during light tow conditions, still in the 65 H.P. mode. BTW: I haven't towed over 6,000 #. After programming, I never lost coolant when not towing.

So in my limited case. The programmer actually minimized the opportunity for coolant losses.

BTW Pickupman2004: I did not mean to even imply that you were trying to start a war. It was merely a cautionary advisory.

 

I can not say much here because I have a direct interest in one of the two said products. (In fact, I tuned one of them)

I can tell you the diablo does not run more boost than the superchips, but boost is not a good indication to overall cylinder pressure anyway.
The diablo adds fueling (so does the sc), and runs a different injector timing curve than the sc unit.

Superchips changes fuel, injector timing and actually runs more boost (more boost keeps egt's low).
Diablo raises cylinder pressure through fuel and a different timing curve than superchips. Boost levels are closer to stock with the Diablo tuner, but this does not mean it runs less cylinder pressure than SC. (clarification: I am not making the assumption that it runs more cylinder pressure than SC, either). This post must remain neutral...

The point I'm making here:
Cylinder pressure can be raised by fueling, injector timing, injector pulse width, removal (or lessening) of torque reduction, boost, propane, nitrous, etc...
Raising (or lowering in some cases) of any of the above and a combination of any will raise cylinder pressure.

To be fair, I WILL NOT state anything as to my opinion of which is better, and which of the explained attributes are good or bad.
I just wanted to post a few facts to make sure there was no confusion.

Both the Diablo and Superchips tuners will raise cylinder pressure, and there is a range where it is safe to raise cylinder pressure.
Every manufacturer has their own method of testing to determine what is safe, and both products have been shown to run just fine in MANY vehicles.

In a turbodiesel, it is quite possible to have more boost but less cylinder pressure. The opposite is also possible.

As a general rule, this holds true:
-More boost lowers EGT
-More fuel (be it in pulse width or ICP) raises EGT
-More injector timing raises EGT

 

Thats some good info vic_ferrari. Im not trying to start anything either these are just my experiences with my equipemt.

 

I just have to be clear of my intentions because I have a history here

 

Well done Vic.

I can appreciate how difficult it can be at times, for someone in your position, to offer up a very measured yet informative response to comparative tuner questions like this.

Thanks for keeping the playing field as level as possible.