OK, here is my latest question on my mods. I have this as of now 2002 7.3 crewcab. I have installed AIS intake/fender insert, Guages install tommorrow(tranny temp, pyro,boost) and ordered MBRP ss exhaust last week. SO now i am planning on ordering a dp tuner. Which tunes should i go with? I tow a toyhauler (raptor) that weighs approx 13,000 loaded. but that will be the max.
DO I need a BTS valvebody? I have read about it but I havent any definite answers. Also, how difficult is it to install? and re there any sheets available, dp tuner told me to order the 60 hp setup, does that mean it will be ready to go when it arrives? I was going to ask a trasmission place if they would install it. I dont want to get into something and get stuck. Jody reccommended 40, 80 eco, 120 for the tunes along with the valvebody. thanks jeff

 

I got the BTS VB and the Stock, 40tow, 80econo, & 120 - but I live at 5,000ft and go up to 12,000ft.... hence the 40tow, not the 80tow - 60tow *might* have been too much with the altitude and probably the same issue with the weight you'll be pulling

VERDICT: GET THE BTS VB!!! it's easy to install, just messy (get a 5gal bucket for draining, a LARGE tarp/cover for the ground and MANY MANY towels/rags (lint free ones too in case you wipe the tranny). it's about a 2hr job with good light & weather but shifts SOO much nicer. i'd recommend getting the STOCK and NO-START tunes as well. STOCK is what you want for cold weather starts. NO-START... heck, why not add more trouble for a potential thief???

 

Don't be afraid of installing it yourself. If you know how to check your transmission fluid, i don't see this being any harder, on the "difficulty scale". There are VERY detailed COLOR instructions, and if you do get in a bind, you can call jody, and he will all but come to your house to help you over the phone. I am sure i could have given the box to my little neighbor kid about 10 years old and im sure he wouldn't have and a problem. For the tunes, i'd get no start, stock, 40hp tow, 60hp tow for the times when you can stand a little more power and not have EGT issues), 80 econo and 120 for the fun blasts onto the highway. I have a smoke tune and lope idle, and high idle, just to have them.

 

i live in the white mountins of new hampshire so i got the 40 and 60 tow any thing higher then that id be too hot on the EGT'S i got the 80 econo to ride around in and the 120 just for playing...you dont need the vb but its well worth getting..you will get alot more out of your tunes..the tow shift tunes its self is well worth it..it hold gears a little longer and shifts right at the right time.the tc locks a little faster as well....the bts vb is costom made to make better shifts and jody can do alot with a bts in your trans that a stock wont let him...i got my dp with a bts vb on it..but my dp was here in 3 days and i couldnt wait...i was told not to run over the 40 tow cause the trany couldnt take it...i could feel it wouldnt take it..it slipped very easy..after the vb install i noticed a big difernts in shifting and how well the trany held up to the horse power..if i had to do all over again id do it with a bts vb again..its only an extra 200 bucks but well worth its weight in gold..

 

The shifting difference to me makes it worth every penny. I have 60, 80, 120, & 140 and in every program the shifts are crisp and in the 80 with normal acceleration I really cant even feel the shift it is just a slight bump and the RPM gauge drops.

 

80 tow is out of the question, EGT issues with 13K.
60 tow will give you the power you want in the straight-aways and smaller hills.
40 tow will give you the grunt you need to haul that 13K up your larger grades.
80 econo, a must have for spirited in-town and interstate driving.
120 for smoking the rice burners.
140 if you don't mind tripping the SES light every-now-and-then, depending on the condition of your HPOP.
BTS valve body, not required but highly recommended. Did I say highly?!!!!!!

 

I also have a Raptor, (3612). I pull it w/02 F-250, 7.3, CC, 4x4, Harpoon,4" exst, gauges (boost and egt), K&N soon to be AIS. First time was with all stock except for a chip that I bought when the truck was new. I was very scared not knowing what was happening so I babied it until I could add a few things that I learned from these guys here and boy what a help they have been, ("Cudos" guys and thanks). Since, I added gauges and this told me that the EGT's can run up quickly if you are not paying attention. I learned to get out of cruise control real quick. Then came the 4" exhaust, (turbo back). Not much change there so I contacted DP Tuner and BTS. Since I tend to procrastinate when it comes to spending, it turned into several phone calls to each before I made the purchases. Both were more than helpful. I received the VB first and once I realized that there was a time period on the core charge, I buckled down and ordered the DP tunes. I have several trailers that I pull from Toy Hauler to Boat to low boy. Jody suggested the 40 tow for the Raptor, 80 tow for the other trailers and 80 econo for all else. Of course I got the "No Start", and the stock tunes also. I have not played with cars since the late 70's and had pretty much succomed to the fact that all future repairs will be done by someone else and will cost me out the wazooooo. The hardest time I had in doing the installs was finding a torque wrench in low inch/lbs that I could borrow rather than spend a couple hundred for a single use. Oh by the way, the 40 tow never let my egt's get over 900 deg where as without and a different chip, I saw much higher temps. 200-300 higher before backing off the peddle. The VB came without instructions but you can find all the instructions you need here. I used "Guzzle's" instructions and they were to the "T". You won't go wrong with these mods . I have a friend with a PSD and he thinks I am quite the mechanis after seeing what I have done to my truck. I'll milk this for a little while until I show this web site. Kinda long winded for not posting much but I was looking for the right place.

Good luck.

 

Welcome mcdachal.

Another darksider comes out of the closet.