Well the actual device might work but the tunes wont work. Maybe thats what they ment.

 

I never said that he wouldnt feel a difference or that it wouldnt perform. What i was saying is that a custom chip would most likely be cheaper and he would def get better performance. I know this from experience as i had a diesel before my 5.4. The problem with the off the shelf tuners is they are built for a general truck. the good thing with custom tuners is they get your pcm code and design a tune for your specific trucks settings. Being in the diesel world the worst tuner for the ford actually is the Bully Dog Products. They create really high EGTs which kill engines. Many of the off the shelf companies do their best work with one specific manufacturer. I.E. banks with Duramax. I personally would go with a custom tuner who has done extensive research on my specific truck than someone who has a large advertising budget.

 

Oh, I must have misunderstood you when you said "they arent worth crap". What do you mean by it is going to kill engines? It has had the Bully Dog in for a year and 25k miles. It receives all the scheduled maitenance and it is running just fine without any problems.

 

They just produce really high EGTs in the long run this bad for any motor especially turbo charged ones. It wont necessarily have a problem as long as he doesnt beat on it for long periods of time. Does he have gauges? I would suggest at least a pyrometer, boost and trans temp guage with any programmer or chip on a diesel. Thats all, I just hate to see people blow up there trucks or pay more for less because of something they saw in a magazine. I know this site has helped me avoid that numerous times

 

He has the outlook monitor with it that monitors numerous things. It is just like anything else, you treat it right, take care of it, and you won't have any problems. I agree with you that I never like to hear of one's demise, and the majority of the time it can be traced back to how it was treated and taken care of, or lack there of. We live in a farming community with a 1000 people and that kind of thing happens with my stupid friends. All I'm saying is as long as you take care of your pickup, it will take care of you. In the case of diesels, when you can "plug in" hundreds of hp unlike gas, don't be stupid with it.

 

When you upload a bully dog they have specific engines, pickups, weights, etc to match almost exactly to your pickup. The monitor does not lie. EGT’s do not rise that much from a chip to having no chip. Plus when you keep the defuel settings low then it will defuel itself before hurting the motor. correct that high egt’s hurt the motor and eventually can be the death of it. however with a 4” exhaust you can take a slight more risk in that arena, as well with a lighter foot. EGT’s are not bad in small doses, IE smashing on it for a race or a quick acceleration and then backing out of it. EGT’s are bad when you hitch a load to them and then drive the hell out of them. that’s bad. besides, high egt’s will not necessarily have any effect on your motor, it has effect on your turbo. The chip itself will have effect on your motor, regardless of chip higher speeds, compression ratios, etc will have eventual adverse effects on you motor. No getting around that with or without custom tunes. Just saw a ¾ ton for sale with bully dog and outlook, had a 132000 miles on it, 06. We have friends with every kind of diesel possible and every kind of chip possible, we are kind of diesel fanatics, and I have seen and heard it all from everyone.

 

i agree with you on the egts in doses i kind hinted towards that. The only thing I was really saying the differences being is that the off the shelf stuff doesnt take into account whether you have a exhaust or an intercooler or supporting mods to keep your truck runnig. I was mainly saying that using a custom tuner you speak with the guy and he puts together something for your specific truck and what mods you have done to your truck. Of course everyone treats their toys differently and ultimately that can make or break it. By knmow means was this directed at youi or at your buddy I was just putting in my .02 of why I would go with a custom for just a little peace of mind and top of the line performance.