SCT Touch Screen Xtreme
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From: Anderson, SC
SCT Touch Screen Xtreme
I was just looking at getting a programmer and I was looking at the new SCT Touch Screen Extreme. Has anybody seen or used this thing? It looks like a pretty good deal...basically the same thing as any other SCT tuner just wireless and touch screen. I don't know that much about programmer's though, I just bought my first 6.0 about a month ago and I'm learning all the diesel "need-to-know" stuff as I go. I can't find anything about a price or what vehicles they even offer it for. Also, SCT is not near as detailed with their product descriptions as other programmer companies...does it monitor EGT's and other stuff like that? Any information you have would be great. Thanks in advance.
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From: Plano TX and Brentwood TN
Two reasons why I would actually stay away from this tuner and both have to deal with it being bluetooth.
1. Even though bluetooth is one of the more stable wireless connections, if you are using(or someone else for that matter, just close by) something that uses a wi-fi connection, signals have been known to run interference and lose connection on both devices. A helluva thing if your trying to tune your vehicle at the time.
2. Bluetooth cannot handle processing some sensors that it would get from the OBD-II port. Either the bluetooth cannot handle the amount of input that the signal is giving or it can't handle the speed in which the sensor is reporting.
I love bluetooth personally, my phone, iPod, PPC, headphones, computer, keyboards, mice, printers are all bluetooth and what I use it for it works great. However, in this case the connection needs to be improved upon before I would trust it in the tuning vehicle area. Which I doubt will happen as a lot of things are going more and more to wi-fi connections over bluetooth, which I think is a shame.
1. Even though bluetooth is one of the more stable wireless connections, if you are using(or someone else for that matter, just close by) something that uses a wi-fi connection, signals have been known to run interference and lose connection on both devices. A helluva thing if your trying to tune your vehicle at the time.
2. Bluetooth cannot handle processing some sensors that it would get from the OBD-II port. Either the bluetooth cannot handle the amount of input that the signal is giving or it can't handle the speed in which the sensor is reporting.
I love bluetooth personally, my phone, iPod, PPC, headphones, computer, keyboards, mice, printers are all bluetooth and what I use it for it works great. However, in this case the connection needs to be improved upon before I would trust it in the tuning vehicle area. Which I doubt will happen as a lot of things are going more and more to wi-fi connections over bluetooth, which I think is a shame.
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From: Anderson, SC
Thanks for the input. And I understand what you're saying, and I'm not trying to disprove you or anything, because you probably know a lot more than me about it. I just don't understand how a company with the "best" programmers on the market can come out with a new programmer that for the most part doesn't work (pretty much how you described the situation). 
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2005
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From: Plano TX and Brentwood TN
Thanks for the input. And I understand what you're saying, and I'm not trying to disprove you or anything, because you probably know a lot more than me about it. I just don't understand how a company with the "best" programmers on the market can come out with a new programmer that for the most part doesn't work (pretty much how you described the situation).
It's not that it won't work, it will, but it will have it's hiccups and as the technology stands I wouldn't trust it in the beginning.
Let's put it this way, SCT put out the LiveWire and that was using technology that has been time tested in the field since the turboed 7.3s have been out(digital monitors). However, the LiveWire has turned out to be SCT's 6.0. Some work wonderfully, some work like crap.
Fast forward to the Xtreme. Bluetooth technology has not been used for tuning vehicles before. This is "new" technology for tuning vehicles. Now using bluetooth for reading sensors is not. AutoEnginuity has been doing that for years, but they clearly state the limitations of bluetooth with regard to reading sensors from the computer(which I already stated).
So the question is, do you want to be a guinea pig on "new" tuning technology from a company that had issues with time tested technology? They still have issues with the LiveWire despite the updates and the LiveWire is even worse on the 6.4 due to even less features being able to be used on it.
I didn't mean to give the impression that it won't work, I think it will, however, it has limitations(even more so then the cable version) and concerns as well that outweigh the coolness of it being wireless considering it's the fact that it's wireless that brings those problems to bare.
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From: Anderson, SC
Well that's definately better explained that way. I appreciate help. So if I'm wanting to get better gas mileage about 90% of the time, racing maybe 5% of the time, and towing about 5% of the time, what would be the best programmer from SCT? I've explained this in another thread, but couldn't get a solid answer...I mostly want to get better gas mileage, but if I pull up to a red light and somebody wants to race, and I feel like takin them up on it, with an SCT programmer I don't have any way to change setting fairly quickly. How long does it take to change settings with a plug-in programmer. I was looking at some EDGE programmers but I was told that they're very likely to mess stuff up because they don't do anything with the transmission. What do you think I should do?
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Me personally, I wouldn't want to tune wirelessly.. As it is, if a hard wired tuner is interrupted during the file transfer process, you can end up with a no start/ locked up truck.. Wouldn't the odds of that happening increase with wireless?
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2005
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From: Plano TX and Brentwood TN
Well that's definately better explained that way. I appreciate help. So if I'm wanting to get better gas mileage about 90% of the time, racing maybe 5% of the time, and towing about 5% of the time, what would be the best programmer from SCT? I've explained this in another thread, but couldn't get a solid answer...I mostly want to get better gas mileage, but if I pull up to a red light and somebody wants to race, and I feel like takin them up on it, with an SCT programmer I don't have any way to change setting fairly quickly. How long does it take to change settings with a plug-in programmer. I was looking at some EDGE programmers but I was told that they're very likely to mess stuff up because they don't do anything with the transmission. What do you think I should do?
Second, you won't be able to chance on the fly with SCT or with Spartan's tuner at the red light to smoke someone when the chance presents itself, because shifting on the fly as it is at this stage in the game is mutually exclusive from properly tuning your vehicle. You don't want shift on the fly with the 6.0, the issues that the 6.0 has do not react very nicely with how shift on the fly tuners and/or modules produce their power. If you want to play russian roulette with your truck then get a shift on the fly tuner, if you want a more efficient, powerful truck then get custom tunes.
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He's right on the gas mileage thing. It's all about training your right foot. I've got the SCT X3 with economy, street, and xtreme. Out of those 3 i get about the best mileage with the xtreme tune if i just keep my foot out of it and if you want to race some dude at a light, believe me the powers there. Your not gonna see a whole lot of difference in gas mileage, trust me i know what your thinking, i was in the same boat your in about four months ago. Racking your brain, thinking i want to get this but this product says you can get more mileage, but other people say it doesn't work 
. It'll drive ya nuts man.
. It'll drive ya nuts man.
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From: Anderson, SC
How do I do custom tunes then? Because with all the features and things that you can change with a custom tuner, I have no idea what changes are better than before. I'd end up having my truck all screwed up. Is there somebody that can tune that kind of thing for you?
Post Fiend
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From: Plano TX and Brentwood TN
You can have people write the tunes for you. If you go the SCT route you can have Eric at Innovative Diesel write the tunes for you. If you go the Spartan Phalanx tuner you can have Matt at Spartan Diesel write the tunes for you(those would be the two tuners that I would recommend, I have run both and I'm currently running Matt's tuner). Now there might have to be a couple or more attempts to get the tunes just right since everything is being done thru email, but you can have a tuner tweak the tunes to where you shouldn't have to worry about rather or not you'll screw something up.
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You wouldn't be writing the tunes yourself - you buy them from a tuner such as Eric @ Innovative Diesel, Cale @ BTS, Spartan Diesel or any number of others who provide that service.
Edit: Beat me to it, Tex...
Edit: Beat me to it, Tex...
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From: Anderson, SC
Ok, well that sounds pretty good then. How much does a Spartan Phalanx run? They might have one of the best tuners in the world, but their website absolutely sucks with it's detail. The only info they have on their website is for the 6.4L. I was looking at their website last night and I just assumed that they only made tuners for the 6.4s because that's all they mention on their site.
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