Need info on chips that will help mpg while pulling My 5th wheel trailer.Not looking for tire smoke just gain in mpg.You guys out there do any pulling like to hear from You or any good input.

 

yankee88,

I'm sure if you did a search here in you'd find the two most favorites for towing, performance and mileage are the SCT and Spartan Tuners. They give you the best tunes and the best for your engine. NOW, the SCT is cheaper them the Spartan, but the Spartan also comes with the DashDaq that can be used as a set of gauges too. That's why I think if you havr the cash the Spartan is the best bang for your buck if you have the cash flow.

Tell us a little about your truck. Maybe we can steer you in the right direction.

 

My psd is just like it came from dealer 5 speed auto 4:10 rears.Fuel milage bites.Thanks for Your service.Retired Nan Vet here.

 

Hello Fellow Military! Thank You for your former service and help pave the path of the futur. CJ69 is also a nam vet and I'm sure you'll see him pop up here too.

What yea truck do you have? Like I said, the spartan is way more affordable and you can get good package discounts on the tunes that can come with it...I just found that out a few days ago. I think I'm steering towards the Spartan due to extreme flexibilty and functionality of the system...but it's also 1200 bucks. But I'm a gadget freak and hey, it's Christmas so that will more than likely be my christmas present!

 

They were running $1000 for the Phalanx for the first 100 or so sold. That's when I got mine. I believe the Phalanx is the way to go if one does not already have analog gauges installed. If Drew Tech ever get's the firmware correct we will also have FICM tuning which the SCT is not capable of. Been very happy with my Spartan Phalanx! I gained a hand calculated 1.5-2mpg, when cruising on the highway.

 

When will the FICM be here. I am so anxious... Please explain what the difference is with the regular tuning and the FICM. What does it do different? I too got mine for 1000 I guess.

 

Btw spartan tunes are pretty awesome but mileage I didnt see a great gain. Did notice it after I quit filling up at Motomart though...

 

the new SCT live wire can be used as gauges also

 

The livewire has been plaqued with issues. They have a new model that uses bluetooth. I don't like the idea of tunes etc., being sent wirelessly. Neither of these will give you FICM programming.

 

i have the sct x3, if you can keep your foot out ot it you will see some gains in millage, but the power is to fun to hide! sct is the cheaper route for sure! i just put mine on about a week ago and i love it!

 

For me, it was a bang for the buck decision. Got the SCTX3 from here and WOW! Unless the Spartan gives three times the thrills as the SCT does, it isn't worth three times the money for me at least.

 

The only way the SCTX3 route is 3 times cheaper is if your not running gauges. If your not running guages your asking for trouble. Also the Spartan Phalanx can read and delete codes.

 

I'd listen to Rob.D. I'm a backyard wrench and gear head from way back. I'm getting used to my 6.0 and learning the INs and OUTs. But let me explain something to the users of tuners without gauges. I'm not talking about the idiot gauges on our dashboard...cause they lack serious response time and usually don't warn us till way late.

When you mod your engine with a tuner your redoing what Ford has done. You're creating new limits, new RPMs, New Pressure, New Heat and lets face it...alot of new challenges for your engine to overcome. And let's face it, depending on who tunes it will also depend on how your engine and transmission reacts.

NOW, SCT and Spartan are two of the best on the market by my research. But, I know I'm gonna have to include gauges along with it to keep track of these new performance challenges. In order to keep track of these challenges I need an effective way of watching what my engine is doing. Therefore I need responsive gauges, ones that will give my close to Real Time responses. Some of these gauges are affordable, some are not...from $200-$250. Now, add up all these responsive gauges will more than likely add $400-$600, maybe more depending on the brand and how many gauges you really want to add. So, adding up the cost of the tuner, the cost of the gauges and the labor it might take someone to do it for you, or even your OWN time...it all adds up!

Now, I understand everyone might not have all the money to make the tuner and gauges happen at once. But I can't stress enough the need to monitor the effect your tuner will have on your engine. The effect your foot will have on your engine when your tuner is giving you the responses you've always wish you had. You need to make sure temps are controlled and heat doesn't increase, that you don't over rev, pressures are not above or below what you actually need, and a number of other issues that don't put your engine into the danger zone.

I know this is long winded, but if you're looking for the best bang for the buck let me put it simply, Spartan Phalanx, $1200 plus...

Or SCT without gauges to monitor your performance upgrades and you get kinda crazy or your engine is getting close to not being able tolerate the challenges...$300-$400 for the SCT and possibly $2000-$2500 for head gaskets (ADD $400 for ARP studs while they're doing your new gaskets cause you didn't use gauges and might not this time either), or possibly add $10,000 for a new engine because you've brought it beyond repairable limits.

The choice is yours!

Now, I've become a big fan of SCT and it's affordability and the amount of extremely competent tuners I've read about, heard about and garnished info while talking to them on the phone. But I do realize even though I'm new to the Forum that I need to monitor any all changes that the tuner will creates for my engine and transmission.

This is why I will invest in the Spartan Phalanx. It solves my tuner and gauge issue all in one. I'm making this change cause I saved up till I could afford it. I'm not gonna take a chance on a $10-$15,000 engine. And I might add the talks I've had with Spartan Diesel have been awesome, informative and very convincing on my need to roll with them.

OK, off my soapbox. Sorry about the long winded diatribe. But I don't like when people trivialize the need to take care of their engines and throw that info around.

Ya'll have a good day!

 

Nice post Mike (even though it was long )

 

Thanks Mark! I appreciate the compliment as always!

Mike