Diesel chip question

[alaskantinbender]

Looking for information on chiping the ford 6.0 for fuel economy.
Any one here with 1st hand info on what type chip, pros and cons and realistic increase in MPG? I now get about 13 MPG average.
Also I have a 2005 with the tow haul mode. Any conflict with the chips?

Regards,

Jim

 

[theMec]

These kind of questions come up all the time on the Dodge Cummins forums. When you sort thru the chaff, I haven't gotten a strong impression that chip makers are doing well with respect to mpg improvements.
BUT
You should really dig into a serious Ford Powerstroke forum since things might different on that side of the street.
Try the Diesel Stop here: http://www.thedieselstop.com/
Good luck.

 

[Bella PSD]

Innovative Diesel SCT X3- IDP Custom Tuned
dfuser.com 6.0L tuning

And the one I recommend “Jody” from DP Tuner. He tuned my 7.3L and I love it. But call Jody about what he has for the 6.0L. DI and Dfuser have a big following on the diesel stop .com.
http://shop-dp-tuner.com/x3powerflash-1.aspx

Louie

 

[alaskantinbender]

Great info guys, thanx alot

Regards,

Jim

 

[Jeep]

We did a pile of testing on chips for economy on the 6.0, quite a few of our customers are fleets. We got very good results with the Predator 3014 and the Edge EZ. These are just simple plug in chips that give 75-80 HP, a good quality cold air intake will give a mile or two per gallon as well. I like the AFE with a pro gaurd 2 filter.

 

[toy_tek]

Has anyone done a test for reliability with a chip? When I was shopping for a used SD all the ones with chips had extensive engine problems at surprisingly low mileage.

Finally found an old dude with an 05 F350 6.0 4x4 Crew LB with 90k but no chip, and no documented engine issues. Runs like a top, and I'm getting 18mpg unloaded on stock 18" rims with 285 Nitto TGs.

 

[Jeep]

The 6.0 does not like "big" chips. They go like hell but are tough on head gaskets. There are only 4 small head bolts per cylinder and the high HP chips are simply too much stress on the head gaskets. I have a fleet of Fords on Edge 75 HP chips and AFE pro gaurd 7 filters, the result is an average 4 mpg increase over stock with a definite improvement in power. We are testing the Predator plug in chip and so far the mpg increase looks a little better. You still have to be careful when towing heavier loads, but we have seen head gasket failure on stock engines when subjected to lots of heavy towing, especially when the ambient temps are in the -30's or colder. A small chip and common sense driving will save you some money at the pumps. A big chip and a small IQ will get you a major repair bill. Just about any chip will function better with a decent intake and exhaust. One fix for the guys running big power with the 6.0 involves a set of head studs, on severe applications decking the block and heads along with "O" ringing the heads will keep the top end sealed nice and tight.

 

[alaskantinbender]

The 6.0 does not like "big" chips. They go like hell but are tough on head gaskets. There are only 4 small head bolts per cylinder and the high HP chips are simply too much stress on the head gaskets. I have a fleet of Fords on Edge 75 HP chips and AFE pro gaurd 7 filters, the result is an average 4 mpg increase over stock with a definite improvement in power. We are testing the Predator plug in chip and so far the mpg increase looks a little better. You still have to be careful when towing heavier loads, but we have seen head gasket failure on stock engines when subjected to lots of heavy towing, especially when the ambient temps are in the -30's or colder. A small chip and common sense driving will save you some money at the pumps. A big chip and a small IQ will get you a major repair bill. Just about any chip will function better with a decent intake and exhaust. One fix for the guys running big power with the 6.0 involves a set of head studs, on severe applications decking the block and heads along with "O" ringing the heads will keep the top end sealed nice and tight.

Great response and exactly what I was looking for. Thank you very much.
I have read some of the stories about blown heads on the web sites listed above and was shying away from using a chip at all, but I sure would like to increase the current 13 mpg on my truck.

regards,

Jim

 

[BiG BoB]

If a manufacturer could reliably get more power out of an engine, with better fuel economy, with something as simple as tuneing, then they would!

IMHO its impossible to reliably get more power with less fuel consumption and have no detrimental effect on reliability

Sean

 

[ntsqd]

In general I agree with you, but keep in mind a couple things. The aftermarket chip guys do not (yet) have to conform to the OE level of emissions testing. Nor do they need to "leave some on the plate" for Marketing's request to increase next year's HP/Torque.

 

[Jeep]

If a manufacturer could reliably get more power out of an engine, with better fuel economy, with something as simple as tuneing, then they would!

IMHO its impossible to reliably get more power with less fuel consumption and have no detrimental effect on reliability

Sean

I agree with your point to a point and here are a few points to ponder, maybe a little off topic but I find it interesting. There are only so many horsepower hours in a block of steel (engine) period. But if the engine is not taxed to the maximum at all times the longevity will still be respectable. Most of the economy increase is realized through timing (injection timing) because it's hard to get more economy by adding fuel. A byproduct of better timing is more power.

Now this is off topic but it deals with my conspiracy theory that the gov't, oil companies, and north american automakers are sleeping together. It also shed some thought on tuning and why when I add 100 HP to my Dodge 2500 that I get 6 mpg more. Why can I not buy a diesel BMW Smart Car in Canada this year? Gov't says emissions. I say bull. Why can I not buy a car that gets 70-80 mpg but I can buy a new Ford or Dodge that struggles to get 12 mpg in our climate? Is the car really that dirty that it pollutes more than a truck that burns 6.66 times more fuel.

 

[BajaSurfRig]

I have a question about chip reliability for traveling in rural areas a long ways away from help...

My truck came with a DP Tuner and it is needed to run the injectors that the PO installed ( single shots 160 cc 30% larger nozzle).

My truck has been dying randomly recently and I pulled the chip and the trouble seems to have stopped...

I think that the chip had rattled loose as I live on a dirt road with washboards...

They recommend holding it in place with duct tape, which seems like not the best option.

Unfortunately I need a chip for my truck to run correctly with the injectors that are installed.

Is it better to clean all of the connections and reinstall the chip or to get my federal PCM reflashed?

I am more interested in reliability rather than performance....

 

[F350joe]

I have a question about chip reliability for traveling in rural areas a long ways away from help...

My truck came with a DP Tuner and it is needed to run the injectors that the PO installed ( single shots 160 cc 30% larger nozzle).

My truck has been dying randomly recently and I pulled the chip and the trouble seems to have stopped...

I think that the chip had rattled loose as I live on a dirt road with washboards...

They recommend holding it in place with duct tape, which seems like not the best option.

Unfortunately I need a chip for my truck to run correctly with the injectors that are installed.

Is it better to clean all of the connections and reinstall the chip or to get my federal PCM reflashed?

I am more interested in reliability rather than performance....

First, be very careful with the chip. My rattled loose once too, it’s taped in now with gorilla tape, no problems for the last couple years. Randomly dying could be the idol validation switch, easy fix but you have to buy the whole gas pedal assembly. Or just try cleaning it, plenty of YouTube vids on it. Randomly dying could also be the cps, another easy fix.

 

[BajaSurfRig]

@F350 thanks for the response. I cleaned the terminals on my PCM gently with my finger nails, reinstalled the chip with some gorilla duct tape and so far so good. I might send in my PCM to get it flashed to run with the injectors so I can eliminate the chip completely.

I replaced the CPS the first time it stalled out and it fired right up after.

I am not completely convinced it is the chip but I guess time will tell. I pulled my ICP sensor and there was some oil on it so I think I am going to replace that and the pig tail in the near future.

Hopefully I can get this 7.3 dialed and get 500k more out of her!!