Do you need more than one tune for DD/tow/race/mileage?

[Big Bore]

Well my answer is no. My truck has been in the "hot" tune for months now and I'm getting the best mileage I've ever had, can safely tow 10,000 lbs over a 10,000 ft elev pass but when I go deep I have all the fuel my injectors can deliver. The shifting responds to the different loads effortlessly.

The throttle graduation is very smooth and takes full advantage of the range in the tuning so that initially it's very stockish then begins ramping up as you go deeper in the throttle. This has made the truck a pleasure to drive. Responsiveness is all about how far you push the pedal.

The tranny shifting is so well managed in the tuning that when driving around toodling along it upshifts early and smoothly. When demand requires higher rpms, shifting is a matter of going a bit deeper in the pedal, and since the fueling is scaled properly it doesn't dump a bucket of fuel, lag and smoke out three lanes. There is no need for different tunes for different shifting because the one tune will shift properly regardless of the situation, just like a stock truck.

If you just want more tunes so you can play with your dial that's fine, but realize that mileage, DD, race and towing can easily be done on the same tune, so if you do have other applications such as a drag tune with earlier TC lockup, nitrous etc you have plenty of free space on the chip.

I'm sure there's a lot of other situations that would require a separate tune that I didn't mention, but for DD/tow/race/mileage you only need one if the tuning is done properly, and seems to me a vendor could really help the users on a budget by offering an inexpensive single tune chip that will in fact do it all.

 

[907DAVE]

Agreed!

I have been running chipless for a few years now, one program does it all.

 

[Groomzybanshee]

I also agree... I do not take any of my trucks out of the hot tune...

 

[skew12]

I rarely take mine off the hot time either.

 

[weazel]

I run the stupid canned SCT 105hp street tune all the time.

 

[Arisley]

I usually stay in my number 3 tune. Occasionnally I will hit number 5. It's hotter out of the hole. When the roads are wet, I drop back to number 2, other wise it is two hard to get it moving.

 

[Big Bore]

I usually stay in my number 3 tune. Occasionnally I will hit number 5. It's hotter out of the hole. When the roads are wet, I drop back to number 2, other wise it is two hard to get it moving.

And that really is because u have too much fuel too soon, very easy to fix, there is plenty of width in the tuning scale to do it. Basically bringing it on too soon is wasting part of the scale and creating flat spots in the pedal.

 

[Arisley]

My tuner was taking a wild guess on my tunes, threw 6 tunes on a chip. When we both get a free afternoon off at the same time, they will be dialed in and everything will work seamlessly.

 

[farm boy]

Would you pull any of these with your Hot tune? I dont know the weight. Alot though...

This was with 238/80's, 38r, Auto, pmr motor. I like my heavy tow tune... I can almost guarantee you that you will have some EGT issues in a HOT performance tune with any of these. So yea, I like playing with my knob... LOL

 

[907DAVE]

I pulled this in my "do it all tune", 300/200's. Roughly 14k.

 

[farm boy]

I pulled this in my "do it all tune", 300/200's. Roughly 14k.

That's bad ass non the less. With Twins?

 

[Big Bore]

Would you pull any of these with your Hot tune? I dont know the weight. Alot though...

Yes. You aren't the only one towing heavy loads. Have you ever towed 10,000lbs at 11,500ft? If not you don't even begin to understand EGT's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoosier_Pass

A typical load on my old truck. The house is at 9000ft elevation.

This was with 238/80's, 38r, Auto, pmr motor. I like my heavy tow tune... I can almost guarantee you that you will have some EGT issues in a HOT performance tune with any of these. So yea, I like playing with my knob... LOL

The only reason you have high egt's is you are either overfueling in relation to throttle input and rpm's or your PW and timing is way off. Period. Your 80% nozzles should run cooler than my 30% nozzles. Curtis does the same with 250/200's.

Next!:redspotdance:

 

[Groomzybanshee]

Would you pull any of these with your Hot tune? I dont know the weight. Alot though...

This was with 238/80's, 38r, Auto, pmr motor. I like my heavy tow tune... I can almost guarantee you that you will have some EGT issues in a HOT performance tune with any of these. So yea, I like playing with my knob... LOL

Yes..... I have towed a 40 ft gooseneck full of square bails.... It's all how you drive it man... Never towed at high elavtion though...

 

[Lowdown89]

I haven't driven my truck except to cut some donuts and screw off with my new injectors, but with the stage 1s I never took my truck out of the "hot" tune... Granted 80% of the time I was empty and just running around but with bills tunes it drove like a stock truck even pulling my car trailer with my f150 on it up thru the mountains of Asheville (nothing compared to what you guys call mountains tho lol) and never felt the need to switch tunes... I really agree that most everything you want to do can be done in 1 tune once you get it dialed in and that's the great thing about you guys that can tune your own trucks because you get to see how the truck feels everyday and can make tweaks accordingly until you pretty much have the perfect tune for your truck

 

[907DAVE]

That's bad ass non the less. With Twins?

Yep. And for those who think they can tow heavy, try doing it at elevation with some steep grades....for miles on end. You will then understand how important tuning is.

 

[Dieselboy.]

I have six tunes on my chip
stock
hi idle
tow
DD
hot
Drag

I start it and wait 3 seconds for the gen3 to figure its chit out before going into the hi idle. Then once its over 100* (EOT) It goes into the Daily. The odd time if its colder Ill use the tow tune as it seems to have a bit more timing and doesnt smoke raw fuel as much.

Drag tune is just a chit ton of fuel I wanted left over for nitrous.

But when Cale wrote my DD tune I had him pull a ton of fuel out on the bottom. Literally with 400/200s and an s475 the only way Id get enough smoke to make people look is if I mash it off idle or lug it with the TC locked.
I specifically was anal about my DD tune. I have rough roads at home so Its almost a dead pedal until at least a 1/4 which I like. It doesnt ramp up ICP so fast it shoots the truck foward all jerky like, as some tuners seem to do to make you think it is faster. I wanted a nice linear pull and thats what I got. I could make a stock truck with a superchips smoke more then me in a 425hp tune.
Cale nailed it. EGTs are managed by my right foot and like stated above i had Cale set it up so from idle to half throttle it was like driving a stock truck and from 1/2 to full it comes alive.

 

[farm boy]

Yes. You aren't the only one towing heavy loads. Have you ever towed 10,000lbs at 11,500ft? If not you don't even begin to understand EGT's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoosier_Pass

A typical load on my old truck. The house is at 9000ft elevation.

The only reason you have high egt's is you are either overfueling in relation to throttle input and rpm's or your PW and timing is way off. Period. Your 80% nozzles should run cooler than my 30% nozzles. Curtis does the same with 250/200's.

Next!:redspotdance:

Yes..... I have towed a 40 ft gooseneck full of square bails.... It's all how you drive it man... Never towed at high elavtion though...

Yep. And for those who think they can tow heavy, try doing it at elevation with some steep grades....for miles on end. You will then understand how important tuning is.

Nope, no elevation here. I guess you guy's have made me a believer...

My truck is sitting in the parking lot of work right now with a stock trailer behind it. Im gonna put it on #6 when I pick up a load of cows this evening and see how she acts.

P.S. I'm not being sarcastic in my last statement...

 

[Big Bore]

My truck is sitting in the parking lot of work right now with a stock trailer behind it. Im gonna put it on #6 when I pick up a load of cows this evening and see how she acts.
..

Just because we can does not mean that you can or should. It's all based on the tuning. That was the point of my thread. There are tuners out there that can't or won't write tunes that can be run that way. I happen to be very fortunate to have tunes from someone who has entered the Matrix.

 

[JAP]

There's definitely a place for it! But the thing about it is... Some people just like that. I know of a few tuners that have tunes linear all of the way through the range and I've actually heard people complain that their truck didn't feel like it had the power, when in fact, it did, but a lot of times, you're "fooled" into thinking there's more power because you get full fueling early with little throttle input.

 

[Tom S]

I still like having some options between tunes but have one that I use the majority of the time. I could make do with a 4 tune chip and be pretty darn happy but have no desire to switch away from the current setup.