Alright guys, I have been reading many forums and post about programmers and I have some questions. With the issue of warranty being voided, the potential of tranny problems, the potential of overheading and others, is a programmer worth it? I would like to get a little more power and better mileage, but I am very nervous with all the other stuff that I am reading. Also is there a muffler system that will help my needs without being much louder than stock? Also, is there must difference between the different air intake systems?

Jon

 

if I had to do it all over again. . .you bet. when I got my TST hooked up right the first time I was giggling like a school girl on crack. However there are some issues that do arrise when doing these sorts of things. #1 how friendly is the service writer to these mods, and how friendly the service writer is to you. If the service writer is cool about certian mods then your good, just dont get cocky. However I have heard of reports where someone who put in a K&N filter had their entire warranty voided. if you do happen to get a box or programmer, just remember to put everything back to stock settings, that will give them one less clue as to things have been tampered with.

There is another route you can take though. do what I do and become your own warranty station. Granted there are only certian things you have to go to the dealer for, however there are alot of aftermarket applications that can be had for cheaper and last better than OEM.

if you do happen to get a box or programmer though you will enjoy it from the power increase. but be carefull, some programmers change certian aspects of the computer like key cycles and hour meters that if you have 30K on the odometer, but only 100 hour on the hour meter then they know something is funky and have probable cause to void the warranty. the best advice I can give is this though. . .if you have ANY doubts, dont do it.

now since you asked about mufflers there are quite a few that flow better than stock, I hear alot of good things about the donaldson flow thru mufflers. quiet untill you floor it

intake systems, I realy cant tell you if one is better than the other, maybe steve can chime in

 

No disrespect to Ram owners on this site but, 12 valve CTD are all mechanical upgrades. Non of this electronic mumbo jumbo. There is no finer motor to tinker with on the planet.

A wrench, a screwdriver, and some good ole fashioned knuckle power. That's how you achieve success!!!!!



Good luck.

 

Demon,

I am new to the Diesel world, so can you explain a little more.

Jon

 

it's been my experience that the more you open up the intake, the better it'll flow on the top end. same goes for the exhaust. do one end or the other to maintain some mileage, do both and mileage will drop. it'll flow really well in the upper rpms though if you do both. it depends on what you want out of your truck.

I had a K&N intake kit on my 2000 ram gasser that was great. I changed out the stock cone filter for a massive 6x9 one and the top end woke up nicely, mileage dropped a little but there was a power boost from about 2k and up. 90% of the time I ran this filter, it was easy to swap out if I ever needed a boost in mileage on a long trip or something.

currently on my 2005, I have the AFE stage II with the pro guard filter. it however is sitting on the sidelines right now while I deal with an edge issue. with my 30" mag exhaust and the AFE intake installed, low end drops, mpg drop (about 1.0~1.25 mpg) but the top end screams. Turbo spoolup is almost instantaeous (sp?) and it builds boost well past 37~38 psi. this might have something to do with the mileage drop, i'm not 100 % sure but am beginning to think it is. if I could find a way to kill my boost some with the intake on and do a 300 mile test on it it would prove it one way or the other.

others have put on an Aero turbine muffler recently which is a straight thru design with some louvers of some sort on the inside (IIRC) i'm kinda curious to see what kind of affect it has on their mileage. one guy mentioned he was down -4 mpg

I personally want the best of both worlds... and I want it on the fly. the programmers that allow you to change things on the fly are awesome IMO, my edge is one of them however I seem to be having a problem with them (edge) lately... pm me if you want details. If I can find a cost effective way to control the exhaust flow & it's back pressure I'd be all over it. I did find a company that makes a variable exhaust setup that is for sound control that is much like an exhaust brake but setup to act differently however it's too expensive for me to play with (over $800 shipped). My thinking here is if I can add a touch of backpressure for everyday driving & then open it up when I need/want it I'll have the best of both worlds.

anyways... hope I didnt put anyone to sleep lol... (long post)

 

Jon, AJ's truck is an older P7100 pump 12 valve trucks. there were no electronics on it. to make power from them you astualy adjusted screws, springs, and cam plates in the pump itself to give you the extra fueling you want. with the newer trucks everything is electronicaly controlled so the fireing of the injectors, timeing and even the duration of how long the injectors are open can be controlled by a computer.