So I've been fighting with a Superchips tuner for quite a while now. I purchased a Flashpaq 3842 in the hopes of picking up a little power, eliminating torque management and "death flash" from my 01. Pretty much, the answer is no dice.

At first tuning, the truck would ping like crazy on any and every tune. I attributed this to the plenum or a worn out timing chain. Replaced both while doing another project and the pinging reduced but was still present. Even did the aluminum plate, shorter bolts, and loctite for the plenum.

I should mention here that my truck has 2 modifications. First, a Spectre CAI, and 2nd, a Transgo TFOD JR shift kit in the reman trans that's under 1 year old. I should also mention that I've stripped the motor down to the shortblock in the last 12 months, the heads got a valve job, the combustion chambers were cleaned of any deposits, and the injectors were cleaned.

While tuned with any tune on the device (which is up to date fyi) the truck has an incorrect shifting pattern, and still pings at WOT in higher RPM ranges.

The truck shifts fine and doesn't ping at all on stock tuning.

I have been emailing back and forth with Superchips tech support and here are a summary of their "master tech's" answers(excuses) relayed to me by a customer service person who plays middleman.

1. Blamed the pinging on the CAI. (Doesn't ping with the CAI on stock tune)
2. Blamed the shifting issue on the shift kit. (Shifts fine with the shift kit on stock tune)
3, The tuner doesn't work with CAI's and Shift Kits
4. The truck will require custom tuning to have those mods, which you can obtain by buying one of the much much more expensive tuners we sell and paying a tuning shop hundreds more dollars for a custom tune.

What an asinine bunch of nonsense. They sell these tuners marketing 50+ horsepower and 60+ lb-ft gains on the 5.9 magnum engines (not that we believe that) and my butt dyno says even giving them credit for 10 would be generous. On top of that, they sell a performance product that "doesn't work" with even the most basic of aftermarket parts. We aren't talking about nitrous or forced induction here, or a big lopey cam...we are talking about a damned intake and the mildest shift kit on the market for crying out loud. No-where have I ever read from them that their tuners cannot be used with other performance modifications. That should be EXPLICITLY stated. Or they should just build a better product.

All in all, this has been a huge waste of time/money/effort/brainpower. It took forever to get a response from their service team and their answers are cop out answers at best, and up-selling at worst. I couldn't be less satisfied with Superchips. Avoid at all costs.

 

All tuners are bad. My hypertech did that too. If the engineers wanted more power numbers they would have designed it that way.

If you need more power, get a hemi. If you want to tune and soup up something, get a diesel.

 

Yer no fun.

Quite a few folks use tuners without trouble though. I think a LOT depends on just whom you get your programming from.

 

Been there done that. Tuners just aren't a good idea for these old weak engines. Unless you need one for a custom build to get the pcm in line. These engines were designed in the 50s and Dodge just slapped efi on them. Trying to "tune" them is just a lost cause. I've been fighting ping, death flash, spark plugs, and tuners since 2001 when I bought it. Best thing I ever did was put it back to stock. It's slow but it starts everyday. Only thing we can do to any gas engine is remove epa junk. After that, a blower is required. No fun? I'd say trying to get more power out of gassers is no fun. There just isn't much left. But I do know my old 318 still has life at 242k and drives me around every day. Even if I am the last one there.

 

To each their own but there is a 99 Ram 360 with 625hp that would disagree with you. These are "old engines" but they are capable of way more power then what we have. Saying that is just a tune worth it with no mods to support it.... that is up to the owner. A running company that doesn't support the tune that's a no go.

 

Ive had similar results with my SCT (tuned by hughes to go with the air gap intake manifold). When i select the "performance tune" which is 91 oct. it pings like crazy (even with 91 oct gas and octane booster added) and the shift points are messed up in the trans. If i leave it in stock setting or even use the "tow" setting (which is 89 oct gas) it runs great, no pinging, and shifts great.

 

 

A stock engine is putting down 625hp?

 

No lol it's built but not maxed out. You were saying about if you want to mod an engine get a diesel. I disagree with that. Ramman come to my garage sometime and willw build your old 318 up and you'll be a believer

 

I'd love to but there's never enough funds for that. Plus then I'd have to upgrade the trans, the axles, etc.

But you misunderstand me. The OP is complaining about the tuner's effect on the engine, not extensive mechanical modifications. Any engine can be built way up but If you want to mod an engine with a tuner, get a diesel. None of these tuners can really ever do what they claim, and never could. Superchips and Hypertech and Jet were around in the 90s and there just isn't much to do to these stock engines and computers. Yes, there's tons of things one could change mechanically on the engine to make more power but that's not the point I was making. Tuners claim to simply plug it in and instantly get more power and torque but their claims are obviously unfounded and that's what the OP and I were complaining about from experience.