abc4yew

Where have I been...doing the three things I love most....Eating, Driving, and .........Ahemmmm?

I guess alot of people missed the point...this is Beta 4.4 for the 03-04 250/305hp crowd....that's the new part. The other Beta 4.4's were all 04.5 and up from what I've seen.

I'm running Flux 1.5's and the stock un-gated turbo and only Smarty with the Fass set to 30psi. The truck is heavy....I had 70 extra gallons of fuel on and a couple hundred pounds of firewood....come on beach weather.

I was running Sw7 on the previous aftermarket injector program and the truck was running good but I had big mileage shifts as the timing was obviously much less than before.

Now....To compare apples to hot apples ....I'm running sw7 of the Beta.

The throttle response is very controlled and linear and while it may require a softer shoe to not be making big boost all the time it is not touchy at all. From a stop light.... 3/4 throttle is tire smoking....puff of smoke then gone.

I started off by filling the tank up....The overhead indicated 12.6L/100km (18.7mpg) and it was really 13.1 (17mpg) on a mix of idling, city, and country roads.

I went for a drive to a girl friends place for supper and entertainment and home...drove 40 to 85mph ..... now sitting at 20.1mpg on the overhead.

If this is the mileage program....I can't wait for the wild program....This is outright fun.

I didn't notice any smoke other than the puff on fast take off but my exhaust exits ahead of the rear axle under the truck pointing towards the passenger side....so it take a big puff to garner any attention.

The built 48re shifts are like butta...never better. The tranny has always firm shifted ....especially on the locked 3 to 4....with 4.4 it is much smoother for some reason....maybe the smooth application of power or a quick defuel that is un noticeable. I noticed the TC is locking at just the right times including 2nd around town....which it would do before with a lot of throttle playing around. Now it just does it......so I think this is the towing and mileage part of this software.

Timing is definitely more advanced than the AM injectors program which would be expected but it seems the same or less than the regular program at lower rpms and idle and alot more at higher rpms starting around 1400 but it is so smooth you have to pay attention to it to notice it...sounds perfect.

The tranny will hold its gear right down to maybe 1200rpms now if you keep the throttle on slightly and when you push it down....it accelerates just like it does from 1600rpm's before.....amazing.

Acceleration from 60 to 80mph is much faster than the previous sw7....more like sw9.

Boost and EGT's were around stock fueling levels although if you WOT it the boost would keep going through 40psi....which I try to keep to a minimum. Given the power and low down grunt I'm amazed at how cool and unstressed the engine is.

I'll report back when the tank of fuel is gone and I get a little heavy towing action going. Then I'll do the same on SW 9 for all you yahoos (like me) that drive around on HOT all the time.

I'm putting the Super B / Water Inj/ grid heaters gone/ and drive pressure boost gauge back on next week so I'll have some more info then on higher boost and power levels.

I'll wait to dyno when the race software is available and the LSD gets installed. These rear tires have lasted way too long ....they gotta go and I'm going to burn them off one stop light and 1/4 mile at a tim

All in all, the truck sounds meaner, feels smoother and is definitely stronger on torque and maybe a little hp. So far it is all you could ever want in a power enhancer.

Rob C

I wanna play!! I got an 04!! Can I dance too??

abc4yew

Only Bob can determine if you are worthy....you could be a great guy but it takes time and effort to be worthy. Bob likes Chocolate. Kerry

Rob C

I could ship him some chocolate, but considering it will 101 tomorrow, it will be a blob before it leaves the city.

wap

You mentioned the truck sounds meaner, I feel the same way about mine. It revs alot quicker too.

Is there much of a diff, loosin the grid heater?

MikeyB

Ok, I couldn't wait and loaded v4.4 this morning. Set to level 5 so I can have a direct comparison to version 309D205 level 5 on my '03 555.
First noticed the engine is much smoother at idle and the engine is much quieter. No timing rattle whatsoever. Throttle is very linear and smooth. Still produces as much smoke as the earlier version that I was running. The boost comes much quicker though, almost too quick if you're not ready for it, like me (Kiddies, don't try this on wet streets, hehehe).
Didn't get any real numbers yet for max boost or EGTs, that will come tomorrow with more driving time. But as it stands at 55mph its right around 2psi and 500 degrees for my 555.

MikeyB

LooseBoltsRob

Huh?? I may be missing something here, but I've yet to see a 5.9L equipped truck with an electric fan. Did DC do something in 2006 that I completely missed?

abc4yew

The fan does have a clutch on it so yes it does go on and off if the real engine temps go high (not what is showing on the idiot gauge) or the A/C is on and it needs more coolong air.

WAP, The RPM rise at such a smooth rate makes the exhaust and engine sound meaner....no ricer sound here. Take the intake horn off and take a look for yourself...There is alot of turbulence(which is wanted when the grid heaters are on.) and about a 20% restriction give or take. I just pull the grid heaters out and pull the power off. The truck still shows the coily icon and it goes out like usual....It goes back on for the slippery season...A spacer is virtually free and if it improves air flow 2% ....it's worth it to me but I think it is much more than that. ks

dodgezilla04

i put the 4.4 on last night, level 3(towing tonight in the mountains) this morning with the engine cold, i heard more timing rattle than the wild programs on 9 with cold motor. it did not fully warm up this morning, so couldnt tell if it quited down.
kerry, you say there is no timing rattle, is that at all or once it gets to operating temp?

LooseBoltsRob

yeah, but it's completely mechanical correct, just like any other mechanical fan? If so, the fan speed only increases, not turns on and off. I don't know how anything electrical would cause the fan clutch to lock up more than normal. Often times the clutch can get a little stiff at first start up and move more air than it should.

LooseBoltsRob

That's got to be something with your weather. Here in FL, firing up the truck at around 80 degrees outside, the motor is silent, maybe just a tick over stock. It's just as quiet as the Crazy Larry tune, and WAYYYY quieter than any of the original smarty tunes.

abc4yew

Geez...I know there is a connection going from the front of the fan clutch on a 45* down to the Rad....I don't know if it is fluid or electrically activated...and I'm too tired to look it up in the Tech manual. Any who the fan does go on to high speed from Coast. No fan.... electric or not is just sitting there not turning when off.

DZ04, At Idle there is less timing rattle all the time for me on start up than the previous Smarty. Remember I'm a different Beta 4.4 than the 04.5's and I'm only on sw7. There was more timing on sw9 than sw7 on the last version. ks

jrussell

I REALLY noticed a difference when it was put back to standard Wild on the dyno...MUCH more rattle at idle. With 4.4 mine doesn't rattle at all warm or cold, and it was started in the mid-40's here yesterday.

tlgdiesel

The fan is mechanical the fan clutch is electrical

wap

KS, where can I get a spacer? I may have to try this.

Chris I have no timing rattel to speak of with tst 3/0 12* timing and smarty 6 but it was about 85ish when I first fired her up.