Smarty and a Stock Truck?
08-22-2006, 02:09 PM
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Smarty and a Stock Truck?
Okay Guys this is my first post so please bear with me. I have a stock 2003 Ram Qaud Cab 4x4 diesel 305hp/555tq. My question is, would a Smarty programmer still increase performance and mileage on my truck without any additional performance parts such as air filters, exhaust etc. I'm not mechanical by any stretch of the imagination so I'm the fool who has to pay the extra money to have a shop do it for me. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help!
08-22-2006, 02:54 PM
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The SMARTY is a programmer, you plug it in, it downloads a program, and you unplug, and go have fun.
If you choose to drive it on its higher settings, you may want to at least have an EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature) gauge, but on the lower settings, no worries. Call Bob Wagner and talk with him.
www.madselectronics.com
If you choose to drive it on its higher settings, you may want to at least have an EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature) gauge, but on the lower settings, no worries. Call Bob Wagner and talk with him.
www.madselectronics.com
08-22-2006, 02:58 PM
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The Smarty is awesome read below
The following is from Marco, (the maker of the Smarty 3G) of www.madselectronics.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gang,
The good news first...
The wait is over, I've shipped the first batch to the States this morning.
First of all, let me THANK YOU for your patience!
We have worked HARD in order to get a First Class product to the market!
It has taken quiet some time and effort but we feel the hard work for us thus the long wait for you has been well worth it.
I'm proud of what we've been able to provide!
It's now time for a real update for you all.
The main question, what actually DOES this new toy " Smarty CR "?
In short ( but not limited to ).
1) Ten different -CaTCHER- performance softwares for each truck.
2) Smarty leaves NO trace at all of itself once the ECM is set back to stock.
3) ABS / Speedo recalibration in steps of one tenth of an inch.
4) Code reader, codes are displayed as Pxxxx and in plain English.
5) Fastest download, up to three times faster than the competition.
6) Build in USB port for internet updates.
1) The horsepower settings. Just like the VP Smarty does, except #0, all other softwares have a modified "Torque management" ( TQM ). The throttle response is greatly improved but is set to a save limit. With "Save" I mean save for your tranny and rest of the driveline. ( Please, make sure you understand the difference between a " disabled TQM " and a modified one! ( Disabled ) )
SW # 0 : Half power
SW # 1 : 30hp increase, with added timing .
SW # 2 : 60hp increase, no added timing.
SW # 3 : 60hp increase, with added timing.
SW # 4 : 90hp increase, no added timing.
SW # 5 : 90hp increase, with added timing.
SW # 6 : 130hp increase, no added timing.
SW # 7 : 130hp increase, with added timing.
SW # 8 : 170hp increase, no added timing.***
SW # 9 : 170hp increase, with added timing.***
(*** Only for the 04.5's and up)
Let's define the test conditions under which we came up with those numbers.
The dyno, TST's Mustang.
The trucks, again TST's test trucks.
-An 03, 6Sp, 305Hp/555 TQ. STOCK except for a FASS pump and a clutch.
-An 04.5, AT, 325Hp/600 TQ. STOCK except for a FASS pump and beefed up tranny.
(I'll have to tell you about TST sometimes later. One HECK of a company!
Thanks Mark!)
Stock means just that. Stock! Even the air filters were stock...
I've released the information about the HP gains a couple weeks ago and a few of you have complained about the " only 130 hp gain " for the 03 & 04's.
I'd like to point out that the 03 produced 130Hp more @ 30 Psi of boost while the 04.5 produced 170 hp more @ 40! Psi. Does that tell you something?
Like I said the trucks were S T O C K, even the wastegate settings!
We checked the "baseline" ( the stock truck Hp at the rear wheels ) twice in a day in order to be sure about our findings. The above declared HP numbers are all rounded down to the closest number. For example the 90 Hp file actually did 96Hp. That's a 90 Hp software for me, not a 100. The 170 Hp was 174... OK? Facts no hype!
One thing to notice. The power gains with the 03's-04's would be actually higher if we started from a 235 Hp engine. In poor words, an 03 California truck would end up with the same rear wheel Hp the 03 6Sp produced. I've used the same settings for the California AT truck that I used in the 03 6Sp. For the 03 235Hp/460TQ engine the power gain is above 200 Hp.
I've almost forgot to mention... SW's # 8 & #9 for the 03-04 trucks are similar to #7 and # 8 but have more fuel down low and even less TQM. Can you say SMOKE?
2) No trace is left in the ECM!
I herby CLAIM that SmartyCR is the FIRST AND ONLY downloader that does not erase any of the stored data in the ECM. Smarty does NOT leave any footprints. Smarty does NOT set ANY codes once the ECM is set back to stock. Smarty does NOT need to have fuses pulled. Smarty...
Well you get the picture.
No matter what the competition claims , in one way or another they're ALL detectable. Smarty is NOT!
Yet, Smarty can not do one thing for you. Fix what others have broke. Smarty can not restore a key on counter that another downloader has erased . Smarty can not fix VIN# troubles caused by other products. If your Check engine / ABS light is on because another product has screwed your ECM, Smarty can not fix it.... the other guy HAS to.
3) ABS/ Speedo recalibration.
Well, not much more to add here. The tire height can be adjusted up to 44" in increments of 10 tenth of an inch in just a couple seconds. Of course, Smarty needs to be VIN# locked to the truck in order to get into the ABS adjustment section.
4) DTC Code reader.
The name says it all.
You can read and erase codes. Codes are displayed also in plain English. That's old news by now. The VP Smarty was the first one to provide that utility, others found the idea to be a good one too. Oh well....
( Smarty does erase ABS codes too but does not display them )
5) ECM update speed.
Faster than anything else on the market! Again we've done our homework on the protocol. Depending upon the year of the truck ( Then newer the truck than longer the software thus the update time ) from about 3 minutes to about 5 and a half. Three times faster than a DRB or competitor.
Also on the CR we have developed our own bootloader in order to not have to pull fuses should an update become interrupted for some reason. All you have to do is to turn the key off / key on Smarty does everything else on it's own.
6) Updates.
If you have followed the Smarty for the VP trucks, then you've noticed that we have release several updates for it in a relatively short time. Well, you can expect the same to happen for the CR. The CaTCHER softwares as they are today are only a starting point. Expect major news within the next months! I'm waiting for your feedback,opinions, likes, dislikes...
We will make Smarty do what YOU want, TOGETHER.
Hey, be reasonable with your requests.
Last ,a few bad news. Yep, nothing is perfect.
1)The Smarty's that are heading over the pond now do NOT work on the 06 trucks, never will. It's a looong and sad story. I got fooled by a technical manual...Sorry about that one! The 06's use now the CAN bus to update the ECM. We're already working on a different hardware that will do all trucks from 03 to 06. Most of the job is done but here in Italy everybody closes for vacation in August. It's a "lost" month. We expect to be ready with the first CAN bus beta units in the middle/end of September. To the market in October.
If you own a 06 today, please do not purchase a Smarty today!
If you own a 03 to 05.5 truck today but want to change truck sometimes in the future, we could provide you an exchange board for the Smarty with the CAN bus capability. We'll work a deal out. Customer satisfaction FIRST. No doubt.
2) I've not yet raised the Rev limiter above 3.5K. ( But up to 3.5K it's already STRONG!!!!)
3) I've not yet worked on the speed limiter. Hey, it's a truck not a sportscar,
right? NOT!
4) I've not yet tested the high idle enable on all trucks. I have enabled it in all softwares ( even the stock ones ) but it's not been validated yet in all trucks. The trucks I've worked on it worked... I guess you'll find out before me....
OK, here I quit.
Thanks for your attention!
Marco
__________________
Marco
www.madselectronics.com
Hope this helps in your decision,
Bill
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gang,
The good news first...
The wait is over, I've shipped the first batch to the States this morning.
First of all, let me THANK YOU for your patience!
We have worked HARD in order to get a First Class product to the market!
It has taken quiet some time and effort but we feel the hard work for us thus the long wait for you has been well worth it.
I'm proud of what we've been able to provide!
It's now time for a real update for you all.
The main question, what actually DOES this new toy " Smarty CR "?
In short ( but not limited to ).
1) Ten different -CaTCHER- performance softwares for each truck.
2) Smarty leaves NO trace at all of itself once the ECM is set back to stock.
3) ABS / Speedo recalibration in steps of one tenth of an inch.
4) Code reader, codes are displayed as Pxxxx and in plain English.
5) Fastest download, up to three times faster than the competition.
6) Build in USB port for internet updates.
1) The horsepower settings. Just like the VP Smarty does, except #0, all other softwares have a modified "Torque management" ( TQM ). The throttle response is greatly improved but is set to a save limit. With "Save" I mean save for your tranny and rest of the driveline. ( Please, make sure you understand the difference between a " disabled TQM " and a modified one! ( Disabled ) )
SW # 0 : Half power
SW # 1 : 30hp increase, with added timing .
SW # 2 : 60hp increase, no added timing.
SW # 3 : 60hp increase, with added timing.
SW # 4 : 90hp increase, no added timing.
SW # 5 : 90hp increase, with added timing.
SW # 6 : 130hp increase, no added timing.
SW # 7 : 130hp increase, with added timing.
SW # 8 : 170hp increase, no added timing.***
SW # 9 : 170hp increase, with added timing.***
(*** Only for the 04.5's and up)
Let's define the test conditions under which we came up with those numbers.
The dyno, TST's Mustang.
The trucks, again TST's test trucks.
-An 03, 6Sp, 305Hp/555 TQ. STOCK except for a FASS pump and a clutch.
-An 04.5, AT, 325Hp/600 TQ. STOCK except for a FASS pump and beefed up tranny.
(I'll have to tell you about TST sometimes later. One HECK of a company!
Thanks Mark!)
Stock means just that. Stock! Even the air filters were stock...
I've released the information about the HP gains a couple weeks ago and a few of you have complained about the " only 130 hp gain " for the 03 & 04's.
I'd like to point out that the 03 produced 130Hp more @ 30 Psi of boost while the 04.5 produced 170 hp more @ 40! Psi. Does that tell you something?
Like I said the trucks were S T O C K, even the wastegate settings!
We checked the "baseline" ( the stock truck Hp at the rear wheels ) twice in a day in order to be sure about our findings. The above declared HP numbers are all rounded down to the closest number. For example the 90 Hp file actually did 96Hp. That's a 90 Hp software for me, not a 100. The 170 Hp was 174... OK? Facts no hype!
One thing to notice. The power gains with the 03's-04's would be actually higher if we started from a 235 Hp engine. In poor words, an 03 California truck would end up with the same rear wheel Hp the 03 6Sp produced. I've used the same settings for the California AT truck that I used in the 03 6Sp. For the 03 235Hp/460TQ engine the power gain is above 200 Hp.
I've almost forgot to mention... SW's # 8 & #9 for the 03-04 trucks are similar to #7 and # 8 but have more fuel down low and even less TQM. Can you say SMOKE?
2) No trace is left in the ECM!
I herby CLAIM that SmartyCR is the FIRST AND ONLY downloader that does not erase any of the stored data in the ECM. Smarty does NOT leave any footprints. Smarty does NOT set ANY codes once the ECM is set back to stock. Smarty does NOT need to have fuses pulled. Smarty...
Well you get the picture.
No matter what the competition claims , in one way or another they're ALL detectable. Smarty is NOT!
Yet, Smarty can not do one thing for you. Fix what others have broke. Smarty can not restore a key on counter that another downloader has erased . Smarty can not fix VIN# troubles caused by other products. If your Check engine / ABS light is on because another product has screwed your ECM, Smarty can not fix it.... the other guy HAS to.
3) ABS/ Speedo recalibration.
Well, not much more to add here. The tire height can be adjusted up to 44" in increments of 10 tenth of an inch in just a couple seconds. Of course, Smarty needs to be VIN# locked to the truck in order to get into the ABS adjustment section.
4) DTC Code reader.
The name says it all.
You can read and erase codes. Codes are displayed also in plain English. That's old news by now. The VP Smarty was the first one to provide that utility, others found the idea to be a good one too. Oh well....
( Smarty does erase ABS codes too but does not display them )
5) ECM update speed.
Faster than anything else on the market! Again we've done our homework on the protocol. Depending upon the year of the truck ( Then newer the truck than longer the software thus the update time ) from about 3 minutes to about 5 and a half. Three times faster than a DRB or competitor.
Also on the CR we have developed our own bootloader in order to not have to pull fuses should an update become interrupted for some reason. All you have to do is to turn the key off / key on Smarty does everything else on it's own.
6) Updates.
If you have followed the Smarty for the VP trucks, then you've noticed that we have release several updates for it in a relatively short time. Well, you can expect the same to happen for the CR. The CaTCHER softwares as they are today are only a starting point. Expect major news within the next months! I'm waiting for your feedback,opinions, likes, dislikes...
We will make Smarty do what YOU want, TOGETHER.
Hey, be reasonable with your requests.
Last ,a few bad news. Yep, nothing is perfect.
1)The Smarty's that are heading over the pond now do NOT work on the 06 trucks, never will. It's a looong and sad story. I got fooled by a technical manual...Sorry about that one! The 06's use now the CAN bus to update the ECM. We're already working on a different hardware that will do all trucks from 03 to 06. Most of the job is done but here in Italy everybody closes for vacation in August. It's a "lost" month. We expect to be ready with the first CAN bus beta units in the middle/end of September. To the market in October.
If you own a 06 today, please do not purchase a Smarty today!
If you own a 03 to 05.5 truck today but want to change truck sometimes in the future, we could provide you an exchange board for the Smarty with the CAN bus capability. We'll work a deal out. Customer satisfaction FIRST. No doubt.
2) I've not yet raised the Rev limiter above 3.5K. ( But up to 3.5K it's already STRONG!!!!)
3) I've not yet worked on the speed limiter. Hey, it's a truck not a sportscar,
right? NOT!
4) I've not yet tested the high idle enable on all trucks. I have enabled it in all softwares ( even the stock ones ) but it's not been validated yet in all trucks. The trucks I've worked on it worked... I guess you'll find out before me....
OK, here I quit.
Thanks for your attention!
Marco
__________________
Marco
www.madselectronics.com
Hope this helps in your decision,
Bill
08-22-2006, 02:58 PM
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I DO NOT suggest a smarty with a stock tranny due to reduced tq managment. Ramwheelsby broke a flex plate in his modified tranny running a smarty. I tried one and can testify its tough on a tranny!
you wouldn't want to go over the 90hp level anyway....waaay too much tranny stress and EGT get to be a problem on anything above 90hp.
you wouldn't want to go over the 90hp level anyway....waaay too much tranny stress and EGT get to be a problem on anything above 90hp.
08-22-2006, 03:24 PM
#5
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I did, or at least someone broke my flexplate running tests with the Smarty. Probably not really the Smarty's fault, I am sure it had been weakened prior. But with the reduced torque management on the Smarty and SW 8 it did not have a chance.
I agree I would be very careful with a stock truck and the Smarty. Not saying don't, just err on the side of caution. Not sure how it will feel on stock 305, but I have a friend that just got one with pretty stock 305. He said it does smoke, but not as bad as mine and the throttle will put you sideways pretty easy with stock size tires on even 60/90hp programs. I expect some software upgrades from Marco after the first round of users feedback.
Now I got to go load SW 7 and see how high many lanes I can black out.
I agree I would be very careful with a stock truck and the Smarty. Not saying don't, just err on the side of caution. Not sure how it will feel on stock 305, but I have a friend that just got one with pretty stock 305. He said it does smoke, but not as bad as mine and the throttle will put you sideways pretty easy with stock size tires on even 60/90hp programs. I expect some software upgrades from Marco after the first round of users feedback.
Now I got to go load SW 7 and see how high many lanes I can black out.
08-22-2006, 03:47 PM
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Ok level 7 (130 horsey w/ timin) how bad are the egts with cold air and straight through exhaust?More to the point 5 inch stacks with no kitty or muffler????
I know 8 and 9 will peg a pyro quick.
Right now I'm on the fence, smarty or Tripple dog.
The smarty loads faster and is up to 170hp.
Tripple dog I can get the outlook and change on the fly but I've heard that is really doesn't chnage the program, (anyone know???).With crazy larry I can get to 180 and scary larry is what 230 but I know I could never use it on a stock turbo.
As far as TQ, well I'm lookin at a 6 speed so I don't really need that but the tripple dog as the low end fuel thing but I've rode in a truck with a smarty (2nd gen) and if the 3rd gen fuels as hard as the 2nd gen program I see no need for a low end fuelin program.
I know 8 and 9 will peg a pyro quick.
Right now I'm on the fence, smarty or Tripple dog.
The smarty loads faster and is up to 170hp.
Tripple dog I can get the outlook and change on the fly but I've heard that is really doesn't chnage the program, (anyone know???).With crazy larry I can get to 180 and scary larry is what 230 but I know I could never use it on a stock turbo.
As far as TQ, well I'm lookin at a 6 speed so I don't really need that but the tripple dog as the low end fuel thing but I've rode in a truck with a smarty (2nd gen) and if the 3rd gen fuels as hard as the 2nd gen program I see no need for a low end fuelin program.
08-22-2006, 04:20 PM
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I talked to a guy down here that tried a 3rd gen Smarty......he just shook his head.......I asked "What?". He told me he didnt want to let it go! He is hard to impress.....and he was floored......might want to look into intake and exhaust from what i hear if you are going to play at the upper levels.....
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08-22-2006, 04:27 PM
#8
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The Smarty throttle response(Low End Power) is as much or more than the lastest BD Triple Dog CL 2.3.1 with Low End Power option on. The Smarty is more touchy than the BDTD and takes a little getting use to. Although I think I am commited to the Smarty for now. The lastest BDTD was smoother low end and somehow spooled my II SPS66 much faster than the Smarty does. After I get track time I will know more about how they compare. Just now starting to play with the Smarty.
08-22-2006, 06:30 PM
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I had level 7 on my truck for a while and could hit 1500* easily....AFE stage II, gutted cat and no muffler.
my truck is the fastest its ever been right now....Bullydog Crazy Larry...and a little black box.....quadzilla beta product. o-90mph scary fast....around 1450* at 90mph. I launced in 4wd at 10 psi and WOW. I hit 90mph in A LOT less than a 1/4 mile....i used to be at 95mph at the end of the 1/4 when i was turning high 13's....the smarty's power is not comparable to what i have now....its not even close.
my truck is the fastest its ever been right now....Bullydog Crazy Larry...and a little black box.....quadzilla beta product. o-90mph scary fast....around 1450* at 90mph. I launced in 4wd at 10 psi and WOW. I hit 90mph in A LOT less than a 1/4 mile....i used to be at 95mph at the end of the 1/4 when i was turning high 13's....the smarty's power is not comparable to what i have now....its not even close.
08-22-2006, 06:48 PM
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Ok so the Crazy larry and whatever quad you got is faster and has lower egts than a smarty???
No aftermarket turbos or anything????
What quad box do you have??
I know put to a point boost (around 36-40) will cool the exhaust off.I know up to a point more timin will cool the exhaust off but it can blow a head gasket if it's got to much, right???
And then you get the reducion from straight exhaust and cold air.
No aftermarket turbos or anything????
What quad box do you have??
I know put to a point boost (around 36-40) will cool the exhaust off.I know up to a point more timin will cool the exhaust off but it can blow a head gasket if it's got to much, right???
And then you get the reducion from straight exhaust and cold air.
08-22-2006, 08:35 PM
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Thanks Guys for your input. I'm amazed at the amount of information you can get from these foums. I'm just looking for something to give me some modest gains in towing power since I tow a 12,000lbs 5th wheel and since I use this truck as a daily driver covering the Great Buckeye State for sales I'm really looking for something that would help with mileage so I would only look to use the bottom couple of settings on the Smarty. From what I've read it seems like the Smarty is the way to go and still keep most everything stock on my truck. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
08-22-2006, 10:20 PM
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I would say stay stock stay happy. What I am trying to say if you play with smarty plan on a trans or a clutch what ever you have. its hard to go back stock and say I wont do that again. find a friend in your area with a Edge J/A run it for a few days play with it some see what you think then take it off the truck and see if you can live with out it after you felt the power. Its like Drugs, now load the smarty in the truck with the TQ out of it see if you think the trans will live 
I loaned my Edge out to a co worker. I also have a TST afew other boxes and I asked he for it back and he said no how much money do you want for the Edge, Glad I dident loan him my TST. Power and the other P word is the root to all evil 
I loaned my Edge out to a co worker. I also have a TST afew other boxes and I asked he for it back and he said no how much money do you want for the Edge, Glad I dident loan him my TST. Power and the other P word is the root to all evil
08-23-2006, 01:03 AM
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Yes the Bullydog is faster IMO. I never went above level 7 on the Smarty so you could argue that i don't know how fast it really is......BUT EGT's were a concern on level 7 so why go higher? un-useable power is worthless.
and yes, the Crazy Larry/Quad beta product is fast for a stock turbo. I'm guessing high 13's easily...I know my truck ran 13.96 with a Juice/EZ stack so i know what it feels like.
to specify heres my exact mods: Gutted cat, no muffler, AFE stage II w/prefilter, DTT tranny mods, Crazy Larry V2.3.1, Quad beta product, FASS 150, Gauges, 265 toyo open countrys. STOCK turbo, injectors, head work, everything internal stock.
and yes, the Crazy Larry/Quad beta product is fast for a stock turbo. I'm guessing high 13's easily...I know my truck ran 13.96 with a Juice/EZ stack so i know what it feels like.
to specify heres my exact mods: Gutted cat, no muffler, AFE stage II w/prefilter, DTT tranny mods, Crazy Larry V2.3.1, Quad beta product, FASS 150, Gauges, 265 toyo open countrys. STOCK turbo, injectors, head work, everything internal stock.
