jimbo486

it's not in my sig, but my dad's got an '06 2500 megacab 2wd 48RE. i don't think he's looking into getting a chip just yet, but figured i'd start doing some research for him to find out what would be the best overall. the only performance upgrades he's serious at the moment are exhaust and intake. he's buying an AFE torque booster tube from geno's garage because it's on clearance for $100. that's one half of the cold-air intake and later on he'd just have to buy the box and filter. as for exhaust he's looking at probably a silverline 4" turbo-back system.

now, as for chips that i'm concerned about. i've only begun to read that edge chips aren't THE best but are still ok. although, before that i would've never guessed there was anything better as i'd never heard any different. i assumed most performance/tuner chips all do about the same thing which is advance timing and adjust fuel delivery (?) accordingly. i could be wrong, but that's why i'm here asking this question. so, to make this long post a little longer... what chips do you or have you run, what are your opinions and what have you heard about certain chips, good or bad? TIA guys.

TexasCTD

The general consensus here on DTR for 3rd gens is that the Smarty is King. From my experience it will add tons of power but your engine will feel like it's not working hard at all to make it. The EGTs will run cooler.

If you (or your dad) don't want to make big power....you can buy a Smarty Jr. for less money and get the benefits but not as much power.

..

jimbo486

awesome, thanks!! from what i've just read on TST's site, sounds like the smarty is the better way to go. not traceable when it's in stock form, fastest downloads, speedo corrections, 3 cylinder high-idle, trouble code reader. sounds sweet!! although he bought i used, it doesn't have the dealer warranty so he doesn't have to worry about it being traced but, he still has the 5 yr/100,000 mile warranty on the motor, so it'd probably go to the dealer for anything wrong motor-wise. however, i wouldn't trust them to work on it. anyhow, thanks for the reference. i'd heard of smarty's a while back and never spent any time researching or asking about them. i'd rather hear from the guys with plenty of experience running certain products. and if the DTR 3rd gen guys say smarty is king, then smarty it is!! thanks again texas!!

megacabdad

Your Dad's exhaust is already 4" from the factory...

If it is still stock, it's going to have a catalytic converter, muffler, and resonator, in that order.

The muffler would be the first thing to get rid of, either with a delete pipe or with an aftermarket muffler. The cat may/may not be legal to remove, depending on local emissions tests. The resonator sit over the rear axle and helps with drone.

If he wants a full aftermarket exhaust, go 5"...it will sound deep.

I'll second the Smarty!

cromulius

Do not mod a truck with things like a smarty and expect the warranty.

megacabdad

Most people posting in this forum are not concerned with warranties.

cromulius

That may be but I posted that in this thread because he said his truck would go to the dealer for any motor warranty work.

megacabdad

Gotcha...

I agree with you.

If you start modding your truck, you become your own warranty station.

JJPage

awesome, thanks!! from what i've just read on TST's site, sounds like the smarty is the better way to go.

Especially since your Dad's truck is an 06. TST does not work well on 06+ yrs, but it is a Great product on earlier yrs.

Do you understand the difference between a "fuel box" and a "programmer"?
A fuel box installs in the trucks wiring harness (timing/duration/pressure) it intercepts or changes the sensors signals to the ecm, and fools it (ecm) to provide more fuel and timing to the motor. It can be removed and the truck is stock again.

A programmer actually downloads new software into the ecm, changing the stock programming to something not stock. Smarty's claim, is it is not detectable, once you program back to stock, but there are others, Bullydog, Flashpac, PPE, that do not make that claim. Most Dealers will void your warranty if they have evidence of either a Fuel box or a Programmer.

jimbo486

i highly doubt the truck would go to the dealer for warranty work on the motor. because really, can you trust those mechanics? i'd prefer it going to a shop who works on nothing but diesels. or, do the work ourselves. either of those 2 options is what i'd rather have happen.

as for the exhaust. i did notice that the entire system is a 4" turbo back. i was surprised to see that. so the only thing that i suggested to my dad was to just buy an aftermarket muffler, a tip, get rid of the resonator, and maybe a cat delete pipe. but, the delete pipe wouldn't be welded in, so that when it comes time for smogging, which is ridiculous, we can slip the cat back in place and should pass as far as the visual & emissions inspection.

that's very good to know. thanks for the explanation!! so for example, would the edge juice/attitude be considered a "fuel box" being that it is piggy-backed with the main wiring harness into the ECM?