I have a 2001 2500 Ram 2WD 6 speed/HO I bought new in 2000. The only thing I have modified is the air fiilter, now a K & N since 10K miles. I want to get a chip/programmer for it but need some advice.
I do not plan to go over board. I pull a 8.5' x 16' utility trailer on weekends and a little during the summer.Two or three more miles per gallon would be nice and would pay for itself after a few K miles. I realy do not want to modify anything else.
Question: What chip?
Edge EZ? Edge juicew/attitude? Super Chip D Box?
I called a edge dealer yesterday and asked about some prices. He said he had a used Super Chip D Box he would sale me for $250 that does the same thing the Edge EZ does. From what I see online I can by a super chip online for $290 at my door new.
What do you guys think? Thank ahead of time.

cward76

 

If you want to keep costs down you can buy used Edge EZ's in the classifieds for very reasonable but this won't give you any gauges which should be your first upgrade. The Edge Juice with Attitude will give you the best of both worlds(hp and guages) but is going to cost more money. Generally, Superchips products are not a popular choice for our trucks. Eric

 

It's my understanding that a "D" box is nothing more than a relabeled EZ, but you can take that with a grain of salt. I love my SC 3705 programmer and I got it for $279 off EBAY new. The good thing about it is it's a code reader plus you can run 3 levels of tuning or turn it off if you want to run stock . I'm sure there are better units out there but I've been happy with mine.

 

You should consider a Van Aaken. I think they are the best mileage box out there for the money and I also believe they are more dependable than edge.

 

how about a smarty box you can use it later to stack with a tst

 

I choose the Edge Juice w/Attitude because it has tons of features like (On the fly adjustment, Defueling, Alerts, Records, Tests (0-60, 1/4 mile) & a Turbo Timer) plus it like having 4 gauges without filling the truck with up pods all over the place. I like showing EGT, Tranny Temp, Fuel Pressure & Boost on mine. I know its got more performance than I need since I'm not planning on drag racing or sled pulling - just some daily driving and occassional towing. And if I ever do get serious about putting the numbers down I can always add a Smarty later on to stack to it.

 

how important are the gauges? I was given a price of $700 installed for the juice w/attitude. Didn't know if the $350 extra was worth it over the EZ. Will the gauges be used that much? Should I worry about using the EZ without gauges?

 

If your gonna "chip" it you will need gauges..at least a pyro, fuel press, and tranny if it's an auto. $700 sounds like a good deal and I would personally go with that one because I have about that much tied up in my set up and would prefer the one gauge cluster with the extra features of the juice w/attitude.

 

Gauges and Pods add up fast, This is how I looked at it....

Note: that these are not even fancy gauges, just a basic Autometer!

Boost (mechanical)
***********************************************
Auto Meter Z-Series ATM-2617 0-60psi $47.88

Trans Temp (electrical)
***********************************************
Auto Meter Z-Series ATM-2640 100-250 F $42.88

Pyrometer (electrical)
***********************************************
Auto Meter Z-Series ATM-2654 0-1600 F $135.95

Fuel Pressure (electrical)
***********************************************
Auto Meter Z-Series ATM-2660 0-100 psi $213.95 (OUCH)

Gauge Pods
***********************************************
Auto Meter Pillar Triple Gauge Pod ATM-17203 $59.95
Auto Meter Steering Column Gauge Pods ATM-15012 $29.95


Thats $530.56 for (4) gauges and pods!


Now granted that is with a electrical fuel pressure gauge.... A Mechanical fuel pressure gauge is around $45, instead of $215 ... So that would drop the price into the $360 number range. So I figured paying $721 (thats what I paid - you can get them for slightly less on Ebay) for an Edge Juice w/ Attitude and pillar for my truck was like spending $360 for gauges and $360 for a Power Adder Module.

 

$700 for a Juice installed is well worth it. Eric

 

If you want a mild increase in HP/TQ, I suggest the EZ. The D Box is a rebadged EZ. A Superchips tuner is a different animal as it is a programmer, and probably even "milder" in my books. I used s Superchips tuner with no gauges for a year, towed heavy too, and had no problems (always used "tow safe" setting when towing), but gauges are a good idea.

The Superchips tuner made my truck throw codes, but maybe just my truck didn't like it, others are happy with theirs.

An Edge Juice/Attitude is a much higher increase in hp/tq. A good product from what I've read, but keep in mind to get any more power with the juice/att combo than the EZ gives you, you have to pierce the pump wire.

On the fuel mileage, I can only comment on the EZ and the Superchips tuner as I have had both. I track every tankful on a computer spreadsheet for my truck. I knwo to the second decimal what I get for mileage out of every tank for the past 1.5 years. The Superchips had no effect (good or bad) on my mileage in the lower two settings (there are 3), and on the high setting I lost 1 or 2 mpg. With the EZ, I might have gained 0.5 mpg if anything. So, IMO, don't buy into the 2-4 mpg increase. I think that's a whole lotta hooey. I think that got started by the guys with the overhead computer mpg displays in their trucks. It is a known fact that running a chip or a tuner will "fool" the OH display into telling you you're getting 26-28 or even 30 mpg when pencil and paper would tell the true mpg that would be closer to 20mpg. Something in the way the chips and tuners work mess with the way the OH displays show mpg. Having said that however, I can tell you that any of the above will give you a noticeable increase in power, and may not cost you any mpg. That's kinda like having your cake and eating it too.