what tunner is best for the 2009 ram diesel
#1
Member
JUNIOR BUILDER
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 96
what tunner is best for the 2009 ram diesel
just got a diesel and want to chip it for towing and milage. I here the bulldog is the best but im not sure, looking for help on what to buy and where to buy, also your results after you used it , thanks alot
#2
Senior Member
DYNO OPERATOR
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Rifle Colorado
Posts: 585
My advice, don't.......yes, it'll probably get better milage and have more power with a programmer, but durabilty of the drivetrain will suffer. I bought a 08 Dodge 3500 4x4 in March. It has about 4500 miles on it now and I love it so far, no mods at all. I only use it to tow, It has more than enough power to easily pull my 8000-9000 lb trailer over two 12000-14000ft mountain passes at 65mph on cruise and still get 12 mpg. Granted the older Cummins got better milage, but I'm not willing to take any chances with durability.....jmo
Johnny
Johnny
#3
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RACING JUNKIE
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: orland pk il
Posts: 2,399
#4
Senior Member
MASTER BUILDER
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Big Lake, Minnesota
Posts: 162
I have the Edge Juice in my 2003 Dmax and have not had any issues with it and I have not put on any exhaust or intake...yet. I did notice a slight MPG increase, but not much. The hard part is that when I put the tuner in there is that I like to use the power and play a little bit...so my mileage goes down.
#5
Senior Member
DYNO OPERATOR
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Rifle Colorado
Posts: 585
We work on Duramax, Powerstroke, and Cummins late model trucks and nearly all problems fall into 3 catagories:
1. Wrong application. A diesel truck is not designed to be a daily driver. It's designed to haul heavy....any other use will cause problems. If a 1/2 ton gas truck or a Kia will serve your purpose, you don't need a diesel......
2. Improper maintenance and fuel. Following the manufacturers recommended service intervals helps a ton. Red fuel is designed for use in farm and industrial equipment. Use in a modern diesel will cause problems, mostly injector related. The use of the wrong oil in Powerstrokes will also cause injector problems.
3. Tuner/programmers. Yes they help milage. Yes they allow an incredible power increase. It's just too easy and too tempting to leave it alone. We're all power pigs here. Could you resist an additional 150hp at the push of a button? I can't.......ok, I'll step off my soap box now and move on
Johnny
1. Wrong application. A diesel truck is not designed to be a daily driver. It's designed to haul heavy....any other use will cause problems. If a 1/2 ton gas truck or a Kia will serve your purpose, you don't need a diesel......
2. Improper maintenance and fuel. Following the manufacturers recommended service intervals helps a ton. Red fuel is designed for use in farm and industrial equipment. Use in a modern diesel will cause problems, mostly injector related. The use of the wrong oil in Powerstrokes will also cause injector problems.
3. Tuner/programmers. Yes they help milage. Yes they allow an incredible power increase. It's just too easy and too tempting to leave it alone. We're all power pigs here. Could you resist an additional 150hp at the push of a button? I can't.......ok, I'll step off my soap box now and move on
Johnny
#6
Senior Member
MASTER BUILDER
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 175
I have a 2003 ram 2500 , and have a banks six gun with speed loader, and have a predator diablosport stacked on it. I also have mbrp exhaust and a AEM intake . I have had zero issues with this truck it has 50000 miles on it now and will easily get 20 mpg. If you have the time do some research and make some calls talk to the tech departments about youre application, and what you want to do with youre truck. I see no problem with wanting more power and more mpg.
#7
Senior Member
MASTER BUILDER
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 175
I do suggest a GOOD set of gauges if youre going to run a tuner. One good thing about the banks if youre towing and youre EGT's are getting hot you can turn it down on the fly! The guages come in very handy for getting good mpg's also! You can keep a eye on boost psi (fuel makes boost! more boost = less mpg's)