performance question - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

mx and sled 41 · 02-05-2008, 06:15 PM

hey guys... im thinking about doing something to my truck in the future... something to liven it up a bit... im kind of thinking about chipping it... but is there any chips that you can get the programmer on the dash like the diesels but for a gas truck? also what would this cost me? is there anything else i could do fairly cheap that wouldn't hurt fuel mileage and possibly make it better?

Octane · 02-05-2008, 07:57 PM

Aint gonna happen. To make more horsepower you must burn more fuel.

mx and sled 41 · 02-06-2008, 05:48 AM

well my buddy has an 03 duramax with it chipped, exhaust, and an air box with a k&N filter and he's getting between 20 and 22 MPG. he added 200HP and gained fuel mileage, i was just wondering if there was anything out there like that for gas trucks

Skligmund · 02-07-2008, 06:05 PM

To make more power, an engine must be more efficient. When an engine is more efficient, it gets better mileage AT the SAME horsepower. If you mash the throttle to feel that extra 50 horses, you will use more gas, but if you drive it limiting yourself to the old performance numbers, you will gain in mileage. The question is, can you force yourself to do it?

72TNTSkidoo · 02-08-2008, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skligmund

To make more power, an engine must be more efficient. When an engine is more efficient, it gets better mileage AT the SAME horsepower. If you mash the throttle to feel that extra 50 horses, you will use more gas, but if you drive it limiting yourself to the old performance numbers, you will gain in mileage. The question is, can you force yourself to do it?

Yeah that be it. Fuel MPG improvements typically come from opening the intake and exhaust side of the motor. A chip usually will usually do the opposite, and will just dump more fuel into the motor to make up for the restrictive exhaust and intake. Sure you will get more power from a chip, but you won't get better MPG. When it comes to performance and saving gas, the two really dont mix at all, if you want performance and your going to need to burn some energy, otherwise it makes no sense. I would start with an exhaust system, and if your wild some headers, and a intake, now those modifications along with responsible driving will see a big difference in fuel savings. Like Skligmund said, making the engine more efficient will save the $$$ at the pump.

grouly925 · 02-08-2008, 11:40 AM

I have never heard really great things about chips. I got a Diablosport Predator tuner for my '03 2500HD with the 6.0 and I have noticed a power gain as well as fuel mileage improvements. Like they said before, the best way to increase fuel mileage is to keep your foot out of the pedal. When driving for mileage I get about 1.5-2 mpg better. When driving it purely for power, I have cut about 2 seconds off of my 1/4 mile, not that I drage race that much, but thats a good indicator. I can change shift points, compensate for larger tires, adjust spark timing, and read and clear engine codes. Its not cheap, I paid like $379.00, but at 1.5-2 mpg better when you only get 12 mpg to start out with is a decent improvement.

Skligmund · 02-09-2008, 12:58 AM

The chip adds MPG by advancing the spark a bit, which is more efficient. They usually also meter to a tighter tolerance than the stock programming, allowing for a bit more efficiencey. This breeds power and better mileage, but only if you drive it right.

mx and sled 41 · 02-10-2008, 10:59 AM

yea, i just know with my buddy's duramax he leaves his chip on stage 3 out of 6 all of the time and gets a lot beter mileage with it, the exhaust, and the air box and k&n filter on it. even when he drives it hard sometimes in that tank he gets better mileage. he tried leaving te chip on stage 2 for a tank and it didnt help him at all so he put it back up. but i didnt think it would work the same with a gas truck i was just wondering because i would love to have the extra hp available when i wanted it, but the better fuel mileage when i was driving it normal. except all the programmers i looked into all required premium or midgrade fuel for them to work, i just want to use regular 87 octane fuel still... because running a higher octane fuel will cost me more anyways and ill end up paying more per mile because of the difference in price of the fuel, even if i do get better mileage out of it.

grouly925 · 02-11-2008, 09:43 AM

The Predator tuner I got has a premium and a regular octane tunes on it. For optimal performance I filled up with Premium once and saw what it did. The i switched it back to the regular octance tune and still see a good performance increase. You can also download tunes from the internet, although I have never done this. If you get the one for your vehicle, basically you can take your stock tune off of the tuner and save it to your computer and tune other similar vehicles as well. I have done this a few times and charged like $15 bucks or a few beers from my buddies. Its nice because when taking it in for service or warranty work, you can re-install your stock tune so they are not any wiser to it.

krazyballer · 02-11-2008, 10:33 AM

To get more horsepower u can put in a cold air intake, exhaust,underdrive pulleys,efans,troyer custom tune.

jKsled · 02-11-2008, 06:46 PM

also, the chips do a lot more to a diesel than a gas. the hp gains are much more significant. they will help as talked about above, but never to the extent of your friends diesel.

jKsled · 02-11-2008, 06:47 PM

also,let me know what you do and how it turns out, because i have the EXACT same truck!!

Skligmund · 02-12-2008, 11:09 AM

Infact, you'll find that your truck is missing now! He took it from you!

mx and sled 41 · 02-14-2008, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jKsled

also, the chips do a lot more to a diesel than a gas. the hp gains are much more significant. they will help as talked about above, but never to the extent of your friends diesel.

no worries i am aware that the chip will not add near as much hp or work near as well as with the diesels... that preditor tuner mentioned above sounds like its what i am looking for... how much is it and where did you get it from? thanks everyone!