I've had my truck for 6 years now and towed tons with it very reliably. I'm not chasing big hp, just reliable, usable, and SAFE hp. I've got some ideas but would like to hear from folks who know more than me.Thanks for any and all advice.

You could follow my lead. I'm +50HP injectors and Edge Comp...

With the automatic, I would say an edge comp or juice module, the 50hp or RV275 injectors, and be very very gentle to the stock auto. You will kill it with mods. The stock components are not built to handle the torque of the modified diesel, especially at low speeds and lower engine RPMs. That is likely your weak spot.I would search for info from Cajflynn, he has made his auto 24V run over a million miles. However, he has a standby automatic ready to go, considers input shafts consumable every few hundred thousand or so (even billet), and somewhere has a Ram Rules for towing that he used with his 01. The biggest rule was stay under 20psi of boost.

Build that auto - it's gonna crap out sooner than later.Need some gauges.I'd do 7x.010's and a timing box. (powerpuck, EZ, TS MVP)

I've been following you for years with maintenance issues, you are my hero. But I'm scared of the comp. Really don't want to tap the pump. Will the EZ and your injectors be enough to realize?

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Transmission is solid. I don't what he (transmission shop) put in it other than the triple disc converter, but he told me not to worry about it that he owned it for a year, that was 6 months and many thousand pounds ago. (He) also drives a cummins with 47RE.

If you don't want to tap the pump, get a Smarty. If I could only have one box, that would be it. I like the REVO tunability and the low end torque. The smarty alone will add ~60hp max. Plus, the smarty is going for 400 - 450 on the forums.

Have you ran any of the timing boxes? Any preference?

I have a smarty/comp stack at present. I like it. I've run the comp, juice, CTS, and smarty. The smarty gives a good low end grunt and perceived power increase. However, that is torque and at low RPM... which will be the hardest on the transmission.

The smarty is good as I like how its tune-able. However, the comp (with wire tap) gives more power, 120hp. Yet the smarty feels more powerful. The comp will add more power overall, but at higher RPM and not as aggressively off the line. I don't honestly know how much power I get from them stacked, but with my previous (stock injectors/turbo) truck I really liked how the smarty drove.

A downside of the smarty is that you have to shut the truck down, and take 2-4 minutes to load the software and any modifications each time you want to change a power setting. The comp/juice/etc. have simple buttons that you can dial it up or down as you drive. This isn't all bad though, as you don't have any additional wires with the smarty as it is just plug and load.

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I would also say, regardless of what you get, you would need to watch boost and EGT. You can run the risk of pushing the stock turbo too hard and either burning it up, or overheating things. for a jaunt around town, getting a bit warm doesn't seem to be that bad once in a while. However, when towing, you want to keep from heat soaking things at those high over maximum temperatures.

Since the trailer is rarely unhooked, sounds like my best option is gauges, smarty, and maybe injectors. I'm so accustomed to stock adding the smarty to get the load moving may be all I need.Thanks

Since the trailer is rarely unhooked, sounds like my best option is gauges, smarty, and maybe injectors. I'm so accustomed to stock adding the smarty to get the load moving may be all I need.

Thanks

It might. I've never run an Edge EZ or a power puck... Those may be good too, but I wouldn't know. I can say I am happy with the smarty. You might note though, MoparMan doesn't run one. He likes his Comp and has tried the Smarty in the past. So some of it is a matter of personal preference.

Basically the Smarty will add fuel and timing to a maximum of 60 hp. However, the higher number the Catcher (power level) the faster it will get to peak power. If you buy a used one make sure it isn't vinlocked. They lock to the vin of the truck its installed on and won't load to another truck without returning the prior truck to stock. The Smarty has 3 cyl high idle enabled on all settings. You can still use it as a 2nd gen 24v code reader even if it is locked to your truck however.

You can get the cable and downloader to use your laptop to install different versions of the Catcher softwares. Some are anti theft, some are winter fuel / auto trans specific, and the most recent is the REVO. Basically, the revo allows you to pick a Catcher level, then tune it by varying the sub levels of injection timing advance, injection fueling & pulse duration, torque management, etc. You can also correct the speedo for non stock tires. (one of my favorite things)

I also run a drag comp. I love my box and if your very worried about tapping the pump just go simple and do a stealth cover, it's super easy and does not require cutting into and tapping any wires. It's also easier to test for a good connection as it's easier to get to. I think Mike is running the most reliable setup for towing. Good luck. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

Start with a smarty. If you outgrow it you can easily recoupe funds and go bigger. Buy from a trusted seller and you"ll be fine .... You'll be suprised what a smarty and 50-75 injectors do to these trucks ..

I just installed a set of RV275's, For such a small claimed improvement it made a dramatic difference and also get 2-3 mpg out of the deal (haven't got enough time to calculate exactly how much). I only had 80K on the stock injectors but the rv275's made them seem old and tired. The difference between a box and injectors is you can turn the box off, but you can also not push on the accelerator pedal as much. Don't think you will get the mpg gain a small set of quality injectors will give you and the cost is reasonable @ $300.00. They pay for themselves in 20-25 tanks of fuel. Moparman has very good practical advice and I have certainly benefited from it.

Reason why I never go on with the Smarty or flash programmers because of the simple reason you need to shut down, run the programmer and start back up. Doesn't work for me because I would be changing flashes way too much with winter weather.Then no-tapped boxes are limited to 60-65 HP period because you have to play by the rules of the ECM. So that is a limiting factor.So now Edge Comp, Edge Juice, Quadzilla, etc. All these boxes have a tapped setup wider range of control of fuel and timing. Then on the fly adjustments without shutting down and flashing.

I've had my truck for 6 years now and towed tons with it very reliably. I'm not chasing big hp, just reliable, usable, and SAFE hp. I've got some ideas but would like to hear from folks who know more than me. Thanks for any and all advice.

HY35 or HX35 turbo? My HY gets hot with my mods and isn't much good past 2200-2400 rpms. But, +60 HP injectors and +65 HP box are an awesome start! Makes the truck much more drive-able.

Reason why I never go on with the Smarty or flash programmers because of the simple reason you need to shut down, run the programmer and start back up. Doesn't work for me because I would be changing flashes way too much with winter weather. Then no-tapped boxes are limited to 60-65 HP period because you have to play by the rules of the ECM. So that is a limiting factor. So now Edge Comp, Edge Juice, Quadzilla, etc. All these boxes have a tapped setup wider range of control of fuel and timing. Then on the fly adjustments without shutting down and flashing.

Very true, Mike. And that is a big plus to the Edge/Quadzilla boxes. I would also note that Quadzilla is out of business. They had good stuff, and it can be great value on the used market, but there is no factory support. I do believe that the site here has most of the tunes available for download.

I just installed a set of RV275's, For such a small claimed improvement it made a dramatic difference and also get 2-3 mpg out of the deal (haven't got enough time to calculate exactly how much). I only had 80K on the stock injectors but the rv275's made them seem old and tired. The difference between a box and injectors is you can turn the box off, but you can also not push on the accelerator pedal as much. Don't think you will get the mpg gain a small set of quality injectors will give you and the cost is reasonable @ $300.00. They pay for themselves in 20-25 tanks of fuel. Moparman has very good practical advice and I have certainly benefited from it.

A lot of us have benefited from the advice that is offered here from Mike and all the other family members that make this site what it is.It has been my privilege to be part of it and associate with all. Soak all you can and pass it on. As much as I appreciate everyone's help, it is very rewarding to be able to pass it on to someone else. On another note. I have the RV275's and love em. My banks tuner died and I only have the RV's now and there is a very nice difference from stock. I feel a Comp coming on soon.

Reason why I never go on with the Smarty or flash programmers because of the simple reason you need to shut down, run the programmer and start back up. Doesn't work for me because I would be changing flashes way too much with winter weather.

Then no-tapped boxes are limited to 60-65 HP period because you have to play by the rules of the ECM. So that is a limiting factor.

So now Edge Comp, Edge Juice, Quadzilla, etc. All these boxes have a tapped setup wider range of control of fuel and timing. Then on the fly adjustments without shutting down and flashing.

Some extra stuff here though ........( I totally agree ^^^ juice/comp is my alltime favourite box ) but there was a reason to my madness ......

1) Smarty doesnt feel like 60HP ..... its fueling and TM makes it feel like a juice down low where it counts.

2) Smarty is OBDII CAN fuel ..... simpelist install - no wires, no tapping, 5 minutes and your done

3) Generally once loaded - your not touching it ......

4) Going from stock - to smarty + injectors is a significant leap ........

5) Once you get there ..... the next step would be to go a COMP and tap the tump. You'd sell the smarty for $450 and buy a comp for $450. NO cost diff.

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HY35 or HX35 turbo? My HY gets hot with my mods and isn't much good past 2200-2400 rpms. But, +60 HP injectors and +65 HP box are an awesome start! Makes the truck much more drive-able.

Upgrade to a HE351CW off a 3rd Gen.

With the RV275's it made a nice differance almost like having 2 more settings on the Edge.

Other problem is once you get into a Smarty it tunes are more power up than smoke control either. So now on the Edge Comp there is 3 sublevel that are smoke control and 2 sublevels that are powered modes. Like daily driving I'm using 5x3. Gives my all the smoke control but excellent power as well. Now once winter and icy roads come on I got to flip down to 5x2 or or lower to lag the turbo from lighting up to keep traction going. Something Smarty can't do without stopping, plugging in, flash, OPPS! Flash just messed up and ate your ECM. Now you walking home. Just a risk I don't want being I have no cell service out here and walking several mile in blowing cold (-20*F) might become very deadly. If the Edge Comp dies I just unplug and keep rolling failures are modular and can be removed my way. So I go home with only +50HP injectors.The other problem I figured out is that Smarty and un-tapped modules play by the same rules. So they can't really math out fuel tables above 20 PSI this why they are flat power wise on top. ECM table is design for stock power all Smarty and other modules do is re-write the boost table not to throw codes and only the stock table there is no room for 20 and above PSI hence the 60 HP limit. So even modules like Diablo Power Puck is the same thing playing with stock ECM tables and just modifying the stock information.The only time you can math out timing and fueling above stock tables is with a wire tap. Hence the timing curves extend well over the 20 PSI boost limit, etc. Now you can modify electronically above the 20 PSI limit by cutting or extending the pulse to the fuel solenoid which the the wire tap goes too. As you can see my choice of module goes well beyond the HP/TQ it considers everything...

I can't thank all of you enough for sharing your experiences and expertise. There is absolutely no substitute for the knowledge and information I've gained from asking a simple question. No matter which way I decide to go, I know the pro's and con's and what to expect from my decision.Thanks Again to All